Conduct Unbecoming [Paperback]

Nina M. Osier (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2001

Rik Boehmer is the first Human to leave the ghetto-like enclave on Luna for military service, centuries after the Protectorate took control of Terra. Now the Humans have a plan to take back their world at any cost, and Rik finds himself forced to choose between duty and his love for his family.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...CONDUCT UNBECOMING is a wonderful read, even for those who have resisted science fiction in the past. -- Rachel Mulligan, reviewing for WordWeaving.com

Nina Osier has a well-written and well-conceived tale in CONDUCT UNBECOMING. The story is fascinating in its ideas... -- Nan H. Doporto, reviewing for SimeGen

This is a great book. Great characters, great story, great sweeps of imagination. -- Annette Gisby, Twisted Tales

About the Author

Nina M. Osier started "writing" at the age of two, when her parents decided to write down her stories and read them back to her. She is the author of science fiction novels Exile's End, Matushka, Silent Service, and Regs from eBooksOnThe.Net, and Rough Rider from Adventure Books. Tabitha June Is a Shoulder Cat, her first Xlibris book, was written after family and friends repeatedly asked her to write down her extensive repertoire of pet stories. It will soon be followed by SF novels Unfamiliar Territory and Conduct Unbecoming from Xlibris, and Starship Castaways from CrossroadsPub.com. Nina directs the Division of Records Management Services at the Maine State Archives, where she gets some of her best ideas! She lives in a turn-of-the-century Victorian house in Augusta, Maine, where she writes, gardens, and wishes humans didn't have to waste time sleeping.

Product Details

• Paperback: 236 pages
• Publisher: Xlibris Corp (May 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738852988
• ISBN-13: 978-0738852980
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,467,436 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hello, I'm '9-UH' - daughter of a Maine fisherman and (wouldn't you know it?) a reading teacher. I usually write speculative and mainstream fiction, although I've also authored a couple of nonfiction titles. I'm especially interested in speculative fiction with strong, mature female protagonists, so much of my work centers on them. My latest Amazon release is HIGH PLACES, the first book of a trilogy. It's available as both a trade paperback and a Kindle eBook. For more detailed information about my books, plus a few articles and some great freebies, please visit me at http://www.geocities.com/nina_osier.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One you won't want to put down!, July 4, 2002

By 

Annette Gisby "agisby" (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Conduct Unbecoming (Paperback)

The last vestiges of pure Humans live in ghetto-like conditions on Luna, bitter at the Protectorate of Amalgamated Species, who the Humans believe have taken what was rightfully theirs: Earth.

The Humans think of the amalgamated species as little more than animals, mutants who have no right to even exist, never mind on their planet! The only reason the Protectorate allows a colony of Humans to live in Luna, is because Human DNA is what made amalgamation possible (the cross breeding of different alien species.)

Life is tough on Luna. There isn't enough space with little employment and only the men who can provide for their women are allowed to marry. Some men have more than one wife, if they can afford it as they have to keep each wife in her own house. As a result of only the richer men fathering children, the gene pool is dwindling, but the Humans will not accept any help from the Protectorate in that respect. Humans will breed naturally or not at all.

Rik Bohemer escapes from Luna as soon as he is able and becomes a captain on a Defender ship, where he befriends many non-Humans.

The Humans have long looked with envious eyes at earth, lots of space, room for everyone to work and live, take a mate, not just the chosen few who could afford it and over the years a plan has been developing to reclaim Earth, and Rik will find his loyalties tested between his comrades and his family...

This is a great book. Great characters, great story, great sweeps of imagination. It was a hard book to put down, I could hardly wait to see what would happen next. Rik's dilemma was entirely plausible. His divided loyalties between his family and his friends was heart wrenching. There were lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing. One to curl up with in a chair on a rainy day.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby, author of Shadows of the Rose.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!, January 21, 2002

By 

Huntress Reviews (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Conduct Unbecoming (Paperback)

Set in the far future, most of Terra was inhabited by mixed species. Even those who looked Human, were partly something else. All True Humans lived secluded on Luna. On Luna, males far outnumbered the females. Female children were highly prized by their families. About half the pregnancies were "culls", babies that did not look human, and were aborted before the mothers reached the full term of their pregnancies.

One man left Luna to work for the Protectorate Defense Forces (PDF). He was Rik Boehmer. His wife, Salla, and two daughters lived on Luna with the rest of his family line. He returned home from a mission to find himself caught between his duty as a Protectorate Defender and his family on Luna. Luna planned to take back Terra for True Humans, even if it meant killing all the humanoid life that currently called Terra "Home".

***** There is A LOT MORE happening in this book than I detail hee. I dare not reveal more, though, for fear of ruining the story. I read the book in one sitting, unable to bring myself to a halt. I had to know what happened next! Nina M. Osier has proven herself to be a vey talented writer! I eagerly look forward to reading more books from this author! Recommended! *****

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lot more happening that I tell..., October 23, 2003

By 

Detra Fitch (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Conduct Unbecoming (Paperback)

Set in the far future, most of Terra was inhabited by mixed species. Even those who looked Human, were partly something else. All True Humans lived secluded on Luna. On Luna, males far outnumbered the females. Female children were highly prized by their families. About half the pregnancies were "culls", babies that did not look human, and were aborted before the mothers reached the full term of their pregnancies.

One man left Luna to work for the Protectorate Defense Forces (PDF). He was Rik Boehmer. His wife, Salla, and two daughters lived on Luna with the rest of his family line. He returned home from a mission to find himself caught between his duty as a Protectorate Defender and his family on Luna. Luna planned to take back Terra for True Humans, even if it meant killing all the humanoid life that currently called Terra "Home".

***** There is A LOT MORE happening in this book than I detail hee. I dare not reveal more, though, for fear of ruining the story. I read the book in one sitting, unable to bring myself to a halt. I had to know what happened next! Nina M. Osier has proven herself to be a vey talented writer! I eagerly look forward to reading more books from this author! Recommended! *****