Book Description
The Posleen are coming and the models all say the same thing: Without the Panama Canal, the US is doomed to starvation and defeat. Despite being overstretched preparing to defend the US, the military sends everything it has left: A handful of advanced Armored Combat Suits, rejuvenated veterans from the many decades that Panama was a virtual colony and three antiquated warships. Other than that, the Panamanians are on their own. Replete with detailed imagery of the landscape, characters and politics that have made the jungle-infested peninsula a Shangri-La for so many over the years, Yellow Eyes is a hard-hitting look at facing a swarming alien horde with not much more than wits and guts. Fortunately, the Panamanians, and the many veterans that think of it as a second home, have plenty of both.
Customer Reviews:
back to the good stuff.......2007-09-16
Is it just me who finds the whole Posleen series a teeny bit confusing. i mean i like the whole concept, well done the Nazis on the Rhine and all that, but when are we actually going to kick the Posleen's butts, get rid of them off the earth and stop mucking around with the political metaphores. Now that said (and as a european, who other than the ex-Nazis are obviously all left wing tree huggers) i actually enjoyed this one. It's a good story and a good book, thank God Cally was not in it, but unfortunatley she is back in the next one. By the way Amazon, why can't you make it easier to get the information on Boook 1 of X, Book 2 of X stuff presented to those of us who stuggle to follow these things.
Anyway i digress. If you enjoyed the first two Posleen books and the Wactch on the Rhine one, then you will enjoy this one. My hopes for the future are 1) no more Cally, 2) a story that shows either the death of the earth or victory 3) and whichever that the authors remeber that the EU can actually fight and so can the Russian and Chineese, and might despite the lefties make a decent go of it.
Good Book.......2007-09-04
I enjoyed this entry to the Aldenata series, although Watch on the Rhine was better. If you liked the other books in the Aldenata series, get this book you will not be disappointed.
Always remember, "You can get anything on E-Bay"!
Beware the conspiracy.......2007-08-20
Well another rollicking read. The good guys get to kill millions of Posleen, the bad guys are anyone who isn't very politically conservative (somewhere to the left of Franco) and that's that.
One thing, John and friends have slipped over the edge here a bit by dusting off the old world government thing, somehow there is this vast conspiracy of people who want to take over the world and the only way to save them is by killing everyone who isn't a real American or a hard drinking Panamanian, or a computer simulation of a blond who has immense breasts. Real Americans in John's view are a tad conservative, likely live in the mountains of Idaho and are heavily armed at all times.
The Posleen seem to be less effective than before and that is interesting but if you change the place names from any other Posleen book to Panama you will have this book.
As to World Government (The Transies) well anyone who pays attention to the overall effectiveness of governments should not be scared of the UN, etc. and what they might do, because they are about as inept as one can imagine.
That is one reason I have never been too concerned about the black helicopter folks, the main fear of that is they will get lost, crash and maybe hurt an innocent person, as to actually taking something over? Get serious.
John, stick to stories, leave politics alone
Another great addition to the Aldenata series.......2007-08-15
When John Ringo wrote A Hymn Before Battle (Posleen War Series #1) he continued the great tradition of stories of the Mobile Infantry began by Robert Heinlein in Starship Troopers. Ringo brought something new to the party - his experience as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division and his keen sense of how to tell a story that is gripping, entertaining and witty.
When Tom Kratman began working with Ringo in Watch on the Rhine (Posleen War Series #7) he also brought something to the party - a sharp military mind and his own insightful political observations. Working together on Watch on the Rhine they produced one of the best books yet in the Aldenata saga. But, Kratman and Ringo have topped Watch on the Rhine in this novel.
There is the To Be Expected great battle scenes and interesting characters. But in this book they will make you love a ship and feel sorry for the Posleen. What more could you want?
Cultural cross-view makes for a great read.......2007-07-22
I'd been getting a little tired of endless Posleen waves acting like Posleen (though not too badly) until this gem came along in this generally excellent series. (Cally's war seems not to have been repeated, at least!) Things seemed to being starting samo samo, then back plot actions with the "Mad" PDA came into focus along with the native Panamanian defense force leadership, and this one turned into a page turner.
I'm not sure I can rank this as the best of the series, but it's definitely in the top four.
Average customer rating:
- breath of fresh air
- Star wars: Legacy of the Force book 4
- Its not great
- Three Stars
- The Dark Side Keeps Coming
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Exile (Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, Book 4)
Aaron Allston
Manufacturer: Del Rey
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Betrayal (Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, Book 1)
ASIN: 0345477537
Release Date: 2007-02-27 |
Book Description
In the Stars Wars galaxy, evil is on the move as the Galactic Alliance and Jedi order battle forces seen and unseen, from rampant internal treachery to the nightmare of all-out war.
With each victory against the Corellian rebels, Jacen Solo becomes more admired, more powerful, and more certain of achieving galactic peace. But that peace may come with a price. Despite strained relationships caused by opposing sympathies in the war, Han and Leia Solo and Luke and Mara Skywalker remain united by one frightening suspicion: Someone insidious is manipulating this war, and if he or she isn’t stopped, all efforts at reconciliation may be for naught. And as sinister visions lead Luke to believe that the source of the evil is none other than Lumiya, Dark Lady of the Sith, the greatest peril revolves around Jacen himself. . . .
Customer Reviews:
breath of fresh air.......2007-08-23
I was begining to feel depressed about this series because of how dark the themes are, not that this book makes the story bright and happy but I was begining to find the series less fun to read. I picked this book up as a last chance for the series and read it cover to cover in a couple days. I loved it, it really brings the story back to the fun adventureous plot without losing the more sinister undertones that make it exciting.
Star wars: Legacy of the Force book 4.......2007-06-27
Gripping story, I'm a little uncomfortable with Jacen being turned to the dark side, but am hoping it turns out to be a tempory aberation.
Its not great .......2007-06-20
I really can sum up this novel in two words.....Love Commander.I really wish the Star Wars EU guys would STOP makeing up profanity like stang,rodder and kriffing it sounds so stupid use the real deal if you must use it or better yet language has many derogitory terms that arent vulgar use those you may actually educate someone.
Three Stars.......2007-06-13
There were only two real noteworthy things that happened in Exile, Ben being sent unknown to him on a Sith test and the Skywalker-Solo (minus Jacen of course) clan coming to realize that their family being split may be exactly what the enemy is wanting. I liked Ben's test being him alone on a Sith planet where he and only he can choice which path he'll follow and struggling to survive. The second part it was nice to see the Skywalkers-Solos come to the realization. I had hoped with this being the fourth book we would have more answers about the war, the reasons behind it, about Lumyia or something instead the rest was nothing more then Jacen still deciding who his Sacrifice would be and setting up for his plan at the end of the story at painstaking slowness that by the time the it got to the point I was asleep. I hope the next book will better. More answers, more things happening and less endless slowness.
The Dark Side Keeps Coming.......2007-05-22
Another Splendid addition to the Legacy of the Force series. Basically, the story continues with Jason getting deeper into the dark side. Young Ben however is starting to find out that it's not all that good to be bad.
More interesting stories all evolving around different caracters and the War, including one where Ben is tested to see if he really is dark side material. While entertaining, remember the book is still just a segue to the next book. But that is expected in such a long series.
Book Description
Never before has the incendiary mix of action, politics, and intrigue that has become Timothy Zahn’s trademark, been mmore evident that in this new Star Wars epic. On the heels of the stunning events chronicled in Star Wars: A New Hope, the newly minted heroes of the Rebellion–fledgling Jedi Luke Skywalker, smuggler turned reluctant freedom-fighter Han Solo, and Princess Leia Organa, a bold leader with a world to avenge–must face the harsh realities of the cataclysmic conflict into which they have so bravely plunged. From this point forward, legends will grow, treachery will abound, and lives will be irrevocably altered, in the long, hard fight to counter the fist of tyranny and restore hope to a galaxy too long in darkness.
