Braxi and Azea - two interstellar civilizations fighting an endless war over a long-forgotten cause; two peoples descended from the human species a...
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reviews
Jan 25, 2008
Jennifer
rated it: 
My favorite CS Friedman book, by a mile. Centuries of interstellar war between two genetically engineered super-races of humans comes to a crux in a personal vendetta between two warriors. It's engrossing, richly drawn... and compelling because it's asking us to question our own motivations and how they can be intertwined and hidden to us. Appeals immensely to those who favors strong heroines. A strong book about strong people with some excellently thrilling twists.
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Jan 08, 2011
Don
rated it: 
No doubt about it, Friedman is a good author. Here she writes an intricately detailed, sprawling story, with lots of ideas. I really liked the previous book of hers that I read - The Madness Season. So I went into this one with high expectations.
Ultimately, I was a bit disappointed with it. It is a big epic story, focusing on two main characters, one on each side of rival human civilizations. My main problem with it was that it was so sprawling, I never felt that invested either More...
Ultimately, I was a bit disappointed with it. It is a big epic story, focusing on two main characters, one on each side of rival human civilizations. My main problem with it was that it was so sprawling, I never felt that invested either More...
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Aug 11, 2011
Stephen
rated it: 
4.5 stars. This was my first C.S. Friedman book and I just got done re-reading it to see if it was still as good as I remembered it. Short answer: yes it was. In general, I would describe this as smart, plot-orientated, "psychological" space opera. The story revolves around two generals (generals isn't exactly correct but close enough) from two very different cultures that have been a war for a very long time engaged in a very "personal" vendetta. Anzha, an Azean, is an excep
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May 20, 2011
Andreas
rated it:
Certainly impressive for a first novel, In Conquest Born details the struggle between Anzha and Zatar, prime representatives of their endlessly warring nations. The structure of the novel is unusual, as every chapter is somewhat like a short story in itself, often with different narrators, viewpoints and styles. The advantage is that exposition can be made from several angles. The disadvantage is a certain feeling of disjointedness as the device weakens the motivation to find out what happens ne
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May 05, 2011
Chris
rated it:
In Conquest Born by C. S. Friedman is what I’d call a hardcore space opera. It’s not a quick read. It’s not a simple read. Complex names, concepts and characters fly fast and furious. It also feels like a plot on two levels.
First is the background, which is well enough developed to be a major part of the story. This is the Azean-Braxian war that almost seems to have alway been in progress, and has no end in sight. Azea and Braxi are both spacefaring civilizations of basically human for More...
First is the background, which is well enough developed to be a major part of the story. This is the Azean-Braxian war that almost seems to have alway been in progress, and has no end in sight. Azea and Braxi are both spacefaring civilizations of basically human for More...
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Aug 31, 2009
Cody
rated it:
IN CONQUEST BORN is the greatest space-opera I have ever read, and I will even go so far as to say that it is the greatest space-opera penned by a human hand. This novel is the first foray I have into the multi-faceted, three-dimensional world of C.S. Friedman and I have to say that it was a pleasant experience and I've come away enriched in a way I never thought possible when it comes to the science-fiction genre.
The novel takes place far, far in the future in a galaxy that I can o More...
The novel takes place far, far in the future in a galaxy that I can o More...
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Oct 12, 2009
Deirdre
rated it:
I actually wanted to like this but somehow it didn't work all that well for me.
The Braxana and the Azean have been at war for generations. Braxana have a complicated society that's obscure to all but the initiated. Azeans are masters of genetic science and have their own rules that are also complicated and strange. Neither like each other and both consider that they know best. Zatar and Anzha are two generals on each side and they have made this war their own.
Somehow it just More...
The Braxana and the Azean have been at war for generations. Braxana have a complicated society that's obscure to all but the initiated. Azeans are masters of genetic science and have their own rules that are also complicated and strange. Neither like each other and both consider that they know best. Zatar and Anzha are two generals on each side and they have made this war their own.
Somehow it just More...
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Sep 14, 2011
Anila
rated it:
Okay, so I've been staring at this book for a couple of months. Maybe three. I bought it at a library book sale on a whim, partly for the synopsis and partly for the awesome cover.
Seriously, take a good look at this thing. I adore it to bits and pieces. You can have all your new-wave abstract photomanip covers; I'll take the old-school sci-fi art like this. Just looking at it tells you so much - the characters' personalities are there in their faces and the way they stand. Anzh More...
Seriously, take a good look at this thing. I adore it to bits and pieces. You can have all your new-wave abstract photomanip covers; I'll take the old-school sci-fi art like this. Just looking at it tells you so much - the characters' personalities are there in their faces and the way they stand. Anzh More...
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Mar 05, 2010
Amanda
rated it:
For use of craft, I have not found anything better than C.S. Freidman's In Conquest Born. She so skillfully flows from omniscient narrator, to third person omniscient, to slamming you into first person. Each change in POV is carefully calculated, driving the plot forward while increasing your understanding of a character, which, in the discovering, contributes to the story as a whole.
I have never read anything else like it. I have re-read this novel many times, not only for the stor More...
I have never read anything else like it. I have re-read this novel many times, not only for the stor More...
