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Theirs Not to Reason Why #2
An Officer's Duty
Jean Johnson—the national bestselling author of the Sons of Destiny novels—returns to the world she introduced in A Soldier’s Duty with a terrible vision of the future...
Promoted in the field for courage and leadership under fire, Ia is now poised to become an officer in the Space Force Navy—once she undertakes her Academy training. But on a trip back home to Sanctuary, she finds the heavyworld colony being torn apart by religious conflict. Now Ia must prepare her family and followers to secure the galaxy’s survival. Her plan is to command a Blockade Patrol ship. Her goal, to save as many lives as she can. But at the Academy, she discovers an unexpected the one man who could disrupt those plans. The man whose future she cannot foresee...
Promoted in the field for courage and leadership under fire, Ia is now poised to become an officer in the Space Force Navy—once she undertakes her Academy training. But on a trip back home to Sanctuary, she finds the heavyworld colony being torn apart by religious conflict. Now Ia must prepare her family and followers to secure the galaxy’s survival. Her plan is to command a Blockade Patrol ship. Her goal, to save as many lives as she can. But at the Academy, she discovers an unexpected the one man who could disrupt those plans. The man whose future she cannot foresee...
448 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 31, 2012
73 people are currently reading
1009 people want to read
About the author
Jean Johnson
51 books818 followersBerkley/Jove Authors Bio
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
(1)romance author, science fiction author
Jean Johnson currently lives in the Pacific Northwest, has played in the SCA for 25 years, sings a lot, and argues with her cat about territorial rights to her office chair. She loves hearing from her readers, and has a distinct sense of humor. Right now she's living in a home with zone heating & decent plumbing, but hopes to some day put turrets and ramparts on it so that it looks like a castle.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
(1)romance author, science fiction author
Jean Johnson currently lives in the Pacific Northwest, has played in the SCA for 25 years, sings a lot, and argues with her cat about territorial rights to her office chair. She loves hearing from her readers, and has a distinct sense of humor. Right now she's living in a home with zone heating & decent plumbing, but hopes to some day put turrets and ramparts on it so that it looks like a castle.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
September 20, 2025
I can't tell you what attracts me to military fiction, or science-fiction as is the case here. I am not a military brat, never served and have no family or friends that do. As a matter of fact, the military in Brazil has not recovered their prestige after the military dictatorship of the 1960 and 1970's. Nevertheless, I relish reading both military fiction and non-fiction books! It must be the adrenaline of action.
Anyway, Jean Johnson stays true to form in the second installment of Theirs Not to Reason Why. This is an incredible series if you like military stories, science-fiction, all mixed with some paranormal. I happen to be a fan of all them and loved the action-packed An Officer’s Duty as well as now as the first time I read it. Each novel is a step forward for the ‘precognitive’ Ia as she works to save the world from a catastrophe she foresaw, when she was just 15, on her first visit to the ‘timestreams’.
I’ve evolved from fantasy to science fiction not that long ago and later discovered the military sub-genre. I particularly enjoy a blend of space operas with a military drama, and if there is a strong female protagonist I am hooked, that is Ia! If you are anything like me, you will love this book: with a tremendous pace, it offers everything and more: epic battles; political maneuvering; friendship and even a little romance; alluring and plausible characters. Ah, there are surprises, and unexpectedly we are startled when we discover that Ia has an Achilles’s heel after all. So, she is also human, after all! Awesome, ‘Bloody Mary’!
What astonished me when I first read the series was that an almost omniscient Ia is not monotonous or banal, so we get a great heroine and an incredible tale. She might know how everything is going to turn out, but even her ´future’ can change, and sometimes things go wrong.
An Officer’s Duty is a mind-blowing book, read it. But if you haven’t read A Soldier's Duty (Theirs Not to Reason Why, #1), first do that or you might be lost. Enjoy!
Anyway, Jean Johnson stays true to form in the second installment of Theirs Not to Reason Why. This is an incredible series if you like military stories, science-fiction, all mixed with some paranormal. I happen to be a fan of all them and loved the action-packed An Officer’s Duty as well as now as the first time I read it. Each novel is a step forward for the ‘precognitive’ Ia as she works to save the world from a catastrophe she foresaw, when she was just 15, on her first visit to the ‘timestreams’.
I’ve evolved from fantasy to science fiction not that long ago and later discovered the military sub-genre. I particularly enjoy a blend of space operas with a military drama, and if there is a strong female protagonist I am hooked, that is Ia! If you are anything like me, you will love this book: with a tremendous pace, it offers everything and more: epic battles; political maneuvering; friendship and even a little romance; alluring and plausible characters. Ah, there are surprises, and unexpectedly we are startled when we discover that Ia has an Achilles’s heel after all. So, she is also human, after all! Awesome, ‘Bloody Mary’!
"I started in the service as a grunt in the Marines. I bear more decorations from my two years of service than anyone outside of Blockade Patrol. Most of my career in the Corps, I served as a noncom officer. I earned my Field Commission at the Battle of Zubeneschamali... I earned my military nickname from my first combat three and a half years ago. My CO looked at me standing there before him, covered multiple times from head to toe in Choya blood and Salik guts, and dubbed me 'Bloody Mary'. I have kept the nickname through my career to date, and kept it fresh.So dramatically Ia introduces herself to her subordinates on her first day as their commanding officer.
"Call me whatever you want before my first drink... But you will learn to call me it with respect the moment we go on duty."
What astonished me when I first read the series was that an almost omniscient Ia is not monotonous or banal, so we get a great heroine and an incredible tale. She might know how everything is going to turn out, but even her ´future’ can change, and sometimes things go wrong.
An Officer’s Duty is a mind-blowing book, read it. But if you haven’t read A Soldier's Duty (Theirs Not to Reason Why, #1), first do that or you might be lost. Enjoy!
September 6, 2012
I'm of two minds of reading this series. I enjoy reading it, there is no doubt about that, but it's in that way where deep inside you, the part that (for me, anyway) is always rooting for the protagonist and always wanting them to shine and be right even when everyone else around her (or him) is wrong--well. That part is definitely feeling fulfilled in reading this book. Not to mention that the main character, Ia, is absolutely right with no doubt at all, because she's precognitive... heh.
So I get to be entirely justified when I'm miffed that other people don't immediately believe in Ia, because of course she is right because she can see the future and there is absolutely no chance of her being wrong.
But while satisfying in that sense, the more rational (wow, I am almost tempted to go id, ego, and super-ego in this review, but I'll refrain) part of me takes a step back, looks at the book, and promptly swats down that inner feeling of absolute glee in order to go yeah, while it feels good reading it, it's so over the top it's cringe worthy.
So, yes, two minds.
That said, I did enjoy reading the book. If I don't think about it too hard, I enjoy what the author is throwing out at us and the main character. Granted, the plot is kind of flat because it's basically detailing Ia's various adventures as she tries to set the course of the future to one where the galaxy lives. It doesn't make for all that much tension and suspense when you know the character is pretty much going to come out of everything smelling like roses, if a little battered.
And the characters? Well, other than Ia (who isn't all that greatly characterized, but I like her anyway, go figure), the rest of them as still rather flat. They're used as foils for Ia, instead of really seeming like they have lives and function other than floating around her and helping her, hindering her, or just fodder for her plans. This book revolves around Ia and the future that she is trying to etch out. Unfortunately a lot of events are told to you or skimmed over because the author needs to go through a large span of time and focuses on the more important or interesting bits of Ia's career. If you like something a little deeper and a little richer in your reading, well, this isn't the series for you.
The romance is lackluster at best. I don't really want or expect much romance from this series considering how indifferent Ia is to it most of the time, but if you're going to put it in, I expect something a little bit less... well, boring. Ia's reactions to it make sense, but the entire inclusion of the romance in the first place seemed rather forced and the male lead is still this shapeless blob in my head.
All in all? An Officer's Duty deserves 2 stars, flat out. And yet I still liked reading it. It appealed to my shallow side, the one that goes "yay!" whenever the main characters gets something over her opponents. I figure that because of that, I'll at least bump it up to a 3.
So I get to be entirely justified when I'm miffed that other people don't immediately believe in Ia, because of course she is right because she can see the future and there is absolutely no chance of her being wrong.
