Funtlab recommended the series about Victoria Harrington to me for so long and persistently that I began to have certain hopes for the fascination of this space opera. Some expectations were met, but not all. First, to my great chagrin, I accidentally read the summary. For many years now I have carefully avoided these hotbeds of spoilers, preferring to understand the plot intricacies on my own. In this case, my preconceptions were perfectly reinforced, since here this constant inhabitant of the back cover directly reveals the overall structure of the novel.
After muttering a couple of curses to myself, I moved on to the main text and ran into a description of boring political games. Then the author shamelessly tries (and in fact achieves his goal, you bastard!) to touch the reader with a six-legged tree cat weighing ten kilos. And then we finally meet the main character of this novel and the entire series named after herself - Victoria Harrington. And we spend a long time admiring her personality, biography, and even her reflection in the polished wall of the capsule. Ah, those “chocolate eyes” mentioned throughout the text, for the euphonious naming of which we should thank either the translator or the editor! Immediately upon arrival on board, the first officer is already looking at the newly-made captain. And then such co-habitation and kindergarten insults begin that I had to stop reading for a couple of seconds to remember whether the author really has a beard. People like that don't get hired as astronauts!
Afterwards the plot goes on as usual, slowing down at such obligatory stopping points as description general position affairs in politics and government, the naval hierarchy, the structure of ships and local tricks to overcome the light barrier. Sometimes we even see what is happening in the enemy camp. If it weren’t for all this, I would have been the first to throw the slipper with the pom-pom towards the author, but how tedious it was to read the endless descriptions! Perhaps twenty-odd years ago it was stylish, fashionable and youthful, but now it looks like nothing more than a standard disposition with a minimum of distinctive features. The presented world noticeably lacks depth and meat on the bones, everything is sleek and unified, like Lego elements: “our” kingdom, and “not our” republic, and the local non-humanoid race... The parts fit together easily and freely, creating a banal interstellar conflict, the outcome of which can easily be predicted from the annotation.
The characters also do not contribute to the revitalization of the book universe. For these one-dimensional creatures, even the epithet “cardboard” is a compliment. The image of Victoria herself, although slightly more textured compared to everyone else, is nevertheless an artificially created construct of mutually exclusive personality traits: she is strong, but noble; beautiful, but doesn't know it; cannot add a couple of two-digit numbers in his head, but can lay out the most complex courses by eye and has an intuitive talent in mathematics; self-confident but modest; and simply a genius of tactics, strategy and management. In total, we get the most boring heroine, who simply has no room to grow, she already knows everything, can do everything, and even as she approaches, she sees through all the pitiful attempts of her enemies to harm the crown. I stubbornly associate such types with the jagged half of the puzzle, which fits perfectly with the second - the plot obstacle course that must be overcome on the way to the finale. Crack! And everything fell into place perfectly! Unfortunately, in this ingenious device there was no room for such little things as lively impulse and at least some character development.
Despite all the above grumbling, I enjoyed reading the book. Lately I’ve been reading everything except science fiction itself, and therefore I’ve simply missed the fantasies that are dear to my heart, tired of gloomy realism. I really wanted to enjoy the sounds of pew-pew-pew in the vacuum of space, and that’s exactly what I got. David Weber even surprised me a little with the final battle, because from a certain moment I began to suspect that the crew of the Fearless KEV would emerge from all troubles only a little dusty. There is also a slight imperial pathos and a pleasant feeling team game, although at the very end I was a little short of savoring the triumph. Having tripped over heavy descriptions a couple of times, the plot flies forward, allowing you to immerse yourself in the book and forget about all your worries for a couple of hours. I regret a little that I got to the series only now; a few years ago I would have liked it much more.
