The Shadow of Saganami

Rating:
Summary: astoundingly good, esp. compared to recent Weber novels
Review: David Weber can write a great naval war story when he really tries to. This is one of the very best Weber novels I have ever read. The key element is that he has freed himself from the conventions which have dragged down the recent crop of Honor Harrington books.

First, and most importantly, there is no Honor Harrington. In one blow he solves his biggest problem -- Manticore characterization. No longer are all Maniticore characters either spineless bigots or honorable Honor-worshippers. They are free to be three-dimensional characters, with strengths and weaknesses that are completely unrelated to whether or not they are politically aligned with Honor Harrington.

Some of the stock villains remain -- the weak self-serving politicians, the evil and ruthless slavemasters, and even a shipload or two of former Saint-Just StateSec baddies. But even here Weber has partially restrained himself from resorting to the extreme caricatures of novels like FIELD OF DISHONOR.

Next, he has improved his pacing and cut down (somewhat) on the tiresome pages of dialog where various characters explain star system politics to each other. There are still some examples of this, but it is nowhere near as bad as ASHES OF VICTORY or WAR OF HONOR.

Most importantly, he has returned to his primary strength -- writing about the trials and tests of an honorable officer on a independent detached mission. He clearly communicates the intelligence, honesty, and courage required when making the wrong decision (or even the right one!) is going to result in loss of life.

Honor Harrington simply evolved into a character that Weber is not very good at writing about. When that happened to Horatio Hornblower, Forester's response was to go back to Hornblower's early years. Weber has done some of that as well, writing a few short stories in his "Worlds of Honor" series. But unlike Forester, Weber also controls the overall history of the universe he writes about, and he seems to have some plan for where it is going. Because of this, retreating to tales of Ms. Midshipman Harrington is not as attractive to him.

His answer is to go back to the roots of the "Honorverse" with a story about a cruiser captain and crew who do what they have to do because they are the only ones able to do it. The reward for making that decision is a very good novel, the best one Weber has published in several years.

Rating:
Summary: A great spin-off series.
Review: David Weber makes the introduction of a new band of characters in his latest spin-off series from his masterpiece the Honor Herrington series. Weber once again revisits the role of the single star-ship captain. Much as in the days of the sailing navy when frigates patrolled the seas and made port calls at distant colonial holdings, so does the captain of a solo starship.

In this new series Weber takes a brake from the Manticorian-Peep conflict, instead telling a story of a captain haunted by the past and a young tough crew facing off against the shadowy maneuverings of an old and unpleasant enemy. This series takes far from the boarders of Manticore so it brings home once again the flavor of the old sailing days when a captain was a captain-under-God (This is the say the captain was the highest ranking authority till the ship got home).

The Crew of the "Nasty Kitty" as the HMS Hexapuma is affectionately known is a mix of a few (Ginger Lewis, Aubrey Wanderman, Helen Zilwicki and Abigail Hearns) familiar faces and many new and fresh characters to know and love. Tasked with bringing a new cluster of planets into the Manticorian Star Kingdome, a haunted captain and his crew will show once again why the RMN is the best in the galaxy!


Rating:
Summary: David Weber's Best Honorverse Novel
Review: David Weber's "The Shadow of Saganami" can be regarded by his fans as an indirect sequel to last year's "Crown of Slaves" and the novella "The Service of the Sword", which introduced us to Captain Michael Oversteegen and Grayson naval officer Abigail Hearns, both potential heirs to Honor Harrington's sterling naval career. In "The Shadow of Saganami", we meet another no-nonsense Royal Manticoran Navy heavy cruiser skipper, Captain Aivars Terekhov, a war-weary veteran of the last war against the People's Republic of Haven (Peeps), which left him both psychologically and physically scarred after enduring months of imprisonment at a penal colony governed by StateSec, the Peeps' dreaded Gestapo. Newly promoted lieutenant junior grade Abigail Hearns joins Captain Terekhov and four midshipman from Saganami Island, the Royal Manticoran Navy's military academy as part of the crew of newly commissioned Saganami-C heavy cruiser HMS Hexapuma.

