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Jani Kilian Chronicles #2
Rules of Conflict
For eighteen years, Captain Jani Kilian has been hiding from her bloody past. Now she faces trial for what she once did, what she knows now, and what she has become.
Eighteen years ago, she was saved by a radical--and illegal--medical procedure that added alien genetic material to her own. But her hybrid body is breaking down. And so is everything else.
Relations between the human and alien idomeni races are deteriorating as rapidly as Jani Kilian's augmentation. And Jani's reemergence has caused old wounds to reopen and new wounds to form. Perhaps it's time for a damaged soldier to stop fighting; to let the desperate architects of a vast and devouring conspiracy keep the truth well hidden; to let the universe and everyone in it go straight to Hell.
Perhaps not...
Eighteen years ago, she was saved by a radical--and illegal--medical procedure that added alien genetic material to her own. But her hybrid body is breaking down. And so is everything else.
Relations between the human and alien idomeni races are deteriorating as rapidly as Jani Kilian's augmentation. And Jani's reemergence has caused old wounds to reopen and new wounds to form. Perhaps it's time for a damaged soldier to stop fighting; to let the desperate architects of a vast and devouring conspiracy keep the truth well hidden; to let the universe and everyone in it go straight to Hell.
Perhaps not...
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
16 people are currently reading
165 people want to read
About the author
Kristine Smith
29 books174 followersKristine Smith is the author of the Jani Kilian series and other science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories under her own name. Her fiction has been nominated for the Locus Award for First Novel, Philip K. Dick Memorial Award and the IAFA William L. Crawford Fantasy Award, and she was the 2001 winner of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. Prior to becoming a full-time writer, she spent 26 years working in pharmaceutical product R&D. She was born in the Northeast, grew up in the South, and currently lives in the Midwest.
Kristine Smith has also written the supernatural thrillers GIDEON and JERICHO under the name Alex Gordon.
Photo by Joel Danto/Danto Photography
Kristine Smith has also written the supernatural thrillers GIDEON and JERICHO under the name Alex Gordon.
Photo by Joel Danto/Danto Photography
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
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January 26, 2016If anything, this sequel is even tighter, more fast paced, complicated, and involving than the first book.
Jani Killian is in a world of physical trouble due to what happened to her after Dr. Shroud put her back together again. Nema, the alien ambassador, wants to protect her--and to claim her. The handsome, elusive, very dangerous lieutenant Lucien Pascal is there to protect her--or is he?
Meanwhile, she definitely has enemies, and she's the only one who can solve the problems, before she collapses.
This science fiction has some space opera big questions though it's written like a thriller, with terrific character complexity and twists and turns that require the reader not to miss a page. So glad to see it reissued in the new ebook form; it's one of my favorite sf series.
Jani Killian is in a world of physical trouble due to what happened to her after Dr. Shroud put her back together again. Nema, the alien ambassador, wants to protect her--and to claim her. The handsome, elusive, very dangerous lieutenant Lucien Pascal is there to protect her--or is he?
Meanwhile, she definitely has enemies, and she's the only one who can solve the problems, before she collapses.
This science fiction has some space opera big questions though it's written like a thriller, with terrific character complexity and twists and turns that require the reader not to miss a page. So glad to see it reissued in the new ebook form; it's one of my favorite sf series.
November 19, 2019
This is second in a series that builds right on top of each other so I definitely recommend reading in order. So that means there will be spoilers for the first in this review. Plan accordingly.
I found this follow-on book something of a letdown. Some of that is the structure of the beginning where Jani is largely sidelined and we get PoV from people I didn't really care much for. We knew Evan from the first book and frankly, I was pretty done with him there. So having him twist in the wind trying to step on Jani's metaphorical corpse to save himself was just gross. The new guy, Sam, wasn't fun, either as the author sets up an "is he delusional or is he confused" scenario (answer: ).
And that didn't really alleviate once Jani got back into action, either. She's still fighting the effects of the alien hybridization we learned about in the first book and I kind of got tired of her medical condition screwing her around all the time. It doesn't help that some of the consequences are mental and take the form of disturbing hallucinations.
