David Weber

[ghost8772]

Originally Posted by Parson

Welcome Timba,

Yes David Weber does supply some really larger than life heroes. Honor Harrington is most assuredly my favorite lead character. I just finished reading "Mission of Honor" for the second time and it was nice to see the series taking a new turn. I think it is one of Weber's strongest novels in a while.

I've only read the Empire from the Ashes books, first two were excellent, third one not so much, readable once, but not beyond IMO. I have to agree on your point there. "Larger than life heroes" certainly applies in his writing.

[Timba]

Originally Posted by Parson

I agree too. I loved the short story!! Whose name I suppose I could look up, but I'm lazy and rushed. I will pick it up at my first opportunity.

I suspect that the genetically modified butt, will wait until after the sollie butt gets a few bruises. Maybe a book? or two? down the line.

I am thinking they already feel a bit bruised . Discovering they really are outclassed appears to be very difficult for them to get their head around. I think you are correct though, the Sollies will get a serious reality check and then I expect in some fashion will join with KM and Haven and see if they cannot remove the slave trade cancer once and for all. I am hoping at least 2 books.

[Timba]

Originally Posted by ghost8772

I've only read the Empire from the Ashes books, first two were excellent, third one not so much, readable once, but not beyond IMO. I have to agree on your point there. "Larger than life heroes" certainly applies in his writing.

I am practically envious, you have the entire Honor Harringtion series in front of you along with his Safehold series and of course there is always his work with other authors (I am in love with the 1632 series and Weber and Flint really seem to work well together). Happy reading.

[Vertigo]

I suspect the HH books will do the sollie butt kicking and the Honorverse (Crown of slaves etc.) books will do the Mesa butt kicking.

[Timba]

Originally Posted by Vertigo

I suspect the HH books will do the sollie butt kicking and the Honorverse (Crown of slaves etc.) books will do the Mesa butt kicking.

I think you may well be correct. Certainly at the very least an entire planet of freed slaves with a serious grudge will get in on the action. I am so looking forward to it.

[Timba]

It appears that A Beautiful Friend will be out in October and then on 03/06/2012 will come A Rising Thunder which appears to cover at least the start of war with the Sollies. Anticipation is a good thing!

He is also bringing out the 5th book in the Safehold series in September so it looks like the next 6 months will bring a sumptuous feast of Weber.

[Vertigo]

Oh my Lord, your're right and I've not got around to A Mighty Fortress yet, maybe I'll wait and read them both together.

[Timba]

Originally Posted by Vertigo

Oh my Lord, your're right and I've not got around to A Mighty Fortress yet, maybe I'll wait and read them both together.

I was just asking myself how much, if any, I should read again. With winter coming and changes in our business that may free up more time for me I am going to take a hard look at reading the whole series again. A silver lining in an otherwise grim economic outlook.

[Parson]

I'm hoping that the next book in the Safehold series will at last confront the eye in the sky. It would seem to me that every innovation draws them ever closer to an orbital bombardment.

I can't remember if Merlin has let his inner circle in on that tidbit or not.

[Timba]

Originally Posted by Parson

I'm hoping that the next book in the Safehold series will at last confront the eye in the sky. It would seem to me that every innovation draws them ever closer to an orbital bombardment.

I can't remember if Merlin has let his inner circle in on that tidbit or not.

I believe he has, remember he took the one of them up in orbit and as I recall they seemed aware of the danger.
From a blurb I read it sounds like he finally discovers what is underneath the church stronghold so perhaps he will better understand what he can and cannot do as far as keeping an eye on what the church's inner circle is up to. That would be helpful given just how corrupt and amoral that inner circle is.

[Moggle]

Something about the Safehold series rubs me the wrong way. I've read quite a number of stuff Weber has written and pretty much enjoyed them all, but I abandoned Safehold after the lead robot character changed their sex from a woman to a man. It was too much for me, lol.

Btw, I nabbed me a hardcover copy of "On Basilisk Station" at a used book store today for $6.

Originally Posted by Timba

It appears that A Beautiful Friend will be out in October and then on 03/06/2012 will come A Rising Thunder which appears to cover at least the start of war with the Sollies. Anticipation is a good thing!

He is also bringing out the 5th book in the Safehold series in September so it looks like the next 6 months will bring a sumptuous feast of Weber.

The blurb for, "A beautiful friendship" confuses me. I read an earlier story written by Weber also titled, "A Beautiful Friendship" and it did not match the story written in the synopsis for this upcoming book at all, yet the lead character's name is exactly the same.

[Timba]

Originally Posted by Moggle

Something about the Safehold series rubs me the wrong way. I've read quite a number of stuff Weber has written and pretty much enjoyed them all, but I abandoned Safehold after the lead robot character changed their sex from a woman to a man. It was too much for me, lol.

Btw, I nabbed me a hardcover copy of "On Basilisk Station" at a used book store today for $6.



The blurb for, "A beautiful friendship" confuses me. I read an earlier story written by Weber also titled, "A Beautiful Friendship" and it did not match the story written in the synopsis for this upcoming book at all, yet the lead character's name is exactly the same.

I am thinking this book is an expansion of that short story or at least more from that timeframe, perhaps a continuation so we can watch Stephanie's relationship with her treecat grow. I could not remember the name of the short story (I admit the new book title seemed familiar to me but it never occured to me that, that might be the short story title ). I am up for anything that provides more background on the treecats and a glimpse of HH's ancestors is alright with me also. The blurb at Bain Books tied it all together for me.

As far as Merlin changing sex, seemed like a natural extension of what the android body was all about. Certainly if you are going to use an android body to enjoy dangerous activities without endangering your life what could be more dangerous than trying on the other gender for awhile. Weber provides a spot or two of humor with that particular fact through the course of the series.

[Vertigo]

Moggle, I tend to agree with you on the sex changing bit. Whilst as Timba says he does have some fun with it occasionally in the stories, for the most part it is an unnecessary twist that I never felt achieved very much. Yes it was necessary for Merlin to be a male in the Safehold society, but was it necessary to make the original character female?

I almost wonder if for some strange reason Weber is a little "scared" of writing male POVs (there aren't really that many of them in his other books) and this twist allowed him to have a male POV but with female attitudes.

[Parson]

Originally Posted by Vertigo

Moggle, I tend to agree with you on the sex changing bit. Whilst as Timba says he does have some fun with it occasionally in the stories, for the most part it is an unnecessary twist that I never felt achieved very much. Yes it was necessary for Merlin to be a male in the Safehold society, but was it necessary to make the original character female?

I almost wonder if for some strange reason Weber is a little "scared" of writing male POVs (there aren't really that many of them in his other books) and this twist allowed him to have a male POV but with female attitudes.

Hm! I'd always thought that one of the underlying reasons for this sex twist was that this would allow Merlin to come back as a woman as the years start mounting and Merlin continues to be unchanged in strength and ability. It is unlikely that anyone other than the inner circle would ever believe that the old Merlin and this "Guinevere?" would be the same person.

The idea of Weber being "scared" has never occurred to me. I would wager the real reason for so many female leads wavers between the fact that so many more books are bought by females then males, and the undeniably good press that comes from having a completely egalitarian society. (Something we in the Western Cultures feel is a deep need and truth. If he were trying to sell this work in large numbers in the Middle East or Far East it is likely Honor Harrington would be male, and Merlin would have been male from the beginning.)

[Vertigo]

Interesting take on it Parson and you may well be right! I must admit I have never been at all clear just how far he plans to tke the whole series. For example; I wonder if he eventually plans to take the battle back to the aliens?