Rating: 7
Call me a chauvinist, but I don’t like books with female protagonists. Because female heroines (especially those written by women) often act like complete fools in critical situations, waving their individuality like a battle flag. They do crap, citing the fact that “I’m a woman, I feel this way,” and then they get away with it. Forgive me, but such things annoy me, if a hero behaves like an idiot, his survival rate must tend to zero, without any excuses. It is for this reason that I did not want to take on the series about Honor Harrington, because the main character is a female captain of a battle cruiser (sic!). I read it out of nothing to do, and was pleasantly surprised! As the character in the film DMB said: “Military is a sexual orientation.” And in this sense, Honor is quite a military man - cold-blooded, disciplined, sets priorities very clearly, does not stick out personal things, and generally behaves as befits the captain of His Majesty’s cruiser. Everything related to army structures is shown simply wonderful in the novel - subordination, personnel policy, relations between ranks, internal conflicts. Despite the abundance of military fiction on the shelves, there are actually very few works in which the army looks like an army. The same applies to foreign and domestic policy, which is given almost half of the space in the novel; it looks extremely convincing. Although the number of parties to the conflict is growing exponentially, each of them has clearly defined goals, motives and methods. And most importantly, politics permeates the entire narrative from top to bottom. Just look at the scene in which the heroes try to attack an enemy ship in such a way as not to cause a diplomatic scandal, and what such scrupulousness ultimately costs them. The novel has two serious drawbacks - its material content and lack of artistry. Everything regarding descriptions of technologies, flights in space and the design of ships is seasoned techno-nonsense. The only thing that saves the situation is that the author, although he invents crazy technologies, at least sensibly describes the principle of their operation and scope of application. In general, it’s not a hard sci-fi game, but it’s not Star Wars either. The second drawback of the novel is its rather mediocre literary part. Sometimes it seems that you are reading the protocol of a forensic medical expert, and not a work of fiction. At first it is difficult to read, because the work is overloaded with descriptions of everything and everyone, which are sometimes inserted out of place. This shortcoming is compensated by a truly interesting plot, which, although it lacks stars from the sky, in terms of originality, is seriously captivating. For example, I read the novel in two evenings, although there are quite a few pages. As a result, we have a not very smooth, but tightly knit product. The novel falls short of being a masterpiece and doesn't compare to, say, Wolverton's On the Way to Heaven. But it is not complete consumer goods about heroic heroes who are so cool that they crack nuts with their buttocks. This is good combat fantasy, a must read for fans of this genre, if for some unknown reason you haven’t already.
Rating: 8
A book of amazing simplicity. Before any question/interest arises in your head, the author in narrative form, sparing no words or pages, will describe what happened, what will happen, where it all came from, who is thinking about what, who knows what and how it will end. What political games, intrigues?! There is no one to weave them, because besides Victoria there are no heroes, and she is so straightforward in everything that there is some kind of intrigue there! From the very first pages of her appearance, it was clear that it was still unknown in what or who, but she would certainly win...
Rating: 5
The first novel in the series about Victoria Harrington is a purely genre piece. Fans of space battles will not be deterred by Weber's style, but others are unlikely to be attracted. The fact is that it is characterized by a certain dryness of presentation: the text is more reminiscent of reports and statistical summaries than a figurative description. Of course, I’m exaggerating slightly, but Weber’s pen definitely lacks a certain liveliness. In the same way, artificiality is felt in the main character of the novel, Victoria Harrington herself. She seemed to have stepped out of the pages of some women’s novel/magazine “How I want to see myself from the outside”: all so warm, brave and decisive, but at the same time shy and blushing. Pathetic and solemn and immediately “giggling” at her cat. An "intuitive" genius, but doesn't understand math. Pretty, but doesn't understand her beauty. She clearly dislikes politics and politicians, and so on and so forth. In general, a set of women’s “wants” (or Weber’s idea of them) in an equally illogical combination. Many in reviews of this novel compared the image of Victoria with Miles Vorkosigan (from the Bujold series), but in fact, Commander Harrington is still very far from him. The rest of Weber's characters are quite sketchy, so it is difficult to say anything specific about them.
The plot of “Basilisk Space Station” is a mixture of border everyday life, political intrigue and space battles. The latter are made in the classic style of naval battle, about which Weber directly refers to Forrester's Hornblower series, without hiding the source of his inspiration. Nothing outstanding, but if you like the space theme, then you can definitely try this series.
Rating: 6
Attention!!! I apologize in advance to our respected laboratory assistants for the slight off-topic in this review.
For some time now I have begun to be wary of the space opera genre, which resulted in the well-known saga of Lois McMaster Bujold about Miles Vorkosigan. I only managed to get through half of the cycle and I don’t share the opinion of many fans of Bujold’s work about the masterpiece of this work; I wasn’t hooked at all. Further - more. I started reading the not so famous and not so popular “The Best Crew of the Solar” by Oleg Divov and was amazed by the magnificent atmosphere and naturalness of everything that was happening under the cover. It’s difficult to compare these books, but for myself I realized that you need to be very careful when relying on the rating of the author and the book. As they say, what is good for a Russian is death for a German.
Now about the hero of this review - David Weber’s novel “Basilisk Space Station”.
But I took this book under the impression of (don’t laugh) the magnificent dust jacket of the latest edition from Eksmo. They can do it when they want. Until I purchased the book, I had never heard anything about the author or this series, although I consider myself an admirer of this genre of fiction. I devoured this work slowly and tastefully while on vacation in distant hot countries. The book doesn’t grab you right away; in the prologue it’s generally quite difficult to grasp the meaning of what’s happening, but literally after 50 pages the book picks up momentum like a real racing car and doesn’t stop until the finish line. The plot is certainly not the most original, but the author constructed it quite successfully. I was very pleased with the so-called scientific and technical component of the book (everything is described in detail and interestingly). Well, where would a space opera be without political intrigue? This is the basis for the novel and the entire plot is built on them. There are also negative aspects, but this mainly concerns translation. How can you call the heroine Victoria if her name is HONOR? We may not have the name Honor, but the meaning put into this name by the author justifies many of the heroine’s actions.
