Runs in the Family

by Kevin Ikenberry

An outcast of the Eden Academy, physically unfit for military duty, and lacking a civil service assignment, Mairin Shields is going nowhere fast. With little hope of leaving the outer rim of the Milky Way, Mairin agrees to participate in a classified experiment offering her genetic perfection and a chance to see the galaxy.

Now, armed with her great-grandfather's military knowledge and combat-refined instincts, Mairin is tasked with leading inexperienced troops in a war against a shadowy enemy using hauntingly familiar tactics. But the first rule of the military is "hurry up and wait," and Mairin learns this firsthand.

Without transport to the fight, Mairin spends the downtime on a lush paradise world, getting to know her new body, her imprint, and her heart. Mairin meets Tallenaara, a beautiful Styrahi architect whose mission and past will come to challenge them both. Faced with the most difficult choice of her young life, Mairin Shields can only watch as her world spins out of control.

Genres: Science Fiction

396 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 7, 2014

About the author

Kevin’s head has been in the clouds since he was old enough to read. Ask him and he’ll tell you that he still wants to be an astronaut. Kevin has a diverse background in space and space science education. As an adult, he's managed the world-renowned U.S. Space Camp program and operated two Challenger Learning Centers. A retired Army officer, Kevin continues to work with space every day.

Kevin is the author of the science fiction novel SLEEPER PROTOCOL (2016) which Publisher's Weekly called "an emotionally powerful debut." His military science fiction novel RUNS IN THE FAMILY (2016) has gained a growing legion of fans. He continues to work on sequels for both novels as well as short fiction and an alternate history novel.

Reviews

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many years in the future things are not the same as we seem them today, in the future earth has been attacked by aliens many times over. They have made allies with other plants working together to keep peace. The Grays need something and knows earth has it, the allies are trying their best to keep peace but the Grays are having nothing of it. This is not a romance book although it does have romance in it which is put together in an interesting way. There is a gay scene but as with the romance part it isn’t gone into it that much. In other words you will not find sex scenes here which is totally find by me. I am torn a little on the rating so I will leave that until the end. I have listened to one other audio by this author which really blew me out of the water. This is good but not that good. The plot is built around war and Mairin who they want to give a DNA transplant from her grandfather. Over a few days she will sleep when waking she should know most of what her grandfather has learned before he died. They are testing this in hopes to make her a fighting power like no other. In short they can take a no body that has no future and make them a killing machine with heart and soul wanting nothing more than to protect the lands.


MS. Kay narration is delightful with lots of emotions as she takes us on a journey of love, pain, sorrow and dreams. Her character voices were wonderful she has no problem delivering true emotion to her characters. Mairin character voice she it right on the money. So of her character voices sounded a little too much the same at times I did have trouble keeping them apart. It doesn’t take away from the audio that much and I could work out who is talking at any giving time. She did make it a very interesting listen as she lays out the plot you are spellbound. If any breaks were taken I could not tell. There were no background noises, no repeating or words just a very clean and clear audio.


I found this to be a very interesting listen some of it is believable with other parts not so much. I enjoyed the plot and the characters. I really liked how you saw things from many different sides getting to know what each character was thinking. I thought at time things moved a little fast. I am unsure of the love triangle there are no winners. Earth and many other plants won the war pretty much before it began. I have no trouble believing the DNA transplant of memories I believe this may happen down the road. The romance in this is heartbreaking in so many ways.



Mairin is a wonderful character that changes right before your eyes as she learns from her grandfather. She starts out as shy and turns in to a wild tiger as she takes over not letting any man get in her way. She becomes sassy, bold and takes charge kind of person. I really enjoyed watching her grow as a person. I had to laugh at a few places. I thought this was written very well with interesting characters. The author does hold your attention. The ending I didn’t care for very much but it ends in a way that there could be a book 2. I enjoyed listening to it and having it open my mind to possibilities. This review does not do justice to this story there were parts I really enjoyed and others I didn’t. I am getting a head cold so I will just close it and may update it when I feel better.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kevin Ikenberry was once a manager at Nasa’s Space Camp, but recently he has devoted himself to military science fiction. Runs in the Family (2016) is one of his more popular efforts, largely, I imagine, on the strength of its heroine. We first meet Mairin as a mousy, mediocre student at an academy on the planet Eden. Her life changes when she is recruited as a subject in a genetic memory implant experiment. She emerges from it as an athletically fit soldier with the implanted memories of a great-great-grandfather, a cavalry officer who died in 21st-century Afghanistan. It is fun to watch Mairin learn when to trust her new martial instincts and when to tell Gramps to shut up. World-building could be more believable. 3.5.

[Jennifer Linsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

So let's get this out of the way, first: I enjoyed this book, and look forward to the next.

That said, the set-up kind of falls flat for me. Memory, to the very best of our current understanding, has zero genetic component. DNA is a WORM drive - write once, read many. It's a blueprint, not a binder. So the idea that having the genetic material of soldiers would somehow gateway their descendants to access the skills they need to fight a war? Absolutely no scientific validity whatsoever.

But if you can get past that, it's a pretty good yarn.

[Lelouch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com.

Narrator did fine, but a few of the character voices sounded too similar. I like the military-scifi stories with strong female protagonists. I think the story would have been better focusing entirely on Mairin without using the other characters' points of views as well. Fair warning, the ending is either hate-it-or-love-it.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-developed space opera with some surprising plots within plots. I hope Ikenberry has some sequels in mind.

[Nickolas Hight · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Runs in the Family" is an excellent work of military science fiction. Author Kevin Ikenberry has built a compelling universe and populated it with interesting species, as well as complex geopolitics and social issues. The technology in play is well researched and realistic.
Where the author really shines, though, is in his gritty, highly charged descriptions of combat; the numerous challenges faced by small-unit leaders; the agony of separation from a loved one prior to and during deployments; the frustration of having to work for an opportunistic, selfish, subhuman fraud (a situation I was all too familiar with during my time as a Marine).
All in all, "Runs in the Family" was a great read. If you like Heinlein, Haldeman, Pournelle, Niven, Drake, or Steakley, you'll love Kevin Ikenberry.

[bunn3h · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Don't read if you are wanting to avoid spoilers*



I thought it was pretty good but could have gone without some of the perspective swaps. Didn't care about Andrew or anyone else outside of the main character and possibly Tally. Andrew/Tally chapters bored me to tears.

Also a dick move to have Tally survive the assassination and seem like her and Mairin would end up together only to have her blown to bits and Mairin effectively stabbed in the back by the TDF in some bullshit fluff court proceeding.

Only justice in the entire book was from three bullets.

The end pissed me off enough to leave a star off the rating.

[Mary Early · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has made me a science fiction fan. Great characters and intriguing ideas for the future.

[Fiannawolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting way of adding ancestor memories that don't end up making your protag into a god mode character. Will def. pick up his other book. Since it looks like both are set in the same universe.

[Daryl Banks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story

Good story line. Well developed characters. Lots of action. All around good read. .seven more words required. Going to quit reviewing over this!