Reading David Weber's "Safehold" series...

[Can]

I am reading Safehold series written by David Weber...Just finished 3rd book "By Heresies Distressed". Weber is an interesting author. Read a few Honor Harrington books...This new Safehold series is much more like a novel series of "Age of Empires" game Anyone read these ? Any comments ?

 

[John Clark]

This is one series of his that I haven't got around to yet. I've read most of the Honor series, The Mutineer series and the Fury novel by him.

Might take a look at these

 

[Can]

I highly recommend Safehold series...Quite good it is....

 

[Caliburn24]

I finished the third Safehold book earlier this week. The forth is coming out in April supposedly.

To be blunt I like Weber's other books a lot more.

I like the characters in Safehold, and the setting and background is great. But the series has two major problems for me.

First it moves so slowly, which would be fine, if interesting things were happening. Instead we get one conversation after another between three or four people discussing political machinations or military developments. Something like 80 percent or more of the books are these scenes, which just go on and on. They are not helped by the fact that they often repeat things that we the reader already know. Less talk, more action would be marvelous.

Second Merlin's abilities and intelligence gathering capabilities are too overpowering. Of course the good guys are going to win when they have access to that. At least in Honor Harrington the playing field was more level, and the bad guys were not the complete idiots they are in Safehold.

I'm sure I will finish the series, but it will probably end up being my least favorite of Weber's books.

 

[stj]

I remember reading a review of A.E. Van Vogt in which Damon Knight disgustedly concluded that he was a closet monarchist. Oh for the days when something so simplemindedly reactionary as monarchy was despised!

Somehow I read the first one. When I finished I was appalled at my stupidity. Most military SF is stupefyingly bad and this is no exception.

 

[Bisz]

I just finished reading the 3rd book a couple of weeks ago.

I like it but there is a tonne of problems with the books. As already pointed out by Caliburn, the pace is just way too slow and all of the heroes are just too damn good, Merlin in perticular. I'm enjoying the story much more so than the way its being told.

 

[Can]

I agree that characters especially Charisians are "too good and noble" to be true sometimes...I don't know if Weber will change this aspect in future...At the other hand there are limits of Merlin's abilities and resources....That was clear in last book...

 

[Caliburn24]

There are limitations yes, but not nearly enough. Merlin has after all broken all of the limitations aside from working directly in Zion. And the arguments about not using Merlin's information for fear of enemies picking up on it is a very weak argument in a strategic sense, and just plain silly in a tactical sense. The whole concept of SNARCs is so outside the understanding of the bad guys that even if they do think they are getting spied on, their is nothing they can do about it.

 

[Forbin]

First it moves so slowly, which would be fine, if interesting things were happening. Instead we get one conversation after another between three or four people discussing political machinations or military developments. Something like 80 percent or more of the books are these scenes, which just go on and on. They are not helped by the fact that they often repeat things that we the reader already know. Less talk, more action would be marvelous.

This is why I gave up on the Honor Harrington series. It's Weber's major, major flaw. I don't read military-adventure sci fi to be bored to tears by political discussions.