Elaine Hicks
Elaine Hicks asked L.E. Modesitt Jr.:

What was behind your decision to refer to the main characters in Isolate by their last names? It was quite jarring, especially at the start, though I got used to it. Also, thank you so much for the new series - fascinating world and I enjoyed the first book thoroughly. Looking forward to more.

L.E. Modesitt Jr. The simple and instinctive answer is that it felt right for this world, which is far more formal than ours, especially more formal than the present United States. Also, Dekkard comes from the military to his security position, and the military uses last names. He and Ysella start out with a formal working relationship, and she's older and senior to him. None of these are conducive to first names.

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