First Contact (In Her Name: The Last War, Book 1) by Michael R. Hicks

Book Description: Young Midshipman Ichiro Sato joined the Terran Navy to escape a tyrannical father and find freedom among the stars. He had no idea when he boarded the survey starship Aurora for his first assignment that he and his crew would make humanity’s first contact with a sentient alien species. In an uncharted star system where Aurora’s crew discovers two planets inhabited by a non-human civilization, Aurora is disabled by gigantic alien starships before she can escape. Boarded by nightmarish blue-skinned warriors with claws and fangs, the aliens learn all there is to know about the ship, including all its stored information about humanity, before the crew is slaughtered in a series of ritual combats. Ichiro, the sole survivor, is returned to Earth as a messenger to warn of the aliens’ coming invasion of human space.

For that is the Way of the Kreelan Empire, an ancient and dying race that has waged war across the galaxy for a hundred thousand years, slaughtering every sentient species it has encountered in a desperate search for the One, a savior foretold in an ages-old prophecy who can rescue them from looming extinction. For the Kreelans, who will die out in a handful of generations, the conflict with humanity will be The Last War.

With Earth leading a fragile coalition of military forces to mount a defense against what many believe is nothing more than a hoax, Ichiro again finds himself at the sharp end of the spear aboard a Terran destroyer. Together with journalist Stephanie Guillaume, Legionnaire Roland Mills, and the irrepressible General James Sparks, Ichiro and the other men and women of the coalition put their lives on the line against an enemy none of them could ever have imagined.

Review 5 of 5 Stars

First Contact from Michael R. Hicks' In Her Name, The Last War series was a great science fiction read...and I do mean great. I really enjoyed it and have happily moved on to the next book in the series to continue reading this fantastic story. The book description does a good job of describing what is going on in the book, but in no way leads readers to believe that the book is going to be as good as it really is. This is a great story and is really well-written. I enjoyed it from start to finish and was irritated with myself when I could no longer stay awake to read more. The book is filled with action and battle, as well as great characters and the story doesn't stumble at any point in the telling.  The Kreelan Empire, its culture and characters are fascinating with the author doing a superb job of world and character building. I've been pretty lucky lately on my book choices and this one was no exception.  The characters have depth and you find yourself feeling along with them. I even cried a little at one point. All in all this was a great story and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys excellent world building and characterization with almost non-stop action.  At no point in the book was I bored and often I was irritated when the reading was interrupted. So, if you've got some free time, find a place to hole-up and enjoy the journey.