How David Weber spoils his readers.
Apr. 21st, 2010 03:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
osarabaRecently picked up David Weber's A Mighty Fortress, #4 in the Safehold series, and I haven't been able to put it down. Weber is probably my favorite author -- he really knows how to write space opera (a subgenre of military SF), which I absolutely love, and yet which seems to be somewhat difficult to find.
Even this series isn't so much space opera as hmmm... a meeting of historical and futuristic military SF. And David Weber does that extremely well. One of my favorites of his novels, and one of the very few standalones he's written, is quite similar in premise -- The Excalibur Alternative. REALLY worth checking out as an intro to Weber's style, although it's sparse on the space battles.
Interestingly, the Safehold series more than touches on that oh-so-sensitive of topics: religion (and religious wars!). Even if his characters range from uninterested to doubtful to devout to zealot, as required by the story (and as is reflective of you know, reality), Weber is eminently reasonable about it, which comes through clearly to the reader, so I never feel like he's proselytizing.
I was reading it during lunch yesterday and saw a guy across the way who was also reading a very thick hardcover book. I wondered if it could possibly be the same book I was reading. Because what other hardcover out right now is 700 freaking pages long? (Which is another reason I love David Weber -- his books are substantial, not the 265-page, font size 20 bullshit that LKH puts out.)
We made eye-contact, smiled in that hello, fellow reader way, then went back to our respective books. But a couple of minutes later I noticed that he flipped to the front of the book to look at the maps there, and suspected he MUST be reading it. So I asked him. And he was! It's always nice to meet people who are clearly enjoying the same book you are!
Matt and I exchanged a bit about whether we've read Weber's Honor Harrington series (of course, we both do!) and how we both hate some of the "Republican Crap" he puts into the stories (the moral villain of the piece is named Clinton, for one), but how Weber is still an amazing writer. It was a nice connection to make, and I almost wish I'd gotten his email because I kind of wonder what a 60-year old white male thinks of a clearly-"ethnic" girl half his age reading this sort of story (which is stereotypically read by white males). If anything!
ETA: YAY? David Weber is on twitter!
Even this series isn't so much space opera as hmmm... a meeting of historical and futuristic military SF. And David Weber does that extremely well. One of my favorites of his novels, and one of the very few standalones he's written, is quite similar in premise -- The Excalibur Alternative. REALLY worth checking out as an intro to Weber's style, although it's sparse on the space battles.
Interestingly, the Safehold series more than touches on that oh-so-sensitive of topics: religion (and religious wars!). Even if his characters range from uninterested to doubtful to devout to zealot, as required by the story (and as is reflective of you know, reality), Weber is eminently reasonable about it, which comes through clearly to the reader, so I never feel like he's proselytizing.
Safehold series:
The Gbaba have left Earth and her colonies smoldering ruins, and the few survivors have fled to distant, Earth-like Safehold, to try to rebuild. But the Gbaba can detect the emissions of an industrial civilization, so the human rulers of Safehold have taken extraordinary measures to keep Safehold society medieval forever. 800 years later, in a hidden chamber on Safehold, an android from the far human past awakens. Via automated recordings, “Nimue” - or, rather, the android with the memories of Lieutenant Commander Nimue Alban - is told her fate: she will emerge into Safeholdian society, suitably disguised, and begin the process of provoking technological progress which the Church of God Awaiting has worked for centuries to prevent. It's going to be a long, long process.
I was reading it during lunch yesterday and saw a guy across the way who was also reading a very thick hardcover book. I wondered if it could possibly be the same book I was reading. Because what other hardcover out right now is 700 freaking pages long? (Which is another reason I love David Weber -- his books are substantial, not the 265-page, font size 20 bullshit that LKH puts out.)
We made eye-contact, smiled in that hello, fellow reader way, then went back to our respective books. But a couple of minutes later I noticed that he flipped to the front of the book to look at the maps there, and suspected he MUST be reading it. So I asked him. And he was! It's always nice to meet people who are clearly enjoying the same book you are!