The destruction of the Death Star by the Rebel Alliance was a decisive blow against the Empire, but Palpatine and his monstrous enforcer, Darth Vader, are no less of a threat. The brutal extermination of Alderaan not only demonstrated the magnitude of their murderous power, but served as a chilling testament to their resolve to crush the Rebel uprising. Standing against them, Skywalker, Solo, and the Princess remain uncertain opponents. Luke is gifted and brave, but unschooled in the power he possesses. Han has doubts about waging someone else’s war–and his contentiousness is one more burden for Leia to bear as she struggles to help keep the Rebellion alive. The three have been sent to mediate a dispute between Rebel Alliance factions in Shelsha Sector–agitating matters by forcing Han to deal not only with pirates, but with his more dreaded enemy, politics. At the same time, Mara Jade–all of eighteen and years away from her fateful meeting with Luke–is serving her evil master, Palpatine, well in her role as the Emperor’s Hand: tracking suspected treachery in the Empire to what may be high places–while trying to stay out of Darth Vader’s way.
But the Rebels will prove to be only one of the Empire’s concerns. For Imperial Stormtrooper Daric LaRone, his faith in the Empire shaken by the wanton destruction of Alderaan, will commit a sudden and violent act of defiance, and take four other enforcers with him, in a desperate bid to elude their masters’ wrath.
Each of these fateful actions, whether sanctioned, secret, or scandalous, will expose brutality and corruption, spur upheavals destined to shake the Empire to its core, and shape momentous events yet to come.
Customer Reviews:
Timothy Zahn fills the gap.......2007-08-31
Timothy Zahn is my absolute favorite author so when I saw this book about Mara Jade in the Empire era I jumped.
Plot:
There are three plots that intertwine towards the end. LaRone, a stormtrooper, accidentally kills an ISB agent. He and four other stormtroopers desert and run to the nearest planet where they begin an investigation into pirate activities.
Mara Jade was sent to investigate a Moff's possible embezzlement. This leads to a pirate consortium.
Han, Luke, and Leia are originally sent to investigate a possible way to win the war. With pirates threatening supply lines, Han and Luke (along with Chewie) are diverted to investigate and Leia is sent to accomplish the diplomatic mission by herself.
Good:
Timothy Zahn does amazing things with the characters. Han Solo in his books is Han Solo from the movie: cocky, independent, and self-absorbed. Luke Skywalker is the apprentice Jedi, experimenting with his talents, naive, and unsure of who he is. Leia Organa is absolutely perfect: the independent woman who is able to mediate between differing factions.
The stormtroopers reminded me of one of the best portrayers of them--or at least their clone compatriots, Karen Traviss. The stormtroopers are real men who face real consequences. It is refreshing to see plain men who only want to do what is right instead of officers who only want power and money (as you see in so many Bantam Star Wars novels).
And Mara Jade...it's nice to finally see her at work in a novel. I felt that, for the most part (see below), she was the perfect agent--naive about the Empire and not overly practiced in every agent technique, but knowledgeable enough to be convincing for this mission.
Lastly, although this is petty, it was fun to see Leia work as a waitress. This practical, pedestrian job is often overlooked or delegated to dispensible characters but it was so nice to see the Star Wars universe in a normal light (ie having the main characters eat, bathe, etc.).
The action is superb. I love the confrontation between Darth Vader and Mara, the battle of the AT-ST, and much, much more.
Bad:
I don't know what it is with Timothy Zahn, but recently, all his books seem to be mysteries (not bad) about one of the characters being duplicitous. Night Train to Rigel: the main character was working both sides. Outbound Flight: Doriana. The Green and the Gray had the boys that fought against them. This is a little boring after awhile.
And the plot was so convoluted that I had trouble following it. Who was Disra serving: the Empire, himself, pirates, or the governor? How did Mara conclude all the things she did about the pirates? What about Han and Luke? What did Caaldra want? And so on. All three (Mara, stormtroopers, Han/Luke) make some pretty hefty assumptions that turn out pretty conveniently right.
Also, although Zahn portrays Mara as a young woman fairly well, I still have trouble believing that an 18 year-old knows this much about espionage, spying, weapons, and the like. What was she, brainwashed as a child?
Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Only dialogue is in the form of made up Star Wars references. Mara wears form fitting dresses and a man oggles her. Violence is typical Star Wars fare.
Overall:
A good book, but not the best that Timothy Zahn has ever delivered. I was rather disappointed, not only because it didn't have as much Mara as I thought, but also because the story was so hard to follow. I had to just forget who wanted what and who worked for who and just enjoy the action sequences and the characters. I hope that Timothy Zahn continues to write more about Mara's adventures, but not make his plots so confusing.
Constrained and Unexceptional - Zahn's worst Star Wars Novel.......2007-07-26
Timothy Zahn here writes an entirely predictable adventure tale with three branching paths: one about a stormtrooper squadron who deserts the Empire, another about Mara Jade doing odd jobs for the Emperor, and the third about Han, Luke, and Leia on a diplomatic mission. The tales converge in a fashion only possible in novels and wrap up with no bearing on the movies.
The problem with this novel is that it is entirely predictable. The stormtrooper squad deserts the Empire quickly in an unlikely fashion. I knew a few pages after this had happened that they would doubtlessly join Han, Luke, and Leia by novel's end in Zahn's attempt to provide some entertainment for the readers. I flipped ahead to the end of the book at that time and my prediction turned out to be right.
Mara Jade's branch is exceptionally boring for the majority of the novel, as she chases after nameless thugs just to get some pricey statues back to her Emperor. She's written as an unbelievably mature and confident 18-year-old, and actually tells the Emperor what she is going to do instead of being ordered around. Zahn also writes Lord Vader as being childish toward her, while at the same time inserting a silly scene where Vader Googles for Luke.
Han, Luke, and Leia's branch is unremarkable. The characters act toward each other much like they did in Episode IV. However, Luke takes a back seat and isn't very confident about himself.
Timothy Zahn writes this novel in a very constrained space, which forces him to create new characters and just as quickly kill them or shuffle them away. Obviously in love with his own character of Mara Jade, he portrays her as overly powerful. The stormtrooper deserters were a good idea, but Zahn doesn't do enough to distinguish them effectively as memorable individual characters. For such a task, Aaron Allston would've been better. Han, Luke, and Leia's story is unremarkable. This novel is passably written and will provide some brief entertainment for literature fans, but is an awful choice for newbies to the novels.
(Reviewer's note: I've read all of the Star Wars novels of the 1990s and most of the ones from 2000-2003 that weren't prequel novels. Seeing that this was not a prequel novel, the influx of which put me off reading Star Wars novels a few years ago, I picked it up, remembering Timothy Zahn's earlier excellent work in the Star Wars universe. I was disappointed.)
More Adventures in the Star Wars Universe.......2007-07-11
Acclaimed Science Fiction author Timothy Zahn has written an exciting new novel that is worthy of inclusion with other novels of the Star Wars series.
The main story centers around five imperial stormtroopers; Macross, Brightwather, LaRone, Quiller, and Grave. They were ordered by their superior officers to execute harmless civilians during an attack. Despite carrying out these orders, the troopers felt that the killings were not necessary. Back aboard ship, an argument breaks out between the stormtroopers and one of the officers. During the argument, the officer is shot. Now, the stormtroopers realize that the only way for them to survive is to flee. They have now become fugitives..