But while satisfying in that sense, the more rational (wow, I am almost tempted to go id, ego, and super-ego in this review, but I'll refrain) part of me takes a step back, looks at the book, and promptly swats down that inner feeling of absolute glee in order to go yeah, while it feels good reading it, it's so over the top it's cringe worthy.
So, yes, two minds.
That said, I did enjoy reading the book. If I don't think about it too hard, I enjoy what the author is throwing out at us and the main character. Granted, the plot is kind of flat because it's basically detailing Ia's various adventures as she tries to set the course of the future to one where the galaxy lives. It doesn't make for all that much tension and suspense when you know the character is pretty much going to come out of everything smelling like roses, if a little battered.
And the characters? Well, other than Ia (who isn't all that greatly characterized, but I like her anyway, go figure), the rest of them as still rather flat. They're used as foils for Ia, instead of really seeming like they have lives and function other than floating around her and helping her, hindering her, or just fodder for her plans. This book revolves around Ia and the future that she is trying to etch out. Unfortunately a lot of events are told to you or skimmed over because the author needs to go through a large span of time and focuses on the more important or interesting bits of Ia's career. If you like something a little deeper and a little richer in your reading, well, this isn't the series for you.
The romance is lackluster at best. I don't really want or expect much romance from this series considering how indifferent Ia is to it most of the time, but if you're going to put it in, I expect something a little bit less... well, boring. Ia's reactions to it make sense, but the entire inclusion of the romance in the first place seemed rather forced and the male lead is still this shapeless blob in my head.
All in all? An Officer's Duty deserves 2 stars, flat out. And yet I still liked reading it. It appealed to my shallow side, the one that goes "yay!" whenever the main characters gets something over her opponents. I figure that because of that, I'll at least bump it up to a 3.
December 27, 2021
2021 Review - 3.5 stars.
I'm not going to add much to my review as I believe my original assessment is still fairly accurate to my current feelings. Except to drop .5 of a star, mostly due to the amount of eye rolling I do at Ia. I am legitimately concerned I might strain one, can you strain eye muscles?
I am determined to read this series through until it becomes so ridiculous I have to stop or till completing it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once again a very fun an entertaining read. Though this time around I believe I noticed a few plot holes, but its hard to really pinpoint due to the large amount of details/side-stories. There were also a few occasions when certain sentences were repeated.
Which was slightly annoying, I know the book was spread over quite a few years but those few repeated sentences just seemed very noticeable. Otherwise if you ignore those few small things I'd say good job. I was sucked into the story line, I really enjoyed the characters, the military aspect was great, include space and some amazing tech and abilities and your bound to have a great read! I especially loved the different races, and how they interact - its not in intricate detail, but enough that you get an idea of how different everyone is from the other cultures and species.
I'm (once again) highly looking forward to the next book and more adventures told from Ia's POV. I have no doubt it's going to be very enjoyable. Hopefully this time I'll remember not to leave it so long between books, so i can recall everything more clearly! as there are a million little details to remember!
(Side Note: i totally forgot to do this ^^^^ oops.)
I'm not going to add much to my review as I believe my original assessment is still fairly accurate to my current feelings. Except to drop .5 of a star, mostly due to the amount of eye rolling I do at Ia. I am legitimately concerned I might strain one, can you strain eye muscles?
I am determined to read this series through until it becomes so ridiculous I have to stop or till completing it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once again a very fun an entertaining read. Though this time around I believe I noticed a few plot holes, but its hard to really pinpoint due to the large amount of details/side-stories. There were also a few occasions when certain sentences were repeated.
Which was slightly annoying, I know the book was spread over quite a few years but those few repeated sentences just seemed very noticeable. Otherwise if you ignore those few small things I'd say good job. I was sucked into the story line, I really enjoyed the characters, the military aspect was great, include space and some amazing tech and abilities and your bound to have a great read! I especially loved the different races, and how they interact - its not in intricate detail, but enough that you get an idea of how different everyone is from the other cultures and species.
I'm (once again) highly looking forward to the next book and more adventures told from Ia's POV. I have no doubt it's going to be very enjoyable. Hopefully this time I'll remember not to leave it so long between books, so i can recall everything more clearly! as there are a million little details to remember!
(Side Note: i totally forgot to do this ^^^^ oops.)
August 30, 2012
I've been reading science fiction of various sub-genres for over 40 years. That's science fiction. Not fantasy. All kinds. The sometimes comedic, sometimes romantic and always entertaining Barrayarans of Bujold; the tomes of Neal Stephenson; the warped history provided by Flint's 1632 phenomenon.... But my heart will always beat a tad faster when I get to enjoy a really excellent space opera with a military flavor - particularly with a strong female protagonist (Weber's Honor Harrington, Moon's Kylara Vatta and Haris Serrano, Bear's Jenny Casey as examples).
I remember the first thing I did after reading A Soldier's Duty was look up when the next series installment was due to be published - and cursed. A whole year?!? Fine. Whatever. It'll probably be worth it.
Moments before sitting down to write this, I finished An Officer's Duty. I was not disappointed. It actually is better than the first one - and that's an achievement.
You want something that's got it all: action; romance; politics; interesting, fleshed out characters; a well-constructed universe and just a darn good story with tremendous pacing?
Read this book. Actually, first read A Soldier's Duty or you'll be lost.
Another cool thing is that I couldn't tell you what Jean Johnson's political leanings are. That's kind of refreshing in modern sf. (Take a lesson, brothers Kollin.)
The next one in the series, Hellfire, comes out in...Another year?!?
Meioa Johnson, I salute you. But, could you pick up the pace a bit. Please?
I remember the first thing I did after reading A Soldier's Duty was look up when the next series installment was due to be published - and cursed. A whole year?!? Fine. Whatever. It'll probably be worth it.
Moments before sitting down to write this, I finished An Officer's Duty. I was not disappointed. It actually is better than the first one - and that's an achievement.
You want something that's got it all: action; romance; politics; interesting, fleshed out characters; a well-constructed universe and just a darn good story with tremendous pacing?
Read this book. Actually, first read A Soldier's Duty or you'll be lost.
Another cool thing is that I couldn't tell you what Jean Johnson's political leanings are. That's kind of refreshing in modern sf. (Take a lesson, brothers Kollin.)
The next one in the series, Hellfire, comes out in...Another year?!?
Meioa Johnson, I salute you. But, could you pick up the pace a bit. Please?
October 11, 2022
Did you read the first book?
If yes, you need to read this book.
If no, you need to read that book, then come back and read this one.
If yes, you need to read this book.
If no, you need to read that book, then come back and read this one.
October 15, 2022
THIS BLEW MY MIND!
I don't even have words. I just don't.
I don't even have words. I just don't.
June 3, 2015
I liked this book, despite the star rating. So don't get me wrong, it can be enjoyable. But objectively, it's pretty terrible, and it takes the right kind of reader to want to press on with this series past the first book.
First of all, there's no plot. There's nothing cohesive holding the story together, other than it's the sequential incidents in Ia's life. I feel like what Johnson chooses to show versus what we don't get to see makes for a rather sporadic mess at times, considering there's no overall thesis to the work. It's just Event_01, Event_02, Event_03...Event_N, Big Finish. And then a few more after events.
Second, Ia is perfect. Like, literally, completely perfect. When she makes a mistake or doesn't execute beautifully, it's by design. Johnson's idea of giving Ia a weakness is neglecting to give Ia the same superpowers that a comic book hero might have *with the same intensity*. She's still super strong, super fast, able to manipulate electricity, alter people's minds, etc. She computes probabilities like a machine. Oh, and of course, see the future.
It's the fact that she sees the future that both makes and breaks her as a character. She's able to do everything just so, because of her precognitive abilites, yet it's also the reason why her character kind of works. If she was doing anything other than rescuing the known universe from the tiniest possibility of salvation, the series would fall flat.
As it is, the story is 100% about Ia. The other characters don't matter. Bennie doesn't matter. Meyun doesn't matter. Her family doesn't matter. Sure, they all put in an appearance, but I have absolutely no reason to care about any of them.