Bottom line: a fascinating read for all space opera fans. Try it and it will be very difficult to tear you away from this book. Score 9 points. I'm looking forward to the continuation.
Rating: 9
I realized a long time ago that I have a soft spot for space operas. I don’t know why, but huge megaton cruisers and super dreadnoughts plowing the vast expanses of vast space and periodically smashing each other into dust are dearer to my heart than, for example, thousands of armies of men dressed in steel armor shredding their own kind into cabbage with improvised piercing and cutting objects. Although I won’t tolerate outright hacks here either. Fortunately, David Weber, judging by this novel, is not one of them, however, he is also not without sin.
Probably the thing that most pleasantly struck me and, paradoxically, caused the most complaints in the entire novel were the technical descriptions of such seemingly banal things as space travel and everything connected with them. Let's start with sweets. Not every writer bothers to explain how a ship in his invented world performs such a simple operation as moving from point A to point B; usually everyone considers such things to be known “by default”: here is a hyperdrive, here is a normal one, that’s all business. Weber took care to equip his narrative with a really strong basis. Its impeller engines and Varshavskaya sails are not only supported by their own scientific justifications, albeit not entirely clear, but they also greatly influence the tactical staging of battles between ships in space, making them more original and interesting. However, the presentation of this material stretched out over the entire book, instead of being concentrated at its beginning, causes slight bewilderment and subsequent questions about the logic of some of the events that happened earlier.
Fortunately, such little things cannot spoil the well-constructed and dashingly twisted, although, to be honest, a little predictable plot of the book. Even if it develops slowly at the beginning, gradually more and more significant details are added to the story, such as, for example, a multi-sided narrative that allows us to look into even the most remote corners from the central plot, to observe the actions of the conspirators and the funny behind-the-scenes struggle in the government. And so, gradually, the narrative, gaining momentum, turns from a small plot wave into a real ninth wave, on the crest of which it carries us, not giving us the opportunity to tear ourselves away from what is happening, to a very dramatic finale.
And all the characters were created by the demiurge with soul and love. Of course, I immediately want to start singing the praises of Honor (yes, that’s right!) Harrington is truly the personification of honor, determination and courage, no matter what our translators think about it. So charismatic main character was in my memory only in the saga about Miles Vorkosigan, already mentioned many times in reviews of this book. But the most important thing is that the secondary characters are not lost against its background (especially Nimitz), they are all interesting personalities that I almost fell in love with while reading, and the death of any of them, even if briefly mentioned, becomes a real tragedy.
And now, after the last page of the novel is turned, you want to, without hesitation, slap a ten and shout loudly: “Author, write now!!!” But still something stops you from doing it. This is probably due to minor inconsistencies and plot flaws. Therefore, trying to look at things objectively, let’s leave the highest score for future ones, in the hope that in the next novels, it will be fully deserved.
Rating: 9
“Make it as simple as possible, but not simpler.” Einstein's laconic statement speaks volumes about Weber's debut novel in the Honor Harrington series more eloquently than a review. Simple in form, simple in plot, simple in presentation. But it's not easier. Not a sweet and cloying “simple” thing to be spat out like warm water on a hot day.
The author did a great job. The universe looks like a handmade woolen sweater with intricate patterns, woven by the hands of a beloved grandmother. It's nice, warm and cozy. Nothing causes rejection in the history, which goes back centuries, and the technologies described not very vividly, but in detail. Techies won't get bored.
The richness of the world will splash out on the reader at once. The author couldn't wait to dot all the i's. Reading the family tree of a distant star monarchy is not very interesting. This does not make the heroine any more beautiful, and her character, described in fits and starts, hardly makes it possible to feel her as a whole, and not as a stereotyped good girl living according to the rules. It’s nice to read novels about geniuses, “The Chosen Ones”. Sometimes. Always about living people. "Basilisk" from the first.
What else can we expect if the core of her character, and the leitmotif of the entire saga, is already immured in Honor’s name?! The heroine gripped the author with the iron grip of a resident of the Sphinx. Throughout the entire series, he is forced - let us think, with joy - to endure this terribly “correct” character.
It turns out to be a good fairy tale about the evil and the good. A true space opera. A simple space opera. And she's good as a space opera. Even incomparable, taking into account the elaboration of the world and technology (if you don’t find fault and organize pickets, the tea is not “Ring World”).
“Girl Nina” is good not because of its pious character, but first of all for its virginal simplicity, clear presentation, with an abundance (you won’t believe it) of simple sentences, and, damn it, a dynamic plot.