Meanwhile, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, and the rest of the Rebel Alliance is deciding on its next move. The Death Star has been destroyed, but the Empire, led by Emperor Palpatine and his enforcer Darth Vader, remain powerful adversaries. Skywalker is still untrained in many areas of the Force, Leia is still devastated by the destruction of her home planet of Alderran, and Han is unsure about fully joining the rebellion. Despite these drawbacks, the three allies have been sent to mediate a dispute between rebel factions in the Shelsha sector.
On the side of the Empire, a new tool of the Emperor is about to be revealed. Her name is Mara Jade; better known as the Emperor's Hand. She serves Palpatine by maintaining order and tracking suspected wrong-doers throughout the galaxy.
During the course of the story, all of these characters will interact with one another in a most exciting and thrilling manner.
This is a very good book. I've read several books in the Star Wars series, and I found this story to be both compelling and exciting. The story is something not normally expected, namely, Stormtroopers deserting and actually doing good deeds. But, Timothy Zahn's characterization of the Stormtroopers as actual caring people with feelings is refreshing. I especially enjoyed the character of Mara Jade. Her development throughout the book as a swash-buckling fighter who's loyal to her Emperor is definitely a high point of the book. She also has no fear of Darth Vader, either. It would have been interesting to see an actual movie character like her in the films.
I recommend this book very highly. Although I found the story to be slow and drag at some points, overall, the it is exciting and loaded with action. If you've seen the Star Wars movies or have read other books in the series, then be sure to read this one.
I give this one a solid 3.5.......2007-07-09
Of course you can't give half scores so I rated it a four. Anyway, there were things I really liked about this book and things I was luke warm to (no pun intended). I really liked the rogue stormtrooper aspect. While they were deserters, they're living by the spirit of what got them to join the Empire in the first place: to protect the empire AND it's CITIZENS. These were some of my favorite parts of the book; where they were involved doing good deeds shall we say.
The other part of the book I enjoyed alot was Mara Jade. From what I gather this is her 'first' mission in a star wars book, starwars timeline speaking of course. I know she's Luke's wife in continuity, and this isn't her first published appearance. I liked the character. Powerful, yet naive towards the true nature of Palpatine and the empire as a whole.
Now, one thing I'm not really sure that needed to be in the book were Luke, Leiah, Chewie and Han. I guess Zahn included them to root this book into place firmly after A New Hope. Just to me, the parts that they played in the book really didn't further the story much and they, quite frankly, seemed to be thrown in there. Don't get me wrong, I love these core characters. But it seemed like they were forced into the book. Their presence didn't take anything away from the story of course, but they didn't add much to the whole of the book either. Except maybe to further the subplot of luke getting used to his jedi abilities some more and of course, han and leiah's relationship.
Overall a good solid read with some fine action. I think it kind of skips around a bit too much for my liking, but it's not confusing. Any star wars fan should check this one out.
A Refreshing Idea.......2007-06-21
When reading any of the Star Wars (SW) novels, one must never compare it to the SW movies, because there is always new material in the novels. If you're expecting SW novels to have the exact feel and make of the movies, then it's best that you don't read the novels at all.
That said, Allegiance was a refreshing change. We finally get to see how the Emperor's Hand works. Well, other than the comic series that Zahn wrote with Darkhorse titled Mara Jade: By The Empeor's Hand. However, the comic was written post Battle of Endor, after Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine are dead. Allegiance is written just after the events of A New Hope, where the Emperor and Vader are very much alive. So it was interesting to see how he handled their characters here and he did it very well!
I do enjoy reading Zahn's novels because he makes his characters very human, and doesn't go over the top, unlike other authors who make their characters infallible and completely resistant to injury, jumping through obstacles and performing unbelieveable Jedi tricks. At the same time, Mara has a certain amount of compassion, which makes her character all the more human and likeable.
The Hand of Judgement was an interesting idea, yes, why indeed don't we have stormtroopers who continue to uphold what they believe it. In our world, that's called going rogue, in the SW world, it's deserters from the Empire. Whichever way you call it, it's treason, but isn't that what you call fighting for what you believe in?
I do wished, however, that Zahn wrote more battle scenes into his novels, as he's always able to describe and choreograph battles so vividly that you don't need to much imagination to enjoy it thoroughly - a trademark feature in all his SW novels.
Zahn's characters are smart and believeable and his style manages to capture the essence of the characters from the SW movies, what Han Solo says to Princess Leia, the snap-hiss of the lightsaber, these are the little things that triggers your memory of those loveable moments and makes for a well-written SW novel worth reading.
I highly recommend reading all of Timothy Zahn's SW novel, starting with the Thrawn Trilogy: Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising and The Last Command. I guarantee that you'll enjoy them immensely.
Book Description
Civil war rages as the Galactic Alliance–led by Cal Omas and the Jedi forces of Luke Skywalker–battles a confederation of breakaway planets that rally to the side of rebellious Corellia. Suspected of involvement in an assassination plot against Queen Mother Tenel Ka of the Hapes Consortium, Han and Leia Solo are on the run, hunted by none other than their own son, Jacen, whose increasingly authoritarian tactics as head of GA security have led Luke and Mara Skywalker to fear that their nephew may be treading perilously close to the dark side.
But as his family sees in Jacen the chilling legacy of his Sith grandfather, Darth Vader, many of the frontline troops adore him, and countless citizens see him as a savior. The galaxy has been torn apart by too many wars. All Jacen wants is safety and stability for all–and he’s prepared to do whatever it takes to achieve that goal.
To end the bloodshed and suffering, what sacrifice would be too great? That is the question tormenting Jacen. Already he has sacrificed much, embracing the pitiless teachings of Lumiya, the Dark Lady of the Sith, who has taught him that a strong will and noble purpose can hold the evil excesses of the dark side at bay, bringing peace and order to the galaxy–but at a price.
For there is one final test that Jacen must pass before he can gain the awesome power of a true Sith Lord: He must bring about the death of someone he values dearly. What troubles Jacen isn’t whether he has the strength to commit murder. He has steeled himself for that, and worse if necessary. No, the question that troubles Jacen is who the sacrifice should be.
As the strands of destiny draw ever more tightly together in a galaxy-spanning web, the shocking answer will shatter two families . . . and cast a grim shadow over the future.
Customer Reviews:
One of the best Star Wars Universe books yet.......2007-09-11
Let's face it, people who like the Star Wars universe books like space opera. The New Jedi Order series has lots of great space battles, Jedi (-Sith) battles and narrow escapes from overwhelming odds. I've read almost all of them (although the clone wars is a bit much for my taste). Karen Traviss's Sacrifice is up there with the best of Zahn and others, but remarkably, not for the space opera.
The NJO series as a whole moves from space opera to family Saga. Karen Traviss here has written a fairly complex contrast of the key characters and their families (all disfunctional in one way or other): The Skywalkers, the Solos and the Fetts. It is wonderful to see how the characters all work at coping with the problems of their own families and wayward family members, and how a variety of approaches are shown and ultimately compared.
Being the father of my third teenager at this point, a lot of this hit home and gave me things to think about besides Luke's super-jedi-powers and simple light vs. dark stuff. Very highly recommended.
Awesome book.......2007-08-31
This book was pretty awesome. If you like Star Wars you need to read it already!
It is his destiny!.......2007-08-26
I am a born again Star Wars geek. All of the authors in this series are extremely talented. I do agree that some of the other characters should make more appearances in these novels. All in all I am very pleased and can not wait for Inferno. I too would like to read the back story on what prompts Jacen to take that Sith name. Karen Traviss does leave you hungering for more. I love the way she incorporates Boba Fett in this series. I hope there are many more to come. These books are all FAN-tastic. Keep 'em coming.
