Any fans of this series out there? I've just finished the sixth book - it was very odd, the books were quite repetitive in many ways but compelling for a reason (except for the fifth which I thought was unreadable for large sections) I couldn't put my finger on.
Just re-reading them, by coincidence - finished #2 last night. And there's a chap on these boards called MiddySeafort, so I think it's a fair guess he's a fan of them... And yep, the first one's easily the best, I'd say, but in some ways the fifth is a match for it - except that it's a difficult read, whereas the others are all good relaxation reading. It does get a little repetitive though, the whole 'Seafort gets angry/over zealous with regs, thinks he's driven someone away, then finds how much they admire him as they sacrifice themselves', but... or as another fan of the series, the Doctor Who writer Terrance Dicks, puts it, "I wish the beggar would cheer up once in a while!"
Hey, that's me! I am a huge fan of the Seafort's Hope series and have had the pleasure of chatting with the author David Feintuch. When I was in my community college days, I discovered the first book and the character of Nick Seafort resonated with me-- a young man, hard on himself, trying to do what was right. He still does. Once a year, I'll flip back through those first four books and re-read certain passages. The latter books, starting with Voices of Hope, didn't really have the appeal that the first four books (Midshipman's Hope, Challenger's Hope, Prisoner's Hope, and Fisherman's Hope) had. I enjoyed the last three books only because it was good to revisit that 'verse. Rumors has it that Feintuch finished an eighth book in the series before his death a few years ago. If that ever sees the light of day, I don't know. Be nice if it did only because Nick Seafort, despite his continued angst, is a character I enjoy reading. The first and second books are certainly the best. I didn't know that Terrance Dicks was a fan of the books. Interesting.
Got to interview Mr Feintuch myself just after the first four books had come out in the UK. The rumoured eighth book is apparently called Galahad's Hope, though his publishers say they've never been offered anything, so that might just be a title he'd mentioned to someone without doing much more on it than jotting down ideas. Yep, Mr Dicks likes them - ended up talking to him about them at a book launch party 10-odd years back, and then got him to review Voices of Hope for the mag I was then working on when it came out a few months later.
Yeah, I met him at a book signing at Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego when Voice of Hope came out. He spoke for a bit, read and then did a signing. Afterwards, I went to tell how much the books meant to me and we ended up chatting about the books, writing in general and life for about 20 minutes or so. He was a very nice and humble man. It was especially refreshing to meet a writer who had published his first novel later in life rather than when he was younger. It gave the then-20-something year old me a lot of hope that I could make it as a writer. As much as I want to see Nick Seafort one last time in a new adventure, especially with the cliffhanger of the last book, I think it's for the best that it never sees the light of day especially if it's not a completed manuscript. What magazine was this for? I'd like to track it down if I can especially your interview. I have to agree with Dicks, however. I wish the bugger [Nick Seafort] would just cheer up once in a while.