Once you experience the initial curtseys with the universe, the action becomes an order of magnitude more intense. Even when it moves to the outskirts of the galaxy. The dialogue is not stupid or drawn out. The intrigues are moderately twisted. Star carnage is by no means ingenious, but to the place and size. And the characters... oh, if they were a little more voluminous, the novel would become a sensation. But it would cease to be a simple, but non-trivial read. Why do we need another “Dune”?
Spoiler (plot reveal) (click on it to see)
Weber has a curious way of making people come alive. So that the heroes do not stand as idols in the imagination, he reports on gestures, head position, eye expression, as if by the way. In three words. Without, it seems, any meaning. But no - this trick is enough to give static scenes a touch of dynamism.
Rating: 9
First of all, I don’t agree with the column of similar novels, where Zorich’s “Tomorrow is War” appears. Zorich is better - brighter, more original, the world is more developed. Compared to him, Weber is too simple. Yes, there is space, empires there, technology and even war. But the accents are different, which is why they look different.
Some time ago I read in the magazine World of Fantastics (2003, No. 1) that space operas do not belong to the genre of science fiction, since they have no science, but only adventures in a cosmic setting. Then, I remember, I was very tense, trying to understand whether there was any science in at least some of the novels about space that I read. For me, such a distinction is very difficult, since I practically don’t know physics, chemistry, biology and technology, only astronomy (and much of that has already been forgotten). Classifiers by genre on this site, apparently, also do not focus on science, so space operas are perfectly defined as SF. But for those who are still interested in this aspect (and I’m still a little obsessed with this), I’ll tell you briefly.
There are no elements in the novel that are determined by knowledge of physics, chemistry, biology or astronomy (oddly enough for space science fiction). The equipment (ships and weapons, first of all) are described in some detail, but I got the impression that the author made it all up, and without relying on any specialized knowledge. His fabrications sound approximately like “big gravity.” He and I were, so to speak, on the same wavelength. If you remember A. Zorich, he loves (probably the male part of the duo) to describe equipment - ships, weapons, spacesuits - and so thoroughly and convincingly, scientifically, that one gets the impression of reality (although I fully admit that this is also pure fiction , but it sounds authentic!).
I was pleased with the motive for conquest - not the Dark Lords (see Star Wars) or power-mad maniacs (The Algebraist), but problems in the economy and the desire to solve them at the expense of the conquered territories. Here I believe, quite realistically and scientifically, because in our world, at all times, wars were started solely for the sake of profit - economic influence, access to natural resources and cheap labor.
The author's style (presentation, descriptions) is simple, bordering on primitive. There are no bright pictures of space here (some kind of gravitational wave was mentioned, he talked for a long time, but there was a feeling of nonsense), distant planets or exotic living creatures. What a pity! The author simply mentions the planets without descriptions or vivid features that would allow us to imagine and remember this planet. There is an alien animal - the main character has a cat, but it is described sparingly: size, color, presence of 6 paws and a tail. For me personally, this is not enough to imagine. If the technique of “understatement” is used here, which was recently advocated by the respected Oldies (World of Fantasy 2014, No. 3), then the author clearly overdid it and the reader’s imagination simply ran away in all directions. Again, the plot necessity of this cat is a complete mystery to me. Just to have fun? In Zorich/Zorich, the plot is based on mysterious alien races (Jeeps, Cherugs, Yagnu) - they are very interesting in themselves and important in the plot. In Weber, inarticulate stilts, savages who are not described in any way and take the place of cannon fodder in the plot, crumble in hundreds.
Heroes. A woman - GG and from a writer - a man. The experiment is dubious, but almost successful. No special mistakes in psychology. But how positive and heroic she is - it just takes you aback. It’s hard to empathize with people like that. The rest of the characters are also very, very wonderful, super professional... But they look like cardboard. The author did not fully revive them. True, he honestly described some mental experiences and emotions (but somehow unconvincing, strained and redundant). And when the characters began to die or get injured en masse at the end of the novel, nothing in my soul wavered. Apparently, for my peace of mind, the author described safety measures for the cat in advance and in detail! The rest don't care. The same Zorich was able to describe his cadets in such a way that they seemed alive and attractive, one felt sorry for them.
But we must make allowances for the simplicity; it even seemed to me that this was a novel from Norton’s time. Modern authors (that I have read) did not suffer from such primitivism.
Rating: 8
Maybe as a child I didn’t get to the “Cossacks - Robbers”, in adulthood I didn’t finish shooting at “Doom”, or I saw the first ones too late in life “ Star wars“, but I have a soft spot for space action movies.
You know, I like to read about space battles from time to time: stations and warships, lasers, explosions, brave guys in armor. And, in essence, the technical details and the relationship of what is happening with physical laws, whether there is a “deep study of characters,” psychologism or philosophy, are not very important to me. What’s more important is whether what’s happening is interesting to me personally or not.
