Review of Sent to Watch

[Marinttoe Baeza]

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

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4 out of 5 stars

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‘Sent to watch’ is a science fiction novel that includes a mixture of interplanetary intrigue along with historical events, centering on planet 58 but including 51 fictional planets in total. An organization known as the Confederation that is part of the Interplanetary Intelligence Service has their mission of sending agents “to watch" and analyze the emerging cultures of various planets without interfering. The problems start when it becomes clear that each agent’s perspective is shaped and biased by the culture of the planet they are assigned to.

The central conflict arises on Planet 58, planet ‘Earth’ as we currently know it during the early 1800s. A group of agents begins to sympathize with England and seeks to influence its future to avoid any conflicts on Earth 58, violating the "non-interference protocol". Ortees, the team leader, along with agents Unni, Urelt, and Ori, devises a controversial plan: Unni and Urelt will conceive a child intended to impact England’s future. Ori is tasked with supporting this mission. However, before the plan can be fully carried out, the operation is exposed, creating a problem with Urelt, because of that, Unni no longer wants to get involved with him and the plan continues, taking a different path, including the closer participation of Ori.

In my opinion, the book begins at a rather slow pace. A significant portion is spent on the discovery of the planets, their distinctions, and the development of their languages. While detailed, this can feel excessive and at times detracts from the plot. The core storyline only becomes clear around the midpoint, when the purpose of the child and the violation of the “non-interference” policy is fully revealed.

‘Sent to watch’ is recommended for young adults and older. The book is a good fit for everyone as there is no sexual content; however, there are quite a few and repetitive grammatical errors in the book.

In conclusion, while the premise is intriguing, the book could be improved by having more dramatic tension and unexpected plot twists; additional there are typos and grammatical errors, that is why I rate it 4 out of 5. In many parts, the narrative is predictable and lacks the suspense that could have made it more compelling.

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Sent to Watch
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