Schmidt portrays a futuristic society that continues to suffer from the oppression, segregation, and hostility we have seen among humankind throughout history, but provides a new twist, with new species, planets, etc. I loved the idea behind the novel - that humans are bound to experience the same problems over and over, with a constant struggle between good and evil. The book was fast paced, although at times I found it difficult to remember the differences between species, creatures, etc. Lots of new terminology which I think I caught onto by the end. The characters were interesting, although there is still much room for development.

I found that Davi accepted his past too quickly though. I expected more of an internal and ongoing struggle between his worker heritage and the self he knows as a royal. It would have made sense if he had always felt out of place among the royals, however he states over and over that it was the world he knew. I realize that Miri had raised him to be open to new ideas and more understanding of all people, but I still felt like it was a bit unrealistic how quickly he adapted to his new self and had very little guilt over taking what was given to him (knowledge), training, etc.) to help fight against the society he knew. It was still a great story and I loved reading every minute of it, but I think it could have benefited from exploring more of those feelings and bringing the reader in more emotionally to experience this conflict within Davi/Prince Rhii.

I didn't feel we got a sense of how big the resistance was until the fighting started, and nameless pilots began to die. I had no emotional connection to those that were lost, and think it may have been more exciting if we knew a little bit about them, or if those lost were some of the ones we had come to know through Davi's narration.

All in all I found it a great story and would be interested in reading a sequel, but I think it left something to be desired in terms of connecting emotionally with the reader, something that could be improved for the next novel.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ( )

I did enjoy this book. It is a good beginning for a series. The characters still need some fleshing out, as well as the history needs some personalizing and filling out. I never really got a feel for the reason for the hatred between the groups. But then, maybe the point is that bigotry does not need a basis in reality? This is a retelling of the story of David from the Old Testament set in a possible future. The comparisons are obvious if you remember any of your Sunday School. I am willing to give the next book a try and see if it flows better. ( )

A Full list of reviews for this book with links can be found at http://bryanthomasschmidt.net/interviewsreviews/ ( )

Davi Rhii is a prince of the Boralian people and a newly-minted military officer, but he's about to find he's much more than that. After discovering his roots as the son of Workers (people on another world enslaved by the Boralians), he is forced to decide to which side to support--and is drawn into a solar-system-spanning battle for freedom. Along the way, he has to face down his own entrenched cultural assumptions, and finds a new faith by embracing the one God of the Workers.

Bryan Thomas Schmidt's debut novel is a fast-paced and deftly-told space opera adventure set in a well-envisoned political and social environment. It is classic space adventure in all the right ways, with plenty of action, twists, and characters with emotional depth. (It also has one reversal of a 'classic' trope that I liked--instead of the main character starting as a worker and discovering he's really a prince, it's the other way around.) Schmidt also pulls off the tricky task of incorporating religion into his story without alienating non-religious readers; it is plainly expressed but never 'preachy.' I very much enjoyed the tale, and look forward to further volumes in the series. ( )