In Her Name: First Contact - Book Club Part 1

[Neekeebee]

Arriving a little late to the party here...

This isn't directly related to the story, but it's something I'm always interested to hear what people think: should we reach for the stars (and why/why not)?
Yes.  I think people have always had a fascination with stars; each culture seems to have folktales about constellations, the moon and the sun, etc.  Reaching into infinity with space exploration seems to be the natural progression of our fascination, and gives us something grand to dream about and to strive for. 


What were your impressions when you first meet the various members of Aurora's crew - who did you like most/least, and why?
Ichiro was my favorite character in the first chapters and the one I was rooting for to survive, although it was really hard to read about the others’ deaths!  I had started to read the product description on Amazon and stopped after reading that there would only be one survivor; I already knew I would read the book, and didn’t want any more spoilers!   So I knew that only one would survive, but didn’t know it would be Ichiro. 
I think I liked Ichiro most because he seemed like a normal kid who was really scared but wanted to make his family and shipmates proud.  Also, we got more information about his family and background than we did the others.

And did you root for anyone in particular during the battle for the ship? I was rooting for the humans, but I couldn’t help remembering that the blue warriors are E-Z’s fellow Kreelans!

What did you think of the healers and the medical "technology" they used on McClaren and the other crew members?  Wow! 


Captain McClaren catches a glimpse of a "towering figure" at the back of the amphitheater where they watch the builders at work. From that and some earlier snippets, and before she is "formally" introduced into the story, did you suspect who this was (for those who've read the original novels)? And were you glad or not?
 Yes and yes.  I enjoyed In Her Name so much that it was like a happy reunion to meet one of the characters again.

What did you think of the crew's reaction to the "lottery"? And who did you think would be chosen as the Messenger?
I was kind of afraid it would degenerate into a terrible fight over the Messenger disc, but then proud of the way they all declined to participate in the lottery.  I was also kind of scared the humans would be forced to fight each other in the gladiator stadium.

What were your thoughts during the battle fought in the arena? What was your favorite scene(s), and why?
 The most touching part was when Kilmer died defending Harkness.

What was your overall impression of the Kreelans by the end of the arena scene? 
They may be brutal, but ultimately, they are looking for a challenging and fair fight.

Was the Messenger who you thought it might be? 
I don’t know who I thought it would be (actually, I kind of hoped Tesh-Dar would change her mind and let more than one go) but as I said, I was hoping it would be Ichiro.  I was surprised, though, that Tesh-Dar agreed with the choice.   I thought she would have chosen McClaren.

N

[Neekeebee]

Ha! I tried!   Looks like we have another member of the "I stayed up until X a.m. reading In Her Name" club... 

Yes, Ed.  Welcome to the club. 

N

[Michael R. Hicks]

Arriving a little late to the party here...

There's no 'late' here - the party is indefinite!

What were your impressions when you first meet the various members of Aurora's crew - who did you like most/least, and why?
Ichiro was my favorite character in the first chapters and the one I was rooting for to survive, although it was really hard to read about the others’ deaths!  I had started to read the product description on Amazon and stopped after reading that there would only be one survivor; I already knew I would read the book, and didn’t want any more spoilers!   So I knew that only one would survive, but didn’t know it would be Ichiro. 
I think I liked Ichiro most because he seemed like a normal kid who was really scared but wanted to make his family and shipmates proud.  Also, we got more information about his family and background than we did the others.

It's interesting to see what y'all think about who might survive! It was pretty funny - I had no idea while writing it who was going to make it until it happened. I blame it all on my fingers!

And did you root for anyone in particular during the battle for the ship? I was rooting for the humans, but I couldn’t help remembering that the blue warriors are E-Z’s fellow Kreelans!

...and definitely have her attitude before she got to know Reza! D'oh!

Captain McClaren catches a glimpse of a "towering figure" at the back of the amphitheater where they watch the builders at work. From that and some earlier snippets, and before she is "formally" introduced into the story, did you suspect who this was (for those who've read the original novels)? And were you glad or not?
 Yes and yes.  I enjoyed In Her Name so much that it was like a happy reunion to meet one of the characters again.

You'll meet at least one more in the next book, aside from the Empress, of course...

What did you think of the crew's reaction to the "lottery"? And who did you think would be chosen as the Messenger?
I was kind of afraid it would degenerate into a terrible fight over the Messenger disc, but then proud of the way they all declined to participate in the lottery.  I was also kind of scared the humans would be forced to fight each other in the gladiator stadium.

