Dictates of Conscience

by Carol Parsons

“These are only the ones we saved.” As a Guardian, Brietta Moran is charged with safeguarding the lives of a group of children the Imperium government seeks to destroy. Short-handed, on the run and dangerously low on supplies, the group sends a desperate plea for help to the Patriots. With their leader missing and a spy in their midst, can she trust the two men claiming to be Patriots?

127 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 27, 2010

About the author

Carol Parsons lives in Tyler, Texas when she’s not traveling to points unknown—either literally or in her imagination. She’s married with children and grandchildren, loves campy sci fi shows and anime, and would rather be parasailing than cleaning house. With over 30 years in the writing business, she is a retired high school teacher and gardens when she isn’t plotting against her characters. She loves hearing from readers, so drop her a line, chat with her on Twitter, or visit her blogsite

Reviews

[Dr susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, but very dark, sci fi adventure

The worldbuilding is grim; there is torture, violence, a body count that includes children, and a not so happy ending. Kynan and Ganet are fascinating and likeable characters, but I was not expecting Dictates to be such a dark story. It was the first one in the Peregrine series that I had read, and I don't think this series is what I was looking for.

[Ginny Jaques · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dictates of Conscience is a story about a heinous plot devised by powerful rulers who will stop at nothing to maintain their evil control over a society. Because the immediate victims of the evil are children, the conflict grips the reader by the heart. The only hope these children have for salvation rests in the hands of a few people whose godly worldview won't allow them to sit by and allow evil to triumph, even though they must risk their lives to overcome the enemy.

Throughout the story, tension is maintained by the sense that it would be impossible for the good guys to win, and by the suspense about who the good guys really were. The evil seems so overpowering, and there seems to be no escape. I spent my reading time on the edge of my seat wondering how Brietta Moran and her compatriots were going to succeed in their rescue attempts. It seemed everything was against them; there was no visible way out. In the end, a daring political maneuver, carried out with great risk and bravado, marks the climax of the central conflict, which was well worth waiting for.

On another level, the book is a sobering reminder of how critical it is to value human life, especially innocent children, if we are to survive as a society. The struggle against evil in this story is a chilling reminder of the struggle real life heroes engage in today in their campaign to preserve the lives of innocent unborn children. The book is a challenge to all of us to follow the dictates of our God-inspired consciences.

The writing is well executed, the characters are likeable, and the action never stops. The hook at the end of the book is taking me to Amazon where I hope to find Raklin, another book in the series for which Dictates of Conscience is apparently the sequel. I recommend the book to people of conscience who like a suspenseful fictional read.