Weber, David. The Shadow of Saganami. Oh, I get so caught up in these books. This is the beginning of a new series with a new set of characters that works in a parallel situation to the Honor Harrington novels. Honor appears briefly at the beginning of the novel when she addresses the latest class of graduates from Saganami Island, the training center for the Manticorean navy, but then the narrative moves to the HMS Hexapuma, a heavy cruiser bound for what appears to be a mundane and boring assignment in the Talbot System.Of course, when they arrive, things are not at all boring as Captain Aivars Terekhov and his crew must confront pirates, genetic slavers, terrorism, political maneuvering, and smuggled weapons. The characters, as usual, are well-developed, both the good guys and the bad guys have depth and motivation. I enjoyed seeing the next generation getting their experience as their mission moves from the one assigned to another that is unauthorized, but necessary and extremely risky.
What can I say? I love Weber's books, and yes, they are long and wordy. While that is a negative for some, it is not for me because I don't want them to end.
Fiction. Science Fiction/Space Opera. 2004. 755 pages.
Pirates? I'm in.
ReplyDeleteI also love long, wordy books (especially fantasy ones) but then I get so sucked in that I forget I have a life outside of books! Well, kind of I do.
In the right mood, space opera can be very satisfying!
ReplyDeleteraych - That is exactly it. Long, wordy books make you a part of all of the adventures and friends (or enemies) with the characters. Life outside of books? Less exciting for sure.
ReplyDeleteJill - I'm a big fan of David Webber and always enjoy his novels.
I share the same last name as this author, so you'd think I would be familiar with his work, but I'm not. I'll have to rectify that situation.
ReplyDeleteBooklogged - I wasn't familiar with him either until last year. I found his newest series Off Armageddon Reef at the library last year (not one of the Honorverse novels). It had an interesting cover, not one of the cheesy ones that are on all of the Honorverse novels. I liked Off Armageddon Reef so well that I tried the Honor Harrington novels IN SPITE of the covers.
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