Really. If ever you wanted an example of a series which has become bloated and pointless, this would probably be it.
The series started out well enough. Light American mil-SF, vaguely in the style of Hornblower, complete with a boringly perfect heroine, inventor of every worthwhile tactic in her systems war with their nasty oppressive commie-French neighbours. Oh yes, and has a telepathic cat.
Still, fun enough, if not in the least bit demanding, as she captains a light cruiser, a heavy cruiser, a battlecruiser, etc etc. By this point, about 15 books (depending on just how you count it) in she's Admiral-of-the-Fleet in two different navies, high ranking nobility on several planets, and has a whole tribe of telepathic kittehs. And. The. Whole. Thing. Has. Bogged. Down. So. Badly.
A few of books back the sinister manipulators who set up the original war started to emerge from the shadows, as they tried to set up an even bigger war with the huge, but out of shape, corrupt superpower in the area. Last book the Frenchies worked out that they'd been manipulated into war and declared peace, even offering to help deal with the fleet at that point bearing down on plucky little Manticore.
So here we are. Another hefty tome. A huge battle, even huger than the last huge battle. One that you knew was coming, and it did, about 70% of the way through the book. And guess what? The good guys, the ones who've been fighting a war for the last 20 years turn out to be as 'better' than the bloated corrupt types who've not fought anybody in 200 years as you'd expect.
So, several hundred thousand missiles later the dust settles, and one sides ships are unscratched. And the others aren't there any more.
That's the big event. Hundreds of pages in the inevitable has happened.
So what else is in the book? The sinister manipulators twirl their mustachios a lot. The corrupt bureaucrats act complacent and smug a lot. The shifty local governor who's been assembling a fleet so that he can hive off a little empire, just for himself continues to do so, as he has been for about five books now, without committing himself to anything. Everybody carries on doing the things they do. No surprises. Even the tactic employed at the big walk over battle is one that's been the key to the climactic battles in 3 of the 4 last books.
Fortunately, I need not say 'don't bother'. That it's the 15th of a series is enough to deter any sane person.
1 comment:
Oh god not another Honor Harrington? I think I may have read this one. I'm not sure, the last few have all blurred into each other. Have you tried the collections of short stories set in the same universe, though? Some of them can be quite good.
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