So when Ia *isn't* able to accomplish something, it feels contrived. When there's a cloudy area in her predict-the-future skills, it's because it's convenient to the author. When her psi strength fails, it's because the enemy has somehow conveniently invented a psi blocking machine, even though (a) there's no reason to believe a species without psis would be likely to figure out how to do so, and (b) Ia still overpowers the machine anyway. We're certainly never afraid of her failure, even when she's rattling off the percent chance that something won't succeed. Background that accommodates for it or not, Ia's imperviousness is just a pinch too extreme. She's not afraid of anything, there's nothing that can possibly weaken her. We thought we might see a chink in her armor finally, here, with a potential love interest...nope.
I could rag on this story at length. And yet, for reasons I can't fully explain, I still liked it. All the while I'm complaining to myself about what the story does or does not do, and how I could write a better novel, I'm still turning the pages. I don't know what that says, but I maintain: Ia's story is not for everyone.
First of all, there's no plot. There's nothing cohesive holding the story together, other than it's the sequential incidents in Ia's life. I feel like what Johnson chooses to show versus what we don't get to see makes for a rather sporadic mess at times, considering there's no overall thesis to the work. It's just Event_01, Event_02, Event_03...Event_N, Big Finish. And then a few more after events.
Second, Ia is perfect. Like, literally, completely perfect. When she makes a mistake or doesn't execute beautifully, it's by design. Johnson's idea of giving Ia a weakness is neglecting to give Ia the same superpowers that a comic book hero might have *with the same intensity*. She's still super strong, super fast, able to manipulate electricity, alter people's minds, etc. She computes probabilities like a machine. Oh, and of course, see the future.
It's the fact that she sees the future that both makes and breaks her as a character. She's able to do everything just so, because of her precognitive abilites, yet it's also the reason why her character kind of works. If she was doing anything other than rescuing the known universe from the tiniest possibility of salvation, the series would fall flat.
As it is, the story is 100% about Ia. The other characters don't matter. Bennie doesn't matter. Meyun doesn't matter. Her family doesn't matter. Sure, they all put in an appearance, but I have absolutely no reason to care about any of them.
So when Ia *isn't* able to accomplish something, it feels contrived. When there's a cloudy area in her predict-the-future skills, it's because it's convenient to the author. When her psi strength fails, it's because the enemy has somehow conveniently invented a psi blocking machine, even though (a) there's no reason to believe a species without psis would be likely to figure out how to do so, and (b) Ia still overpowers the machine anyway. We're certainly never afraid of her failure, even when she's rattling off the percent chance that something won't succeed. Background that accommodates for it or not, Ia's imperviousness is just a pinch too extreme. She's not afraid of anything, there's nothing that can possibly weaken her. We thought we might see a chink in her armor finally, here, with a potential love interest...nope.
I could rag on this story at length. And yet, for reasons I can't fully explain, I still liked it. All the while I'm complaining to myself about what the story does or does not do, and how I could write a better novel, I'm still turning the pages. I don't know what that says, but I maintain: Ia's story is not for everyone.
June 19, 2019
You read my review for the first book, right? You know that this is a series, right? Do not start here! This isn't the kind of series where you can just pick it up in the middle and go.
So, this book is structurally similar to the first book: first half is a training montage, second half is a vignette collection about Ia being the best officer in the entire world. But there are a few twists that make it more infuriating to read, somehow.
And here's where the rant begins, I'm sad to say. The back of the book tells you that there's a mysterious man whose future Ia cannot foresee. I'm going to break out some spoilers here, so strap in.
SPOILERS BEGIN HERE
You'd think Jean Johnson could write a romance, given that she's written them before. Alas, she cannot. There is more chemistry between Ia and some of her enemies than there is between her and mystery man, and yet they're destined to be together, because.
Right. Ia is the best soldier ever, so in this book she goes to officer school. There she meets mystery man, who confounds her because he's the one person she can't see the future of. Which starts as an interesting mystery, then ends as a wet fart because the reason she can't see his future is because she's in love with him. The big emotional struggle is her rejecting him because if she's with her one true love, she won't devote her life to saving the universe. This is somehow written in a way where I was bored and waiting for the plot to get going again.
And then the author decides to piss me off. Badly. So badly I nearly dropped the book and ragequit.
So, every soldier in this universe gets their own therapist, right? This is a utopia where the mental health of their soldiers and officers are important to the higher-ups. It's weird, but nice. Except. Ia's therapist is a priestess/therapist combo, and they become friends. Fine. Not how therapists work, but this is a utopia so whatever.
Upon Ia confiding to her that she's got feelings for this mystery man, but she won't act on them, this fucker of a therapist decides to abuse her power and authority and locks Ia and mystery man into a room until they talk out their emotions and agree to have sex with each other.
No, I didn't make that up. Ia even said no repeatedly until she was forced to consent to this.
It's fucked up on so many levels and it gets worse because Ia never gets angry at her therapist for this. They remain friends and Ia sees her about her problems through to the end of the series. Mystery man isn't mad either.
That's fucked up! What the hell is wrong with you, author?
It's written as if this weren't a space opera, as if these characters were in college and the therapist were a best friend pulling a silly prank instead of abusing the hell out of her rank and authority. I can kind of see where the author was coming from, except that these are literal adult soldiers who are in training to be officers. And as a therapist/priestess with rank over these trainees, she should have been crucified to hell and back for this.
But she wasn't. And I reluctantly kept reading.
Ia has sex with this dude, it's great, they have a shared psychic vision and Ia decides to never see him again ever because he will compromise her saving the universe. Fine. Good. I hate reading him, he's annoying and he was part of that awful scene.
The reason this book has three stars instead of a one and a warning is because I enjoyed the back half so much. It got back to Ia being the best officer ever and space opera action and it's fun. I could even forget about the hell of Ia's relationships.
Deep breath. So. Go into this book warned, enjoy the sci-fi action stuff, and look forward to book three, the best in the series.
So, this book is structurally similar to the first book: first half is a training montage, second half is a vignette collection about Ia being the best officer in the entire world. But there are a few twists that make it more infuriating to read, somehow.
And here's where the rant begins, I'm sad to say. The back of the book tells you that there's a mysterious man whose future Ia cannot foresee. I'm going to break out some spoilers here, so strap in.
SPOILERS BEGIN HERE
You'd think Jean Johnson could write a romance, given that she's written them before. Alas, she cannot. There is more chemistry between Ia and some of her enemies than there is between her and mystery man, and yet they're destined to be together, because.
Right. Ia is the best soldier ever, so in this book she goes to officer school. There she meets mystery man, who confounds her because he's the one person she can't see the future of. Which starts as an interesting mystery, then ends as a wet fart because the reason she can't see his future is because she's in love with him. The big emotional struggle is her rejecting him because if she's with her one true love, she won't devote her life to saving the universe. This is somehow written in a way where I was bored and waiting for the plot to get going again.
And then the author decides to piss me off. Badly. So badly I nearly dropped the book and ragequit.
So, every soldier in this universe gets their own therapist, right? This is a utopia where the mental health of their soldiers and officers are important to the higher-ups. It's weird, but nice. Except. Ia's therapist is a priestess/therapist combo, and they become friends. Fine. Not how therapists work, but this is a utopia so whatever.
Upon Ia confiding to her that she's got feelings for this mystery man, but she won't act on them, this fucker of a therapist decides to abuse her power and authority and locks Ia and mystery man into a room until they talk out their emotions and agree to have sex with each other.
No, I didn't make that up. Ia even said no repeatedly until she was forced to consent to this.
It's fucked up on so many levels and it gets worse because Ia never gets angry at her therapist for this. They remain friends and Ia sees her about her problems through to the end of the series. Mystery man isn't mad either.
That's fucked up! What the hell is wrong with you, author?
It's written as if this weren't a space opera, as if these characters were in college and the therapist were a best friend pulling a silly prank instead of abusing the hell out of her rank and authority. I can kind of see where the author was coming from, except that these are literal adult soldiers who are in training to be officers. And as a therapist/priestess with rank over these trainees, she should have been crucified to hell and back for this.
But she wasn't. And I reluctantly kept reading.
Ia has sex with this dude, it's great, they have a shared psychic vision and Ia decides to never see him again ever because he will compromise her saving the universe. Fine. Good. I hate reading him, he's annoying and he was part of that awful scene.
The reason this book has three stars instead of a one and a warning is because I enjoyed the back half so much. It got back to Ia being the best officer ever and space opera action and it's fun. I could even forget about the hell of Ia's relationships.