Well, in this case, what was happening was interesting to me, although everything was very, very familiar. Namely, the main character is talented and smart/beautiful, clever, Komsomol member, athlete/, forced to independently make her way up the career ladder from the very bottom. An unprincipled ill-wisher, ready to stab our heroine in the back. And the obligatory set: political intrigue, espionage passions, barbarian aborigines, an impossible task, a long search for an answer and, finally, the final battle with an insidious enemy. Did you miss anything? Oh, yes, a few personal problems, although without love troubles, heartaches, long monologues and dialogues, like one famous writer / thanks to the author /.
And all this comes with a complete gentleman's set of space action movies. Such as space cruisers, destroyers and boats, smugglers and drugs, chases, shootouts and “cunning” tactical moves. That is, everything is familiar. But I liked it because it was just interesting. What else do you need from a space action movie?
But the truth was not without complaints: in vain the author tried to give everything that was happening a touch of “science fiction” with long descriptions of the principles of movement and technical details of the structure of ships. Since there is such action here, who cares how they fly there or how they shoot. As long as they get where they need to go.
But still, despite the fact that it was interesting and easy to read, without loading my consciousness, I cannot help but remember one of my favorite authors and a book very close in plot to this novel. About Caroline Cherry and her "Last Base". And if we put both of these novels on the scales of my personal preference, then “The Last Base” will win by a large margin, due to the well-developed world, bright characters, twisted intrigue and SURPRISE.
Rating: 8
After reading it I was left with mixed feelings.
It's a bit dry for my taste. Harrington herself looks more like a cardboard cutout of the ideal propaganda officer. The mind, honor and conscience of the entire Manticoran people.
The military component is more reminiscent not of space battles, but of sea battles. Yes, yes, yes, either submarines, or hunter cruisers, and all this against the backdrop of a revolution in some third world republic (read varieties).
and all these prim “yes, ma’am”, “yes, full speed ahead”, “Well done, son!” military formalism, jingoism and, as icing on the cake, the stereotypical pet. Whose sole role is to reflect the captain's emotions. How else will others guess about the feelings overwhelming Harringtogn? Poker face level 80. Hmmm.
In general, I remember our dear captain Derevyanko, the one who scratches the macaque, and the even more famous “says A-853, please turn 15 degrees south to avoid a collision with us.”
Rating: 6
Let the fans of this series not throw slippers at me, but almost until the very end of the novel I was sure that the author was Bujold. The intention to get to know both authors appeared almost simultaneously, the author was not indicated in the file name, so I got a little confused... That's all I mean. The fact is that for about a quarter of the book (meeting Harington), I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was a female space opera novel and attributing authorship to Bujold seemed quite natural. At first, I saw some kind of attempt to show how cool women in the military could be. Just look at Victoria: she’s talented, and that’s something that’s been reported in plain text more than once, not twice, or even three times. A born tactician. Only she doesn’t know mathematics at all, but it doesn’t matter, because this person can plot the course literally “by eye”, while missing another ship by some ten meters (!). As befits a true girl, she considers herself ugly (Victoria’s opinion of her own appearance is given a very detailed description), but almost immediately there follows the senior mate’s extensive reasoning about what a Komsomol captain, an athlete and just a beauty... Oh yes, there’s also a cat ! I couldn’t find any plot need for it, other than the author’s “I want a cat!” All of this individually may not be scary, but together, and crammed almost in a row, it’s somewhat... alarming. And in the book there is a rich and noble idiot who once terribly wanted the main character, tried to rape her, was beaten and harbored a grudge. igor_pantyuhov, June 12, 2011
Personally, I really liked it. In my opinion, the book has the following advantages. First. I really liked the style of writing the novel. The way Weber describes space battles, meticulously describing the smallest details, I liked it, so to speak. Many, judging by the reviews, do not like such meticulousness in describing the details of the battle, considering this a drawback of the book. I think what it is detailed description details only add to the sharpness of sensations. When I read the description of the battle itself, I literally felt all the murderous power that was about to fall on the enemy. It's absolutely breathtaking. Plus, this attention to detail certainly fills the book. Well, see for yourself. If the car had simply described the battle and its outcome without going into detail, it would have been simply boring.
The book, in my opinion, has another significant advantage, it seems to me. In addition to describing space battles, the author skillfully describes the political background of everything that is happening, as if saying that sometimes wars between nations flare up because of politicians. That the short-sightedness of individual politicians, their thirst for power and profit, as well as egoism, often pushes entire nations to war. Just great.
No, the whole point is that all these books are about people who do their job without allowing themselves any concessions. And others, however, are not allowed either.
Victoria Harrington tirelessly devotes herself to her work, obeys her principles and turns disparate individuals into a team of like-minded people. And I went through all the troubles with her, even though I understood that everything should end well (there are many more books in the series).