Matt and I exchanged a bit about whether we've read Weber's Honor Harrington series (of course, we both do!) and how we both hate some of the "Republican Crap" he puts into the stories (the moral villain of the piece is named Clinton, for one), but how Weber is still an amazing writer. It was a nice connection to make, and I almost wish I'd gotten his email because I kind of wonder what a 60-year old white male thinks of a clearly-"ethnic" girl half his age reading this sort of story (which is stereotypically read by white males). If anything!
ETA: YAY? David Weber is on twitter!
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no subject
Date: 2010-04-21 07:57 pm (UTC)Oddly, during uni, I pretty much stopped reading sci-fi. Or, well, much of anything not uni-related (not complaining, read a lot of great stuff as well). Sounds like I need to check out some of his other work ;)
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Date: 2010-04-21 08:02 pm (UTC)Did you get bored of it, or just no time for leisure reading?That is, did you not go back to it because you were bored of it, or just no time?It gets very complex, and maybe even a bit frustrating -- but fascinating for all that! The Safehold series is more wet-navy type battles and a bit less complex than the Honorverse, but it's only 4 books in (supposedly out of 8), so who knows!
I do highly recommend it if you've got the time for it; it's an enjoyable series! =D
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Date: 2010-04-21 08:06 pm (UTC)Have you read anything by Gordon R. Dickson? Liked him a lot as well. And Dick. And Heinlein. And Haldeman. I used to devour sci-fi books ;)
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Date: 2010-04-21 08:16 pm (UTC)I have read William Gibson's Neuromancer, of course, but in general (for SF) I tend to stick to highly character-driven military SF (John Ringo, Elizabeth Moon, Tanya Huff -- none of which are anywhere near as satisfying as David Weber).
I have a "I know I won't like it" feeling when it comes to some of the classic stuff, and I don't know WHY! I keep trying to get past it (though clearly that hasn't worked yet).
A friend of mine has highly recommended Dune, and I think that'll be next on my list when I want to try something "new".
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Date: 2010-04-21 08:28 pm (UTC)And I get you about some of the "classics". I never got into Clarke or E.E. "Doc" Smith and I haven't touched Asimov, yet.
Dickson's Dorsai series is also more military sci-fi, though each book focuses on a different character that is related to the main protagonist from the previous novel.
Dune is really great (though I didn't enjoy the rest of the series as much as the first novel). And I'm in a club of five who like the Lynch film, LOL.
Heinlein's Starship Trooper may be something for you as it's more military than his later works or his young adult novels. Stranger in a Strange Land is also epic.
Man, you really make me wanna dig out my old books and read. Pity most are at my parents' place.
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Date: 2010-04-21 08:51 pm (UTC)I also loved Stormship Troopers, but have heard it's drastically different from the book?
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Date: 2010-04-21 08:56 pm (UTC)And welcome to our exclusive club of Dune lovers, heee. I generally prefer dark sci fi films as well. I love Star Wars, but gimme Blade Runner or Alien as well!
And yes, Starship Troopers the film is really different from the book. The characters have been changed around (one was turned into a woman, hello BSG) and some of the interesting "society" of the Bugs was lost. Plus, the film is a satire, the book isn't. It's actually rather controversial (the book, I mean), because it's very militaristic.
I loved the film as well, it's a great satire (love those government film inserts - "Only a dead bug is a good bug!")
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Date: 2010-04-22 12:16 am (UTC)And yes, LOVE Blade Runner, though I tried to watch Alien a couple years ago and it was going a bit too slow for me at the time.
I'm sure you've seen Dark City and Equilibrium? Somehow I didn't see them until a year or two ago, but those are great as well!
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Date: 2010-04-25 07:23 pm (UTC)Maybe try Aliens. That has a faster pace and is also quite good.
Have you seen Children of Men?
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Date: 2010-04-26 02:20 am (UTC)*goes to find it (after S&A)*
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Date: 2010-04-26 07:12 pm (UTC)But first, enjoy S&A! Looking forward to what you think of the next seasons as some didn't like the 3rd that much, but I loved it.