On Basilisk Station by David Weber

[Whitney]

I'm still on chapter one as I could actually give a beep beep beep about these beeping cats. This is not exciting to me lets get to the battle!!!

[Kirsten]

I only remember one cat in OBS.

[Al]

R. Michael wrote: "One of Webers trademarks is his datadumps, Long passages where he explains some aspect of his story is extensive detail. It turns some people off ...."

I'm not done yet (but close) and I agree wholeheartedly. Especially when one pops up in the middle of a space chase. I don't give a damned about how the Warshouskly (sp?) drive works, nor the history of it's development. And I'm equally certain the author hasn't a clue either.

I've always hated the long pseudo-science "explanation" that so many authors USED to indulge in. Thank God, that most modern authors just have Captain Flash jump into his inter-space speedster, turn the key, and jamb the speed peddle to the floor as he pursues the bad guy across the galaxy.

Info-dumps are the mark of a rookie and the one near the opening almost made me put the book aside. I'm glad I didn't, because this kid has raw story-telling talent. Aside from the dumps, he moves a story along and his battle scenes are tremendous! He has great character development as well, and his publisher cleaned up his ms quite well (almost no typos).

[Kirsten]

I have to agree in general about "info dumps". However, I like the way he put these in. And, on the good side, there aren't as many in future books.

[Kirsten]

I'm up to book #6 Judy. Just downloaded it & the audio version.

[Whitney]

well the one cat is making my mind wonder around and i cant concentrate.

[Al]

Chakara wrote: "I'm still on chapter one as I could actually give a beep beep beep about these beeping cats. This is not exciting to me lets get to the battle!!!"

I hated that one also. Have faith, it gets better (but 'ware the info-dump near the end, less you fall asleep). There was another time I fell asleep in the story, but I can't remember where. Still, a great yarn overall.

[Betsy]

Just finished. That really gets the adrenaline flowing, and the the tears. I really enjoyed it, as I did the first four times. I even like the info dumps. His "explanations" may be as much fiction as the rest of the story, but it makes it seem more real to me. The author has spent a lot of time and effort constructing a realistic complex universe, which keeps me coming back again and again.

One reason I like re-reads is noticing when secondary characters are introduced. I'd forgotten that Honor first meets Paul Tankersley in OBS. And that Peep "Intelligence Admiral" who dresses the consul down after the explosion of the lab, but who is never named, could that be St. Juste? or maybe what's his name? Victor Cachat's boss and mentor? Kevin something?

Of course, now I want to continue with the rest of the series, which will really destroy my TBR shelves. I'll never catch up.

[Whitney]

I finally got to chapter two and I am going to try to read that chapter tonight. Around what chapter does it actually pick up. I don't think I would mind the slow build if it was actually building but its just not adding anything to the world he's using vocab that there is no way I would know and not even explaining it but yet I now know all about those stupid cats. That information better come in handy.

[Jack]

Takes a bit. But once the political machinations REALLY kick in, and the tension to the showdown begins, it gets pretty intense.

[Niels]

I'm actually curious to know if that cat is going to be anything else than a damn nuisiance...
I mean: it's all fun and games to have a psychic link to your pet, but if the communication only go one way making the critter screw up your attempts at maintaining a professional facade, I don't see why the fleet should allow it or why you would want to let it out of your cabin at all

[Kirsten]

Niels wrote: "I'm actually curious to know if that cat is going to be anything else than a damn nuisiance...
I mean: it's all fun and games to have a psychic link to your pet, but if the communication only go on..."

I think they go into it in the first book that the communication goes both ways and that it is uncomfortable on both parts to be separated. But, yes, in future books he takes a bigger role.

[Kirsten]

I actually never found the cat too annoying. I'm sort of amused at all the hate he's getting. (Jar-Jar he ain't)

[Niels]

Ok cool :)

[Jessica]

I LOVE TREECATS ! ! !

[Whitney]

I don't have a particular problem with real cats though with my eczema I may be allergic to them. However I really dislike this stupid cat he's still getting on my nerves in to the second chapter.