It's difficult for me to say anything else. Talk about style? It didn't interfere with reading.
Thinking about the world? The small piece that was revealed did not cause any controversy.
Marvel at the plot? In principle, it is quite simple, although there are a couple of highlights in it.
I can only say that the adventures of Skipper Harrington and the crew of the Intrepid have made me wonder several times over the past week whether I myself am always conscientious in doing what I am supposed to do.
In general, “The skipper is great. Be like the skipper."
Rating: 9
The first thing you understand when you start reading this work is that the author has very, very much played strategic space simulators. Kilometers of text are devoted to the most detailed description technical device spaceships, weapons, stations, all kinds of mechanisms and robots, tactical and strategic techniques of space wars, political alignments, etc. Any action of someone or something is accompanied by a detailed description of the technical actions performed that have nothing to do with the plot. Well, for example, not “she entered the cabin” but “she pressed the fingerprint button on the panel near the hatch, the computer processed her fingerprints and the servo opened the hatch.” Not “the cruiser turned around and flew towards the planet” but “the cruiser made a turn of 23 degrees, turned towards the planet, turned on the impeller engines at 60% of thrust, and, having developed an acceleration of 80% of the maximum, flew towards the planet at a speed of 200 kilometers per second.”
A primitive plot is drowning in a sea of fictitious technical terms, in the center of which is a female captain of a space cruiser, against whom absolutely everything initially rebels, but she overcomes all difficulties and emerges victorious.
Despite the obvious mercifulness of the main character, from the first meeting she is hated by absolutely everyone around her, simply because the author needs this so that she has difficulties that need to be overcome. But then, of course, everyone realizes her perfection and becomes her devoted friends, and her incorrigible enemies are guaranteed to crumble into dust. Hatred, anger and psychosis are generally characteristic of many characters. For example, an ordinary discussion of everyday problems is accompanied by phrases like “her gaze was smoking with rage,” “he nervously tapped the toe of his shoe on the floor,” “she could barely restrain herself from the curses that were choking her,” “there was undisguised anger in his voice.”
The author is not good at describing bright personalities, dialogues and situations. And it seems that they are of little interest to him at all; he devoted much more time to thinking through the design of various hyperdrives and ion megablasters with super sensors and gravitational lances, as well as political alignments, maneuvers and nuances. If instead he had read at least one memoir of the commander of a real cruiser, then his description of the life of the ship and the captain would not have looked so stupid.
In general, the work is clearly aimed at fans of cosmosims and other space technology of the distant future. Although the fans will probably be unhappy, since each of them has their own idea of how exactly space cruisers should fly on turboplasma hyperdrives or zero-jump ultraboosters.
Rating: 3
What did I end up getting? Completely flat characters, a terribly dry style of writing (possibly translation costs, but the book seems to have been written by a robot, not a drop of emotion), an absolutely predictable plot, a far-fetched tactical decision.
If you like realistic combat, then read Heinlein's Star Infantry.
If you want a well-written setting, play toys.
If you need intrigue, read Dune.
Politics, plot twists, character development - just any good SF.
And in this book everything is, at best, a “B” grade.
P.S. There was also a second novel in the book, and I beat it out of perseverance. The initial opinion only became stronger.
It's some kind of horror, not a book. Boring, unbearably boring and primitive drudgery, written in a dull, insipid style. The abundance of fictitious technical details is very tiring and forces you to literally skim through them. At first, all this writing seems interesting, but by the third book the plot becomes completely dull and monotonous. Summary any book:
This is a naive heroic village horse in the title role.
These are several heroic, but naive and straightforward admirals who patronize the heroic village horse.
This is a bunch of stupid, evil admirals and politicians who think only about their own pockets and careers, who are ready to do anything for this, and especially who hate such a successful and pure village horse, which is patronized by naive and heroic admirals.
This is the queen, who is all wise and experienced, but in fact she doesn’t decide anything - just like a doll. She really sympathizes with the village horse and hates the opposition, where the evil, stupid politicians are entrenched.
This is Haven, which is a totalitarian state with developed communism, which wants to capture Manticore, headed by a doll queen who decides nothing, but is very sympathetic to the heroic village horse, because she submits to the parliament, where stupid, greedy and cowardly politicians have settled.
These are the admirals of Haven, who are very heroic and respect the heroic village horse, but also remain loyal to Haven because it is their homeland. And they kill thousands of people because of the order. But in such a kind and heroic way that even the heroic horse respects them.
But these are the Haven secret services. They are so vile and vile that it hurts your teeth. They terribly hate everyone, especially the heroic village fool and their generals who cannot kill her. And they constantly play huge tricks on the white and fluffy Manticore, headed by a wise doll who doesn’t decide anything, but is terribly sympathetic to the heroic village horse, who is so terribly hated by her own politicians that Haven’s special services don’t even have to do anything.