Offsetting this friction somewhat is that Smith is a great storyteller so even the medical stuff had emotional resonance and her characterizations are strong, even with secondary/side characters. So I had lots of fun getting to know her new cohorts and seeing her bounce off of their office politics in ways both illuminating and frustrating (for them). The byplay with Lucien the maybe-psychopath was a fun thread to track, as well, and I liked their banter and chemistry.
So this was a mixed bag that I'm calling three stars. Not nearly as engaging to me as the first, but I'm still happy to have read it and looking forward to trying the next. I really hope the medical stuff evens out soon, though, because I'm starting to find it a one-note symphony with tiresome characteristics.
A note about Steamy: There's no romance here, really (despite the sexual banter with Lucien). But there is a semi-explicit sex scene that puts this just over the line into steamy. Barely. Like, blink and you'd miss it.
I found this follow-on book something of a letdown. Some of that is the structure of the beginning where Jani is largely sidelined and we get PoV from people I didn't really care much for. We knew Evan from the first book and frankly, I was pretty done with him there. So having him twist in the wind trying to step on Jani's metaphorical corpse to save himself was just gross. The new guy, Sam, wasn't fun, either as the author sets up an "is he delusional or is he confused" scenario (answer: ).
And that didn't really alleviate once Jani got back into action, either. She's still fighting the effects of the alien hybridization we learned about in the first book and I kind of got tired of her medical condition screwing her around all the time. It doesn't help that some of the consequences are mental and take the form of disturbing hallucinations.
Offsetting this friction somewhat is that Smith is a great storyteller so even the medical stuff had emotional resonance and her characterizations are strong, even with secondary/side characters. So I had lots of fun getting to know her new cohorts and seeing her bounce off of their office politics in ways both illuminating and frustrating (for them). The byplay with Lucien the maybe-psychopath was a fun thread to track, as well, and I liked their banter and chemistry.
So this was a mixed bag that I'm calling three stars. Not nearly as engaging to me as the first, but I'm still happy to have read it and looking forward to trying the next. I really hope the medical stuff evens out soon, though, because I'm starting to find it a one-note symphony with tiresome characteristics.
A note about Steamy: There's no romance here, really (despite the sexual banter with Lucien). But there is a semi-explicit sex scene that puts this just over the line into steamy. Barely. Like, blink and you'd miss it.
April 11, 2024
Despite its martial title, Rules of Conflict isn’t military sci-fi (with all the carnage and cardboard characters that sub-genre usually implies). Rather, this sequel to Kristine Smith’s well-received first novel, Code of Conduct, is a labyrinthian thriller emphasizing intrigue and personal politics. Smith has imagined an immersive future of believable characters, credibly convoluted political affairs, disturbingly realistic aliens, and fearsome technology.
To know Captain Jani Kilian, first, you have to absorb her complex backstory. Twenty years ago she served as an archivist attached to a diplomatic corps on a mission to establish relations with an alien race known as the idomeni. During that mission, she murdered her commanding officer after he took sides in an idomeni civil war. Mortally wounded by an explosion during her escape attempt, doctors John Shroud and Valentin Parini rebuilt Kilian by introducing idomeni DNA into her system. Now, after twenty years on the lam, her hybrid body is breaking down.
When Kilian finally seeks medical care, she is quickly captured and brought back to Service HQ to learn her fate. She fully expects to be court-martialed and pilloried. Still, she soon discovers that powerful political figures have a vested interest in making sure that no one ever dredges up her past. But years of guilt compel Kilian to investigate the motives of her shadowy protectors. With the help of Lt. Lucien Pascal, an intelligence officer assigned to “protect” her, and a strange archivist named Sam Duong, she begins to unravel the secrets behind what happened during the idomeni civil war.