Deep breath. So. Go into this book warned, enjoy the sci-fi action stuff, and look forward to book three, the best in the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 6, 2016
This delves into how freakin’ depressing it would be to have your whole life mapped out for you and the sacrifices of family and relationships you have to make. It does get a bit back into the exhilarating one upping the enemy in the end of the book. And overall I still enjoy the series, I think this made the story deeper and more meaningful but it was a hard book, I will be taking somewhat of a break before I pick up book 3.
June 6, 2013
This second book in the series continues with Ia’s story. In the first book, she is a soldier in the Space Force Marines, and now she will train to be an officer in the Space Force Army. Learning to pilot all kinds of space crafts, to give orders, to be everything a good officer needs to be. She has been prepared for this ever since her visions when she was 15.
But first, she gets a three week visit to her home planet, her family and friends. Where she prepares her brothers and mothers for the things to come, and what really needs to be done. She also crafts the tools needed in the future, using the crystal like rocks that grow only on her homeworld. Hard decisions have to be made, and her brothers may not like to do it all, but they will listen and do their best to succeed. As she has foreseen of course. But still, the future is all about free will, and Ia cannot force them.
What Ia did not count on, was a classmate who did not exist in her visions. She likes him, he is cute and fun and very good in his chosen profession. But as she cannot see what happens in the time streams, she tries to stay away from him. Unfortunately, her friend and superior officer, psychiatrist and chaplain Benny forces the two of them to face their problems and attractions. Ia has no time for romance, she knows she will never have a private life or children, so why tempt her with this man? If she really falls in love, he will only distract her from everything that needs to be done to safe the galaxy, or even make her give up her goals altogether.
As fraternizing between cadets is against the rules, they promise to wait until after graduation, and then spend a few days together before going of on their next postings. Ia knows they will not serve together, and a relationship that spans galaxy’s is never going to work. Nor can she afford the distraction. While making love, Meyun Harper triggers her powers, and gets sucked into the timestreams with her. He is resentful of her never giving them a chance, they could have a great life together, he has seen too much. Ia won’t go for that future, as it would mean the end of the whole universe in 300 years. In the end, he does stand behind her in her decisions.
Next, Ia is a Lieutenant second class on a small Blockade Patrol ship, fighting almost daily, and making quick decisions. Her knowledge of all kinds of aliens and their customs is very well used now, and she gains respect among them. For her next goal, she needs her nickname to be well known and feared among the enemy. Foggy spots in the timestreams worry her, she does not know what they mean, but it cannot be good.
I devoured this fairly thick book, 439 pages, in two long sittings. If I did not need to sleep, I would never have stopped reading it.
I love Ia, her determination to safe as many lives as she can, and be a good soldier and officer. Her chosen path is not easy, and she has to ask a lot of herself and her family and friends, but those who share her trust and her vision, stand behind her. Of course there are some fun things as well, like when her little brother wins the biggest jackpot in the galaxy ever, the money that will be needed to fund the rebuilding of her homeworld after the civil war that is coming. The boldness Ia has when addressing some of her superior officers, when she tells them the truth, when they finally find out about her powers and her heritage.
I am in awe of Jean Johnson’s writing voice, as she captivates me and keeps me glued to the pages, needing to find out what happens next, and not wanting the book to end at the same time. I don’t know when the next book will be published, but I saw on Twitter that she is working on the fourth now. I can hardly wait.
These books will stay on my keeper shelf, and will be re-read.
10 stars
Full review on my blog, www.boeklogboek.blogspot.com
But first, she gets a three week visit to her home planet, her family and friends. Where she prepares her brothers and mothers for the things to come, and what really needs to be done. She also crafts the tools needed in the future, using the crystal like rocks that grow only on her homeworld. Hard decisions have to be made, and her brothers may not like to do it all, but they will listen and do their best to succeed. As she has foreseen of course. But still, the future is all about free will, and Ia cannot force them.
What Ia did not count on, was a classmate who did not exist in her visions. She likes him, he is cute and fun and very good in his chosen profession. But as she cannot see what happens in the time streams, she tries to stay away from him. Unfortunately, her friend and superior officer, psychiatrist and chaplain Benny forces the two of them to face their problems and attractions. Ia has no time for romance, she knows she will never have a private life or children, so why tempt her with this man? If she really falls in love, he will only distract her from everything that needs to be done to safe the galaxy, or even make her give up her goals altogether.
As fraternizing between cadets is against the rules, they promise to wait until after graduation, and then spend a few days together before going of on their next postings. Ia knows they will not serve together, and a relationship that spans galaxy’s is never going to work. Nor can she afford the distraction. While making love, Meyun Harper triggers her powers, and gets sucked into the timestreams with her. He is resentful of her never giving them a chance, they could have a great life together, he has seen too much. Ia won’t go for that future, as it would mean the end of the whole universe in 300 years. In the end, he does stand behind her in her decisions.
Next, Ia is a Lieutenant second class on a small Blockade Patrol ship, fighting almost daily, and making quick decisions. Her knowledge of all kinds of aliens and their customs is very well used now, and she gains respect among them. For her next goal, she needs her nickname to be well known and feared among the enemy. Foggy spots in the timestreams worry her, she does not know what they mean, but it cannot be good.
I devoured this fairly thick book, 439 pages, in two long sittings. If I did not need to sleep, I would never have stopped reading it.
I love Ia, her determination to safe as many lives as she can, and be a good soldier and officer. Her chosen path is not easy, and she has to ask a lot of herself and her family and friends, but those who share her trust and her vision, stand behind her. Of course there are some fun things as well, like when her little brother wins the biggest jackpot in the galaxy ever, the money that will be needed to fund the rebuilding of her homeworld after the civil war that is coming. The boldness Ia has when addressing some of her superior officers, when she tells them the truth, when they finally find out about her powers and her heritage.
I am in awe of Jean Johnson’s writing voice, as she captivates me and keeps me glued to the pages, needing to find out what happens next, and not wanting the book to end at the same time. I don’t know when the next book will be published, but I saw on Twitter that she is working on the fourth now. I can hardly wait.
These books will stay on my keeper shelf, and will be re-read.
10 stars
© 2013 Reviews by Aurian
Full review on my blog, www.boeklogboek.blogspot.com
October 12, 2012
An Officer’s Duty” by Jean Johnson is part of the series ‘Theirs Not to Reason Why' and is the exciting sequel to her mesmerizing book, “A Soldier’s Duty”. This is an action-packed science fiction novel which continues to describe the military career of Ia, an extraordinary female who was born on a ‘heavyworld’ (more than 1.56 times standard gravity) which confers remarkable physical abilities which pale in comparison to her mental powers. A stalwart defender who is determined to avoid the catastrophe that only she can see clearly, Ia has entered the Space Force Navy in order to build upon the skills she has already developed during her stint as a Marine. A gradually unfolding tapestry of her intricate plan and glimpses of the key people in Ia’s background as well as encounters with the enemies that seek to destroy humans and their allies continue to mesmerize the reader. The author continues to introduce intriguing elements which give texture to a wonderfully imaginative read and makes one anxious for the continuing adventures of a fascinating heroine.
This exciting and entertaining tale is a wonderful combination of science fiction military action and mystical elements such as telekinesis, precognition, pyrokinesis, postcognition and several others. The action is nonstop and there are multiple alien races involved in the struggle which necessitates the presence of human military branches. The author provides more background to the inimitable and indomitable career soldier who is determined to prevent the horrific end to her universe that she foresees. There are glimpses of her softer side even as one follows her through her accelerated training. The introduction of a fellow trainee named Meyun Harper whom she can’t read in the timestreams shakes the foundations of Ia’s world and provides a wildcard to her careful plans even as it shows her vulnerability. It was satisfying to finally get a direct glimpse of the family who provide Ia’s only unconditional support system and I was reminded of the long-range manipulation seen in a couple of other science fiction series that I am fond of by Orson Scott Card and C.J. Cherryh. This was a gripping read that immersed me into an intriguing universe that I can only hope to revisit again and again...fortunately it won’t be a hardship to reread this book and the first in the series (“A Soldier’s Duty”) while I am anxiously awaiting a YEAR for the next one. It is strongly recommended that one read “A Soldier’s Duty” first for greatest enjoyment of this fantastic read.
© Night Owl Reviews
I received a copy of this title in return for an honest review.