A great book that offers a glimps of what is to come in real life........2007-08-18
I've read the book, and I must say that it offers a true insite into man's true nature, which is the path of darkness. The reason why Anakin fell to the dark side of the force, was because he knew that it could help him save Padme, but that poor woman gave up and died. I like how Jason becomes manipulative and militaristic, because in real life, that is how the natural Man should be in order to bring about peace and order, even if that order is dictatorial. This book also shows how the strong exterminate the weak in order to maintain it's survival. Lumiya is a more than worthy successor to Palpatine. Jason turned to the dark side, because he knew that he is the only one that can save the galaxy and restore order, just like Anakin did. This book is great and highly recommended.
7 on a scale of 10.......2007-08-10
Let me just start out this review by saying - I really, really like Karen Travis. I've only read "Sacrifice" and "Bloodlines" by her - but after reading these two books I am looking forward to checking out some of her other stuff outside of the Star Wars Universe. I can't quite put my finger on what it is about her writing style that I like so much - but I particularly like how she will incorporate a character's thoughts in italics at times throughout these books. It is a quick, effective way to get to the "heart" of a matter without going into long drawn out details that I particularly like. When she needs to be - she can be very descriptive and detailed - but she seems to know when it is right for a story and when it isn't.
I'm not exactly new to the Expanded Universe of Star Wars novels - but it has been about ten years since I've read a SW novel. I loved the NJO when it got out of the gate but by the fifth book in that series I got tired of reading the same old thing over and over again - which is what if seemed like. So here I am in this new "Legacy of The Force" series and I'm quite pleased with it to this point. The fact that I never finished the NJO series didn't hinder me from reading this one as the authors have filled in the gaps quite nicely. I never read Troy Denning's "Dark Nest" series - which really hasn't hindered me in reading this series either.
Without getting into the specifics of the plot in "Sacrfice" let me just say that of the five books out on this series - this one is the best (and they are all good). The plot moves quickly with numerous twists and turns in it and it is just an exciting read. After the completion of it I find myself greatly anticipating the next one.
Average customer rating:
- Vatta book 4
- Pure light Space Opera -- nothing earthshaking, nothing really new, but good fun.
- Virtually Flawless
- Command Decision (Vatta's War)
- More Skulduggery in the Spaceways
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Command Decision (Vatta's War, Book 4)
Elizabeth Moon
Manufacturer: Del Rey
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Yellow Eyes (Posleen War Series #8)
ASIN: 0345491599
Release Date: 2007-02-27 |
Book Description
With the Vatta’s War series, award-winning author Elizabeth Moon has claimed a place alongside such preeminent writers of military science fiction as David Weber and Lois McMaster Bujold. Now Moon is back–and so is her butt-kicking, take-no-prisoners heroine, Kylara Vatta. Once the black-sheep scion of a prosperous merchant family, Kylara now leads a motley space force dedicated to the defeat of a rapacious pirate empire led by the mysterious Gammis Turek.
After orchestrating a galaxy-wide failure of the communications network owned and maintained by the powerful ISC corporation, Turek and his marauders strike swiftly and without mercy. First they shatter Vatta Transport. Then they overrun entire star systems, growing stronger and bolder. No one is safe from the pirate fleet. But while they continue to move forward with their diabolical plan, they have made two critical mistakes.
Their first mistake was killing Kylara Vatta’s family.
Their second mistake was leaving her alive.
Now Kylara is going to make them pay.
But with a “fleet” consisting of only three ships–including her flagship, the Vanguard, a souped-up merchant cruiser–Kylara needs allies, and fast. Because even though she possesses the same coveted communication technology as the enemy, she has nowhere near their numbers or firepower.
Meanwhile, as Kylara’s cousin Stella tries to bring together the shattered pieces of the family trading empire, new treachery is unfolding at ISC headquarters, where undercover agent Rafael Dunbarger, estranged son of the corporation’s CEO, is trying to learn why the damaged network is not being repaired. What he discovers will send shock waves across the galaxy and crashing into Kylara’s newly christened Space Defense Force at the worst possible moment.
Customer Reviews:
Vatta book 4.......2007-08-16
Worth a read, if you like prior books as I did, but hope the next one is better- this was set up book in a lot of ways to widen the story line, imho.
Not worth the HC price in my view.
Pure light Space Opera -- nothing earthshaking, nothing really new, but good fun. .......2007-08-12
In a way there is little to say about the fourth novel in an ongoing sequence. Suffice it to say, perhaps, that Elizabeth Moon makes no major missteps in this book -- if you have been enjoying the Vatta's War series, you will enjoy this one. What else do we need to know?
To begin with, if you haven't been reading this series, I recommend going back and starting with book one. If you enjoy fast-moving space adventure, with involving characters and space war tactics and action and all... these books will work for you. They aren't perfect -- in common with most novels in this subgenre, the main characters are a bit implausibly skilled at the roles they are thrust into, in common with many series novels, the individual novels don't always work ideally on their own.
What of Command Decision, then? By this time essentially four main points of view have been established. Ky Vatta is the nominal protagonist of the series: a young woman unfairly forced out of the Slotter Key Space Academy, who joined her family space transport company and who thus was well-positioned to begin resistance when conspirators destroyed ansibles throughout human space and attacked several systems, including Slotter Key. Stella Vatta is Ky's beautiful cousin, who discovers in herself unsuspected talents for leading a business when most of the Vattas were killed and she was left the only candidate to try to keep the business going. Grace Vatta is Ky and Stella's supposedly dotty Aunt, who turns out to really be a spy, and as one of the few survivors of the attack on Vatta interests at Slotter Key is the natural choice to take a position in the new government. (No Moon books would be complete without a formidable Aunt -- after all, James Nicoll went so far as to dub her previous Space Opera series "Aunts in Space".) And finally Rafe Dunsbarger is a mysterious man, the disgraced son of the CEO of ISC, the company that controls ansible traffic, supposedly a remittance man (i.e. living on an allowance from his family) but actually serving as an undercover ISC agent.
Of these four Rafe's story is most central to this new novel. He has secretly returned to his home planet, Nexus, hoping to find his father and try to understand what's up with ISC and the ansibles. But his father (along with his mother and sister) has disappeared. So Rafe must try to find out what's up with his father -- and in the process figure out what's up with ISC. This forces him to reassess his troubled past life -- and also leads to fun but almost goofy scenes including a shootout in the boardroom.
Meanwhile, Aunt Grace is continuing to root out potential traitors in Slotter Key's government. Stella is pursuing further potentially lucrative business opportunities while still coming to terms with her personal history. And Ky is still trying to expand her fleet, this time with some unexpected help from a very romantic -- and very wealthy -- fellow. She also deals with a nasty system, complete with slavers, and she helps out the Mackensee mercenaries when they are in danger from the pirates. All this means she is faced with another difficult personal choice.
Basically, this is a middle book in a long series. Nothing is really resolved -- but nothing need be resolved at this point. There is plenty of cool action, several engaging good guys to root for in a struggle against some really really bad guys (as ever, Moon's villains are truly villainous). This is pure light Space Opera -- nothing earthshaking, nothing really new, but good fun.
Virtually Flawless.......2007-07-14
COMMAND DECISION (2007) is the fourth book of the VATTA'S WAR Series - following ENGAGING THE ENEMY(2006), MARQUE AND REPRISAL(2005), and TRADING IN DANGER(2004). These books follow the exploits of Kylara Vatta, a Space Trader with a military training background, who is forced to turn Space Privateer, in response to an attack by Space Pirates on the Vatta family Space Trading enterprise and the ansible inter-system communication network... the conflict begins to expand to a galactic war in ENGAGING THE ENEMY, and in this book, Ky takes charge of a small fleet at the center of conflicts in the enlarging galactic war.
