Though Hell Should Bar the Way

RCN #12

by David Drake

A NEW NOVEL IN THE NATIONALLY BEST-SELLING RCN MILITARY SF SERIES. David Drake, Dean of Military Science Fiction, returns with another entry in his best-selling RCN series.

FROM WEALTH AND POWER, TO POVERTY AND INSULTS!

Roy Olfetrie planned to be an officer in the Republic of Cinnabar Navy, but when his father was unmasked as a white-collar criminal he had to take whatever he was offered.

What is offered turns out to be a chance to accompany Captain Daniel Leary and Lady Adele Mundy as they go off to start a war that will put Roy at the sharp end.

Duty snatches Roy from the harem of a pirate chief to a world of monsters, from interstellar reaches in a half-wrecked starship to assassination attempts at posh houses. Roy has the choice of making friends or dying friendless; of meeting betrayal and responding to it; of breaking his faith or keeping it at the risk of his life.

Pirates, politics, and spies--and waiting for Roy if he survives all the rest, a powerful warship.

The action doesn't slow--nor can Roy, for if he does the only question is which of the many threats will be the one to catch and kill him. But Captain Leary himself has given Roy a chance, and Roy is determined make the most of it—THOUGH HELL SHOULD BAR THE WAY.

About David Drake’s RCN series:

“[R]ousing old-fashioned space opera.”—Publishers Weekly

“The fun is in the telling, and Mr. Drake has a strong voice. I want more!”—Philadelphia Weekly Press

“[S]pace opera is alive and well. This series is getting better as the author goes along…character development combined with first-rate action and memorable world designs.”—SFReader.com

“Drake deftly weaves a web of political machinations and intrigue that vividly depicts the costs of war. Fans of Patrick O'Brian's Maturin and Aubrey novels will enjoy this intricate, rousing space opera.” —Publishers Weekly

About David Drake:

“[P]rose as cold and hard as the metal alloy of a tank…rivals Crane and Remarque…”—Chicago Sun-Times

“Drake couldn’t write a bad action scene at gunpoint.”—Booklist

RCN series:

With the Lightnings

Lt. Leary, Commanding

The Far Side of the Stars

The Way to Glory

Some Golden Harbor

When the Tide Rises

In the Stormy Red Sky

What Distant Deeps

The Road of Danger   

The Sea Without a Shore

Death's Bright Day

Though Hell Should Bar the Way

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Military Fiction, Fiction, Military Science Fiction, Adventure, Audiobook

416 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

David Drake is an American author of science fiction and fantasy literature. A Vietnam War veteran who has worked as a lawyer, he is now one of the major authors of the military science fiction genre.

Reviews

[Tony Hisgett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having the story told from Officer Olfetrie’s point of view was OK at the start of the book, but I read these books because I enjoy the relationship between Leary and Mundy.

It felt like biting into a Chocolate chip cookie, only to discover there are no chocolate chips. The cookie is OK but it’s still a big disappointment.

In some ways the story could well have been a typical Leary/Mundy adventure, but it’s seeing the story from Leary and Mundy’s point of view, especial Adele’s, that makes this series different than the average run-of-the-mill space opera.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good. I hit the last page and wanted more!

[Howard Brazee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a big fan of David Drake's RCN series. This one is different in that it is written in the POV of someone who is not in the RCN, who gets hired to work with Leary in an action based upon the 2nd Punic wars. (The series bases various books on various real-life age-of-sale incidents).

Drake may have done this so that the POV character could experience the slavery which was a big part of the Barbary pirate economy. At any rate, Leary & Mundy & co. play smaller roles in this book.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do you do to maintain dramatic tension in a series when you established that the main characters of the series are now hyper-competent and have plot armour? You seriously injure supporting characters to make way for new supporting characters you can introduce to kill off, demonstrating how dangerous things still are. Drake has already done that with previous books in the series, so here he shakes it up again. Throughout the previous books, the PoV characters were Leary and Mundy. Here the PoV character is new, and is far from competent, with Leary and Mundy, along with the other supporting characters, playing the mentor role. So the tension gets restored, since we don’t know if the PoV will revert to the the series original PoV characters due to sudden death, and the PoV character isn’t hyper-competent or fully aware of all the secret dealings.
Usual tightly plotted story, great action sequences, with the sense of a wider universe carrying on beyond the immediate perception of the characters.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may be Lt. Leary # 12 but it is really about Roy Olfetrie. Roy wanted to be in the RNC but his father's action changed his life and not in a good way. Knowing Daniel Leary's wife gets him an offer to go with Daniel and crew on a civilian mission. Of course there is more to the mission than meets the eye and Roy gets caught in the middle of it all. There is a saying out of the frying pan and into the fire and Roy's life is just like the saying. Captured and waking up on a tramp freighter, sold as a slave, making a daring escape, rescuing a lovely lady, and then fighting to save a planet keep our hero very busy. Watching Roy's interaction with Mundy and her shadow adds another dimension to those two characters. Another fun book in the series. I hated to get to the end as I was invested in the characters and wanted more of their stories.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