This exciting and entertaining tale is a wonderful combination of science fiction military action and mystical elements such as telekinesis, precognition, pyrokinesis, postcognition and several others. The action is nonstop and there are multiple alien races involved in the struggle which necessitates the presence of human military branches. The author provides more background to the inimitable and indomitable career soldier who is determined to prevent the horrific end to her universe that she foresees. There are glimpses of her softer side even as one follows her through her accelerated training. The introduction of a fellow trainee named Meyun Harper whom she can’t read in the timestreams shakes the foundations of Ia’s world and provides a wildcard to her careful plans even as it shows her vulnerability. It was satisfying to finally get a direct glimpse of the family who provide Ia’s only unconditional support system and I was reminded of the long-range manipulation seen in a couple of other science fiction series that I am fond of by Orson Scott Card and C.J. Cherryh. This was a gripping read that immersed me into an intriguing universe that I can only hope to revisit again and again...fortunately it won’t be a hardship to reread this book and the first in the series (“A Soldier’s Duty”) while I am anxiously awaiting a YEAR for the next one. It is strongly recommended that one read “A Soldier’s Duty” first for greatest enjoyment of this fantastic read.
© Night Owl Reviews
I received a copy of this title in return for an honest review.
April 11, 2025
With this book, as with the last one, I am amazed at all the balls in air that Ia juggles and at her altruistic motives. It seems like at each turn she sacrifices her wants for everyone, this book really pounds that point hard. I really wanted Ia to have something for herself, was glad that she was able to get those few days, but hated that it couldn't last. I did think it was a good thing that the other person was able to find out the truth, not that it helped the bad news go down better, but it made it more understandable.
I really liked the start of the book where Ia was with her family. It showed the softer side of Ia. I liked how Ia really shared what was to come with her brothers and how after that they really bought into what they needed to do. I also loved the surprise that Ia had for Fyfer and the way that he played it.
I was surprised that Ia outed herself towards the end of the book. After all was said and done it makes perfect sense why she did it, but I worry that too many people now know about her abilities which could come back to harm her. With her last action in the book I can't wait to get my hands on the next one to see what happens next.
I really liked the start of the book where Ia was with her family. It showed the softer side of Ia. I liked how Ia really shared what was to come with her brothers and how after that they really bought into what they needed to do. I also loved the surprise that Ia had for Fyfer and the way that he played it.
I was surprised that Ia outed herself towards the end of the book. After all was said and done it makes perfect sense why she did it, but I worry that too many people now know about her abilities which could come back to harm her. With her last action in the book I can't wait to get my hands on the next one to see what happens next.
March 3, 2013
This review can also be found on Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell-blog.
I’m rounding up the rating because while it wasn’t as good as the first in the series I really enjoyed reading the book.
As Ia advances through the ranks of the Terran Space Force she continues to walk that very thin line between lie and deceit in the best interest of all humanity. It takes her to the Navy Academy and pilot school… and I lost count on how many things I’m misrepresenting in my review. Military isn’t my forte.
The world of future is still there, only expanded and further explored. The ever changing character gallery introduces new faces and names all the time while rotating a couple of familiar names to focus for a while. There were some I’d missed but didn’t see, and there were some I hadn’t missed but glad to see all the same.
What’s different to the first book is the shifting focus onto Ia’s character growth. Johnson doesn’t switch genres in the middle of a series but she does spend some time on illuminating through the interactions with her family who Ia was before she became hell bent on saving the galaxy, and who she could be if she wasn’t so stubborn to not allow anything for herself.
And that’s where this book’s greatest weakness lies.
Ia does find her Achille’s heel, which was something I’d been waiting to see from the very start. Just as Johnson, Ia doesn’t quite know what to do with it, but she tries. And it would have worked—adequately—hadn’t that revelation discussion been botched. In my opinion Johnson fails to hit that precious balance between avoiding repetition and doing justice to the character—Ia’s blind spot in this case. What I read was rushed and unsatisfactory instead of a poignant scene between two people facing and accepting a personal tragedy. I am glad, though, that the heel wasn’t completely forgotten and I’m hoping that as the series progresses the character gets a chance to pervade Ia’s life just as Bennie has.
I like Bennie and hope to see much of her in the future. August can’t come soon enough.
I’m rounding up the rating because while it wasn’t as good as the first in the series I really enjoyed reading the book.
As Ia advances through the ranks of the Terran Space Force she continues to walk that very thin line between lie and deceit in the best interest of all humanity. It takes her to the Navy Academy and pilot school… and I lost count on how many things I’m misrepresenting in my review. Military isn’t my forte.
The world of future is still there, only expanded and further explored. The ever changing character gallery introduces new faces and names all the time while rotating a couple of familiar names to focus for a while. There were some I’d missed but didn’t see, and there were some I hadn’t missed but glad to see all the same.
What’s different to the first book is the shifting focus onto Ia’s character growth. Johnson doesn’t switch genres in the middle of a series but she does spend some time on illuminating through the interactions with her family who Ia was before she became hell bent on saving the galaxy, and who she could be if she wasn’t so stubborn to not allow anything for herself.
And that’s where this book’s greatest weakness lies.
Ia does find her Achille’s heel, which was something I’d been waiting to see from the very start. Just as Johnson, Ia doesn’t quite know what to do with it, but she tries. And it would have worked—adequately—hadn’t that revelation discussion been botched. In my opinion Johnson fails to hit that precious balance between avoiding repetition and doing justice to the character—Ia’s blind spot in this case. What I read was rushed and unsatisfactory instead of a poignant scene between two people facing and accepting a personal tragedy. I am glad, though, that the heel wasn’t completely forgotten and I’m hoping that as the series progresses the character gets a chance to pervade Ia’s life just as Bennie has.
I like Bennie and hope to see much of her in the future. August can’t come soon enough.
May 20, 2021
I loved this one! It was incredibly exciting -at one point I was actually reading while trying to make my way home, because I just couldn't put the damn thing down!
Good points: The world building was very well done and expanded on that of the previous novel. I particularly liked the fact that the Salik were not depicted simply as monsters, but rather as a race whose general beliefs caused them to continually refuse to accept the equality of other sentient races, leading to their eventual downfall. Their originality and intelligence as a race was shown to the reader (for instance Ia regrets not being able to see the reputedly beautiful water-based monuments and fountains on their world).
I also LOVED the main character, which is what makes it possible to root for her, despite the very high degree of power and ability which she possesses, relative to everyone else. Ia does have Mary Sue-ish aspects as a character -but this book and series exemplifies the fact that this does not in and of itself make a book bad. I also loved her devotion to duty -her duty to save the universe, that is.
The plot was truly gripping, as I mentioned above. Especially towards the end, I couldn't put the book down! I also loved the fact that many things mentioned way back in the first novel (for example, the importance of the tech involved in the Zubeneschamali incident) were explained in this one.
Bad/not so good points: I don't have much to say here. As I mentioned above, some will not like this series because of the Mary-Sue-ish aspects of the main character. I would say that this IN NO WAY detracts from the story (IMHO), which is top notch military sci fi and space opera at its finest.
A fine read.
Good points: The world building was very well done and expanded on that of the previous novel. I particularly liked the fact that the Salik were not depicted simply as monsters, but rather as a race whose general beliefs caused them to continually refuse to accept the equality of other sentient races, leading to their eventual downfall. Their originality and intelligence as a race was shown to the reader (for instance Ia regrets not being able to see the reputedly beautiful water-based monuments and fountains on their world).
I also LOVED the main character, which is what makes it possible to root for her, despite the very high degree of power and ability which she possesses, relative to everyone else. Ia does have Mary Sue-ish aspects as a character -but this book and series exemplifies the fact that this does not in and of itself make a book bad. I also loved her devotion to duty -her duty to save the universe, that is.
The plot was truly gripping, as I mentioned above. Especially towards the end, I couldn't put the book down! I also loved the fact that many things mentioned way back in the first novel (for example, the importance of the tech involved in the Zubeneschamali incident) were explained in this one.
Bad/not so good points: I don't have much to say here. As I mentioned above, some will not like this series because of the Mary-Sue-ish aspects of the main character. I would say that this IN NO WAY detracts from the story (IMHO), which is top notch military sci fi and space opera at its finest.
