A review by thinde
Off Armageddon Reef by David Weber
4.0
I've read this series from the start through book 9, (the end of the war), and a little into ten. This review is for the series as a whole.
I can heartily recommend the first book. It sets up the world and starts introducing us to the main players, but takes the time to tell a solid story. And it's a story with the strength to thrill readers and to squeeze their hearts. There are so many diverse layers that almost anyone should be able to find a lot to enjoy.
As the series progresses, I am less and less inclined to endorse each book. Two and three are good but problems set in and it becomes a slog. Don't get me wrong, there are still powerful moments sprinkled throughout. They're what drag the reader forward... those short chapters that push your heart into your throat and bring a tear to the eye, but it's work to find them.
Taken as a whole the series seems to have only ten percent direct action and the other ninety percent is split evenly between expositional dialogue and omniscient third party descriptions. It breaks the rule, "show, don't tell."
Weber has obviously invested a phenomenal amount of time creating this world and its hundreds of detailed characters. I applaud the dedication, but I don't need to see every facet. Injecting so much ancillary detail into a story bogs it down, making the pace so slow as to become frustrating. Frustration is the theme of this review. I know just how good Weber's writing can be. I see glimpses of it in these books. They stand out starkly, like stubborn trees that have survived an encroaching desert. Perhaps this is what Weber feels is "literature." It's not literature, it is self-indulgent.
So, if you don't mind skimming through the boring bits to find the gems... have at it.
I can heartily recommend the first book. It sets up the world and starts introducing us to the main players, but takes the time to tell a solid story. And it's a story with the strength to thrill readers and to squeeze their hearts. There are so many diverse layers that almost anyone should be able to find a lot to enjoy.
As the series progresses, I am less and less inclined to endorse each book. Two and three are good but problems set in and it becomes a slog. Don't get me wrong, there are still powerful moments sprinkled throughout. They're what drag the reader forward... those short chapters that push your heart into your throat and bring a tear to the eye, but it's work to find them.
Taken as a whole the series seems to have only ten percent direct action and the other ninety percent is split evenly between expositional dialogue and omniscient third party descriptions. It breaks the rule, "show, don't tell."
Weber has obviously invested a phenomenal amount of time creating this world and its hundreds of detailed characters. I applaud the dedication, but I don't need to see every facet. Injecting so much ancillary detail into a story bogs it down, making the pace so slow as to become frustrating. Frustration is the theme of this review. I know just how good Weber's writing can be. I see glimpses of it in these books. They stand out starkly, like stubborn trees that have survived an encroaching desert. Perhaps this is what Weber feels is "literature." It's not literature, it is self-indulgent.
So, if you don't mind skimming through the boring bits to find the gems... have at it.