Richard Fox (7)

Another very good book from David Weber and his associates. Excellent characters, a corrupt government ruled by aristocrats, really bad villains, and a lively storyline extends this author's skills into another series that will hopefully continue. He mines history, British in this case, nicely for prototypes from our world that extend well into the future. The English use of dominion troops in WW2 was particularly egregious. Dropping an Australian Division into Singapore just prior to its show more surrender was a very notable example of their, anyone but us, mentality. Hopefully, the next book is in the works. Talking, thinking velociraptors portend some interesting military challenges ahead. show less

The second book in the Ascent to Empire series by David Weber and Richard Fox chronicles deteriorating conditions in the Terran League. The ruling government is controlled by the 500 -- the richest citizens who control all the industries and much of the wealth -- and they will do anything to hang onto their power and position no matter how reprehensible.

With colony planets out on the Fringe declaring independence, the 500 are determined to show them just who is really in charge with show more extremely brutal tactics including bombing non-compliant planets out of existence. And there is Admiral Terrence Murphy who married into the 500 and who was recently appointed governor of one of the Fringe planets. His failure to stop their secession from the League and his determination to convince them that the Rish, an alien species, is acting to keep the war with the League and the rival Terran Federation at a boil has made him Enemy #1 in the 500.

Murphy believes in the League and is reluctant to believe how far from its ideals it has strayed, but he finds himself the focal point of a revolution as more and more planets secede.

A lot of this episode takes place on Bellerophon which had seceded and asked to join the new Free Worlds Alliance. The 500, with the assistance of their various toadies in the government, has sent General Alaimo to bring the system back into compliance. He had been set aside after atrocities on another planet the 500 wanted to bring into line. This time he has a blanket pardon for any crimes, and he is determined to use it. From strikes from space destroying cities to mass firing squads to torturing individuals for his own sick pleasure, Alaimo runs rampant.

This is excellent space opera. It is, however, the second book in a series which leaves many, many things unresolved. What is resolved is that Terrence Murphy now knows there is no chance of a negotiated settlement of the grievances of the Fringe planets and his determination to fix the League even if he has to bring battle to Earth. show less

Hmm. Not one of his best... The first third of the book reads like a late Honor book - heavy on the politics and corrupt politicians and capitalists, mixed with lots of battle-by-the-numbers, pages of accelerations and vectors and blah. Oh, and plots - by the bad guys and the good guys and everyone in between; everyone is lying to almost everyone else. A bit before the halfway mark - at the Silver Tree - the story finally gelled and became interesting. Lots more battles, but now I knew who show more was in them and cared what happened (I still skimmed the numbers, as always, they're not worth the effort to me). And the Council has quite thoroughly shot themselves, and possibly the Federation, in the foot - the end is not exactly a cliffhanger, but the story is nowhere near resolved. I'll probably read the whole series, but I doubt I'll bother to reread unless it gets a lot better. It's too grim for good fluff and too convoluted for me to really enjoy the story.
Oh - and if this really is the Fury universe, it's a lot of years or a lot of light-years away. The tech is the same(ish, anyway), the conflict between the Heartworlds and the Fringe is similar... But Alicia was living in an Empire that was dealing with pirates and raiders; here we have a Federation and a League locked in an extended war for decades. I don't see how either could turn into the other - and if one is that much later, the tech should have improved a bit! - but it seems unlikely there would be another human polity, in contact with the Rish, and with the same Heart vs Fringe conflict. Maybe there will be an explanation later, but as is it's pretty weak. show less

David Weber and Richard Fox are old hands at military space opera. In their universes, battles in space are more like naval battles than air battles. Spacecraft are armored and fire broadsides of missiles at each other. The tactics resemble those of the Napoleonic wars and the Pacific theater in the 1940s. You know there is going to be an impressive shootout at the end. Their challenge is plausibly increasing the speeds and number of missiles from series to series.

Their plots also have a show more standard model. In Governor, the first volume of Ascent to Empire, the model comes from Weber’s On Basilisk Station, the first Honor Harrington novel. A corrupt leader is being replaced near the intersection of two hostile powers, in this case, the Terran Federation and the Terran League.

Sadly, Governor does not provide us with a new version of the tree cat, but it does offer a good father-son story. Young Callum is pulled away from his well-planned life to test his mettle in combat as a lieutenant in his father’s fleet.

Yes, it is all standard stuff, but is it entertaining? You bet. Weber and Fox are pros. show less