David Weber's "Safehold" Series of Books ...

[Gatekeeper]

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... I've read the four that are currently available and, as much as I like the period detail and whatnot, I'm really itching for humanity to do something besides relive Earth's sailing-ship and gunpowder era on the planet Safehold.

Are we ever going to see how humanity's (resurgent?) remnant deals with the Gbaba Empire? Good grief. It's been more than 800 years since the aliens smashed the Terran Federation, killing Earth and 14 other human worlds.

Move the stinking plot forward, Weber! Please! Don't pull a "Wheel of Time" stunt where the series plods slowly forward, never to be completed because the author dies.

Gatekeeper

 

[Can]

I am a fan of Safehold series. I think it is shaping up pretty good. Last entry in the series "A Mighty Fortress" was kinda slow and tedious with unneccesary descriptions in some chapters but it was still kicka.. That said I don't care if Gbaba was mentioned again or not. There is no rule that every sci-fi series should be about evil aliens vs humans or laser guns. This is David Weber's version of a future Napoleonic Warfare in an alien planet with sci-fi theme backing up.....Human antagonists and religious system are quite interesting....

Whole Safehold series reminds me "Age of Empires" PC game series in fact. From the perspective of main character the reader shall witness the development of planet Safehold and its inhabitants.

 

[Caliburn24]

Safehold is not my favorite of Weber's stuff, and seeing how many of his other series are already space-opera military science fiction already I highly doubt we'll see Safehold take on the Gbaba. This series is Weber trying to do something different than what he has done before, if it goes into space it just becomes another Honor Harrington type of deal.

Most likely the series will end with our heroes uniting the planet and beginning to industrialize.

 

[Gatekeeper]

Hmm. Well, this is the first of Weber's works that I've ever read, although I have heard of the Honor Harrington series (hard *not* to, really).

Do any of his other books have a theme where an alien civilization threatens humanity, pushes it to the brink of extinction, but humanity rallies in the end to hold the aliens off or, better yet, return the war to their home star systems?

Gatekeeper

 

[Caliburn24]

Weber's Starfire series written with Steve White fit what you're looking for almost to a tee. Start with Insurrection.

The Dahak trilogy beginning with Mutineer's Moon, andthe stand alone Apocalypse Troll would also kind of fit what you're looking for.

I recommend all of them if you like military sci-fi, Weber's earlier works like the ones mentioned above move much faster and have far more action than his later books.

 

[aelius]

Yes, his earlier books were faster moving, but I like in depth characterizations and detailed stories so the later ones don't bother me.
Some people prefer less... talk and description, and I can understand that. But it doesn't bother me. Of course, I have been a Weber fan since he started writing books.
You might also check out Path of the Fury. Or you could read In Fury Born if you like the idea of a very expanded version of the story.

 

[Gatekeeper]

I like books with *both* action and indepth dialogue. With that in mind, perhaps it's simply the extended "sail-ships and gunpowder" era that the Safehold series of books is primarily set in that aggravates me to a point. After all, I like the quality of the Safehold series ... it's just that I wish the action did involve a little more high-tech action rather than cannons, gunpowder and wooden sailing ships.

Well, I've bought the entire series so far. Odds are, I'm not going to pull out of it now. Too invested in it, even if it drives me nuts a bit.

Gatekeeper

 

[stj]

I read the first book for some reason which escapes me. Temporary insanity? The wretched twaddle about the good and noble king turns it into monarchist porn. It is long past time for SF to use regicides for heroes, as they should be. Monarchy is BS. The only good king is a dead king. If Weber and such were bolder, they could write similar books about slaveholders. Ick.

 

[Caliburn24]

The only good king is a dead king? Such a nuanced and well thought out position.

There are plenty of reasons not to like the Safehold series, but the fact that the king is likable and painted in a good light is not one of them.

Heck if that if is your key criticism you might want to read the later books where it is revealed exactly why the king is the way he is, it is not mere chance.

 

[stj]

^^^Anti-monarchism is too politically extreme?