While Kilian struggles to make sense of the political interests behind the cover-up, she is allowed to assume some of her old duties. She becomes the key figure in a tricky negotiation with the idomeni. The diplomatic mission reunites her with an idomeni religious leader and ambassador she knows as Nema. Nema and Kilian have a relationship pre-dating the idomeni civil war. He refers to Kilian as his “Eyes and Ears” and takes a keen interest in protecting her.
Meanwhile, Evan Van Reuter, a politician from an influential family, has fallen from grace. He has been ostracized from his family and is held under house arrest pending an investigation of his actions during the idomeni civil war. Van Reuter’s legal defense requires offering up Kilian as the fall guy, a situation further complicated by the fact that he and Jani used to be lovers. Van Reuter’s defense crumbles as the cover-up buries Kilian’s past, and he threatens to blow the whistle.
Critics of Smith’s debut novel attacked it for being overly complicated. Rules of Conflict, too, is a challenging read. (It should be noted that this is the second volume of a planned trilogy, so some backstories needs to be taken in, and not all of the loose ends get tied up.) The cast of characters is vast and diverse. The names of the idomeni characters and locations will leave your tongue in knots. And the conspiracy has more twists than a mountain highway. I don’t doubt that readers unaccustomed to such demanding text will be turned off. But I’d argue that any good conspiracy story ought to leave your head spinning – that’s part of the fun. The novel’s complexity accomplishes what good sci-fi is supposed to do: transport you to a persuasively otherworldly future.
Smith’s strengths as a writer shine through. Despite the story’s complexity, the plot moves briskly and never gets bogged down with unnecessary exposition. Smith has an exceptional way with character. Jani Kilian is a bold, intelligent protagonist. The supporting cast members are equally human, with their ulterior motives and hidden agendas. It is a testament to Smith’s skill that her characters remain credible and never get subsumed by the machinations of the plot or the minutiae of the setting. Smith’s skill with characterization also bleeds into her idomeni characters. Their culture, which regards eating as a form of sacred worship and values open antagonism over diplomatic tact, is convincingly alien.
Rules of Conflict has enough ideas to fill several novels. It’s a conspiracy thriller chock full of suspense and intrigue, populated with compelling characters, and set in an absorbing sci-fi universe. Its richness and depth reward committed readers.
To know Captain Jani Kilian, first, you have to absorb her complex backstory. Twenty years ago she served as an archivist attached to a diplomatic corps on a mission to establish relations with an alien race known as the idomeni. During that mission, she murdered her commanding officer after he took sides in an idomeni civil war. Mortally wounded by an explosion during her escape attempt, doctors John Shroud and Valentin Parini rebuilt Kilian by introducing idomeni DNA into her system. Now, after twenty years on the lam, her hybrid body is breaking down.
When Kilian finally seeks medical care, she is quickly captured and brought back to Service HQ to learn her fate. She fully expects to be court-martialed and pilloried. Still, she soon discovers that powerful political figures have a vested interest in making sure that no one ever dredges up her past. But years of guilt compel Kilian to investigate the motives of her shadowy protectors. With the help of Lt. Lucien Pascal, an intelligence officer assigned to “protect” her, and a strange archivist named Sam Duong, she begins to unravel the secrets behind what happened during the idomeni civil war.
While Kilian struggles to make sense of the political interests behind the cover-up, she is allowed to assume some of her old duties. She becomes the key figure in a tricky negotiation with the idomeni. The diplomatic mission reunites her with an idomeni religious leader and ambassador she knows as Nema. Nema and Kilian have a relationship pre-dating the idomeni civil war. He refers to Kilian as his “Eyes and Ears” and takes a keen interest in protecting her.
Meanwhile, Evan Van Reuter, a politician from an influential family, has fallen from grace. He has been ostracized from his family and is held under house arrest pending an investigation of his actions during the idomeni civil war. Van Reuter’s legal defense requires offering up Kilian as the fall guy, a situation further complicated by the fact that he and Jani used to be lovers. Van Reuter’s defense crumbles as the cover-up buries Kilian’s past, and he threatens to blow the whistle.
