Book Review- In His Image

It was supposed to be a routine check of a parched planet. That was what Andi expected when she joined the small exploration team, but when their shuttle crash landed, the unthinkable happened — they encountered intelligent life. Now stranded on the strange world, the team accidentally angers the iron-fisted leader of the village, and the compassionate intervention of a young native named Elasson may be all that's keeping them alive. Their shuttle seems beyond repair, the oppressive heat is sapping their strength, and the local ruler is determined to execute them. Can Andi help find a way to escape before it's too late?









This book is probably my least favorite of the Firmament series, with Radialloy being my top favorite. That fact has nothing to do with poor writing, I just hate sandy deserts. Trust me, this is book you want to read in air conditioning.

I love how normal and real to life the character of Andi is. She is very intelligent and resourceful, and yet, she has a very humble attitude about herself. She loves her people deeply, and earnestly desires to know the truth.

However, desiring to know the truth and actually figuring out what truth is are two very different things. One of the very best features of this series is Pennington's skill at weaving very difficult questions about morally gray areas. Or, in the case of this book, what to do when what you believe and know to be true seem to be contradicted by what you see or experience. These books force you to think.

I loved the character of Elasson in this book. He is sweet, intelligent, and has a very caring heart. I loved the way Pennington wrote how he and Andi bridged the communication gap of two different languages. I personally love languages and have spent a great deal of time trying to imagine how I would communicate with someone when there is a language barrier. Even as I was reading this book I was coming up with ideas of how Andi could express herself to Elasson.

One thing that did bug me about this book was I could not tell for sure if two characters had fallen for each other or not. I feel like it was maybe hinted at, but perhaps I am just suffering from heat stroke. Applause to Pennington once more for upsetting my ego, and I thought I was so great at smelling out a romance!

All in all, In His Image is a fantastic book and very vital to the ongoing Firmament series. Check it out on Amazon! And check out my review for the first book in the series, Radialloy.