A fine read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 6, 2012
This sequel isn't quite as good as it's predecessor, A Soldier's Duty. Johnson is at her best in the action scenes and this book doesn't have a lot of them. It was difficult to discern what the point of this novel was except to bounce between the real plot-action moments and to add a love interest so the main character seemed more human.
What the main problem boils down to is: I don't believe any of the relationships are real. None of the characters seem real. The main character is wooden and thus everyone she interacts with is flat as well. And since she's a precog, everything she says seems engineered to manipulate the responses she gets from others. No matter how many times Johnson beats us over the head that Ia isn't acting that way, I don't buy it.
And then we're bogged down with a lot of unneeded description about how the military functions or what the special weapons do or the weakness of Ia's plans, etc. The best section of the book was the massive rescue mission. Yet it's hard to believe that anything bad can happen to a character when the character in question can read the future and know what's coming at her.
However, I will read the next book because I am genuinely interested in this world. Though I plan to decide if I will read the subsequent novels on a case-by-case basis.
What the main problem boils down to is: I don't believe any of the relationships are real. None of the characters seem real. The main character is wooden and thus everyone she interacts with is flat as well. And since she's a precog, everything she says seems engineered to manipulate the responses she gets from others. No matter how many times Johnson beats us over the head that Ia isn't acting that way, I don't buy it.
And then we're bogged down with a lot of unneeded description about how the military functions or what the special weapons do or the weakness of Ia's plans, etc. The best section of the book was the massive rescue mission. Yet it's hard to believe that anything bad can happen to a character when the character in question can read the future and know what's coming at her.
However, I will read the next book because I am genuinely interested in this world. Though I plan to decide if I will read the subsequent novels on a case-by-case basis.
August 7, 2017
Ia gets tedious. While I really like the premise, I've begun to wonder if this wouldn't have been an amazing (single) book rather than a long series. Too many info dumps. Lots of wading through dull scenes. (No, I don't care about how the ships are laid out, what is on what floor, should they turn left or right.) While the addition of a love interest was nice in that it humanized Ia briefly, she continues to be a somewhat likable AI.
I became frustrated when her precognitive abilities were (computer-like) spitting out percent chances of something happening, which didn't feel genuine when the descriptions of her immersions into Time are more fluid and sensory? Well, having odds of various futures does help move the plot along even if it doesn't really add very much to the sorely missed tension or uncertainty about the future.
Which is why this series is souring for me: when the main character is a precognitive who breezes through every challenge thrown her way, there isn't much in the way of tension or conflict. Not sure I'll bother with the next book.
I became frustrated when her precognitive abilities were (computer-like) spitting out percent chances of something happening, which didn't feel genuine when the descriptions of her immersions into Time are more fluid and sensory? Well, having odds of various futures does help move the plot along even if it doesn't really add very much to the sorely missed tension or uncertainty about the future.
Which is why this series is souring for me: when the main character is a precognitive who breezes through every challenge thrown her way, there isn't much in the way of tension or conflict. Not sure I'll bother with the next book.
November 13, 2012
Like many of the others here, I'd have liked to have seen more action. The early portion spent on her home planet was necessary as a foundation for later chapters, but I could have lived without half of the Academy portion. When she did get to the action bits after she graduated from the Academy, they seemed disjointed and unconnected, like short stories rather than chapters. If that was intentional, it just seemed a bit awkward to me. I found myself skipping ahead at times, which is never a good sign. It would help if Ia were just a little more likeable. I was always hoping that something would go wrong--a little setback to knock her down a peg. Still, I enjoyed it over all, and I will be looking forward to the next book in the series.
** Again, a very lame cover that has nothing to do with the story, and bears no resemblance to the actual character. Who is this? Ia's sister, the Victoria's Secret model?
** Again, a very lame cover that has nothing to do with the story, and bears no resemblance to the actual character. Who is this? Ia's sister, the Victoria's Secret model?
December 16, 2013
I'm not sure what it is about these books. An almost all-knowing heroine sounds a bit boring, wouldn't you think? But I'm not getting bored, instead I'm reading all these books in a row. Even though you know more than usually that everything is going to be ok, you still want to know how everything is going to be accomplished. And even though Ia has a very strong precognitive gift, this doesn't mean things can't go wrong, or that all Ia has to do is arrogantly blaze her way through everything. The path she follows requires both small and large acts, and she cannot do it all by herself (clearly, since the situation she is trying to avoid lies 300 years in the future). I like how everything is very gender-neutral, as in no male chauvinism, and that it is one of those rare books that doesn't even make a fuss about how equalitarian it is. I'm curious to see how everything will play out, and I don't mind at all that Ia already knows.
November 15, 2018
UPD: 2nd re-read and it's still pretty good! :)
I freaking ADORE this series and am dying to read Hellfire which is being released this month.
Excellent, mind-blowing, reality bending, Dune--like military sci-fi with a kick-ass, gorgeous, tough heroine who is trying to save the Universe. I loved it to bits and expect everyone else to rave about it. This is also one of the very few books with 10 out of 10 rating for me this year. And I can't wrap my head around it, because I can't stand the same author writing paranormal romance, but she is awesome in sci-fi. *shrugs*
See my review of A Soldier's Duty.
I freaking ADORE this series and am dying to read Hellfire which is being released this month.
Excellent, mind-blowing, reality bending, Dune--like military sci-fi with a kick-ass, gorgeous, tough heroine who is trying to save the Universe. I loved it to bits and expect everyone else to rave about it. This is also one of the very few books with 10 out of 10 rating for me this year. And I can't wrap my head around it, because I can't stand the same author writing paranormal romance, but she is awesome in sci-fi. *shrugs*
See my review of A Soldier's Duty.
September 6, 2012
I enjoyed this book very much. It reminded me here and there of other books I've read, or I just had deja vu. She conveys the scope and immensity of the overall situation very well, and I felt that Ia is a very engaging "hero" character. The convolutions she (Ia) must go through over her lifetime because of her psy powers and what she sees just make for a really great story.
I was drawn into the book enough that I didn't put it down the first night until it was almost 3:00 a.m. That says something to me about how good the storytelling is!
I was drawn into the book enough that I didn't put it down the first night until it was almost 3:00 a.m. That says something to me about how good the storytelling is!
October 28, 2013
I made the mistake of starting AN OFFICER'S DUTY before reading the book that came before: A SOLDIER'S DUTY. I was completely lost and from what I read, the PoV character Ia was an insufferable know-it-all so I stopped. It reminded me too much of the annoying Kris Longknife books, only with more infodumps. As a result I wasn't interested, but with prodding I tried again--from the beginning this time.
In SOLDIER we learn that Ia is a precognitive and when she was 15 years old saw the end of humanity itself. From that moment forward she dedicated her life to taking the steps necessary to prevent the coming apocalypse when an alien race would wipe out mankind.
So she joined the military. Because, really, it was the best way to get done what she wanted. Plus, a Marine precog? Yeah, imagine how those fights go.
Anyway. In OFFICER Ia continues her plans to manipulate future events, and during her leave she visits her family and prepares them for the future. Up next after a visit home: because of her field commission she must attend officer academy. It's all a part of her long-range goal of captaining a ship on Border Patrol and setting herself up to where she can ruin the alien Salik race plans to start a war with the Alliance. But when she gets to the academy she runs into a grey spot in her psychic predictions: her own roommate. The handsome and brilliant Meyun Harper.
The premise is actually kinda cool: a space prophet. That's basically what Ia is. She's predicting the end of humanity in three hundred years and the arrival of a savior. But in order for that reality to happen certain events must take place, and the only one who can make sure they happen is her. But in order for her to do that she must hone the necessary skills and place herself in positions of authority. This means joining the Marines, spending years on tours of duty, making a name for herself, strengthening some powers, manipulating people, etc. She has a Big Plan and Jean Johnson's Theirs Not To Reason Why series documents Ia execution of that plan.
It's interesting, no question. The fights are cool and unique, especially those that take place on the space ships; the interactions between family, friends, and co-workers felt genuine; comments on different alien cultures and physiology are interesting; and it's easy to understand why Ia makes the choices she does. Johnson's prose is uncluttered and easy to read, Ia's PoV is straightforward and moves quickly (sometimes too quickly glossing over events, but there are years to cover in each book), and the tension is enough to pull readers along.