Critics of Smith’s debut novel attacked it for being overly complicated. Rules of Conflict, too, is a challenging read. (It should be noted that this is the second volume of a planned trilogy, so some backstories needs to be taken in, and not all of the loose ends get tied up.) The cast of characters is vast and diverse. The names of the idomeni characters and locations will leave your tongue in knots. And the conspiracy has more twists than a mountain highway. I don’t doubt that readers unaccustomed to such demanding text will be turned off. But I’d argue that any good conspiracy story ought to leave your head spinning – that’s part of the fun. The novel’s complexity accomplishes what good sci-fi is supposed to do: transport you to a persuasively otherworldly future.
Smith’s strengths as a writer shine through. Despite the story’s complexity, the plot moves briskly and never gets bogged down with unnecessary exposition. Smith has an exceptional way with character. Jani Kilian is a bold, intelligent protagonist. The supporting cast members are equally human, with their ulterior motives and hidden agendas. It is a testament to Smith’s skill that her characters remain credible and never get subsumed by the machinations of the plot or the minutiae of the setting. Smith’s skill with characterization also bleeds into her idomeni characters. Their culture, which regards eating as a form of sacred worship and values open antagonism over diplomatic tact, is convincingly alien.
Rules of Conflict has enough ideas to fill several novels. It’s a conspiracy thriller chock full of suspense and intrigue, populated with compelling characters, and set in an absorbing sci-fi universe. Its richness and depth reward committed readers.
February 5, 2019
I liked this book but Jani's health, weakness, etc. are talked about constantly and I do mean constantly. I don't think there is a page that doesn't talk about her health problems. If the author would have concentrated more on the plot with occasional mentions of the health problems I feel the book would have been 5 stars. Even saying all this, I still enjoyed the book and plan to read the rest of the series (crossing my fingers that the health stuff will stop). 3 stars
March 16, 2016
Rules of Conflict is a great follow up to Rules of Conduct. Jani Killian continues to be an interesting lead character with a lot of depth.
Having been moved Earth-side, Jani's problems are only just beginning as she finds herself wrapped awaiting trial for her part in the events that put her on the run in the first place.
Now she ends up embroiled in the politics of the various Services, the Families, and the Idomeni. She must defend herself against the charges, or accept the consequences.
Having been moved Earth-side, Jani's problems are only just beginning as she finds herself wrapped awaiting trial for her part in the events that put her on the run in the first place.
Now she ends up embroiled in the politics of the various Services, the Families, and the Idomeni. She must defend herself against the charges, or accept the consequences.
July 6, 2017
Gets blurbed by elizabeth moon, which makes sense; it has a certain elizabeth moon quality of being interested in military structures and logistics.
July 8, 2017
for some reason Jani is a character who i find compelling , in the same way that i find lisbeth salander compelling , I'm really enjoying finding out more about Jani, such a good read
July 6, 2019
Great stuff, though Ms Kilian is so roughed up and abused as the story goes on that I kept wincing. Still, it's a real pleasure to see characters being intelligent (if often not too smart).
September 9, 2019
Not the most exciting of books as there is very little action, but the writing and the interesting characters keep the story moving in a way that surprised my ADD brain into not being bored. It had been many years since I read the first book, so I lost some of the details, but there was enough recap that I never felt lost (and most of it came back when details were mentioned). This is a direct sequal to book 1, so they do need to be read in order.
September 30, 2018
2 stars. Excessively convoluted to the point of boring. DNF
June 23, 2020
Enjoyed the read
I always like to read about strong women. Enjoyed how she worked out her character. Need to proof better. Looking forward to her further adventures.
I always like to read about strong women. Enjoyed how she worked out her character. Need to proof better. Looking forward to her further adventures.
December 8, 2021
Rules of Conflict was complex, intriguing, and interesting. I enjoyed learning more about Jani, what had happened, and her relationships.
June 24, 2022
4.5 stars
April 3, 2023
I had a hard time following this sequel. It all kind of becomes clear at the end. But because of a lack of information, there was also a lack of tension.
