Anybody here read Sm Stirling's Draka series?

[Lapis Exilis]

I'm doing some research into villains, and ran across descriptions of Stirling's Draka series, which is consistently reported to be wonderfully written and terrible to read because of how horrid the protagonists, the Draka, are. I'm intrigued and would like to read it, but I'm worried that it'll be one of those things that leaves me wishing I hadn't put icky stuff into my head.

So, what's the word 'round here, oh, SF masters?

 

[Caliburn24]

I very much enjoyed the Draka trilogy and the follow-up Drakon. They are dark, and Stirling likes to let his villains win, so if you're looking for lighthearted fare do not touch them. There is graphic violence and some sex, but nothing so extreme that it made me regret reading the books.

Unfortunately Stirling loves the female/sexual-dominant/villain arch-type so much that it has slipped into most of his later books. And becomes rather tiresome.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Oh God no. I've read the synopses, and it makes nuBSG look like MLP. I think I'll pass.

 

[Thor Damar]

^ Kinda agree with MLB there I was going to wonder how the British could be so stupid but then I remembered I'm one myself so...yeah.

(BTW, MLP?)

 

[Mistral]

I stumbled across Marching Through Georgia back in the 80s. Then I got the sequels. In its way, its as horrific as, say, The Walking Dead or I am Legend. It indelibly marked me, its not something you forget unless you are immensely callous. There's a collection of short stories called Draka! written by other authors as well-mostly well done.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

(BTW, MLP?)

MLP.

 

[Thor Damar]

No, no way in the heathen Hel of my dark pagan ancestors am I clicking on THAT link.

As to the Draka series I've been tempted to read it after the reviews and the TV trope page viewings but the rather high price and general lack of availability in either bookshops or Libraries has put a dent in my resolve.

Which is a shame because I'm quite a alternative history fan. I've even read most of Harry Turtledove's work, heck even the bloody Stars and stripes forever trilogy!

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

If characters from, say, Warhammer 40,000 crossed over to the Draka universe, they'd say "Lighten up."

 

[Hound of UIster]

Sounds like murder porn.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ More like slavery porn.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I've even read... the bloody Stars and stripes forever trilogy!

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." -- the Tenth Doctor

It was one of those things that, conceptually, I wanted to like, but the execution was appalling and the characters (in particularly any Brit) behaved consistently in the most stupid way possible.

 

[Thor Damar]

^Except for John Stuart Mill who was mostly there to remind the Americans that they where the liberating vanguard of the future.

(oh, and Benjamin Disraeli and William Gladstone of course but that's a given considering those two...)

 

[nightwind1]

If characters from, say, Warhammer 40,000 crossed over to the Draka universe, they'd say "Lighten up."

The Third Reich WISH they were as nasty as the Draka.

 

[ATimson]

Unfortunately Stirling loves the female/sexual-dominant/villain arch-type so much that it has slipped into most of his later books. And becomes rather tiresome.

That's a fair charge to levy against the Shadowspawn books. But the Change novels? Am I forgetting something?

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I once asked Stirling what would happen if the alien lizards from Harry Turtledove's World War books existed in the Draka universe -- and their fleet arrived during the early 1940s as in World War, say during the events of Marching Through Georgia.

Stirling's response? "Harry and I blue-sky-ed that one once. His conclusion was that the Draka would say of the Lizards: 'Hmmm. Tastes like chicken.'"

 

[Lapis Exilis]

I once asked Stirling what would happen if the alien lizards from Harry Turtledove's World War books existed in the Draka universe -- and their fleet arrived during the early 1940s as in World War, say during the events of Marching Through Georgia.

Stirling's response? "Harry and I blue-sky-ed that one once. His conclusion was that the Draka would say of the Lizards: 'Hmmm. Tastes like chicken.'"

From what I'm gathering about the Draka, I believe that would be true. I find Turtledove unreadable, his plots seemed to me to move at a glacial pace. As I recall from his World War books the supposedly formidable lizards seemed to spend most of their time fussily saying, my my these humans evolve so quickly - in scene after scene after endlessly repeated scene. I assume something eventually happened in those books, but I stopped reading (after a mind-numbing 200 pages) before I got to it.

Thanks for the information on the Draka stuff. I think I'm going to have to really think about it before I pick those up. Since I had a baby, I don't have as strong a stomach as I used to for man's inhumanity to man, even in fiction.

 

[Mistral]

I once asked Stirling what would happen if the alien lizards from Harry Turtledove's World War books existed in the Draka universe -- and their fleet arrived during the early 1940s as in World War, say during the events of Marching Through Georgia.

Stirling's response? "Harry and I blue-sky-ed that one once. His conclusion was that the Draka would say of the Lizards: 'Hmmm. Tastes like chicken.'"

From what I'm gathering about the Draka, I believe that would be true. I find Turtledove unreadable, his plots seemed to me to move at a glacial pace. As I recall from his World War books the supposedly formidable lizards seemed to spend most of their time fussily saying, my my these humans evolve so quickly - in scene after scene after endlessly repeated scene. I assume something eventually happened in those books, but I stopped reading (after a mind-numbing 200 pages) before I got to it.

Thanks for the information on the Draka stuff. I think I'm going to have to really think about it before I pick those up. Since I had a baby, I don't have as strong a stomach as I used to for man's inhumanity to man, even in fiction.

Very few scifi stories reflect inhuman behavior like the Draka stories do. For those interested in reading them, there's an omnibus edition of the 3 novels called The Domination-you should be able to find a used copy on the more popular resell sites.

As for Turtledove, Guns of the South is worth reading. And his novelette Down In the Bottomlands. His ongoing books do drag like hell, though.

You might try Stirling's The Peshawar Lancers. Not as dark in tone, but not as stale as his Changed Land stories.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I'd like to see the Draka go up against the Borg! Kind of like an irresistable force/immovable object thing.

 

[Caliburn24]

It would be fun if Stirling were to do another Draka book or even trilogy. It was sort of implied in Drakon that the Republic of Samothrace might be able to take on the Dominion in certain ways, and perhaps if teamed up with Caramaggio's Earth(which he has been preparing for another Draka encounter) the combination of high technology and high population would be a match for the Drakensis.

Especially since Stirling has made sure to emphasize that the Drakensis while brilliant, lack a certain creativity. At some point the technological advances of the Samothrace cyber-warriors are going to be more than a match for the Draka.

As to Stirling reusing a certain female arch-type. The main female Shadowspawn, the female Terminator, and Gwen are the three main examples I can think of off-hand. They seem really, really, really similar. I gave up the Emberverse series after a couple books, so I have no idea if a character of that nature shows up.