[MAB LongBeach · Rating 4 out of 5]

This twelfth book in the RCN series is told in first person, from the viewpoint of a minor character. Roy Olfetrie dropped out the the naval academy after his father was proven to have defrauded the Cinnabar government, including the Navy. Reduced to penury, a chance encounter gains him a job offer from Captain Leary, as third officer on a ship carrying a group of diplomats to Segantum. Roy throws himself into his new responsibilities, learning a lot about being a spacer, until the Sunray's first landfall. There, his story takes an unexpected turn.

The switch to first person and the change of viewpoint character breathes new life into the series. Roy is an appealing character, a very young man with an unwavering sense of honor and a lot to learn. Recommended.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loosely based on the US intervention with the Barbary pirates, Roy Olfetrie is captured and made a slave. While a captive he makes a strange decision for reasons I couldn't see in the book to rescue the princess Monica 'Smith'. There's rape involved to show how evil the villains are, was that really necessary? Isn't being a slaver or helping slavers evil enough? An OK novel, but a bit cliched in places, it can be read as a standalone.

A better handling of being captured by pirates can be found in the second half of Robert's excellent historical adventure romance, Lydia Bailey.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much different from the previous eleven books in the series in that it's told in first-person by a character new to the narrative who is in the spotlight much more than Mundy and Leary and the familiar supporting cast. I didn't think I'd like it at first, but it grew on me and I ended up enjoying it very much and reading the final third in a single sitting. Drake has been one of my favorites for a very long time.

[Stephen Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different perspective of Leary

Seeing Leary and Mundy though a newcomers eyes was fun. Following how the younger midshipman responded to their trust, wanting their respect and earning it, adds a likable, capable, brave, and innovative young officer for future series stories.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though Hell Should Bar the Way is somewhat an odd duck in the Daniel Leary/Adele Mundy RCN series. It is only book 12 in the series but I'm wondering if author David Drake has decided (as author David Weber did before him) that Leary was just too highly ranked for interesting stories anymore. I have totally loved David Weber's Honor Harrington series. After Honor became an admiral, I think that there were fewer story options open for her adventures.

So, Weber started introducing NEW characters who were just getting started in their military careers. Honor still appears in the books but rarely as the main protagonist (fortunately an Honor as main protagonist book is due to be released soon - book 14 Uncompromising Honor coming October 2018).

Drake's new protagonist is Roy Olfetrie, a Cinnabar citizen who has had a lot of hard luck. Turned out his dad was a crook. After his dad committed suicide, Olfetrie left the Academy instead of returning for his third and final year of training to become an RCN officer. Also, Roy's older brother was a larger than life presence but managed to get killed in action when his starship took a missile hit.

What I like best about Roy is his refreshing honesty. He is aware he is a bad liar (like me, can't really lie his way out of a wet paper sack) so, as much as possible, he sticks with the truth as default.

Roy’s embezzling dad had been a starship chandler (sold needed supplies & equipment for ships & boats). So, Roy grew up understanding the chandler business (and what was a fair price / profit margin, etc.). Both his childhood and his two years at the Academy prepared Roy well for his adventures in this book.

Leary and Mundy do appear in this book, but it is clearly Olfetrie's tale. Which is fine.

So, I wonder if we get another new character/main protagonist in Leary/Mundy RCN series book 13. I'd be happy to see the further adventures of Olfetrie, but I'd be happy to meet a new character, either one.

In any case, I really did enjoy this book. In some ways Olfetrie is like a younger Daniel Leary but in other important ways he is definitely his own man. Again, I'd rather have a new protagonist than for David Drake to suddenly declare that he was done writing this series!!

