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Every now and then a book blows away your suppositions and charges full steam ahead into your imagination. It is going to succeed or die trying. On Basilisk Station by David Weber is just such a story and it positively triumphs. I devoured this novel...moreEvery now and then a book blows away your suppositions and charges full steam ahead into your imagination. It is going to succeed or die trying. On Basilisk Station by David Weber is just such a story and it positively triumphs. I devoured this novel, and the burning question I had upon its conclusion (beyond finding out whether my library stocked the sequel) was, "Why haven't I heard of you before?"
Quick summary: Honor Harrington's first command proves less of a promotion and more of a punishment when she learns that a bigwig in the Royal Manticorian Navy has chosen her ship, the Fearless, to test a fancy new weapons system that actually handicaps her tactical ability during war games. She is eventually "banished" to the unpopular Basilisk Station patrol and given the near impossible task of patrolling the star system's shipping lines and quasi-autonomous planets. Not only that, a neighboring interstellar government has its eyes on Basilisk, the system's natives are restless, the crew is dispirited, and there are powerful politics at play. But, as the official summary says, "the people out to get her have made one mistake. They've made her mad."
Honor Harrington is now my ideal of what a military starship leader should be: smart, competent, patient, and courageous, with the ability to marshal a ship to its full potential. She is neither the crew's dictator nor their best friend, but their commander. The very best point is that neither her gender, nor the gender of the crew, ever comes up as an "issue." This book is probably the first in any genre I have ever read where men and women actually worked together without sexual tension. There is one incident of sexual harassment related as a memory, but it is related without hysterics. Harrington remembers, is human enough to resent, but is also adult enough to have moved on. I can not thank Weber enough for this aspect of the novel.
A word about the story's structure: completely new universes requires an author to explain quite a bit in a short space of time. Weber offers this information in the same straightforward, engaging way he does the rest of the novel. I was continually amazed at how well he revealed the details of his imagined worlds without distracting me from the story. I never once lost interest or became confused, whether the book followed the political machinations of interstellar politics or the tactical complexity of a space battle. The exposition itself became exciting, and that is the mark of a great storyteller.
Finally, many military yarns employ the trope of outnumbered but likeable heroes who save the day in spite of the odds. It's not a bad trope, but in the wrong hands can result in stale, formulaic plots. Harrington and her crew transcend this trope. They may start outclassed, but they work hard to make up the difference (no happy accidents or plucky heroism required). They suffer real losses, not fake ones meant to provide cheap danger. Wonder of wonders, they uphold rather than break the rules to succeed and gain respect. They form partnerships rather than go it alone, and the final battle is a true test of both sides' preparation and skill instead of a contest of personality.
If you want a wonderfully written military space novel, you can't go wrong with On Basilisk Station. I look forward to reading more about Honor Harrington's naval career, and tip my hat to her talented creator.
Addendum: I forgot to mention that this novel uses very frank language in places. I will say it didn't feel gratuitous considering the people and situations that brought it up (soldiers in battle), but it is something that might ruin the enjoyment of the book for many. Young readers should definitely wait on this one.(less)
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I've read from several sources that one way to cut down on stress is to avoid reading books that you don't like. The idea goes that if after a few chapters (or pages, depending on the attention span of the advice giver) you don't like the story, ditc...moreI've read from several sources that one way to cut down on stress is to avoid reading books that you don't like. The idea goes that if after a few chapters (or pages, depending on the attention span of the advice giver) you don't like the story, ditch the book and move on to another. I don't necessarily disagree with this idea as a whole; I just find it very hard to put into personal practice. Once I make a committment to read a particular story or watch a specific program, I usually try to give it all possible opportunity to engage me before panning it. Perhaps that is why, after several false starts over the past three years, I finally finished Dream Thief by Stephen Lawhead.
This predilection also explains why I became torn upon its conclusion as to whether or not to give it two or three stars. However, I finally had to admit the inevitable: the book just wasn't good enough for more than two. That being said, it was good enough (especially toward the end) to finally complete the journey.
First, a short, spoiler-free summary: Dr. Spencer Reston (or Spence, to his few friends) is a workaholic researcher working at the best postdoc imaginable, the space station Gotham. He's supposed to be studying how living in this enviornment affects sleep. Instead, he's drawn into a web of conspiracy that involves his own rapidly devolving dreams, strange findings on Mars, and occultic traditions in the heart of one of Earth's most ancient cultures. Along the way he garners enemies and allies, learns what it means to love, and becomes enthralled by a great cosmic mystery that will change his world forever.
Sounds great, right? Unfortunately, this excellent idea for a novel is mired by a slow, plodding start, an anemic protagonist and even flakier antagonists, and overall a lack of focus in its storytelling. Once Spence eventually leaves the station, everything picks up: he becomes a more fleshed-out character, the villains become truly menacing, and the actual plot really gets going. No surprise for this author of lore, Lawhead is at his best when dealing with elements of mysticism and cultural history. The part set on Earth is quite intriguing as Lawhead weaves the clues of past and present together. At the risk of sounding cheeky, I feel like Lawhead really wanted to write the last half of the book and the first half was simply the means of getting there.