April 13, 2025
it always seems that I struggle to remember who’s who in this world. There are a lot of characters, most of whom have devious relationships with each other. Most are trying to wangle favours or simply gain dominance over the others. Jani Kilian would like to find some answers, but mostly she would like to survive. Fortunately she finds others who would like that too, even if that’s not always for Jani’s own good.
This series is brilliantly written. The details of alien worlds and battles ping from the page. Once I got a handle on who’s who, most of them did too. The exception was Evan, who is isolated in a strand of trouble of his own making, and gets his own parallel story. It does tie in with Jani’s past, but every time we switched to his story (helpfully the author always started the chapter with ‘Evan’) I thought ‘who?’
The rest of the story is filled with twists and deception both human and alien. The development of the chief alien is beautiful. It’s mostly sci-fi in a genetically engineered sense, but I’m stretching it into space opera because of the legacy of the interstellar conflicts. It’s good to see someone writing the convoluted consequences of these actions, and I couldn’t wait to read more. So I didn’t.
This series is brilliantly written. The details of alien worlds and battles ping from the page. Once I got a handle on who’s who, most of them did too. The exception was Evan, who is isolated in a strand of trouble of his own making, and gets his own parallel story. It does tie in with Jani’s past, but every time we switched to his story (helpfully the author always started the chapter with ‘Evan’) I thought ‘who?’
The rest of the story is filled with twists and deception both human and alien. The development of the chief alien is beautiful. It’s mostly sci-fi in a genetically engineered sense, but I’m stretching it into space opera because of the legacy of the interstellar conflicts. It’s good to see someone writing the convoluted consequences of these actions, and I couldn’t wait to read more. So I didn’t.
January 24, 2012
Captain Jani Kilian's hybridization (body adjusting to alien genetic material) is killing her and the politics of an 18-year old military evacuation (gone bad) in the middle of an alien civil war has her the target of mutiny and homicide charges. Plenty of twists and turns; a case of the sequel better than the first book in the series. Read 'Incident on a Small Colony' from Smith's website for more background.
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December 16, 2007Not having read the first book in this series (the library doesn't have it) is making this tough going.
***
Argh, I couldn't finish it. It was just too confusing, I was reading bits and pieces in between other books, and I couldn't keep track of the politics. I liked the writing well enough though - I'd probably check out the first if I could find it.
***
Argh, I couldn't finish it. It was just too confusing, I was reading bits and pieces in between other books, and I couldn't keep track of the politics. I liked the writing well enough though - I'd probably check out the first if I could find it.
June 11, 2012
I am really enjoying this series. Too bad I read the fourth book first. :) I was wondering why I was having such trouble figuring stuff out in that one. This book was good. Great characters. Probably not so easy to follow if you do not know the back story. A great read. Can't wait to start the next one, Law of Survival.
June 5, 2008
A good sequel, it gave depth and background to the characters and events from book 1. Though I don't really see where the rest of the series is going.
December 15, 2011
This is a good sequel, I can't wait to read book three. There are twists and turns and just a touch of sex. The character development is getting better.
May 26, 2012
3 & 1/2 stars. this series isn't real ambitious, but it's not bad either. kind of a cross between Lois Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan saga and CJ Cherryh's translator diplomats, you might say.
July 7, 2016
Was just a continuation of the first book. Felt like a rehash of the same plot with no resolution.
August 19, 2016
Fascinating
It's even more complex than the first one. Kind of reminded me of an old Dashiell Hammet mystery, moved into space. Liked it. Next...
It's even more complex than the first one. Kind of reminded me of an old Dashiell Hammet mystery, moved into space. Liked it. Next...
March 28, 2017
This was much better than the first novel. It wasn't the best book ever, but worth reading, and not a waste of money.
May 1, 2017
Good political intrigue "with aliens" novel. Not sure any military service worth its name would take back a senior officer after they went missing for 18 years. If you leave a few basic tenets of common sense at the door - the novel works well. The action moves very quickly indeed, you barely draw breath before the next crisis or takedown. I still have far too many questions but I suspect that is the authors hook to keep me going to the next novel.
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