[Jim Mann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of David Drake's Leary and Mundy series (AKA the RCN series). The description of the series typically calls it military SF, but when I hear that term, I tend to think of SF that's primarily focused on the details of battles. Oh, there are always a few battles in these books, but I tend to view them more as space opera (though I hesitate to try to draw the line between space opera and military SF).

Though Hell Should Bar the Way is a change from the previous books in the series. Those were told in their person, and primarily focused on the two main characters, Daniel Leary and Adele Mundy, much the way Patrick O'Brian's books (the inspiration for Drake's series) concentrate on his two main characters. But his book is told in first person, by a new character, Roy Olfetrie. He's someone who had wanted to be in the RCN, but had to leave the Academy when his father was disgraced for stealing money while doing naval procurement. He gets a chance to be a spacer, though, when Leary, assigned to a civilian mission of escorting diplomatic personnel, taken him on.

But things get complicated when Olfetrie refuses to listen to an ambassador who tries to get him to go against Leary. He's kidnapped, forced to work on a tramp ship which is taken by pirates, and then sold into slavery. But he works his way into a position of trust, then helps a woman imprissoned in the harem, and together they escape, with various adventures along the way. Leary and Mundy are therefore only involved in the story in the first quarter and last quarter of so of the novel.

It was fast, entertaining read, and I was happy to see some of my favorite characters as well as some new ones that I hope to see again in future books.

I recommend this series to fans of space opera and to fans of the novels of Patrick O'Brian.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a different type of book for this series in that it is told from the point-of-view of Roy Olfetrie, a crew member, and Daniel Leary and the usual cast of characters are merely peripheral to the story. An RCN cadet who has to leave the Academy after his father is accused of graft and commits suicide, Roy is at the same stage as Adele after her parents' executions. A with Adele, a chance meeting with Captain Leary changes his life. Roy becomes a crew member of Daniel's ship but has the misfortune to refuse to help someone out to prove Adele and Daniel are spies and ends up being shanghaied and sold as a slave in the far reaches of the galaxy.

How Roy escapes and where his fortunes take him afterward before he finally makes his way back to Daniel and crew makes up the rest of the story. There's still plenty of battle action, but again it's from Roy's point of view. It's a much more exciting one than the usual Leary tale, with more personal and emotional reactions. Daniel, Hogg, Adele, and Tovera appear differently, also, as they are seen through Roy's eyes and not Daniel's. We even learn more about Woetjens because she takes a shine to Roy when he comes aboard.

Makes one wonder what the next novel will be like. Is Roy going to take over as narrator, and if so, does this mean further stories will be about him as the main character? Or will the next entry in the series take us back to the omniscient narrator and the usual way of things?


This novel was purchased by the reviewer and no remuneration was involved in the writing of this review.

[Jaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, I started reading this book last month right before I had to return it to the library. Then I waited almost a month to get it back. Then I finished it in two days. Go figure.
This book uses an unusual conceit: it continues the RCN series featuring Captain Leary and Adele Mundy, but they aren't the viewpoint characters. Instead, that role falls to young Roy Olfetrie. Roy really wanted to join the Navy, but he was kicked out of the Academy after his father got caught stealing from the government (and killed himself). He finds himself hired to ship with Leary and company for a diplomatic mission to the back of beyond aboard the freighter Sunray.
That might have made a decent story, but Drake isn't content to leave things as is. Roy is caught up in a bit of intrigue, and when he won't play along, he's shanghaied off the ship and press-ganged on to another. That ship is raided by pirates, and Roy is sold as a slave to a pirate chief on the planet of Ben Yusuf. He schemes to win his freedom, and rescues a civilian from the planet he left earlier.
This is an adventure tale in the classic mode, featuring pirates, a sea monster (of sorts) and all the usual action and spy stuff that is a hallmark of this series (and even a bit of romance).

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an odd story, based on the Barbary pirates and the Punic Wars as inspiration. The result is a combination of political and military SF, told from a character who has not been part of the main series.
The result is to add fresh viewpoints to an ongoing series, and for the most part this is good. It does make the main characters seem more than a little creepy, though, especially the one who is basically a psycho killer who is marginally under control.
The faster-than-light ships in this Drake series use a fascinating technology, basically sailing into other universes and back in order to bypass the speed of light. This means using what amounts to high-tech sailing ships in deep space for the FTL travel. He's not the only author who has done something like this, but his is more labor intensive than most.
My only concern with this book is that it's not a good jumping-on point for the series, because it could give such a negative impression of the main characters from the regular series. After all, they're sort of in the process of starting a war...with permission from higher authorities, but still...

