PissWeakly Reviews: Shadow of Victory / David Weber

Saturday, May 5, 2018

Shadow of Victory / David Weber

Shadow of Victory

(Honorverse #15)

(or possibly Honor Harrington et al #26)

by David Weber

military science fiction, fansonly

read (partly) in May 2017

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

"Honorverse", I thought. I enjoyed Honor Harrington books, this should be okay. Until I realise, this may be the universe of HH -- but she has been killed, a year before the setting for this book. Oh.

It's still an interesting universe. Complex, well developed, good characters. Unfortunately I have no idea who these characters are. Nor where -- on which planet -- they are operating. Worse yet, I have no idea if any of them are "goodies".

There are certainly baddies. At least two planets with potential rebellions against evil rulers. There are some people on a spaceship who seem to be goodies -- but I can't be sure. These possible goodies have, by page 143, had short shrift in terms of dedicated words... That is, many chapters developing rebels and baddies, just one (or two?) for the goodies. And, since I am not really sure that they *are* goodies -- I find it very difficult to support them.

Worse yet, each faction has a dozen or more supporters. Sometimes in a large staff meeting, sometimes in several clandestine meetings. All very confusing. Especially since I have met none of them before.

This is a book for the fans. If you have been following the story-so-far, this is probably a fascinating and exciting development. Fascinating, exciting and complex, in a very complex universe.

I prefer my books to stand alone. Even as part of a series, some authors manage to write books which do not require all earlier books to have been read. Not that this "just a chapter in the saga" approach is bad! But it makes it very difficult to read just this book.

I've enjoyed what I have read (about 12% of the book) but I am still, totally, uninvolved.

If you are a series fan, read and enjoy. If you are not up-to-date with earlier books in this series -- go back and start reading somewhere earlier in the series. Bearing in mind that there appears to be fourteen earlier books in this particular series. And another eleven books which develop these same universe.

Hard to read, still interesting, not be be read without serious pre-reading.

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28feb20: I pick up this book, start reading... and quickly realise that yes, I have read it before. It's confusing, so I go back to this review to see what I thought on the first reading. See if it's worth re-reading... all 1,000-plus pages of it.

Oh, on the first attempt I reached only page 143, not a good sign. Still, I enjoy the wow-so-macho first chapter so... I restart my reading at page 143. And give up again.

I recognise these characters from my first reading, I think that they are goodies. They even mention the Mr Macho from the start of the book -- I've been wondering what happened to him. Then they continue ship repairs that are required after -- I guess -- action in the previous book.

A ship's captain goes off to meet... someone. I suspect that I could get to like the captain and crew of this ship. I suspect they are the goodies. I also suspect that they are part of a major military organisation which is less good.

That's a theme that I've found before, in the little that I've read of this book: good people working for corrupt organisations. It's a good theme. Yet it makes it very hard -- without having read earlier books -- to have any idea of what's really happening.

This is probably an enjoyable book -- if you enjoy military science fiction -- and if you have read all previous books in the series. Still too confusing to read by itself. I stop reading.