- Title: We Have Met the Enemy
- Author: Felicia Watson
- Series: Lovelace Series, #1
- Genre: Sci-Fi
- Publishing Date: April 2nd, 2019
- Publishing Co.: D.X. Varos, Ltd
- Length: 282 pages
- Format: Kindle, Audiobook, Paperback
- Acquired: Given free print copy in exchange for an honest review
- Amazon Link: We Have Met the Enemy
In the 31st century, Naiche Decker joined the Uniterrae military seeking revenge for the death of her mother in battle against the Eternals. After being assigned to a deep space mission to root out the enemy’s home world, she finds so much more, questioning if revenge was what she really sought in the first place.
We Have Met the Enemy harkens back to the classic science fiction of Asimov, Clarke and Herbert, but with the richly developed characters of a Roddenberry-esque story.
First Chapter Challenge
In the prologue, we meet Naiche as a young girl who just lost her grandfather–her stand-in parent after her mother was killed in battle–and she’s made the decision to join what appears to be the military in this futuristic world. Fast forward to the current time in the first chapter, it’s several years later and she has earned an officer position in the military, as she works Search and Rescue with her dog (also officially military personnel). It’s obvious that she has faced some trauma during her time in the military while fighting the alien species known as the Eternals, but has also made a good friend. I’m interested to see where she takes us as the book continues!
Final Judgment: 4.5 Stars out of 5
Naiche Decker, a woman with deep roots in the “old world” (aka around our century) workings such as 21st century medicine, technology, etc., is on a mission to kill as many Eternals as possible, and hopefully put an end to this war. She’s already lost her mother and almost her entire military team on the frontlines–now she’s given a chance to work with her best friend to go straight to the source and see if they can’t discover the beginnings of the Eternal species. The only glitch is that not only is it a highly dangerous mission, but she also has to share the ship with Ricci, a man she’s had some sort of tense relationship with since she was a rookie. Will their mission be successful? Or will the web of relationships get in the way?
I’m not normally one for the traditional spaceship sci-fi story. But luckily for me, this one also included a large amount of character building and adventure for me to really latch on to it. In fact, the character building took up the largest part of the story, and seemed to be the center of the conflict. Decker and the relationships she formed (or didn’t form) with the people around her were at the forefront, always. Any conflict that arose brought these relationships to the brink, and then either shoved them off or tenderly pulled them back so that she could smooth over tensions. Oh, there was active fighting and external conflicts that occurred on different planets with different species, but it always came back to the internal conflicts in the end.
That is one small issue I had with the novel, and which is why I rated it 4.5 stars instead of 5. The ending was anticlimactic. There was no real big external climax or satisfying battle. It ended a bit limply. Instead, the climax occurred too early and was character based around Decker’s emotions and self-worth. Regardless, the plot was fun and quirky, and took me to all kinds of different places with intelligent lifeforms I never could have dreamt up on my own. I hope that the next book, now that the characters have been firmly established, focuses more on the adventure aspect of meeting new species and introducing us to new, advanced technology!
Overall, great novel for sci-fi lovers as well as those who don’t typically pick up the genre. A great start to a series I will definitely be continuing. Stay on the lookout for a review of the next book soon!
One last note: The author tended to italicize a LOT for emphasis. In fact, it became annoying after the first few chapters. But, I was able to ignore it and place the emphasis myself whenever I felt it was warranted as I read.
The Book Dragon 