[Fiannawolf]

Wait til you see what Mr. "I look so harmless" cat does in the 2nd book.

[Leonie]

Jeffrey wrote: "I LOVE TREECATS ! ! ! "

Me too :)

[MadProfessah]

I finished the first Honor Harrington book and was impressed by her but not so much by the scenario of the books.

[Al]

I'm done. Mixed reaction.

The info-dumps put me off and the tree cat was an unfulfilled "promise" that it was going to be important somewhere in the story. Did like the overall yarn and the character development.

Gave it 4 stars in my review on the strength of the character development and story.

[Niels]

Yeah, I'd call (view spoiler)[stuffing it into a life-boat capsule (hide spoiler)] unfulfilled potential...

[Steph]

I read this a while back and I admit it took me a while to get into it. Weber seems to revel in the bad practices frowned upon by the Turkey City Lexicon yet still produces a damn good story. The ending ((view spoiler)[the epic chase and battle between the two ships (hide spoiler)]) is not far short of awesome. I plan to read others in the series.

[Niels]

Finished it a couple of days ago, good yarn, going to continue with the series, review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Interestin aside: I was actually reading the fantasy Wise man's fears before I started on Basilisk, and now it feel so long-winded and semi-boring by comparison :/
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

[Jessica]

I read this book a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it once I got past all of the initial stuff. What gave me the most problems was the political discussions. I was kind of dazed and bored (board?) by it. Absolutely loved the battle at the end.

[Niels]

Bored ;)

I kinda feel the same way about the political intrigues... it has SO much potential, but being so person-based, it's hard to keep track on who's lord of the green and lady of the what

There's a wiki online that may help: http://honorverse.wikia.com/wiki/Main...

[Ruth]

One of my favorite series and characters. Honor rocks!

[Whitney]

I'm going to look at the wiki even if it spoils me maybe it will tell me something that I find interesting and inspire me to read this book. I am behind on my Space Opera challenge now. With my netflix being off I can't finish my rewatch of "All The Star Trek (Except for the TOS because I really hate Kirk :))" So I was looking for something kind of different but the same.

[Kathleen]

This is the book that turned me on to space opera.

[R.]

I've come to this a little late (I ended up in the ER after, well it doesn't matter....) and started reading in hospital afterwards.

My initial reaction is that there's an awful lot of infodump about the drive and the grav lance before we get into the action.

However I'm beginning to empathise with Honor, and I love the cat as well.

[Whitney]

R. wrote: "I've come to this a little late (I ended up in the ER after, well it doesn't matter....) and started reading in hospital afterwards.

My initial reaction is that there's an awful lot of infodump ab..."

Honor seems cold to me and for no reason that I can tell at this moment.

[Kathleen]

Chakara wrote: Honor seems cold to me and for no reason that I can tell at this moment.

Honor is young and has some baggage. Her character development is one of the best parts of the series. Hang in there, it's a great series!

[Jen]

Whenever I read OBS, I wonder how much Weber was thinking ahead to the next books, and how far. There is an awful lot of world building for such a short book - the politics, the weaponry, the wormhole junctions, the treecats... But I enjoyed it all from the first, and even more so now with the rest of the series to fill out the premise.

It's not my favorite book of the series - the characterization is a little too simplistic for my tastes. But it has a finely tuned plot and is (for Weber) quite economical with the infodumps.

Someone asked earlier about weapons systems. This is actually a key element throughout the series - how tactics need to adjust to changes in technology. Manticore is rich because of the wormhole junction (and an effective tax system), which leads to a huge technological edge. This leads in OBS to the upgraded grav lance foisted on Honor, and later to dozens of other changes in ship design, weaponry, and communication. OTOH, Haven is hovering on the brink of bankruptcy because of bloat and unwise tax policy, but they have an overwhelming numerical edge. So their tactics tend to focus on trying to set up mismatches. In the Honorverse, the politics and weapons are inicstricably combined. That's one of the things I find so interesting about the series.