While the Manticoran Alliance is losing its war against the newly rejuvenated Republic of Haven (despite assistance from an erstwhile foe, and new ally, the Andermanni Empire), Captain Terekhov and his crew are ordered on a routine "show the flag" mission to the remote Talbott Cluster, where many of its solar systems have voted to join the Star Kingdom of Manticore. However, this mission proves to be far from routine, when HMS Hexapuma and its crew must contend with pirates (rogue elements of StateSec who fled following Admiral Theisman's coup against Saint-Just's dictatorship), Mesan slavers and Solarian League Navy officers and especially, the Solarian League's infamous Office of Frontier Security, who are interested in preventing the Talbott Cluster's annexation by the Star Kingdom of Manticore.

Weber offers several riveting new characters, most notably Midshipwoman Helen Zilwicki, the daughter and sister of the Zilwickis featured in "Crown of Slaves". He also excels again in writing great space battles. But perhaps best of all, he has written his best novel in the Honorverse series, offering us both compelling characters and a saga which emphasizes duty, loyalty and honor. Without question, I can suppose that the "Honorverse" may not only endure, but indeed, thrive, as Weber recounts the future exploits of Abigail Hearns and Helen Zilwicki.

Rating:
Summary: Weber Has Lost It--At Least For Now
Review: From the time I discovered the first two David Weber-Honor Harrington novels (all that were published at the time) he became one of my favorite sf authors and the Honor books one of my favorite series. Each newbook was a delight to read, if not better than the one before, than at least as good. I even liked his fantasy series that began with THE WAR GOD'S OWN.

However, when we reached the last Honor book, WAR OF HONOR, I began to have qualms. While adequate, I found it overly long and I thought the defeat of the Peeps was wrapped up rather clumsily.

Then came CROWN OF SLAVES, the first book set in the Honorverse "co-written" by another author (Eric Flint). I was willing to give Flint a try but the book was also long, dull, with little action and much endless dialogue and exposition about the increasingly complex diplomatic and political situation and populated with characters I found unbelievable, silly and for whose fate I gave not a damn. I abandoned it after a 100 pages.

Well, I thought, since the actual writing in that case was almost certainly done almost entirely by Flint, maybe it wasn't Weber's fault. So I still had hopes for the first new Weber Honorverse book, SHADOW OF SAGANAMI.

Unfortunately, they were quickly dashed. If you love endless discussions of political intrigues and the formation and dismemberment of diplomatic alliances, you'll adore this volume, the kind of book that once you put it down, you can't pick it up again! If you want the kind of good rousing "Hornblower in space" yarn that Weber used to excel at, forget it. You won't find it here.

It's sadly true that some authors, once they have built up a sufficient fan base to guarantee a certain level of sales with each new book, tend to go on autopilot and write routine tales with routine plots and routine characters. I'm sorry to say that this appears to be the case here. Pity.

P.S. - I almost forgot to mention Weber's other collaboration, this time with John Ringo on the "March" series about the Imperial prince marooned on an alien planet having to fight his way home. Also pedestrian stuff, but still better than SAGANAMI.

Rating:
Summary: Christmas vacation in the Talbott Cluster
Review: I just spent my Christmas vacation in the Talbott Cluster and the trip was a delight!

Weber's newest book in the Honor Harrington universe came just in time to make my vacation a five-star experience.

I agree with another reviewer that the mix of the politics and the space battles were not quite right. More battles would have generated more stars.

At the half-way point I found and thankfully used the directory of characters in the back of the book. I wish I had found it earlier in the 700+ pages.

Hardcore Weber fans have probably already purhcased this book in hardcover. If you somehow missed it this is a great investment. You won't be disappointed.

Now that I am done with the book I am back from the Talbott Cluster and I am back at work. (sigh) On the bright side I have another Weber I can reread!



