Review of Sent to Watch

[Anuvedya Rajendran]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Sent to Watch" by David J. Lebenstein.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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An excellent narration by David J. Lebenstein, the book “Sent to Watch” has touched my heart and echoed my thoughts on many aspects of life. The book begins with a description of an empire called Grelland on a distant planet that outperformed rival empires in science, technology, and society. This eventually culminated in finding evidence of extraterrestrial life in a nearby world with a similar atmosphere. Over time, this finding led to communication and intelligence sharing between the two planets. Consequently, a confederation of planets was created. The two planets, identified as Earth 1 and Earth 2, collaborated in every way over the ages as they discovered a few more habitable planets with atmospheres similar to Earth's, albeit at varying rates of technical and cultural advancement.
An interplanetary intelligence organization was created because the confederation faced challenges like war due to the cultural and technological primitiveness of some of the new planets. The interplanetary intelligence service's task is to analyze the planet under investigation and learn about its inhabitants' ways of life by dispatching live, trained operatives who resemble the locals.
The narrative revolves around the agents, their emotions, the data extracted from the robust simulation analysis report created by integrating the individual reports, and the unexpected developments that include a blend of romance, an unstable career path, conflict, and retaliation.
The book got me thinking about the world's leaders today and how the world has changed in terms of politics, religion, and human nature, among other elements. My curiosity and questions about the world we live in and the laws we obey were continually piqued by the book, especially when it came to concepts like the existence of a multiverse.
The dilemma faced by Unni Vlaytork and Orishackt Svavapass is so relatable that it makes me wonder if the author has imagined this or if he replicated it from real life.
The only downside is that each character's name was very challenging for the average individual to grasp. That was just an introductory challenge, and the plot keeps drawing you back to the book, literally keeping me on the edge of my seat all the way to the finish.
On a scale of one to five, I would rate it a 4.8. The tale is a fantastic blend of science fiction, fantasy, and history. 

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Sent to Watch
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