this post was submitted on 28 May 2024
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Science Fiction

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Lemmy World Rules

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...maybe a little too on the nose with channeling Horatio Hornblower and Jack Aubrey, there's some truly problematic stuff with the native Medusans that goes all but uncommented upon, there's some reactionary politics that may just be de rigeur for 20th century military sci-fi (I don't know... would be happy to be educated), and the characterizations are almost beside the point, I guess.

On the plus side, the world-building is starting out pretty meticulous in a satisfying way (except for Manticoran dates, which is there for good in-universe reasons, but Weber seems to be using it to be the one ongoing reminder that this the distant future and not exactly England in Space), there's a nice hyper-competence problem-solving ship's crew vibe that will feel familiar to Star Trek fans, and the descriptions of actual shipboard action are very engrossing. Stylistically, there's nothing to write home about, but it's clear prose and allowing for the aforementioned weak characterizations, there's nothing egregious either.

I am cautiously optimistic going forward, and if you had the budget (or could get an animated series greenlit), it seems to me that the universe and Honor herself could be spruced up and modernized into a really compelling space opera franchise that would be well-paced for TV.

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[–] rhacer@lemmy.world 0 points 2 months ago

I have read through book 10 twice. I have listened through book 10 once (currently half way through).

While I love Horatio Hornblower, I love Honor more.

I do not read science fiction. It's just not my thing, but when War of Honor was published, Baen published it with a CD of all the prior books bound into the cover. I thought this was a cool thing to do and wanted to support it, so bought the book with no intention of actually reading it.

Well that plan didn't work out.

You'll discover as you get deeper into the series that even Honor knows she's literarily related to Hornblower.