But these are the cute white and fluffy intelligence services of Manticore, who cannot identify the conspiracies of the opposition, who hate the heroic village horse and undermine the combat capability of the country, cannot reveal the evil and vile conspiracies of the intelligence services of Haven, because they are so vile that no one even thinks about that they can be invented.
In general, the heroic village horse is to blame for everything, even though he heroically defends his Motherland, but at the same time he is being pecked from all sides, because there are scum all around, freedom of speech and in general.
Sorry it's not in verse.
Books enlighten the soul, elevate and strengthen a person, awaken in him the best aspirations, sharpen his mind and soften his heart.
William Thackeray, English satirist
A book is a huge force.
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, Soviet revolutionary
Without books, we can now neither live, nor fight, nor suffer, nor rejoice and win, nor confidently move towards that reasonable and beautiful future in which we unshakably believe.
Many thousands of years ago, the book, in the hands of the best representatives of humanity, became one of the main weapons in their struggle for truth and justice, and it was this weapon that gave these people terrible strength.
Nikolai Rubakin, Russian bibliologist, bibliographer.
A book is a working tool. But not only that. It introduces people to the lives and struggles of other people, makes it possible to understand their experiences, their thoughts, their aspirations; it makes it possible to compare, understand the environment and transform it.
Stanislav Strumilin, academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences
No the best remedy to refresh the mind, like reading the ancient classics; As soon as you take one of them in your hands, even for half an hour, you immediately feel refreshed, lightened and cleansed, lifted and strengthened, as if you had refreshed yourself by bathing in a clean spring.
Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher
Anyone who was not familiar with the creations of the ancients lived without knowing beauty.
Georg Hegel, German philosopher
No failures of history and blind spaces of time are able to destroy human thought, enshrined in hundreds, thousands and millions of manuscripts and books.
Konstantin Paustovsky, Russian Soviet writer
The book is a magician. The book transformed the world. It contains the memory of the human race, it is the mouthpiece of human thought. A world without a book is a world of savages.
Nikolai Morozov, creator of modern scientific chronology
Books are a spiritual testament from one generation to another, advice from a dying old man to a young man beginning to live, an order passed on to a sentry going on vacation to a sentry taking his place.
Without books, human life is empty. The book is not only our friend, but also our constant, eternal companion.
Demyan Bedny, Russian Soviet writer, poet, publicist
A book is a powerful tool of communication, labor, and struggle. It equips a person with the experience of life and the struggle of humanity, expands his horizon, gives him knowledge with the help of which he can force the forces of nature to serve him.
Nadezhda Krupskaya, Russian revolutionary, Soviet party, public and cultural figure.
Reading good books is a conversation with the best people of past times, and, moreover, such a conversation when they tell us only their best thoughts.
René Descartes, French philosopher, mathematician, physicist and physiologist
Reading is one of the sources of thinking and mental development.
Vasily Sukhomlinsky, an outstanding Soviet teacher-innovator.
Reading for the mind is the same as physical exercise for the body.
Joseph Addison, English poet and satirist
Good book- like a conversation with an intelligent person. The reader receives from her knowledge and a generalization of reality, the ability to understand life.
Alexei Tolstoy, Russian Soviet writer and public figure
Do not forget that the most colossal weapon of multifaceted education is reading.
Alexander Herzen, Russian publicist, writer, philosopher
Without reading there is no real education, there is no and there can be no taste, no speech, no multifaceted breadth of understanding; Goethe and Shakespeare are equal to a whole university. By reading a person survives centuries.
Alexander Herzen, Russian publicist, writer, philosopher
Here you will find audiobooks by Russian, Soviet, Russian and foreign writers on various subjects! We have collected for you masterpieces of literature from and. Also on the site are audiobooks with poems and poets; lovers of detective stories, action films, and audiobooks will find interesting audiobooks. We can offer women, and for women, we will periodically offer fairy tales and audiobooks from the school curriculum. Children will also be interested in audiobooks about. We also have something to offer to fans: audiobooks from the “Stalker” series, “Metro 2033”..., and much more from . Who wants to tickle their nerves: go to the section
David Weber
Space station "Basilisk"
To C. S. Forester with gratitude for hours of entertainment, years of inspiration and a life of delight.
The antique clock in the conference room ticked loudly. The Crown President of the People's Republic of Haven looked intently at his war council. The Minister of Finance did not know where to turn his eyes. The Minister of War - like her subordinates - on the contrary, behaved almost defiantly.
-Are you serious? – asked President Harris.
“I’m afraid so,” Minister Frankel answered in an unhappy voice, flipped through the notes and forced himself to look the president straight in the face. – The last three quarters fully confirm the forecasts, Sid. – He sent an angry look to his colleague, the Minister of War. - This is all the Fleet budget. We cannot continue to increase the number of ships without...