Rating:
Summary: The saga continues
Review: I thought the Sganami book started strong in the first chapter but then it digressed to bring us up to date on all these new characters and bogged down. The captain should have been fleshed out more strongly initially. After mucking around for the first half of the book it finally found its pace. The book finished strong. I await the next in this new series but it is about as strong as In Enemy Hands or War of Honor.

Not first tier but enjoyable.

Rating:
Summary: Harrington: The Next Gen
Review: If there is a current master of the military space opera, it has to be David Weber, hands down. Now he has taken his characters and done a "next-gen" version, and like the trek series, there are still a few problems to be shaken out. Not surprising when you leave old and familiar characters you know as well or better than you know yourself, and head into new territory. That is the only reason I don't give this one five full stars. All props to Weber for taking the step, though! And this is a keeper.

Rating:
Summary: Good story that falls short with the focus of the plot
Review: Shadow of Saganami returns David Weber to the Honor Harrington Universe, finally, without a co-author.

Weber is an artist when describing single ship action and I feel a part of the crew as the take the new Hexapuma on her maiden voyage in a remote but volatile Star system.

Weber jumps the story perspective between enemies and I feel it takes away from journeying with the new midshipmen on the Hexapuma. I would rather he focus on the perspective of the ship as opposed to the galaxy on a whole as he did in the earlier Honor books.

Weber's writing remains top notch and it was definitely a page turner the dialogue and ship to ship combat exceptional.

I hope his next books sharpen their focus on the midshipmen, now ensigns as they progress in their careers.

A definite read, but not his best.

I felt his description,as narrated by Helen Zilwicki, of the events in the Crown of Slaves much more interesting then the book itself.

I hope he continues this series and I am eagerly awaiting the next installment.

Rating:
Summary: Phenomenon? I don't think so.
Review: The dust-jacket for this one describes David Weber as "Undeniably the Science Fiction Phenomenon of the decade." After reading all of Mr. Weber's most recent novels, I hardly think so.

This novel was not up to the best that Mr. Weber can do, but I still enjoyed it. The character development was excellent, but I don't think it focused enough on the right characters. By the end of the story, I felt cheated. We'd invested so much into a few important characters just to have them fizzle out. By the time next book that involves these characters comes out, I'll have entirely forgotten about them and we'll have to re-do the whole getting to know them thing.

The other thing that I wish Mr. Weber would "fix" is the mix of diplomacy vs. battle. In previous books, I thought this was masterfully handled. In Shadow of Saganami, it felt as if neither fit well with the other.

I'm looking forward to more, but I've started using my library card instead of my charge card for this universe.

Rating:
Summary: A fantastic sf tale
Review: While war rages between the Star Kingdom of Manticore and the Republic of Haven in another sector, the Talbott Cluster has voted to join the former. As a show of diplomatic unity, flag-raising, and military strength, the heavy cruiser HMS Hexapuma journeys to this remote sector. Though Captain Terekov is a weary war hero, much of the crew remains untested as recent graduates from the Saganami Island Royal Naval Academy.

However, the simple show of strength turns dangerous as an alliance has sprung up abetting local terrorists opposed to joining the Star Kingdom. Apparently a pact to destroy Manticore has been agreed to by the Manpower slaveholders, the genetic slavers of the kingdoms of Mesa and Monica, and the Solarian League bureaucracy. The crew of the Hexapuma is all that stands in the way of a rear attack on the Star Kingdom, but how will this untested crew stand up when brothers and sisters in arms start dying?

THE SHADOW OF SAGANAMI may be military science fiction great David Weber's best tale in the Honorverse as he shows war from various perspectives mostly from five newcomers. The audience can taste the excitement and fear that death stalks anyone and everyone and no one is immune. The rookie warriors will learn honor comes from the long tradition of those who previously served and in some cases died doing their military duty irregardless of mission for their kingdom. Mr. Weber provides an action packed tale with a fully developed multiple cast that lives up to the values of today's American army (Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless-Service, Honor, Integrity and Personal Courage)


Harriet Klausner