We Have Met the Enemy (Lovelace Series #1)

We Have Met the enemy is an entertaining Space Opera reminiscent of classic sci-fi. I enjoyed some of the elements of this novel, but some of the other elements put me off a little. It’s just personal preference so it’s nothing too concerning. I found myself reading the novel regularly and not wanting to stop, so that’s good.

One of the things I liked the most was Decker as a character. She was really well-developed and felt real. She is easily likeable and relatable and it’s the first time I’ve seen a Chiricahua main character. The author does a great job of weaving Chiricahua culture in the novel and Naiche herself. Naiche’s tense relationship with Lindstorm was also a plus. I loved the back and forth! It was my favorite part of the novel. Another great quality is the author leaves us with a thought provoking moral. The central conflict of the novel goes deep into the study of the human race and our nature. The reveal about Naiche’s family caught me completely off-guard, which rarely happens with me. Then even another revelation comes along that I didn’t expect! Well played.

However, there were things that kept me from enjoying the novel to its fullest. They’re just personal quips of mine and I can see how other people might like it despite my reservations. I just like to read things a bit more fast paced and with higher stakes.

In terms of sci-fi this has the elements of Space Opera, but it’s more a family drama set in space were those elements are just a background. At moments it just got too melodramatic for me with the gossip about who’s sleeping with who, who’s fallen in love and the family sutff. There were also some plausibility issues for me that took me out of the story all the time. For example Naiche has apparently gotten a good education in the Rock were she learned about greek philosophers, but she doesn’t know what Vikings are. I feel like the events were action finally took place were rushed and gotten over with to go back to the drama between characters. This made the threat seem less dangerous an unimportant since it didn’t feel like the characters cared that much about it.

All in all, We Have Met the Enemy reminded me a lot (in a good way) of Star Trek the Original series. It has that kind of episodic format where they tackle something new everyday and explore space. If you’re fan of Star Trek, this is the novel for you. This was actually one of the things that kept me going back to it. It had that feeling of the classic sci-fi I grew up with and sometimes taking a break from fast-paced, high-stakes, “we’re all going to die!” novels is nice.

I’m always a bit hesitant when I start a sci-fi book, as you truly never know where it’s going to take you. But from page one, I was taken with We Have Met the Enemy and couldn’t put it down. The author expertly takes you on a voyage into space, past what your mind can comprehend and imagine, and holds your hand the whole way. Too often sci-fi books read like there’s a competition to see who can come up with the most “out there” content, but not this book. Yes, there is plenty of “un-earthly” parts to the story, but I felt it was really reined in… it was easy to understand, read, follow, and to imagine.
We Have Met the Enemy isn’t just a sci-fi book though, it’s also a story of love and determination. WHMTE follows a young woman by the name of Naiche Decker who seems to be fighting a war at every turn. She lost her mother at a very young age, never knew her father, and now that her Grandfather has passed away, she if off to do the only thing left, join the war efforts; the very war that stole her mother away. After many years in the UDC, Deck follows her best friend into the unknown, and there is no way for her to guess how it will force her to confront the enemy within and bring more peace and love than she can imagine. WHMTE isn’t just a book for sci-fi readers and I highly recommend it! A quick and easy read, I think readers of many levels, and genres will enjoy it. Due to some language, I don’t feel this book is suitable for young readers, but teens and above will surely love it. (I’m sure teens hear worse language at school!) Happy Reading.

Preface: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Let me begin by saying I did enjoy this book. It has flaws, for sure, but at its core it’s pretty solid. The central characters are interesting (I genuinely really liked Decker, and most of the rest of the cast is solid), the driving force of the plot makes sense, the little detours here and there are interesting, and the ending wraps up everything pretty nicely (I was afraid it was going to be the beginning of a series, but the main plot does actually get resolved, which was nice).

That being said, it is missing a little /something/ that’s hard to name. I think it’s that things end up seeming rushed or summarized where they could be dwelt on a little more. Throughout the novel, new forms of alien life are discovered multiple times, but while this should be revolutionary or terrifying – given the war that’s going on between the only other form of intelligent life yet discovered – it’s just kinda brushed off every time. Every culture they encounter has so much potential, but they’re really little more than speed-bumps on our road to the end. The few action scenes in the book are similarly lack-luster. At one point, Decker realizes she’s been betrayed by someone, but she simply knocks them unconscious (in just that many words) and then moves to resolve the problem. Similarly, when the group is attacked by hostile lifeforms, the carnage is summarized in pretty clinical terms. There’s not a lot of dwelling in the moment, or detailing characters’ thoughts/reactions/feelings when these things happen. The few deaths that occur thus come off as meaningless and forgettable. This also kneecaps the climax of the story, which essentially happens entirely off-screen (it’s within the characters’ minds, but they’re unconscious, and we don’t actually get to experience what is happening to them at all).

I have a few other quibbles – the relationship between Decker and Ricci is poorly handled in the beginning, characters are referred to by their first and last names interchangeably which is really confusing with such a big cast, and the resolution is a little too clean – but, again, for the most part, the book is genuinely good. Characters learn and grow. Decker is, again, genuinely likable as a loudmouth hotshot. She has some pretty good quips, bounces off of other characters nicely, develops well, and always remains sympathetic, even when she’s making bad choices. Her platonic devotion to her best friend is adorable. And the book has really good representation – lots of different cultures/skin colors and LGBT+ representation. Even asexuals get a nod, and that never happens.

Overall, if you’re looking for a fairly simple sci-fi adventure, this will hit the spot for you. It’s not particularly memorable beyond that, but sometimes, books don’t need to be anything but enjoyable.

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