The real problem with the novel's conclusion comes from the weak setup. Spence gets the chance to mature and grow, and while I quickly gave up on his supposed "married to the work" scientist persona (he shows precious little interest in his work at the beginning, and abandons it for adventure and romance at the first opportunity), he becomes a likeable enough plucky hero by the end of the novel that I could root for his success. In actuality, this novel would have been far more interesting if the main conflict had been internal, with the dreams actually being an organic exploration of his own psyche wrestling with what he has always believed to be true and the truth he must come to accept. As it is, the two henchmen we meet to begin with are traditionally flat villians who only desire power (I could almost see them fingering their black mustaches), and the eventual true mastermind of the plot is made impetent by the time of his ultimate reveal (which failed to surprise, considering the obvious hints dropped), leading to a dissapointing and anticlimatic endgame for the narrative. In my opinion, this is one story that would have worked better without outside villains.
The book has its moments of interest and engagement, but ultimately fails to rise above its inherent structural weaknesses. If you're just starting with Lawhead, read his fantasy. This example of his foray into science fiction leaves much to be desired.(less)
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Michelle R. Wood
is now following Tosca Lee's reviews
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Michelle R. Wood
is now following Steven James's reviews
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Looking through my RSS feeds today, I noticed an article on Blastr.com entitled "7 superheroes who aren't doing nearly enough to save the world" (http://blastr.com/2011/07/7-superheroes-...). As the comments to the article imply, the debate over supe...moreLooking through my RSS feeds today, I noticed an article on Blastr.com entitled "7 superheroes who aren't doing nearly enough to save the world" (http://blastr.com/2011/07/7-superheroes-...). As the comments to the article imply, the debate over superhero priorities is rather vacuous, all things considering. But I think the reasonable questions that this genre invites plague (and stymie) many of the Hollywood comic adaptions coming out now. To any of those screenwriters struggling with pulling off a superhero story, I'd suggest they read Carrie Vaughn's delightful novel After the Golden Age. Tip 1, Tinseltown: sometimes the person with the power isn't the best one to focus on.
Here's a short, spoiler-free synopsis: Celia West is the mundane daughter of two rich socialites who moonlight as vigilante superheroes. Her parents are known the world over, inspiring both enemies and groupies, and virtually invented the "saving the city" line of work. Even though Celia would just as soon keep out of the public eye as an ordinary citizen taking the bus to her job as an accountant, she is continually drawn back into the sphere of her parents as would-be criminal masterminds all hit on the most overused plot device in comicdom: kidnap the damsel as blackmail against the hero(es). But when Celia's work and personal life collide in a true supervillain's trial of the century, she is forced to step out of her parents' shadow to finally make a stand of her own.
Vaughn doesn't try to weigh the genre down with too much realism. Commerce City is another not-so-cleverly disguised New York (like Metropolis and Gotham), and the potential scientific explanations for the characters' powers are mentioned but not dwelt on (freeing this novel from plodding exposition or cryptic technobabble). The superhero device is accepted rather than deconstructed, and while there are wider sociopolitical ideas touched on, Vaughn makes sure they buoy the plot along rather than weigh it down into deeper waters than the subject matter could handle.
Instead of being a manifesto, this book functions as a character study with a sturdy plot exploring an eminently relateable question: when and how do you truly grow up? Yes, the question of this novel is not what makes a hero, but what makes a person. Celia's journey to maturity may be rougher due to her parents' overwhelming public personas, but she also faces very normal struggles: a dad with high expectations and poor communication skills, a mother whose love comes across a bit strong at awkward moments, a family friend who still thinks of her as a kid even after graduating from college.
The topic is explored humorously and lovingly, with light sprinklings of romance and action for seasoning and a healthy amount of suspense and soul-searching for good measure. One of my greatest reliefs was that Vaughn didn't feel the need to demonize some characters to make others look better; instead, she allowed characters to stand (or fail) on their own merits. Also, she managed to capably write fully realized villains without making them sympathetic: evil and destruction are never glorified in this book, and even a single act of indiscretion is shown to sometimes have consequences far beyond what we might imagine. Finally, there's the belief in this book that we never truly stop learning or growing up, and a reminder to not take family and friends for granted.
One word of warning for younger or more conservative readers: After the Golden Age is an apt description of the story, meaning this is a modern book with characters who may not conform to traditional rules of conduct in terms of language and sexual behavior. For the most part the book has nothing worse than a typical prime time TV show, but there's enough that I felt readers should be warned.
Overall, I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy fun plots, engaging characters, and rich quirky prose.(less)
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