I think my fingers had contemplated something like that, but it simply wasn't in the character of the crew. Fortunately!

What were your thoughts during the battle fought in the arena? What was your favorite scene(s), and why?
 The most touching part was when Kilmer died defending Harkness.

I was actually rather shocked at how that bit of it played out, to be honest. Pleased, but totally surprised!

Was the Messenger who you thought it might be? 
I don’t know who I thought it would be (actually, I kind of hoped Tesh-Dar would change her mind and let more than one go) but as I said, I was hoping it would be Ichiro.  I was surprised, though, that Tesh-Dar agreed with the choice.   I thought she would have chosen McClaren.

Tesh-Dar isn't totally against going back on a decision, but choosing only a single Messenger was really driven by tradition, and that's much, much harder for her to break...

[Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake']

Hope I'll be able to keep up with the Klub, but like you said, no time limits. 

Close Encounters: Chapters 1 through 8

This isn't directly related to the story, but it's something I'm always interested to hear what people think: should we reach for the stars (and why/why not)?

Yes, we should.  It is arrogant to think that we are the only sentient beings on any planet in any system or universe.  Or that if we find someone else, that we are the most advanced. 

When the Aurora's crew first learned about the alien ships coming toward them, did you have any suspicions about what might happen? And did your suspicions prove correct?

Well, having read IHN, it was pretty obvious what was going to happen. 

What were your impressions when you first meet the various members of Aurora's crew - who did you like most/least, and why?

I had no particular dislikes.  I liked Ichiro and McClaren.  You have a way of making the characters real. 

Captain McClaren decided to stay and greet the alien ships. Would you have done the same if you were in his shoes?

Hell, no.  I'da been outta there in a flash.  But then, I'm not the Captain of a deep-space exploration vessel.  I do think he made the right decision, even though it turned out very, very badly. 

What were your first impressions of the aliens as they "greeted" the Aurora's crew? And did you root for anyone in particular during the battle for the ship?

Again, having read IHN, I knew what to expect and I also knew it was futile to root for anyone in particular. 

What did you think of the healers and the medical "technology" they used on McClaren and the other crew members?

Knowing about the gel, again I knew what to expect, but I did feel McClaren's escalating fear.

You're introduced to a couple of different castes on the Kreelan warship. What did you think of them?

Apparently, you are born into a particular caste.  I don't remember the silver talons.  Please refresh my memory. 

Captain McClaren catches a glimpse of a "towering figure" at the back of the amphitheater where they watch the builders at work. From that and some earlier snippets, and before she is "formally" introduced into the story, did you suspect who this was (for those who've read the original novels)? And were you glad or not?

Oh, yes.  Had to be Tesh-Dar, and yes, I was glad to see her.  If I hadn't read the original book, I'm sure I would have felt very differently.

What did you think of the crew's reaction to the "lottery"? And who did you think would be chosen as the Messenger?

Good on them.  They showed the Kreelans what the humans were made of.  Where Kreelans have no compunction about killing each other in the arena, humans will stick together.  I thought from the beginning it would be Ichiro, but the way Yao Ming fought, I knew Tesh-Dar would be impressed. 

What were your thoughts during the battle fought in the arena? What was your favorite scene(s), and why?

It was a losing battle, and the humans knew it.  They acquitted themselves well.  I liked it when Kilmer kept slamming the Kreelan warrior even though his throat was practically ripped out.  I liked it whenever one of the humans defeated a Kreelan. 

What was your overall impression of the Kreelans by the end of the arena scene?

They may be vicious and brutal, but they do have their own code of honor.  They did honor the fallen humans and they did give the dog tags to Ichiro to take back with him.

Was the Messenger who you thought it might be?

I vascillated between Sato and Yao, but Sato was my first choice.

[Michael R. Hicks]

Apparently, you are born into a particular caste.  I don't remember the silver talons.  Please refresh my memory.

Yeah, we'll have to find out more about the whole caste thing. I suspect we'll know more over the next book or two...

The silver talons = sterile. Esah-Zhurah was born that way, as was Tesh-Dar; the colors for both of them were different after each went through the Change...

[Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake']

Yeah, we'll have to find out more about the whole caste thing. I suspect we'll know more over the next book or two...

You "suspect" huh?  Hinting that you might have an in with the author.  <nudge-nudge,wink-wink>

The silver talons = sterile. Esah-Zhurah was born that way, as was Tesh-Dar; the colors for both of them were different after each went through the Change...

Thanks.  I had forgotten that. 