Near the end of the book, 4 disparate groups of ships (pirates, mercenaries, Ky's new "Space Defense Force" and ISC's force) could meet up in a remote location... but I won't give away what happens - as it is the best scene out of the series.
As usual with this series, there are some overly-coincendental or contrived scenes (the magic "skull ansible" technology in Ky's head... why don't MORE people have it, if it works?) - but they really don't impact the exciting pace and overall quality of the book. While the book isn't perfect, it is very enjoyable, and it gets 4.5 stars - round it up to 5.
Command Decision (Vatta's War).......2007-06-13
I've read all the books in this series and I found them to be a read you can't put down. It kept me wanting to read the next book to see what happens. I looked up on the net to see when the next book is coming out and I can't believe it's not til next year, I can't wait that long, but I suppose I just have to.
More Skulduggery in the Spaceways.......2007-05-31
Command Decision (2007) is the fourth SF novel in the Vatta's War series, following Engaging the Enemy. In the previous volume, pirates jumped the privateer ships practicing maneuvers in a deserted system and destroyed several of the vessels. Kylara Vatta joined forces with two other ships as they fought their way out of the ambush.
Aunt Grace supervised the laying of the cornerstone for the new Vatta Transport building. Afterward, Master Sergeant MacRobert invited her to tea and then stated that she would be asked to serve in a high position within the government.
In this novel, Rafael Dunbarger lands at Nexus Center Port as Genson Ratanvi, a middle-aged Cascadian business man. He passes Customs and Immigration without problems and heads for the Ambisor where he has stayed before in this identity. After installing his baggage in the room, he goes out to make some calls.
Upon reaching Luce's, a cafe in his former neighborhood, Rafe tries his father's private number and gets a "no longer available" message. When he calls his home phone number, the call is answered by someone he doesn't recognize. Then the voice asks his business and reason for calling. After telling the voice that he is trying to reach Flasic's Bakery Supplies, Rafe is told that he has the wrong number. But then he is asked for his calling location and told to stay on the line.
After he is permitted to hang up, Rafe complains to the proprietor of the cafe about the rudeness of some people. He asks for directions to Flasic's and Luce walks over with him. He makes some inquiries, but finds the transportation costs are too high. Luce walks out with him, yet returns to his cafe. By that time, Rafe is being followed by someone else.
Later Rafe is awakened by a call on his implanted ansible. He doesn't answer immediately, but just waits. Eventually he hears voices and jacks up the sensitivity to listen to three voices. The conversation suggests that someone had gotten his number from his father.
Stella and Toby are doing well on Cascadia Station. Unfortunately, Toby has stacked electronic gear all over the apartment. Stella tries to get him to pick up the mess, but he keeps getting distracted. Since Toby is designing some interesting modifications to the shipboard ansibles, Stella can't just throw the stuff out. Luckily, she has a lead on office and workshop space for the rebuilding Vatta Transport organization.
Ky is having medical problems aboard the Vanguard. Several of her crew have ingested something virulent. Although they identify the substance and treat the crew in the medboxes, Ky needs a medical staff like the professional forces. In addition, she needs to tighten discipline, for the crew should have known not to bring anything unusual onboard without permission. She holds an all-crew meeting while they are in FTL.
Ky visits Gretna Main Station to restock on missiles and gains a bad impression of their ethics. Among other malpractices, the Gretnans have a form of slavery and Ky buys her medical staff as indentured laborers. Of course, she frees the individuals as soon as they come aboard, but she puts her crew on high alert after learning of some other Gretnan tricks from her new medics.
In this story, Rafe continues his masquerade as a Cascadian businessman while gaining assistance from his former classmates to find his family. Toby learns how to connect shipboard ansibles to system ansibles and Stella starts a patent search. Aunt Grace becomes a very high personage in the Slotter Key Defense Ministry.
Ky recruits three other ship captains to her System Defense Force squadron. Captain Ransome and his fellows are much too romantic -- in the swashbuckling sense -- to be trusted fully, but their ships are small, fast, armed and highly maneuverable, making good scouts. Indeed, the crews have some experience boarding pirate ships. Best yet, Ransome is very rich and actually *buys* the shipboard ansibles that he installs in his ships.
This story continues the evolution of a multisystem defense force to fight the pirates. Ky has some setbacks, but also gains much more experience and some influential friends, including stronger ties with the MacKensee Mercenaries.
Highly recommended for Moon fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of naval conflict, corporate intrigue and personal combat.
-Arthur W. Jordin
Book Description
The Baltic War which began in the novel 1633 is still raging, and the time-lost Americans of Grantville¿the West Virginia town hurled back into the seventeenth century by a mysterious cosmic accident¿are caught in the middle of it. Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden and Emperor of the United States of Europe, prepares a counter-attack on the combined forces of France, Spain, England, and Denmark¿former enemies which have allied in the League of Ostend to destroy the threat to their power that the Americans represent¿which are besieging the German city of Luebeck. Elsewhere in war-torn Europe, several American plans are approaching fruition. Admiral Simpson of Grantville frantically races against time to finish the USE Navy¿s ironclad ships¿desperately needed to break the Ostender blockade of the Baltic ports. A commando unit sent by Mike Stearns to England prepares the rescue the Americans being held in the Tower of London. In Amsterdam, Rebecca Stearns continues three-way negotiations with the Prince of Orange and the Spanish Cardinal-Infante who has conquered most of the Netherlands. And, in Copenhagen, the captured young USE naval officer Eddie Cantrell tries to persuade the King of Denmark to break with the Ostender alliance, all while pursuing a romantic involvement with one of the Danish princesses.
Customer Reviews:
Boring.......2007-09-30
Boring and a waste of valuable time. The characters are not very interesting yet the reader is subjected to consistent examination of their make up and personalities. The whole book just doesn't come across as intelligently constructed. I get the feeling that the authors are trying to overly impress the reader with their "intelligence" and the book seems to constantly fall short.
The epic continues.......2007-08-02
I have been eagerly awaiting the next in this wonderfull series and was not dissapointed. Whether a fan of European history, Alternative history, or adventure with a decidedly American flavor then look no further. While not as gripping as 1633 it did tie together many a thread from the last story and the many side stories from this universe. After the tears and a pain from the losses of the opening gambit of the war started in 1633 the often humerous or stalwart manuevers of the continuing fight endeared me further to the series. The series wont be for everyone but there is so much of a good thing here that it will appeal to most. In short I would recomend this and any of the books in this series to my friends and often do so.
Mostly disappointing addition to powerful series.......2007-07-29
A bit more than two years after the West Virginia town of Grantsville has been pulled into the middle of the 30 years war in what became Germany, the war wages on. The Americans quickly joined up with Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus against the Spanish and their allies, but France under Richelieu, always anxious to provide a counterweight, joined with Spain, England, and Denmark to offset the high-technology the Americans have brought. Meanwhile, French labs have begun to churn out their own technical advances--owing in part to Grantsville leader Mike Stearns's decision to let most information flow freely in his technological-deterministic certainty that modern technology will bring about democracy.
Fortunately for the increasingly united Germany being created by Gustavus Adolphus and Stearns, Their nation can tackle each of its opponents individually. In 1634: THE BALTIC WAR, the major requirements are to break the siege of the Baltic ports, free the Grantsville team being held in the Tower of London, and (mainly for the pleasure of the Swedish King) defeat Denmark so totally that it will agree to become part of a new pan-Scandinavian union.
