Review of Sent to Watch
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Kristine Mariel Diaz
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Review of Sent to Watch
[Following is a volunteer review of "Sent to Watch" by David J. Lebenstein.]
"Sent to Watch" by David J. Lebenstein is a science fiction and fantasy novel that follows the work of the Interplanetary Intelligence Service, an agency of the Confederation of Civilized Planets that focuses on the mission of discovering and studying planets with intelligent life. With the motto "Sent to watch, but not to affect" the Interplanetary Intelligence Service attempts to track the development of planets and notify the Confederation when a planet is ready to be contacted to become part of the Union of Civilized Planets.
The story centers on the missions of agents Ori Svavapass, Unni Vlaytork and Urelt Sraymlat, who are assigned to monitor the planet "Earth 48", specifically the region known in the native language as the British Empire. But as the mission develops, these agents become so concerned about the future of this planet that when they discover a terrible threat from another alien force, they conceive a plan to help. But their plan involves not only intelligence work and political relations, but also conspiracy against the strict rules of their own organization. How could aliens have helped us? is a question readers must finish this book to find out.
What if aliens are already among us? What if we are actually the most undeveloped planet in the galaxy? What if the people around us are not who we think they are? These and other doubts about our history as a human race are what author David J. Lebenstein explores when he presents us this amazing book.
By following the lives of the agents, I was able to get a sense of life in 19th century England and understand the political and social climate, thanks to the author's excellent research into our world's history. I experienced the enormity of the Battle of Waterloo, the difficulties faced by women in that era's society, the social injustices meted out to the Irish people, and much more.
But in addition to creating this incredible scenario, the author also considered the characters' emotional struggles, which helped me identify with them and really understand how difficult it could be for people to go through so many changes and leave their lives behind in order to pursue a career that takes them across the galaxy. The human perspective is the focus of most books, but this one got me thinking about the alien perspective, maybe they are trying to help our planet evolve without our knowledge or fear.
I had trouble reading the book because of just two aspects of the narrative. First, I had to read slowly at the beginning to get into the plot because the author introduces a lot of people right away, which made it hard to follow along. Additionally, because the characters are spies infiltrating on a foreign planet, each character has two names to remember. Second, the author explained in detail the various scientific and engineering mechanisms that an interstellar ship might need in order to travel through the galaxy for days or weeks. These mechanisms included the life support system and devices for producing food and water in space, among many others. At times, I felt confused and had to go back and reread the entire section.
My rating for this book is 5 out of 5 because the author created a great story with an incredible detailed environment and successfully developed complex characters to keep the reader engaged. Overall, this is a well-written and well-edited book.
I will recommend this book to all fantasy and science fiction fanatics as well as those looking for an entertaining historical fiction read. In terms of age, I do not find any restrictions on the appropriate audience for the book, as it does not contain any strong language or sexual scenes or conversations that would require it to be restricted to adults.
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Sent to Watch
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
"Sent to Watch" by David J. Lebenstein is a science fiction and fantasy novel that follows the work of the Interplanetary Intelligence Service, an agency of the Confederation of Civilized Planets that focuses on the mission of discovering and studying planets with intelligent life. With the motto "Sent to watch, but not to affect" the Interplanetary Intelligence Service attempts to track the development of planets and notify the Confederation when a planet is ready to be contacted to become part of the Union of Civilized Planets.
The story centers on the missions of agents Ori Svavapass, Unni Vlaytork and Urelt Sraymlat, who are assigned to monitor the planet "Earth 48", specifically the region known in the native language as the British Empire. But as the mission develops, these agents become so concerned about the future of this planet that when they discover a terrible threat from another alien force, they conceive a plan to help. But their plan involves not only intelligence work and political relations, but also conspiracy against the strict rules of their own organization. How could aliens have helped us? is a question readers must finish this book to find out.
What if aliens are already among us? What if we are actually the most undeveloped planet in the galaxy? What if the people around us are not who we think they are? These and other doubts about our history as a human race are what author David J. Lebenstein explores when he presents us this amazing book.
By following the lives of the agents, I was able to get a sense of life in 19th century England and understand the political and social climate, thanks to the author's excellent research into our world's history. I experienced the enormity of the Battle of Waterloo, the difficulties faced by women in that era's society, the social injustices meted out to the Irish people, and much more.
But in addition to creating this incredible scenario, the author also considered the characters' emotional struggles, which helped me identify with them and really understand how difficult it could be for people to go through so many changes and leave their lives behind in order to pursue a career that takes them across the galaxy. The human perspective is the focus of most books, but this one got me thinking about the alien perspective, maybe they are trying to help our planet evolve without our knowledge or fear.
I had trouble reading the book because of just two aspects of the narrative. First, I had to read slowly at the beginning to get into the plot because the author introduces a lot of people right away, which made it hard to follow along. Additionally, because the characters are spies infiltrating on a foreign planet, each character has two names to remember. Second, the author explained in detail the various scientific and engineering mechanisms that an interstellar ship might need in order to travel through the galaxy for days or weeks. These mechanisms included the life support system and devices for producing food and water in space, among many others. At times, I felt confused and had to go back and reread the entire section.
My rating for this book is 5 out of 5 because the author created a great story with an incredible detailed environment and successfully developed complex characters to keep the reader engaged. Overall, this is a well-written and well-edited book.
I will recommend this book to all fantasy and science fiction fanatics as well as those looking for an entertaining historical fiction read. In terms of age, I do not find any restrictions on the appropriate audience for the book, as it does not contain any strong language or sexual scenes or conversations that would require it to be restricted to adults.
******
Sent to Watch
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Shelby Morrow Series by A. C. Holmes