[Michael R. Hicks]

You "suspect" huh?  Hinting that you might have an in with the author.  <nudge-nudge,wink-wink>

It's my muse. I have to bribe her with chocolate.   

[Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake']

It's my muse. I have to bribe her with chocolate.   

You forget that I had a vision your muse was named Walter. 

[Michael R. Hicks]

You forget that I had a vision your muse was named Walter. 

I obviously suppressed the memory - it was too painful!

[Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake']

I obviously suppressed the memory - it was too painful!

I think you hurt Walter's feelings. 

[Neekeebee]

Thanks.  I had forgotten that. 

Yes, thanks for reminding us.  There were several points during my reading that I really wanted to refer back to IHN, but I couldn't stop reading First Contact!  I'm thinking a re-reading of IHN is in order after this book.

N

[Michael R. Hicks]

I'm thinking a re-reading of IHN is in order after this book.

Uh-oh! Then what will you do after Legend of the Sword and Brothers in Arms are released? 

[Neekeebee]

Uh-oh! Then what will you do after Legend of the Sword and Brothers in Arms are released?  

Re-read IHN and First Contact, of course!  

I was thinking about the arena battle scene between the humans and Kreelans again this morning (while I was supposed to be reading something else ) and about how the humans and Kreelans have such different standards for honor and nobility.  The humans felt loyalty to their crew mates was the most important thing and were willing to die to protect each other, especially those who were too weak to fend for themselves (e.g. Yao placing himself between Ichiro and I-can't-remember-her-name-at-the-moment).  The Kreelans honor strength over weakness and only fought their assigned opponent (they would rather stand and watch a fellow warrior be killed by her opponent than come to her aid), and willingly handicap themselves to make a fight fair.  The two codes of honor are very different and reflect the two cultures' foremost values.  Just my 2 cents.

N

[Michael R. Hicks]

Re-read IHN and First Contact, of course!  

w00t! 

The two codes of honor are very different and reflect the two cultures' foremost values.  Just my 2 cents.

Excellent point. We're typically determined to "win" at what we do, and - at least depending on the bonds  between people in a group - are willing to sacrifice/support one another. The Kreelans don't necessarily look at things that way: their sole purpose for existence is to honor the Empress, and that process is governed by a very strict moral code. But they also have a bit of a different perspective because while we are individuals who may band together in a supportive group, they're really a group - bound by the Bloodsong - that can also act as individuals. It's a bit of a flip-flop in terms of underlying philosophy. And no, I didn't intend anything to be that way! LOL!

[Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake']

Hem-hem ... 2am last night, or rather this morning.  And I need my beauty sleep, darn you.

I'm trying to write a love scene, which is hard to do considering I have this raging battle lust raging through my bloodsong. 

[Michael R. Hicks]

Hem-hem ... 2am last night, or rather this morning.  And I need my beauty sleep, darn you.

Oh, no, not that! Well, you'll have to get a nap today so you can stay up late again tonight...

I'm trying to write a love scene, which is hard to do considering I have this raging battle lust raging through my bloodsong. 

I think you need to see a therapist about all that rage. I can see where it might spoil a love scene...or, heck, spice it up a bit...

[Edward C. Patterson]

Don;t consult me on love scenes. After each hetero one I need to canvas friends to see if I got it right. You know, Kinsie 6 and all that.

Ed Patterson

[Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake']

Oh, no, not that! Well, you'll have to get a nap today so you can stay up late again tonight...

If I must, I must.  Slept for 2.5 hours this afternoon.  Cut into my reading time.

I think you need to see a therapist about all that rage. I can see where it might spoil a love scene...or, heck, spice it up a bit...

Not ready for the spicey stuff, yet.  There's one planned toward the end of the book where I just might read about Li'Ara Zhurah's battle lust bloodsong coinciding with her mating time.  I have the feeling it will help.   

[Michael R. Hicks]

Not ready for the spicey stuff, yet.  There's one planned toward the end of the book where I just might read about Li'Ara Zhurah's battle lust bloodsong coinciding with her mating time.  I have the feeling it will help.   

Um. Just wait until you read the first chapter of Legend of the Sword...

[Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake']

Um. Just wait until you read the first chapter of Legend of the Sword...

Tease ...

[telracs]

Um. Just wait until you read the first chapter of Legend of the Sword...

and when will that be?

[Michael R. Hicks]

and when will that be?

Well, first two chapters (VERY rough!!) are done if you & Steph wanna break out the red pens (note: I haven't even read 'em over yet, so they may be too stinky to bother really editing yet). Anybody else who'd like a peek is welcome, too - just lemme know...