[Phyllis Griffiths · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Drake has decided to do something different for the twelfth book of the adventures of Lt. Daniel Leary and his partner-in-adventure Mistress Adele Mundy. It is now 10 years that Leary and Mundy have been doing the impossible with skill and luck for the RCN and the Republic of Cinnabar. Once again they are tasked to deal with civilians- transporting a political mission- and once more there is more than just being transport involved.

This time the story is being told through the eyes of a young man who cannot believe his good luck to be hired on as a third lieutenant for Lt.Leary's latest mission when Roy had been forced to drop out of the Academy after his second year after his father was caught with his hand in the Navy's till. All Roy has ever wanted was to be an officer in the RCN and even being hired on as a civilian under Lt.Leary has him feeling conflicted. Leary sees more in the young man than Roy sees in himself.

This is Roy's story. It is a great tale.

Is this book the start of a Learyverse? Possibly.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although set in the RCN universe of Leary and Mundy, the viewpoint character is Roy Olfetrie. Roy was at the RCN Academy until his dad committed suicide due to a deep financial audit of Navy suppliers. Luckly, for Roy, he got hired onto the Sunray as an auxiliary officer by Leary. Their mission was to ferry diplomats to Saguntum, but when did Leary and Mundy do what they are told? Porr Roy get caught in the middle of a dispute between the Foreign Office and Mistress Sands and the Navy. He get shanghaied, captured by pirates, sold as a slave and has to escape. Over the course of these adventures, he manages to win a girl, learn what he is capable of and win a place on the Leary/Mundy team. Who knows what further adventures he might have! Definitely not your standard Leary/Mundy adventure!

[Dave Withe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Homerun, the start of another RCN dynasty

I consider Drake to be the gold standard of Space Opera military fiction. He's one of writers that I try to emulate.

I always wondered what else Leary had lest to do. Since Drake's signature hero and company were in the "happily ever after" (senior. Semi-retired troubleshooter status) of their RCN careers I didn't expect much more from Cinnibar. A loss IMHO.

In Roy O. Drake has created the next generation of Hectoring RCN heroes. A rising young man with a tarnised family and fire in his belly (Leary Jr.?), who is already collecting a dedicated followers and powerful supporters in his own right by the same kind of personal loyalty and dash that made Leary a legend.

I can't wait to see how Drake develops this story arc.

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four and a half stars. I have often commented on the similar style to the Aubrey/Maturin that Drake's RCN series follows. This was an interesting break covering the usual intrigue from a different perspective.

This book focuses on Roy Olfeltrie brought on as a Midshipman. He has a very pragmatic view of life and the happenings around him. Beyond this pragmatism the story unfolds very similar to the early Hornblower books (Midshipman, Lieutenant, Hotspur). I really liked the challenge of seeing Leary, Mundy and the rest of the crew from this fresh perspective. It brought a fresh change to the whole series.

[Henry Lazarus · Rating 3 out of 5]

n the latest RNC tale, Daniel Leary and Adele Mundy are secondary characters. Instead David Drake introduces us to Roy Olfetrie who had to quit the academy when his father committed suicide when his fraud was discovered. After hard times, Roy joins Daniel’s crew as third officer only to be shanghaied and sold into slavery when that ship was captured by pirates. Luckily they put him in charge of the main computer. Roy is prepared to return Though Hell Should Bar the Way (hard from Baen). He also rescues a kidnaped heiress from the Admiral’s harem. Add in some space battles and it’s a fun, exciting read. Review printed by Philadelphia Free Press

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great addition to an already good series! This book has a twist though, because Daniel Leary is only in a small part of the book. Additionally, this book differs becuase it's told in first person as the thoughts & events around a completely new character, Roy Olfetrie. Since he's not an able spacer (can't say more without spoilers) we get to see him grow & change as he must Improvise, Adapt and Overcome more than once! I thoroughly enjoyed seeing both the action of Drake's Space Opera style writing, as well as the ingenuity Roy has to use to handle different situations that he's never faced before. I hope more books feature Roy, plus the gallant crew of Sissies!

