"Believable characters makes this sci-fi tale even more enjoyable."

Cynara D'Accorso is the human captain of the Pegasus, alliance ship of the Concordat, a government in the deep space of the future. Ronan is also human, but has lived his life with the shaauri, longtime enemies of humans.

As Ronan is escaping from the shaauri, he's picked up by Cynara's ship. She hopes to ignore her attraction to him and use his knowledge to broker a possible peace between the two races. Ronan thinks he's there to steal details of a secret slingshot drive, which he'll take back to the shaauri, even though he's finding it difficult to betray Cynara. However, neither of them is aware that more is going on behind the scenes, with possible deadly results for them both.

KINSMAN'S OATH takes us to the alien worlds of the Concordat and Nine Worlds, which were populated centuries ago by Earth. The world also includes shaauri space. The shaauri are strong, big, catlike creatures, and telepathy plays a large role in the plot. This story was easy to follow and the characters believable and likable. Science fiction isn't usually my favorite genre, but Ms. Krinard has written a story that I really enjoyed reading.

Reviewed by Lory Martin
Posted April 14, 2004

Read an Excerpt

In her popular novella in the New York Times best- selling Out of This World anthology, Susan Krinard created a futuristic world of humans, telepaths, and an alien race called the shaauri. Now, she returns to that future galaxy with a captivating tale about two telepaths who have nothing in common...except the love they share for one another.

Summary

Ronan VelKalevi was a man torn between two worlds. Born into the human race, he was kidnapped at the age of six by shaauri. More than twenty years later, he has found himself on the run from the aliens who raised him—and being saved by a ship of humans...

Captain Cynara D'Accorso, the commander of the Pegasus, has no reservation about rescuing the telepathic Kinsman from his damaged ship. But she isn't expecting the dangerous emotions this troubled man awakens in her—or that he isn't the innocent fugitive he claims to be.

Now, as Ronan and Cynara's hearts fall prey to passion, they must discover the paths to which they each were born before their destines destroy them both...