LitPick Review
What do you think it would be like to be the only human in the midst of aliens of the opposite gender? Before you think of an answer to that question, why don't we dive into this captivating piece written by David Michael Martin. Honor and Obligation is about a group of aliens traveling across space to their home. They are females, mostly warriors, and along with them is a human, a man named Delwyn, who saved a shipmate from death. While on this ship, the female aliens made sure they guarded this human who they wanted as their war leader. They taught him their language, history, and they often got together to sing songs since music played an important part in their culture. One day, the human was invited to another spaceship called Fearless by an alien named Phalalin. Phalalin hinted to Delwyn about a rite that would be needed to prove him worthy as a war leader and would also be an entrance into adulthood. This had to be done when they arrive home. What do you think this rite would include? Would Delwyn agree to this?
Opinion:
What can I say? The book was epic, and I will give three reasons why. First, the characters in the book are outstanding. They are mostly females aliens who are described as creatures with tails. They participate in wars, thereby securing their environment and their males since they lack a good number of males. Their names are also very creative and unique. Each name matched the roles they played as nonhumans. Names like Hervorallin blended in and made the plot look more fantastical and weird, just as these creatures are. Second, the reader could become hooked on the plot. It is distinctive, and it is not like anything I've read before. The thought of a human being around a different species of being is enough of a starter to make the reader glued, not to mention the fact that he is to undergo a traditional rite to be accepted into adulthood in an unknown world. Well, I wouldn't want to spoil the story, so let's stop here. Finally, the settings are also something that added to the exquisite building of this book. Set in a different world, the author clearly explained the warship and the features of the environment, which is a dense forest. These points and a lot more added richly to the construction of this riveting novel.
