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An Officer's Duty (Theirs Not to Reason Why #2)

by Jean Johnson (Goodreads Author)

4.25 of 5 stars 4.25 · rating details · 374 ratings · 39 reviews

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, s...more

Paperback, 1st Edition, 448 pages

Published July 31st 2012 by Ace

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2013 Endeavour Award Submissions

23rd out of 47 books — 60 voters

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Aug 06, 2012 Kelley rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, female-protagonist

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 th...more

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Jan 09, 2013 Synobal rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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....more

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Sep 06, 2012 Paradoxical rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reading-list, books-otherwise

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 g...more 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. (less)

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Aug 30, 2012 Rickb rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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...more

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Oct 11, 2012 E. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

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 catas...more 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.
(less)

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Nov 07, 2012 John rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sf-fantasy

On her home world and by transferring into the Navy so that she can improve her mobility, Ia starts setting the stage for a galactic invasion she foresees several centuries in the future. Like the first episode, this one has a lot of pages wasted on overlong conversations and extraneous or stretched out incidents (the visit to her home world takes up the first quarter of the book, but could have been covered in two or three chapters), and as a protagonist Ia is TOO strong (not to mention gifted...more

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Sep 17, 2012 Brian Jaybush rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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...more

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Oct 25, 2012 Kathy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Phenomenal!
I strongly suggest you read the previous books in the series (A Soldier's Duty) prior to reading this installment.

Outstanding follow-up to the first book! The author packed a wallop of, IMO, three stories worth into this one book. The plot thickens and Ia divulges a bit more of her designs and schemes on how she plans to save the galaxy 300 years in the future.

This unique story didn't have a moment to waste and was loaded with intrigue and innovative courses of military action you wou...more

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Mar 03, 2013 rameau rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: military, scifi, series-warning, annoying-1st-3rd-voice-mixing, fantasy, read-in-2013, precognition, psychics

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 worl...more 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.(less)

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Aug 07, 2012 Christina Chavez rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The first book was good, this one was better. In fact, the book was so good that I re-read the entire thing a couple of days later. The storytelling style is very distinct and I was originally a little leery of all the foreshadowing, but it works and the story moves at a quick pace, covering a lot of events and time. Thankfully, "An Officer's Duty" has fewer non-essential descriptions than "A Soldier's Duty" but I really did not need to know all the gritty and rather gross details involved in th...more

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Nov 12, 2012 Rich rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: scifi-mil, bab-s, space-opera, sci-fi

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 goo...more

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Sep 06, 2012 Jorden rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 somethin...more

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Nov 06, 2012 Coucher de soleil rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction-read

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 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 downfal...more

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Aug 03, 2012 Angela rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

I couldn't stop reading this until it was finished. I still had to go to work the next day unfortunately! What makes this story and the one previous so great to read is that it should come off as a Mary Sue type story and it doesn't. The main character has mental and physical and psycological attributes that should make her annoying and unrealistic... and it doesn't. The main plot of the story is so huge that having all of these gifts barely makes her equal to the task. Her mental struggles and...more

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Oct 18, 2012 Darcy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, futuristic, sci-fi, space-drama

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 think that the other person was able to find out the truth, not that it helped the bad news go down better, but i...more

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Oct 18, 2012 Catherine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Very enjoyable. This series is similar to the Honor Harrington series. The various sentient races are interesting and the plot and story development are a pleasure to read. I can find minor things I don't like: the only in depth character you get to know is the main one, Ia, a little more on some of the other key players would be good and I don't like how we discover that Ia has other "powers" midway thru the 2nd book. But it is harder for me to describe all the things I do like.
It's definitely...more

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Oct 19, 2012 Rachelle rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A paranormal science fiction novel about fate vs. free will, responsibility and doing the right thing, living with your choices, and serving others. It's part LE Modesitt Jr's "The Forever Hero" and part Adrienne Martine-Barnes' "The Dragon Rises." The plot is complex, with danger, multiple threats, and priorities. The story is involving, showing us Ia's family and personal conflicts. Ia seems more human and lives more in the moment.

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Aug 28, 2012 Mitchell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: series, science-fiction, public-library, endeavour, military-sf

Book 2 in a series I read for the Endeavour Award. This book should have been terrible. But then again how does a strong precog with some other abilities stop galactic destruction 300 years in the future. Surprisingly gripping - action scenes just long enough and involved enough without dragging. There's not a lot of high art or philosophy but a hard-to-put down good read nonetheless. 4.5 of 5.

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Apr 01, 2013 Rob rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I couldn't give this one more than 3 stars. I liked it, but I wasn't crazy about it. Not as much 'action' as in the first novel, too many things 'revealed' in the final couple of chapters, but overall things just seem a little too convenient (much as the first novel.) And again, I still don't get PW's blurb comparing this to Starship Troopers and Dune. As two of my favorites, I see some elements of both, but ... seriously? Until some kind uncertainly can be introduced, things still seem to be a...more

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Oct 20, 2012 Myz rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ideal

After reading the first book I didn't think it could get better which makes me wish it was 10/10 instead of a 5/5 so I could truly indicate how both books are excellent reads but this one surpasses the first book.

Although I did think it started out a bit rough, over time it all fitted into place and has left me eagerly awaiting the third book in the series.

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Sep 23, 2012 Paul Gordon rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A well thought out out story with exciting action scenes. I read the first book which was also a good read. As the story is about Ia's journey toward her goal, I don't mind that most of the other characters are bit players. This book is better than the first and I can't wait to read the next one. An excellent sci if story.

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Dec 10, 2012 Fred rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

First half of the book is a bit slow and I will give it a 2. Second half is way better and a really fun read. Rate it a 4. All in all a good book with some greatness thrown in. A must read if you've read the first book in the series. I will definitely seek out the 3rd book when it comes.

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Sep 17, 2012 Dale (Aus) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I enjoyed the book and the premise behind it and look forward to the next installment. It is almost like a superpower scifi story, strong lead character with bit parts for the rest. Would be nice if more of the other characters were filled out a litlle more and played a bigger part.

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Aug 03, 2012 Greg rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A good folow up to A Soldier's Duty. An interesting SF war story made different to most others by the introduction of psi powers, in particular the approach to precognitive visions. I'm looking forward to seeing how it progresses.

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Aug 01, 2012 Ron Sturm rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dropped the other books i was reading to start this one and never regretted that decision as this is a great sequel to the series. Can't wait for book 3...

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Feb 01, 2013 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A very good read. It kept me interested the whole way through. I can't wait for the final two books in the series to see how it all plays out!

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Aug 03, 2012 Lyndi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Stayed up all night to finish this. Totally worth it.

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Mar 29, 2013 Kara-karina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another absolutely awesome book!!! I can't wait for Hellfire. Review soon...

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Jul 25, 2012 Linda rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal

Wow! I enjoyed the first book in this series and this one wass just as good, maybe even a tiny bit better. You learn more about what Ia is fighting for and the personal sacrifices that she has to make in order for her plans to work.

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Dec 19, 2012 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Great book. Can't wait for the third one and looking for others by the same author.

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About Jean Johnson

Berkley/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. Rig...more

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An Officer's Duty (Theirs Not to Reason Why #2)

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