SFRB Recommends #56: Inherit the Stars by Laurie A. Green #scifi #sfrom #spaceopera

To escape the merciless Ithian Alliance, Sair, a fugitive slave, makes a desperate deal with Drea Mennelsohn, captain of the prototype ship, Specter. But putting his life in the hands of a woman as mysterious as she is beguiling could turn out to be the biggest mistake of his life, especially when the price on his head begins to escalate. 

Drea seems to want far more from the fugitive than just payment for his passage on her ship. Though neither can deny the sizzling chemistry and growing bond between them, Sair must soon make an agonizing decision that could result in the loss of the remarkable woman he has fallen in love with—and their chance to inherit the stars.

Inherit the Stars has left me with several questions I've turned over in my head several times in the months since I've read it. What are acceptable lengths to go for peace? How much can we impinge on free will to create a peaceful society? I know I fall on one side when it comes to such things (as do our heroes in Inherit the Stars), but there's a case to be made that their techniques are not acceptable or right. In science fiction, we have access to alternative weapons that raise ethical questions I find fascinating to ponder- especially as we liken them to technology we have access to today.

The story is purely from the hero's point of view, which I think works better for some readers and worse for others. I'd recommend it for its excellent secondary characters and its original ideas on what weaponry and disability could look like.

Author site: Laurie A. Green | Romantic adventure-- anytime, anywhere.

Recommendation by Lee Koven.