Readers of David Weber's Honor Harrington series will recognize the familiar pattern of a technological advance by the goodguys (Grantsville or Manticore) being overwhelming despite an apparently offsetting advance made by the enemy (France or Haven). In this case, the overwhelming advance is Grantsville's navy. No contemporary navy, and no coastal fortifications can stand against either the new ironclads, equipped with ten inch guns or even the timberclad battleships. Unfortunately for the French, their breech-loading rifles enabled only a minor raid, eliminating an annoying up-time character.
The Flint and Weber books in this series seem to have taken an unfortunate direction, with more of the characters lecturing one another, and long contemplative passages where Flint and Weber bring the reader up to date on what's happening. In fact, there isn't a lot of action in this entire 700+ page novel. One can imagine Flint and Weber snickering over which Americanisms they'd have the different down-time characters use, but the entire novel could have used some major pruning--and a lot more concentration on what is happening and why we should care. Rescuing the captive ambassarors from the Tower of London is fine, but really, they were in no particular danger and the rescue provides only personal satisfaction to Stearns and some of the other Grantsville types. If Stearns had gone in with the intent to rescue Cromwell, to launch a more sophisticated version of the Glorious Revolution and take England/Scotland out of the war, this would have made sense and been interesting. As it was, who cares. I found the romance between twenty-year-old Eddie Cantrell and 15-year-old Anne Catherine unromantic and again, thought Stearns's and (in this case) Admiral Simpson's willingness to risk an outbreak of war in newly passified Denmark to preserve Eddie from the consequences of his decisions to be unbelievable. The romance between uptime lady in waiting, Caroline Ann Platzer and downtime Sergeant Thorsten Engler seemed to exist only to allow Princess Kristina to insist that Engler be named 'Count of Narnia.' (I imagined Flint and Weber giggling about this--maybe my sense of humor is just different).
The brief scenes with painter Pieter Paul Rubens and the Cardinal-Infante Don Fernando have a lot of potential. Here is a character who's looking to the future, prepared to deal with reality with relatively open eyes, and who may become a worthy opponent to Gustavus Adolphus and Stearns in the future. I had hoped that Prince Ulrick of Denmark and his inventor-friend Baldur Norddahl could play similar roles--perhaps becoming national resistance heroes, demonstrating that the capitulation of a king doesn't necessarily result in the defeat of a nation. Unfortunately, this lesson doesn't seem about to be learned.
One of my problems with this series is that Stearns stands in an ideal position to eliminate the Atlantic slave trade before it really begins. In 1634, slavery was still relatively new, cotton was not king, and a determined effort could have wiped it out. Stearns intends to do this--perhaps that will be the basis of a subsequent novel. For now, it's the ugly secret that no one dare name.
This 163X Series started powerfully with 1632--a time travel with a difference. Stearns and his allies were intent on preserving the democratic ideals of America and making them work, while simultaneously ending a war that convulsed all of Europe for thirty years, depopulated and decentralized Germany (creating hard feelings the Prussians would later exploit in their creation of the German Empire), and impoverishing Spain. The current novel in the series, 1634: THE BALTIC WAR, shows occasional flashes of the excellence that kicked off the series. Overall, though, I found it a disappointment. Much of the action didn't seem aimed at goals that matter to the reader or to the overall development of a democratic society. Characters spent too much time patting each other on the back and discussing things rather than doing things and showing why they deserved those pats. And the romances never really grabbed me at all.
Worth reading; Could have been better........2007-07-21
Baltic War is a grand adventure, with many well-tracked characters and plot twists. It answers a number of questions that we have been waiting on for years, and is filled with interesting developments. I learned a good deal of 17th century history in this book, and Flint really made it come alive in new ways. The book encouraged me to constantly look up Wikipedia entries to understand more of what was really happening at the time. And Flint is to be congratulated for really showing the Downtimers as smart and able to contribute something effective against the Uptimers from the future.
The maps could have been better and more detailed, for those of us who are not experts on 17th century European history. And the book starts off quite slow, as do a number of the 1632 series, and takes a while to get going. Indeed, the writing is rather disjointed, perhaps from being written by two different authors. I felt like there were moments of great writing, alternating with moments written by a beginning author.
I grew tired of nearly every character, whether they had direct contact with the Americans or not, using American colloquial phrases and making an explicit point that they were doing so, on every single phrase. Are there no colloquial phrases in other cultures and languages? Do we truly think that American colloquialisms would spread in 2 years all over the continent, into foreign languages, without modern communications technology? It's simply sloppy writing.
A bit of a surprise, and a nice addition, is the CD at the back of the book, *with every single previous book Flint's every written* on a CD that opens as web browser. I have no idea how he will continue to make money in doing this, but it's like buying one book and getting another 50, including all of the Ring of Fire series.
This is a good addition to the series. Better than some of the other recent ones. It would have been better if 1634: Cannon Law hadn't been out already for a year, and taking place after the events of Baltic War, revealing what had already happened and who had survived. Sometimes I get the impression that Flint is so eager to try out new publishing tricks (multiple authors, amateur web writing, later chronological books being published earlier) that he sacrifices writing quality. You should read this book. Enjoy the excitement of a European war fought before there was nation states, with ironclad ships and repeating rifles. But Flint & Weber can do better. The promise once offered in 1632 does not match what we have today. 3 stars for the writing, an extra one for the publishing idea of adding in 50 books for the price of one.
Running out of steam?.......2007-06-13
I loved the earlier books in the series, but in this one, the action slows down and the character development falters. I thought that it needed a good editing to tighten up the story.
Average customer rating:
- Hell Hath No Fury (Multiverse, Book 2)
- A great series continues
- A very good Rich Weber book
- A great read
- Going From Bad To Worse
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Hell Hath No Fury (Multiverse, Book 2)
David Weber , and
Linda Evans
Manufacturer: Baen
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ASIN: 1416521011 |
Book Description
It began with two men. They came from very different worlds¿entirely different universes, in fact¿and they met in a virgin forest on a duplicate planet Earth. Neither of them had expected it, both of them realized how important the first contact with any other trans-universal human civilization might be. But something went wrong. Neither side knows who shot first. But both the magic-using civilization of Arcana and steel-and-steam age Sharona, with its psionic Talents, think it was the other side. And it doesn't really matter, now, because the original incident has snowballed. Both sides have additional dead to mourn; both sides have additional wrongs to avenge. Both sides have additional military forces moving towards the front. War between the universes is the last thing responsible leaders on either side want. But the fury of their respective populations, xenophobic fear of the unknown, and cries for "justice" (or vengeance), are all driving both sides towards the brink. The actions of local military commanders and diplomats may well determine the final outcome, and unscrupulous, power-hungry men¿and Arcana and Sharona alike¿have agendas of their own. The fuse has been lit, and a war stretching across the universes, across an endless succession of identical Earths, fought between dragons, spells, and crossbows and repeating rifles, machine guns, and artillery is about to begin in white-hot rage and fury. Where it will end¿and how¿no one knows.
Customer Reviews:
Hell Hath No Fury (Multiverse, Book 2).......2007-07-05
A good follow up though a little weak in maintaining interest at some points. It is still a good read for Weber fans.
A great series continues.......2007-06-11
The conflict between two civilizations that span multiple parallel Earths (Sharona, based on technology and psi, and Arcana, based on magic) that started in Hell's Gate (Multiverse, Book 1) continues, blown into war by a power hungry faction of Arcanans, who are contemptuous of the abilities of barbarians unaware of the use of magic.
Several threads are present to be of later importance - the dolphin alliance with Sharona (from the first book, but not referenced since), the Voice (telepath) from Sharona with her husband and the honorable Arcanans escorting them into Arcana, the newly unified Sharononian government at pseudo-Constantinople and, of course, the soldiers of both civilizations (with a developing conflict between those Arcanans who knowingly fabricated the war and those who are finding out the truth). An additional intriguing occurrence is the gradual discovery by those of each side who've penetrated the other's territory of the nature of their own skills in a vastly different environment (that's a little cryptic, but to say much more would be spoiler). There's also a bit of a cliff-hanger ending each of the books.