Jul 12, 2011
Kris
rated it:
This is a book that I consider a future classic. It was a stand alone story until 2004 when the author, C.S. Friedman, wrote a sequel. It can still be read as a stand alone novel and I think it is a superb story. It is a laser story with space empires, advanced technology, and aliens so all the basics are there to enjoy but that is not why it is so good. The plot revolves around two main characters Zatar and Anzha and as we learn who and what they are we learn who and what the 2 empires and cult
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Jun 07, 2010
Laurie
rated it:
I was excited to read this as I had loved this author's first book in the Magister series, one of the few fantasy novels that managed to engage me. The premise of In Conquest Born is intriguing: two far-future civilizations--both genetically engineered to evolve as two separate species so that they are hardly recognizable as human, are fighting an endless war far from earth in some distant part of the galaxy. The author builds complex, multilayered civilizations, each with their own mores and so
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Sep 24, 2009
Daniel
rated it:
First the negative, to get it out of the way:
This is not the first edition of the book, and yet there are rampant errors in spelling and punctuation. I don't feel that it is unreasonable of me to expect perfection in that. C.S. Friedman is a good writer -- not great -- but good. And she has editors at DAW, right? Then what is their excuse?
Anyway, despite some awesome ideas -- she really is a great writer and I loved the Coldfire Trilogy -- this novel falls short of be More...
This is not the first edition of the book, and yet there are rampant errors in spelling and punctuation. I don't feel that it is unreasonable of me to expect perfection in that. C.S. Friedman is a good writer -- not great -- but good. And she has editors at DAW, right? Then what is their excuse?
Anyway, despite some awesome ideas -- she really is a great writer and I loved the Coldfire Trilogy -- this novel falls short of be More...
Feb 28, 2011
Gerard
rated it:
An interesting book. I found myself getting more sympathetic with the warrior character, Zatar, over the course of the book. He was evil incarnate in the beginning but later his motivations become more understandable. Anzha, on the other hand, was more complex and nuanced over the course of the story. I could sympathize with her from the beginning, but grew to dislike but respect her as events, and her motivations, unfolded. I wanted her to win but not necessarily in the way that she did. I don'
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Aug 21, 2011
Fred
rated it: 
This was far from being on a level with the first trilogy of hers that I read. I would not recommend this book to anyone, ever. It took me a half a dozen tries to start and finally finish this book over a period of about two years. Once I really got into it, it wasn't the worst thing that I have ever read. But the first hundred pages, man they were painful.
Jul 20, 2008
Natlyn
rated it:
Friedman builds a portrait of two cultures in perpetual war and two extraordinary nemeses born of them. Characters are introduced and discarded by the dozens to fill in aspects of the culture; all building to two face-to-face meetings.
The cultures were interesting as thought experiments and analogies to our world but not much else. The characters were … there. I never engaged with either Zatar or Anzha (the nemeses) and really thought they should get over themselves. Actually I thoug More...
The cultures were interesting as thought experiments and analogies to our world but not much else. The characters were … there. I never engaged with either Zatar or Anzha (the nemeses) and really thought they should get over themselves. Actually I thoug More...
Feb 16, 2011
Andrew
rated it:
This was my first book by C.S. Friedman and it set me off on a search for more of her work, but the others have not been nearly as appealing to me. I felt the ending was a bit of a letdown, but overall I really enjoyed this book.
Feb 09, 2010
Aneel
rated it:
(Reread.) My mom had the new sequel to this lying around, so I stole both and reread this one first. It's a really good space opera. Lots of strong personalities. Bitter feuds. Solar-system-spanning action.
Jan 27, 2011
Andrew
rated it:
Plenty of interesting ideas, but gets bogged down too often in details about genealogy and political machinations, to the point where I had to stop and re-read the last few pages to sort things out.
Aug 12, 2011
mybluesunset
rated it:
Has a sense of epicness, compelling main characters, and excellent worldbuilding with the Braxana and the psychics. The ending did not satisfy.
Nov 14, 2009
Iain
rated it:
A bit confused - the viewpoint of the story changes to new characters far too often, and the main protagonists are hidden from view too much. Not bad, though.
Nov 26, 2008
Rachel
rated it:
One of my favs! Large scale, futuristic, very interesting social commentary, if you care to get into it but if you don't it is still a fun read.
Aug 02, 2010
Vincent
rated it:
I did not realize till much later that C.S. Friedman was a female author. I enjoyed the book but I need to reread it again.
Jun 20, 2009
Christine
rated it:
One of my all-time favorite books. A challenging book, but there are some chapters in this book that I return to. Amazing book.
Jun 12, 2009
Sarah
rated it:
Over the top space opera. This was the first Friedman book I read, and it was fun enough that I've read the rest.
May 09, 2011
Lovmelovmycats
rated it:
I'm in the middle of the first half, and I'm not loving it. I'm into it enough that I'll finish it. But I hate the Braxana, and find the Azeans annoying, and think that the main characters are unlovable.
Update: I finished the book. The main characters are despicable. I will not read any more of this author's early books.
Update: I finished the book. The main characters are despicable. I will not read any more of this author's early books.
Jul 31, 2011
Sara
rated it:
Although few (if any) of the characters are likeable, this is a compelling story.
Aug 17, 2011
Scott
rated it:
I just wish the encyclopedia in the back was turned into a book of its own,