However, OFFICER is a frustrating book to read. Maybe it's me because there are people who do like the Kris Longknife books--those kind of people will love this series. Or maybe it's because of the excessive SciFi/military information (i.e., we had to learn all the ammo types in her Basic Training--and that's only one example of the plethora of infodumps). Or maybe it was frustrating because Ia's abilities make her too perfect and a know-it-all. And since she's perfect, her holier-than-thou attitude grates my nerves. We're talking some seriously melodramatic dialogue/monologues as a result--and she says this stuff over and over. It's hard to sympathize with a person like this.
Or perhaps I'm too much of a stickler for a recognizable plot--Ia doesn't broadcast her plans more than the bare minimum and it's frustrating because I don't know where the story is headed, except a string of events that eventually lead up to an exciting and over-the-top crazy ridiculous climax (can anyone say deus ex machina?). How could one person have all of these abilities? The woman is super human, there's no way she can lose. Where's the tension in that?
I'm currently 50 pages into the sequel, HELLFIRE, and it's high time this girl ran into real problems, because no one is this perfect. But then again, she is a space prophet, so what do I know?
Recommended Age: 15+
Language: Made-up words only
Violence: It's military SF, so guns and blood and severed limbs
Sex: Innuendo and implied
***Read this and other reviews on Elitist Book Reviews.***
In SOLDIER we learn that Ia is a precognitive and when she was 15 years old saw the end of humanity itself. From that moment forward she dedicated her life to taking the steps necessary to prevent the coming apocalypse when an alien race would wipe out mankind.
So she joined the military. Because, really, it was the best way to get done what she wanted. Plus, a Marine precog? Yeah, imagine how those fights go.
Anyway. In OFFICER Ia continues her plans to manipulate future events, and during her leave she visits her family and prepares them for the future. Up next after a visit home: because of her field commission she must attend officer academy. It's all a part of her long-range goal of captaining a ship on Border Patrol and setting herself up to where she can ruin the alien Salik race plans to start a war with the Alliance. But when she gets to the academy she runs into a grey spot in her psychic predictions: her own roommate. The handsome and brilliant Meyun Harper.
The premise is actually kinda cool: a space prophet. That's basically what Ia is. She's predicting the end of humanity in three hundred years and the arrival of a savior. But in order for that reality to happen certain events must take place, and the only one who can make sure they happen is her. But in order for her to do that she must hone the necessary skills and place herself in positions of authority. This means joining the Marines, spending years on tours of duty, making a name for herself, strengthening some powers, manipulating people, etc. She has a Big Plan and Jean Johnson's Theirs Not To Reason Why series documents Ia execution of that plan.
It's interesting, no question. The fights are cool and unique, especially those that take place on the space ships; the interactions between family, friends, and co-workers felt genuine; comments on different alien cultures and physiology are interesting; and it's easy to understand why Ia makes the choices she does. Johnson's prose is uncluttered and easy to read, Ia's PoV is straightforward and moves quickly (sometimes too quickly glossing over events, but there are years to cover in each book), and the tension is enough to pull readers along.
However, OFFICER is a frustrating book to read. Maybe it's me because there are people who do like the Kris Longknife books--those kind of people will love this series. Or maybe it's because of the excessive SciFi/military information (i.e., we had to learn all the ammo types in her Basic Training--and that's only one example of the plethora of infodumps). Or maybe it was frustrating because Ia's abilities make her too perfect and a know-it-all. And since she's perfect, her holier-than-thou attitude grates my nerves. We're talking some seriously melodramatic dialogue/monologues as a result--and she says this stuff over and over. It's hard to sympathize with a person like this.
Or perhaps I'm too much of a stickler for a recognizable plot--Ia doesn't broadcast her plans more than the bare minimum and it's frustrating because I don't know where the story is headed, except a string of events that eventually lead up to an exciting and over-the-top crazy ridiculous climax (can anyone say deus ex machina?). How could one person have all of these abilities? The woman is super human, there's no way she can lose. Where's the tension in that?
I'm currently 50 pages into the sequel, HELLFIRE, and it's high time this girl ran into real problems, because no one is this perfect. But then again, she is a space prophet, so what do I know?
Recommended Age: 15+
Language: Made-up words only
Violence: It's military SF, so guns and blood and severed limbs
Sex: Innuendo and implied
***Read this and other reviews on Elitist Book Reviews.***
October 29, 2022
29.10.2022 - 3,5*
1.6.2017 - 4,5*
Netuším, co to se mnou je, že rozečtu knížku, někdy se dostanu až za dvoutřetinovou hranici, a pak ji odložím, přestože byla skvělá, a mám nevysvětlitelnou nechuť se k ní vrátit.
An Officer's Duty je jedna z těchto knížek, přestože jsem do jedničky už nějakých pár let zamilovaná.
Miluju, jak autorka popisuje armádu. Mentalitu, výcvik, zbraně. Mám pro podobná témata celkově slabost, takže jsem tak nějak neměla jinou možnost než se nechat strhnout. *smích* Děj je samozřejmě také zajímavý, především akční scény Johnson zvládá velmi dobře, ale celkově je to zamotaná pavučina, nebo možná spíše jen složitá mozaika, s kterou autorka dokáže pracovat znamenitě. Ale hlavní je, jak dokáže balancovat i vše ostatní, charaktery, popisy světů, politiku, i s prvky sci-fi, které sice nejsou tak technické, více zaměřené na mimozemské životy a širší politiku, ale i tak je to mimořádný koktejl. :)
Jediný důvod, proč tomu nemůžu dát plný počet, je "vrozená" chyba vepsaná už v první knize.
Ia zná budoucnost a udělala ze sebe takřka dokonalý nástroj, který vede po určité, předem dané stezce. Je to fakt, pro který mě jednička tak zaujala. Ale dlouhodobě se nedá vyhnout tomu, že se charakter realisticky nemá kam dále posunout, což je zatracená škoda. Přináší to sebou i ten nedostatek, že se nevyhnutelně většina z jejích plánů splní. Jediné lákadlo, které autorce zbylo, je cesta samotná, a to trochu na kouzlu příběhu ubírá... ale ne moc. Nakonec, u některých druhů sérií člověk, kolem a kolem, očekává určitý výsledek, non? *smích*
1.6.2017 - 4,5*
Netuším, co to se mnou je, že rozečtu knížku, někdy se dostanu až za dvoutřetinovou hranici, a pak ji odložím, přestože byla skvělá, a mám nevysvětlitelnou nechuť se k ní vrátit.
An Officer's Duty je jedna z těchto knížek, přestože jsem do jedničky už nějakých pár let zamilovaná.
Miluju, jak autorka popisuje armádu. Mentalitu, výcvik, zbraně. Mám pro podobná témata celkově slabost, takže jsem tak nějak neměla jinou možnost než se nechat strhnout. *smích* Děj je samozřejmě také zajímavý, především akční scény Johnson zvládá velmi dobře, ale celkově je to zamotaná pavučina, nebo možná spíše jen složitá mozaika, s kterou autorka dokáže pracovat znamenitě. Ale hlavní je, jak dokáže balancovat i vše ostatní, charaktery, popisy světů, politiku, i s prvky sci-fi, které sice nejsou tak technické, více zaměřené na mimozemské životy a širší politiku, ale i tak je to mimořádný koktejl. :)
Jediný důvod, proč tomu nemůžu dát plný počet, je "vrozená" chyba vepsaná už v první knize.
Ia zná budoucnost a udělala ze sebe takřka dokonalý nástroj, který vede po určité, předem dané stezce. Je to fakt, pro který mě jednička tak zaujala. Ale dlouhodobě se nedá vyhnout tomu, že se charakter realisticky nemá kam dále posunout, což je zatracená škoda. Přináší to sebou i ten nedostatek, že se nevyhnutelně většina z jejích plánů splní. Jediné lákadlo, které autorce zbylo, je cesta samotná, a to trochu na kouzlu příběhu ubírá... ale ne moc. Nakonec, u některých druhů sérií člověk, kolem a kolem, očekává určitý výsledek, non? *smích*
January 10, 2013
It's a good book and a great installment for the second book in a very promising series but I'm still not feeling the level of tension I think the story requires. Ia is just so blasted powerful, and her precognitive abilities are absurd. We are finally starting to get to actual wars and not just training stuff. Hopefully Jean can ratchet up the tension some how, in the next book.