There are glossaries that help overcome the sense of disorientation of unfamiliar names for familiar locations (I used a map for book one and wrote names as I read through the book) and to keep track of the large number of characters. The atlas glossary could use some editing - e.g. one region is referred to as being both "west of India" and "containing China" and another area is referred to as belonging to the opposite civilization from what's stated in the text. It is still very useful, despite a little carelessness.
There is so much material that this series should last for several more books. If not, there will be a lot of unhappy fans.
A very good Rich Weber book.......2007-06-01
In a world where trans-dimensional rifts allow movement between parallel universes, two mighty empires have arisen. One uses magic uses a highly-developed magic, while the other is based on steam technology and psionics. And when they came together, conflict was probably inevitable. In this, the second book of the series, war has now come, and Hell hath no fury like this war across the multiverse!
I am a big David Weber fan, and I couldn't wait to get this series. Overall, I like the way that the author handled the two disparate technologies (magic developed to the point of technology and psionics also developed to the point of technology), and the war scenes are pretty realistic and gruesome. Overall, I found this to be a very good Rich Weber book, one that I do not hesitate to recommend.
A great read.......2007-05-17
The first book in the series was good even though confusing with the introduction of all the characters and places. This one really clicked. I could hardly put it down. The action was great, the characters well developed, and the story flowed smoothly. I am so looking forward to the next one.
Top-notch combat action. The usual Weber detailed political intrigue.
Going From Bad To Worse.......2007-05-15
In HELL'S GATE, David Weber and Linda Evans created an interesting new series of universes in which to play and posited a first contact scenario between the two civilizations as a botched effort, rife with misunderstandings on both sides and tragic violence. In this second volume, the situation just gets worse as misunderstandings proliferate and people with ulterior motives and hidden agendas do their best to promote themselves at the expense of their societies.
One of the civilizations under scrutiny is fairly backward from a technological point of view and could best be described as pre-industrial. To make up for this lack, they employ genuine magic, complete with fire breathing dragons. Since the other side has no conception of this, it is difficult to fight.
The other side has a Victorian industrial base but supplements itself with various psionic powers. This too proves formidable for their opponents who have no conception at to how this might operate.
In this installment, the magical side has launched an offensive cloaked by negotiations in an order to gain the military high ground. The campaign is being run by officers in the area and their high command has no idea of what is going on or even that a war has broken out. This book takes us several months into the conflict and the line of communications is so long that the home world has not yet even found out about it. This leaves the in theater commander free to wreak havoc for his own personal agenda and that of his ethnic group.
The opposing side is remote but not as remote from the point of contact. They have been ambushed and are mad. They are mobilizing for total war but again, they are hampered by personal agendas.
We are only a few months into the series and it promises to be a long affair. I look forward to reading about it.
Book Description
At the end of Frank Herberts final novel, Chapterhouse: Dune, a ship carrying a crew of refugees escapes into the uncharted galaxy, fleeing from a terrifying, mysterious Enemy. The fugitives used genetic technology to revive key figures from Dunes pastincluding Paul MuadDib and Lady Jessicato use their special talents to meet the challenges thrown at them. Based directly on Frank Herberts final outline, which lay hidden in two safe-deposit boxes for a decade, Sandworms of Dune will answer the urgent questions Dune fans have been debating for two decades: the origin of the Honored Matres, the tantalizing future of the planet Arrakis, the final revelation of the Kwisatz Haderach, and the resolution to the war between Man and Machine. This breathtaking new novel in Frank Herberts Dune series has enough surprises and plot twists to please even the most demanding reader.
Customer Reviews:
Painful.......2007-10-03
Don't think while you're reading this book. It has a bland plotline with predictable twists and if you pay attention to the story nothing will surprise you. I really enjoyed the prequels, and I love Frank Herbert's originals. However, this book is an embarrassment and should not have been written, it only detracts from the Dune universe.
Sandworms...a magical conclusion?.......2007-09-30
If you've bought and read Sandworms of Dune--you must be a REAL Dune fanatic--I am. And for the most part, I've been totally on board with Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson continuing the saga. And you have to suspend a certain amount of belief with any sci-fi, but even moreso with "Sandworms." This book, more than any of their efforts seems to lose steam and even its "Dune" credibility with the "magical" wrapup at the end. If you've made it this far in this series...you HAVE to buy it; it just hasn't brought me back for "re-reads" like most of the others. But hey, genius and creativity aren't bottomless wells.
looks okay.......2007-09-27
i haven't had time to read it yet.
But the book arrived in excellent condition.
The cover art is impressive !
Excellent continuation of a classic story.......2007-09-27
It must be very difficult to write a continuation to a well-loved sci-fi classic even if your Father did write the original. Brian Herbert has succeeded, along with co-writer Kevin Anderson, to build on the original in an almost seamless manner. I have a few nagging doubts about certain developments but all in all this is the culmination of an excellent series of books. Brian and Kevin - well done!
An Editor would have been nice.......2007-09-27
Thank god (leto or duncan?) I'm done. In the end I was entertained, which is the purpose of reading. That being said, it was a tedious effort to get through this final, maybe?, chapter of Dune. There was a good story to be told in the end, but, it seems the authors were being paid for a word count. An editor should have reigned in the repetitiveness. How many times must they say the names of the reborn gholah's? They have a built in reader base that did not need the retelling of plot lines from five, six or nine books ago. The casual reader will not be reading this. KNOW your audience! It would have been much more compelling to have fleshed out characters (pick a ghola, any gholah..) than to keep retelling what the reader already knew by rote.
Others have posted on the many timeline/plot inconsistencies, but, the one I haven't seen is this....most "plot lines" were tied up in the epilouge save one....whatever happened to Paulo who was in a trance on the floor in synchrony? Is he still there in a trance? Did they rebuild around him? He just kinda got left there. Ooops. Indicative of the book.
I was entertained though.
Average customer rating:
- decent read - although it was difficult to suspend reality
- Not Free SF Reader
- Check out Hyperion! Worth a read.
- beautiful, creative, disturbing, intelligent...
- My favorite book
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Hyperion
Dan Simmons
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Olympos
ASIN: 0553283685
Release Date: 1990-02-01 |
Amazon.com
On the eve of Armageddon, with the entire galaxy at war, seven pilgrims set forth on a final voyage to Hyperion seeking the answers to the unsolved riddles of their lives. Each carries a desperate hope--and a terrible secret. And one may hold the fate of humanity in his hands.
A stunning tour de force, this Hugo Award-winning novel is the first volume in a remarkable new science fiction epic by the author of The Hollow Man.
Book Description
On the world called Hyperion, beyond the law of the Hegemony of Man, there waits the creature called the Shrike. There are those who worship it. There are those who fear it. And there are those who have vowed to destroy it. In the Valley of the Time Tombs, where huge, brooding structures move backward through time, the Shrike waits for them all. On the eve of Armageddon, with the entire galaxy at war, seven pilgrims set forth on a final voyage to Hyperion seeking the answers to the unsolved riddles of their lives. Each carries a desperate hope--and a terrible secret. And one may hold the fate of humanity in his hands.
Customer Reviews:
decent read - although it was difficult to suspend reality.......2007-09-12
Its a decent book, its just way too far fetched in a few instances. A giant tree with a force field around it is a space ship that flies around in space faster than light speed. A tree!! This book would have been a lot better if it would have left out the few really rediculous parts, because most of it was otherwise believable - there were just a few parts where I was shaking my head. I guess I'm just more into hard scifi - Asimov's Foundation series is still my favorite scifi of all time.
Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-04
Fabulous novel. One even the literary snob types might like, given the structure and all the Keats work.
The novel has a Canterbury Tales type feel, as a group of men and women travelling to the important planet Hyperion tell their stories.
Travel is instantaneous throughout the galaxy thanks to the TechnoCore, an AI group and their farcaster technology. People can literally have different rooms of their houses on different planets.
Hyperion is the site of the Time Tombs, an artifact travelling back in time, sent by an unknown entity.
The planet will be the site of an attack by a rogue group of far travelling humanity called the Ousters, upon the stay at homes, unflatteringly terming themselves the Hegemony.
The travelling band must also deal with The Shrike, a monstrous avatar of pain.
Check out Hyperion! Worth a read........2007-08-23
Hyperion
"Hyperion" by Dan Simmons.
In the distant future after hundreds of worlds have been colonized, trouble surrounds the world of Hyperion. There is a Legend of a creature called the Shrike who terrorized a region near the mysterious Time Tombs. Scientist believe that all of the Time Tomb monuments will open soon and must see what the result of their opening will be however it appears that Outsters (an evolved form of Humanity that broke away from the populace when old Earth was destroyed) are on their way to Hyperion to claim the Treasure of the Time Tombs for themselves. The Shrike Church believes that a Pilgramage must be sent ahead to the Time Tombs to Deal with the Shrike before the Ousters take control. 7 Pilgrims are selected by The Shrike Church and sent to Hyperion to journey to the Time Tombs for a meeting with the Shrike........
This book was really good. As many have mentioned it shares a similarity with The Canterbury Tales because the majority of the book is the Pilgrims telling their histories in an attempt to find out why they were selected for the Pilgrimage. This book is not the end of the story and leaves you at quite a cliff hanger.
The Good: I like the format that Simmons used. It made for an atypical read which is always nice. Simmons version of the future is well thought out with plenty of depth. The Book is well paced and keeps you wanting to find out what is going to happen. The Characters are all well written and evolve to have plenty of depth as you read their individual stories.
The Bad: Nothing memorable. It is slightly disappointing where this book ends and you immediately have to go out and buy the second Book "Fall of Hyperion"
Overall: A great book. Definitely worth picking up and giving a read.
beautiful, creative, disturbing, intelligent..........2007-08-22
The Hyperion Cantos is huge and challenging to read, but not easy to put down either. From the first chapter of Hyperion when the structure of the story reveals itself mirroring the Canterbury Tales, I was drawn in. Simmons' universe isn't a dreamy world I'd wish to visit, but it is compellingly drawn. The literary, religious and philosopical references are so huge, I know I probably only "got" a tenth of them, but I loved it. And the rest of the Cantos.
My favorite book.......2007-08-17
I read this book 10-12 years ago, and I can still rate it a solid 5 stars. Life-changing may be too strong or too overused, but it did smash into my brain with a force that reverberates to this day (how's that for some hyperbole?). Seriously, it is something entirely different. All 4 books in the series are well worth the time.
Book Description
Some say the line between good and evil is narrower than we imagine -- a divide as subtle as a mirror, and perhaps just as deep. To peer into its black, reflective glass is to know the dark potential we each possess, and we cross that obsidian boundary at our peril . . . into a world where we no longer recognize who we are or what we believed ourselves capable of.
In the late twenty-fourth century, decades after the fall of the once-mighty Terran Empire, the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance dominates the worlds that, in another reality, made up the United Federation of Planets. Humanity and its former subject races are now bound together by their shared oppression, slaves to their cruel and brutal conquerors. But a downtrodden few have found the courage and the strength of will to act. Inspired by visitors from another continuum to fight for their freedom, they have rekindled hope . . . and rediscovered an ancient truth: that every revolution begins with a vision.
Star Trek: VOYAGER ® A rebel ship commanded by a former slave named Chakotay attempts to evade pursuit in the Badlands . . . only to encounter a strange ship that was catapulted seventy thousand light-years across the galaxy. On board the craft are two aliens, one of whom has the potential to completely alter the balance of power within the Alliance. But as both sides of the struggle race to get to the stranger first, treachery throws all schemes into a tailspin.
Star Trek: NEW FRONTIER ® Following the Terran Empire's collapse, its longtime rival, the Romulan Star Empire, has absorbed many of the fringe civilizations spread across that part of the galaxy. One of the Romulans' slaves is M'k'nzy of Calhoun, a savage and unpredictable Xenexian who dreams of death . . . and who learns the value of freedom from the unlikeliest of teachers, a Romulan named Soleta.
Star Trek: DEEP SPACE NINE ® One fallen dictator's struggle to regain her power and her position leads to the discovery of a bold rebel plan for a decisive military strike against the Alliance. But while Kira Nerys navigates the dangerous road of politics, sex, and military intrigue that she believes will lead her back to reclaiming the Intendancy, cracks form in the rebel leadership, leading to a showdown that will change the course of the Mirror Universe.
Customer Reviews:
A trio of stories--two out of three are good. .......2007-08-31
This book contains three stories about the alternate universe first encountered in the original series and continued in Deep Space Nine. I enjoyed the first of these stories (dealing with characters from Star Trek: Voyager) and the third (dealing with characters from Deep Space Nine). The middle one was about the Romulans and I think all the characters in there were new, at least to me.
I was disappointed in that we didn't see a conclusion to the ending of empires towards which Spock was working in the first of the Mirro Universe books.
When did Star Trek become so raunchy?.......2007-08-13
After waiting for over a year for a new Deep Space Nine story, I was excited to see this book on the shelf (especially since it looks like Pocketbooks is never going to release "Fearful Symmetry"). I realize that in the "mirror universe" stories (which they've done to death, by the way) the characters are all very different from the characters we as fans know. But I found nothing respectable in the characters in this book, which has always been what drew me to Star Trek... I care about the characters. I read the stories because I want to know how things turn out for the characters. But I kept reading these stories waiting for them to get better... they didn't. These stories are weak, and that's being charitable.
And the language - I thought Star Trek was about ADVANCED people in Starfleet: healthier, better educated, less crime, etc. If these characters are so well-educated, then why can't they express themselves without such trashy language? I'm not talking about the typical four letter words that are used to express frustration or anger that one could reasonably expect, I'm talking about gutter language. And graphic depictions of extreme violence, torture, and sex that left me feeling like I'd just watched a couple of hours of FX on TV. I've never seen that in the Star Trek franchise before. I hope the editors at Simon and Schuster don't think they were updating Star Trek to make it more hip and modern, because this was just awful. And the worst part is that two of the three authors have written some very good Star Trek stories in the past. I don't know what happened, but this book was definitely a MISS! (That's a few hours of my life I wish I had back.)
Terran Rebellion.......2007-07-15
Barely compatible with the "Dark Passions" duo, Obsidian Alliances was nevertheless as well formulated as its Part 1, Glass Empires.
It would seem that the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance and the Terran Rebellion are doomed to years of fighting, until one exterminates the other (or unless our heroic universe steps in). Mirror characters of DS9 and VOY are almost all as sharp as the ones we're used to except focussed on way different and desperate goals.
Never really connected with NF, but it did add to the completeness of the work.
Here's hoping that the violent Alliance also falls (their cooperation is tenuous at best anyway).
Not too keen on the larger font print. 3.5 stars.
FANTASTIC.......2007-05-16
This was better than the first in the Mirror Series.
Partially because I love the DS9 and New Frontiers Characters but doubly so as I do not care for the Voyager crew and loved that story as well!
Mirror Universe / Obsidian Alliances.......2007-05-14
Nice job on the alternate universe books. A fast-paced read and very well done.
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