Civility (To Be Sinclair Book 13)

SCI-FI:  Captain Princess Alea Sinclair is “The Prankster” on her ship. This causes animosity between her and Commodore Lord Kiernan Renois. Together they are assigned a mission to travel to the Attican Empire along with Galactic Assembly Representative Princess Elizabeth Sinclair acting as diplomat to renegotiate a treaty between their two factions. Alea will be Elizabeth’s lady-in-waiting, and bodyguard. The second part of the mission is investigating the chalates, an alien life form that the Atticans discover on another planet. These creatures act as pets, but seem to communicate telepathically with their owners, putting uncharacteristic thoughts in their minds. Are the chalates trying to take over the Attican Empire, or is theirs a more benign existence?  

“Civility” encompasses what can happen when a treaty is renegotiated and there are two factions on the same planet wanting opposite ends. The main characters, Alea, Elizabeth, and Kiernan are well written with depth and a full range of emotions. The chalates are an interesting alien life form that adds color to the story. They are an unknown that begs examination. A plethora of additional characters makes up the Sentinels but they have no depth or personality, just names. It is difficult to keep up with so many extraneous people. The ending leaves questions and as this is the last of the series, no answers will be forthcoming. The pace is slow and bogged down with unnecessary detail. The dynamics between the main characters are incredible. Ms. Caye appropriately captures the diplomacy that occurs during treaty renegotiations and brings the situations to life.

Belinda Wilson