As it stands now while the story itself is interesting there isn't any tension and that leaves it feeling a bit flat. You've got this whole Fire Girl Prophecy thing and this colony that is going to be behind enemy lines and cut off soon. All this I want to read about a bit more than I do IA and her setting stuff into place that I don't even understand yet.
I think the story could of improved by using IA's story as a framing device for the Fire Girl Prophecy story that I assume Jean write at some point. Intermingling points of view that shows IA setting up things so that things work out in the future. The combined tension of both stories should be enough to keep me engaged. I'm glowingly increasingly worried about the health of this series if Jean can't find a way to make IA seem less god like and thus give the story back some of it's tension.
Still this is a good series but it is in the same vein as the Name of the Wind with a protagonist who is absurdly powerful/skilled to the point that is damn near to a Marry Sue. If you didn't like Kvothe I'm pretty sure you won't like Ia.
As it stands now while the story itself is interesting there isn't any tension and that leaves it feeling a bit flat. You've got this whole Fire Girl Prophecy thing and this colony that is going to be behind enemy lines and cut off soon. All this I want to read about a bit more than I do IA and her setting stuff into place that I don't even understand yet.
I think the story could of improved by using IA's story as a framing device for the Fire Girl Prophecy story that I assume Jean write at some point. Intermingling points of view that shows IA setting up things so that things work out in the future. The combined tension of both stories should be enough to keep me engaged. I'm glowingly increasingly worried about the health of this series if Jean can't find a way to make IA seem less god like and thus give the story back some of it's tension.
Still this is a good series but it is in the same vein as the Name of the Wind with a protagonist who is absurdly powerful/skilled to the point that is damn near to a Marry Sue. If you didn't like Kvothe I'm pretty sure you won't like Ia.
March 24, 2017
I'm at 20%, and the protagonist's humble bragging, which was my main point of contention in the first book, has filled the whole of the second so far, in my impression.
And we're at the second instance where she doesn't explain anything to people, and then gets annoyed with them for not taking that information they don't have into account. Thankfully she can then frustratedly dump the information on them in a way that is supposed to make her look 'cool' and show how dumb they acted before by (quite reasonably, given their lack of information) questioning her.
But sorry, no. You could have acted like a reasonable adult and *explained* things at an appropriate time, rather than trying to live out your teenage emo wish fulfillment of having everyone realize suddenly how cool you actually are!
Also, what's with all the pseudo cursing? If you don't like cursing, don't. Why write in all this cursing and then swap it with a phonetically vaguely similar, but absolutely senseless alternative?! The made-up swears I can get behind, but *asteroid* makes no sense apart from the phonetic aspect. And it sounds like we're in kindergarten. Why not just leave the cursing out if you feel it's inappropriate?
Oh, right. Because we're desperate to be 'cool', after all...
I'll sleep a night and then see if I can get myself to finish this book. I *did* spent money I couldn't afford this month on it after all~
And we're at the second instance where she doesn't explain anything to people, and then gets annoyed with them for not taking that information they don't have into account. Thankfully she can then frustratedly dump the information on them in a way that is supposed to make her look 'cool' and show how dumb they acted before by (quite reasonably, given their lack of information) questioning her.
But sorry, no. You could have acted like a reasonable adult and *explained* things at an appropriate time, rather than trying to live out your teenage emo wish fulfillment of having everyone realize suddenly how cool you actually are!
Also, what's with all the pseudo cursing? If you don't like cursing, don't. Why write in all this cursing and then swap it with a phonetically vaguely similar, but absolutely senseless alternative?! The made-up swears I can get behind, but *asteroid* makes no sense apart from the phonetic aspect. And it sounds like we're in kindergarten. Why not just leave the cursing out if you feel it's inappropriate?
Oh, right. Because we're desperate to be 'cool', after all...
I'll sleep a night and then see if I can get myself to finish this book. I *did* spent money I couldn't afford this month on it after all~
September 18, 2012
Disappointing, compared to the first book (Soldier's Duty). Not only less action, but far more background stuff (particularly on Ia's visit home) that MIGHT pay off down the line (depending how far the series goes) but made for slow slogging when presented in a lump. The forced sex talk in the middle of the book was simply embarrassing and, to me, at odds with Ia's character as previously presented. (Seriously, Ms. Johnson, hormones are real and powerful--but Ia had to this point been DRIVEN by her destiny. Having a traitorous friend suggest she simply take a week-long break to, ah, screw around, would NOT cause the Ia we had seen to do exactly that, hormones or no. "I'm sorry if I have offended you," the old Ia would have said, "but I will be elsewhere that week." Sigh. Not that Officer's Duty doesn't have good points, and ended on s strong enough note that I will watch for whatever is next in Ia's story (A Captain's Duty??? ...or whatever). But it disappointed, none the less, after the wonder that was the Ia of the first book.
May 8, 2016
Reread May 2014
Toward the end of this book, Ia says "I am not some sadistic, uncaring deus ex machina". No, Ia, but you're a self-righteous, caring one.
Look, the writing is still crap (soooo many infodumps, so many "As you know, Bob" asides), the story is still severely hampered by having a perfect protagonist, and I still have no idea how Johnson could possibly wrap this series up in three more books if the ramifications of Ia's actions don't become fully apparent until several hundred years down the line.
Having said all that, sometimes I'm in the mood to watch someone win at everything . Especially when I don't feel like I'm winning at much, at the moment.
In sum, I have literally no clue how this book ever made it past an editor, but sometimes it pushes some of the right buttons. So I'll finish the series.
Toward the end of this book, Ia says "I am not some sadistic, uncaring deus ex machina". No, Ia, but you're a self-righteous, caring one.
Look, the writing is still crap (soooo many infodumps, so many "As you know, Bob" asides), the story is still severely hampered by having a perfect protagonist, and I still have no idea how Johnson could possibly wrap this series up in three more books if the ramifications of Ia's actions don't become fully apparent until several hundred years down the line.
Having said all that, sometimes I'm in the mood to watch someone win at everything . Especially when I don't feel like I'm winning at much, at the moment.
In sum, I have literally no clue how this book ever made it past an editor, but sometimes it pushes some of the right buttons. So I'll finish the series.
December 23, 2014
This is the second book in a series that I began a year or two ago. I remember, without looking at the review I wrote for the first book, that I found the world interesting, but the protagonist seemed too perfect. That continues, more or less, to be the case with this installment. It really is a fascinating setting, with its widespread psychic powers and interesting alien species. You get more details on the threat that the protagonist is trying to prepare the galaxy to deal with, and it moves the plot forward. However, it never feels like a surprise when the protagonist makes it through the dangers facing her. And the answer to the seeming failure of her powers in one regard is so blatantly obvious, they might as well have said it up front. I’m still interested in the series, but mostly for the setting.
August 24, 2013
ok here's the thing i liked this series i like it alot but im not in love with it. i wouldnt reread it.. i would watch it if it was a movie series. there are moments.. and this series is getting better with it that this book really shines and others that seem in there for the sake of it. .. one thing this book did great was bennie she brighten it up.. and put some real heart into this series that it needed
June 12, 2017
The protagonist is both perfect and psychic. Also maybe not quite as bad as The Chosen One, but close. And kind of boring - I'm sure she would be annoying in person. Also, she doesn't speak. She quips. Everything is "quip". I'm sure she quips "Good morning!" Quip, quip, quip. So maybe the book could've used an editor.
That said, I not only finished this book, I requested the next one from the library. So it's weirdly good enough to keep me reading while annoyed. (the Phryne Fisher effect??) We'll see if it keeps going or if I am going to have to take a break after this one.
That said, I not only finished this book, I requested the next one from the library. So it's weirdly good enough to keep me reading while annoyed. (the Phryne Fisher effect??) We'll see if it keeps going or if I am going to have to take a break after this one.
December 15, 2014
Meilleur que le premier tome L'auteur élargit la vision de Ia non plus à sa carrière et ou à vague ojectif (sauver l'univers !) mais aux étapes et aux sacrifices que sa destinée réclame. les batailles sont plus impressionnantes? des nouveaux indices sont semés pour piquer notre curiosité et même si Ia est une précog plutôt énervante les personnages satellites sont suffisamment attachants Hélas beaucoup disparaissent sans avoir le temps de prendre de l'épaisseur.
Je lirai la suite
Je lirai la suite
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