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

The RCN Way

An unusual RCN story in that Daniel Leary and Adele Mundy are secondary characters. The true hero is Roylan Afretrie who exhibits the true qualities of command and resourcefulness of the best of the Cinnabar RCN Officer Corps. Author David Drake has produced another great SF Space Opera. Apparently some people were expecting another Leary/Mundy adventure and were not happy with this novel. David Drake says he does not read Amazon reviews as they are toxic in his opinion. Too bad because I liked this novel despite not being the usual Leary/Mundy story. I look forward to whatever David Drake writes as I enjoy his work very much!

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sort of a cookie-cutter overworked cliche with an insipid side-plot romance. Was prepared to give it more stars until 3/4ths of way through when it took a severe decomposing nose dive into repetitious amorphous glop. Nonetheless it proved mostly readable and deserves some attention for its unusual linear progression, lack of jumping around from POV to POV, dearth of lengthy back stories and scarcity of maudlin egotistical introspection, so I applaud the evidently flagging author on that score. Certainly no where near the standard set by this selfsame author in his earliest works. Disappointing, but an okay read.

[Bob · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, heh heh heh, the author got me. I was cruising right along through his books and stopped checking them out before I bought them. It says it's a Lt Leary/RCN book but that's mostly a lie. Drake, as many author's do, ditched the story line about Leary and Mundy and just introduced someone completely new and sold it as the same series. It's not.
Imagine watching star wars but from the viewpoint of some nameless nobody and only hearing, if it's mentioned at all, about the cool stuff the heroes are doing.
I couldn't care less about Olffalafel or whatever his name is. So I got had by not looking into the book before I bought it but not again.

[Robert C Streeter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an interesting twist on the Daniel Leary series - the original main cast taking a back seat to a different perspective for one, and in addition the novel is written in first person instead of third, which proved more distracting than I would have thought.

The main character is distinctly different than Daniel Leary, and provides an interesting new perspective. The format of the previous books was fairly formulaic, and this new style revitalizes the series for me. Looking forward to the next book!

[Nostoppin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth every penny!

Its easy to fall into the Kindle Unlimited world, where it's an all you can eat buffet. David Drake doesn't need that; I've enjoyed this series, and this book is no exception. I wasn't sure how the introduction of a new character would go, but this one is every bit as good as the rest.

The whole premise of interstellar travel as something so......analog, loud, messy, where skill and luck make a difference - is as far from the ordered, spacious decks of the Enterprise as possible. Great swashbuckling fun, I hope you enjoy the series as much as i do

[Greg Jensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but not great..

Love David Drakes books and while this one is good it’s not up to the usual RCN novel standards. The story involves the new 3rd officer recruit and his adventures as he grows and matures as a crew member. The story arc which includes Capt.Leary and Adele Mundy doesn’t move forward in this novel and leaves you a bit wanting. I hope this isn’t an indicator of things to come for the series as I’ve seen other authors do. Which is to bring in new or ancillary characters to draw new plots from while forgetting about the main characters.

[Charlie Moses · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, boy! A new RCN novel! And it's especially new, because we have a new viewpoint character here. I read this book with much enjoyment, because, despite the differences, all the things that make the RCN series so enjoyable were there. And the new hero is not unlike the old one. Not a carbon-copy, mind, or a reset of the series, just a different person who has some similar qualitites. Drake has found a way to give his series a welcome renewal, and this volume has plenty of adventure and derring do to recommend it.

[Kevin Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This new lead character allows us to explore the characters we already know from a fresh perspective and lets the author expand the universe nicely as they are thrust indirectly into a major in universe change. This new character shows respect to the old characters and their accomplishments without coming off as a fan boy and still leaves room to have their own important story. The new character makes plenty of rookie mistakes but takes the time to learn and grow from them. It is a very nice addition to the universe the author has created.

[Clay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different slant on the story than the previous books. It is told from a first-person perspective of a new character to join the crew, Roy Oleftrie. This is a story of his adventures being shanghaied and escaping to find his way back to Leary and the crew. This was certainly a more interesting story than what Leary and Mundy get up to during Roy's absence, but it all plays into the right things happening.

Some romance, some adventure, and (space) pirates make this a rousing read and a good addition to the series.

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Read

It’s very clever that David Drake came up with this idea of changing character focus in this very successful series. Roy is a “salt of the earth” character. A young man from a rich family, his family and reputation destroyed by his father’s reckless embezzlement of RCN funds struggles to find a place in this world, meets Captain Leary, is given a second chance and goes on to prove himself. A very good read.