“If you don’t continue to increase it,” Elaine Dumarest interrupted sharply, “everything will go to hell.” We're riding the neotiger, Mr. President. On at least a third of the occupied planets, gangs of thugs - the so-called “liberation movements” - operate. And even without them, everyone at the borders is armed to the teeth. It’s only a matter of time before they decide to attack us.
“I think you're exaggerating a bit, Elaine.” – Ronald Bergren, Minister of Foreign Affairs, smoothed his thin mustache and frowned. - Of course, they arm themselves - I would do the same if I were them. However, none of them is strong enough to defeat us.
“Maybe not right now,” Admiral Parnell said sadly, “but if we get bogged down in solving some problem or a large-scale uprising breaks out, some of them may well get the nerve and launch a raid.” That's why we need new ships. And with all due respect to Mr. Frankel,” the commander-in-chief added, and his voice did not sound too respectful, “it is not military spending that is undermining the budget. An increase in the basic living allowance is to blame. We should explain to the Dolists that any feeding trough is not bottomless and, until we firmly stand on our feet again, we must stop with freebies. If only we could get rid of these bloodsuckers for at least a few years...
- I figured it out! Frankel barked. – Increasing the BZHP is the only way to control the mob! They will only approve of war to maintain their standard of living, and if we don't...
- Enough! “President Harris slammed his hand on the table and, in the ensuing silence, looked around at everyone again. He let the silence hang in the air for a few seconds, then leaned back and sighed, continuing much more softly. “We won’t achieve anything by pointing fingers at each other.” Let's face it: Kwezin's plan didn't live up to its promise.
“I have to disagree, Mr. President,” Dumarest said. – The original plan is quite reasonable, and there is not much choice. We simply have not been able to achieve a satisfactory distribution of the capacity involved.
“And the income from them,” Frankel added gloomily. “You can’t squeeze more out of planetary economies than they can give.” But without increasing profits, I don't see a way to simultaneously maintain spending on both the BJP and troops strong enough to hold what we already have.
– What do we have in reserve? asked Harris.
– I won’t say for sure. I'll be able to patch up the holes for a while longer. Maybe even by transferring funds from one pocket to another, I will manage to create the appearance of wealth.
But unless spending curves change radically or a major new source of income opens up in the Republic, things will start to get worse. We live in borrowed time,” the Minister of Finance smiled sadly. “Unfortunately, the economies of most of the systems we have captured are in no better shape than our own.
– Elaine, are you sure that there is no way to reduce the Fleet’s expenses?
“In this case, we risk death, Mr. President,” answered the Minister of War. “Admiral Parnell is absolutely right. Our neighbors will react to the slightest weakness. “She, in turn, smiled gloomily. “I guess we taught them that ourselves.”
“That may be true,” Parnell said, “but there is something that can be done.” – Heads turned to him, and he shrugged. - Strike first. If we move most of our forces to the borders, then perhaps we will look more like peacekeepers...
- God bless you, Admiral! – Bergren snorted. – Just now you argued that we are virtually unable to preserve what we have, and now you propose to unleash a whole series of new wars? This is about the question of mysterious military thinking!..
“Wait a minute, Ron,” Harris interrupted him and turned sharply to the admiral. “Can you handle this, Amos?”
“I think so,” Parnell answered more cautiously. – The main thing is to choose the right moment.
He touched a button, and a three-dimensional map shone above the table. The northeastern quadrant was filled with the plump sphere of the People's Republic. In the south and west, the amber and red lights of star systems not included in it burned.
“The closest multi-system power to us is the Anderman Empire,” the admiral explained. – Most monosystem states, strictly speaking, do not count. We can destroy any of them with one targeted strike, despite all their weapons programs. What makes our neighbors dangerous is the possibility that they might unite—if they have time.
Harris nodded thoughtfully, but reached out and touched one of the star beads, which shone with a menacing bloody light.
- And Manticore? – he asked.
- This is ours headache, Parnell agreed. “They are big enough to fight us on equal terms, if they have the courage, of course.”
“Then why not leave them alone, or at least for a snack?” – Bergren asked. “The inner parties of Manticore are fundamentally divided on what to do with us. So while they're barking at each other, wouldn't it make sense to swallow smaller fish in the meantime?
“In this case, our situation will only worsen,” Frankel objected. He pressed a button on his own remote control, and two-thirds of the amber lights on Parnell's map turned an unhealthy gray-green hue. – Any of these states is in almost the same deep economic hole as we are. And capturing anyone will eat up a lot of real money. And other worlds are hardly break-even enterprises. The systems that can really benefit us are further south, down towards the Erevan Union, or in the Silesian Confederation to the west.
“Then why not capture them without further ado?” - Harris suggested.