[Mervi]

This was my first Weber book. Even though it suffered from info dumps, I ended up enjoying the book. The final battle was epic (despite the weird detour into Warhawski drive and its history in the middle of it) but the motivations made it kinda pointless.

[John]

I read this book a little while back ago. I really liked it then and even though I've read a lot more since then it is still a great read in my mind now.

[Brandon]

I tried reading this one time, and I gave up soon after the first battle with Honor using her tactical ability to make up for the shortcomings of her armament. I was not excited or intrigued by what I read. Looking at some other Weber book previews on Amazon, I may just not like his writing style.

[Kirsten]

Chakara wrote: "I'm going to look at the wiki even if it spoils me maybe it will tell me something that I find interesting and inspire me to read this book. I am behind on my Space Opera challenge now. With my net..."

I'm the opposite. I can't stand TNG - it's the Data and Picard Show. Kirk, Spock, McCoy, & Scotty - they're for me!

[Kirsten]

Brandon wrote: "I tried reading this one time, and I gave up soon after the first battle with Honor using her tactical ability to make up for the shortcomings of her armament. I was not excited or intrigued by wha..."

THat's too bad - I loved it!

I like the ensemble cast, the world building of all the different worlds, the political intrigue. The so-called "data dumps" are done nicely for me.

It's a lot better and a lot more enjoyable IMHO than some "hard" sci-fi where the technology, science, and physics is more important than plot.

[Anna]

Heh-heh...
Heh-heh...

I just sideloaded my copy of this ebook onto all 3 of my kid's Nooks...

Oh, look! A space cat!

Heh-heh...
Heh-heh...

[*Assimilate, indoctrinate, inculcate...we are the sci-fi collective...*]

[Jessica]

The info dumps didn'r really bother me. It was all the politics. It isn't thet I hate politics; I just have trouble following political thinking. I still gave it 5 stars, though. I love the story, the characters, the space battles and even the tree cat from another planet.

[Kirsten]

I love a little political intrigue and machinations in a book.

[Jack]

Good thing there's more than a little in Weber's novels!

[Kirsten]

But it's part of a bigger whole. It shows the differences between the worlds and the governments and conflicts them with the militaries. Without the politics, it removes something from the series, it sanitizes it in a way.

Like the difference between Star Trek and Babylon 5.

[Jack]

I like how the Republic of Haven changes throughout the series. They start pretty dastardly and heavy-handed, but definitely undergo some serious social and political changes during the novels.

[Jack]

And the political changes on Grayson are interesting as well.

[John]

Anna wrote: "Heh-heh...
Heh-heh...

I just sideloaded my copy of this ebook onto all 3 of my kid's Nooks...

Oh, look! A space cat!

Heh-heh...
Heh-heh...

[*Assimilate, indoctrinate, inculcate...we are the sci..."


Lol! I like your style. :D

[Anna]

John wrote: "Lol! I like your style. :D..."

Gotta keep the sparkly vampires at bay somehow... 3:-)

[Niels]

One of the things I really liked about these books (I'm on the sequel right now) is the fact that the antagonists are so unpredictable, cheating each other and stuff.

It may get a bit annoying in the long run, though, if infigthing and incompetence is the only trick Weber have to give Honor a chance to win against all odds.

[Betsy]

Niels wrote: "It may get a bit annoying in the long run, though, if infigthing and incompetence is the only trick Weber have to give Honor a chance to win against all odds.."

It's not. Some of my favorite characters in later books are adversaries who are very competent, just not as good as the Manties. Of course when you're talking about politics and government, you're always going to have infighting and incompetence.

That's one of the things I like about this series. The bad guys are not 100% bad and the good guys are not 100% good. They're more like real people and the world is more like the real world.

[Fiannawolf]

I eventually came to care for many people on the "Peep" side. Plus in later books...well...lot of that govt crazytimes will be explained. You'll be cheering like I was when certain things are learned and Queen Liz, Honor, Cats, Graysons and crew really lazer in on the real threat.

[Jack]

Amen! Especially the tach witch....she's my favorite "peep".