At All Costs by David Weber
Nov. 8th, 2005 08:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
desertvixenSo, I finished it. 827 pages, which is why my LJ has been very quiet these few days.
Go read the book. It's so worth it. Of course, there's also moments where you roll your eyes, or laugh, or absolutely hate David Weber's guts. I'm not prepared to say that this is his overall best book, but I think it has some of the best moments. It's also the only David Weber book that has made me cry. Nice admin touch - character list and definitions in the back of the book.
Spoilers:
Well, ah, let's see. First off, as we've all guessed from the cover, Honor gets pregnant. Betcha can't guess who the father is. He did come up with an explanation for how it happened (ie, considering they have the implants).
I have one tiny quibble about the kid's name. Steadholder, and he only gets 3 names? Raoul Alfred Alistair... Hey, what about *Andrew*?
Also, the Harrington/White Haven problem is resolved. They took part of what I thought was going to happen.
The Battle of Manticore. Need I say more?
Honor and Hamish. Tickle fight. Naked tickle fight. I'm glad he's gotten better at writing intimacy and sexuality.
Some characters get what they deserve. Some manage to fuck things up by dying. Namely, Giancola.
There's echoes of other books in this one, especially in the strategeies.
Allison Harrington is in fine form. I'd like to be her when I grow up.
I sort of wonder, if this is the last Harrington book. Because it seems like things are coming full circle in some ways. Honor is being open about how she feels for people. He's writing her as a human being, and it's good. She assigns Andrew LaFollett to be her son's bodyguard, partly because she knows SHE's the reason he's never married and had a family. And because on the level it counts on, they love each other. That almost made me cry, the scene between them.
He also jerks us around a little bit, by doing something that I said would likely make me stop reading the series. But he let us believe for that one moment that he hadn't done it.
There's a lot of people gone in this book. Howard Clinkscales dies in the beginning, but that's not unexpected. Javier Giscard - gone. Admiral Theodosia Kuzak - gone. Simon Mattingly - gone.
Rear Admiral Alistair McKeon - gone. I have said that if he killed off Rafe Cardones or Alistair McKeon, I would have to seriously reconsider reading the series.
But the last lines of the book are what really got to me. Even more than the hope held out, then snatched away from Honor (and us) that once more McKeon has managed to cheat death with her.
Fly, Alistair, Honor Alexander-Harrington thought, Wherever you are, wherever God takes you, fly high. I'll guard the Phoenix for you, I promise. Goodbye. I love you.
I think I'm going to go be depressed for awhile.
Off to type up some fanfic now, and hopefully cheer up.
DV
Go read the book. It's so worth it. Of course, there's also moments where you roll your eyes, or laugh, or absolutely hate David Weber's guts. I'm not prepared to say that this is his overall best book, but I think it has some of the best moments. It's also the only David Weber book that has made me cry. Nice admin touch - character list and definitions in the back of the book.
Spoilers:
Well, ah, let's see. First off, as we've all guessed from the cover, Honor gets pregnant. Betcha can't guess who the father is. He did come up with an explanation for how it happened (ie, considering they have the implants).
I have one tiny quibble about the kid's name. Steadholder, and he only gets 3 names? Raoul Alfred Alistair... Hey, what about *Andrew*?
Also, the Harrington/White Haven problem is resolved. They took part of what I thought was going to happen.
The Battle of Manticore. Need I say more?
Honor and Hamish. Tickle fight. Naked tickle fight. I'm glad he's gotten better at writing intimacy and sexuality.
Some characters get what they deserve. Some manage to fuck things up by dying. Namely, Giancola.
There's echoes of other books in this one, especially in the strategeies.
Allison Harrington is in fine form. I'd like to be her when I grow up.
I sort of wonder, if this is the last Harrington book. Because it seems like things are coming full circle in some ways. Honor is being open about how she feels for people. He's writing her as a human being, and it's good. She assigns Andrew LaFollett to be her son's bodyguard, partly because she knows SHE's the reason he's never married and had a family. And because on the level it counts on, they love each other. That almost made me cry, the scene between them.
He also jerks us around a little bit, by doing something that I said would likely make me stop reading the series. But he let us believe for that one moment that he hadn't done it.
There's a lot of people gone in this book. Howard Clinkscales dies in the beginning, but that's not unexpected. Javier Giscard - gone. Admiral Theodosia Kuzak - gone. Simon Mattingly - gone.
Rear Admiral Alistair McKeon - gone. I have said that if he killed off Rafe Cardones or Alistair McKeon, I would have to seriously reconsider reading the series.
But the last lines of the book are what really got to me. Even more than the hope held out, then snatched away from Honor (and us) that once more McKeon has managed to cheat death with her.
Fly, Alistair, Honor Alexander-Harrington thought, Wherever you are, wherever God takes you, fly high. I'll guard the Phoenix for you, I promise. Goodbye. I love you.
I think I'm going to go be depressed for awhile.
Off to type up some fanfic now, and hopefully cheer up.
DV
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no subject
Date: 2005-11-08 05:57 pm (UTC)I figured she and Hamish were going to end up married - I just couldn't figure out how - especially since my backbrain remembered the fact the White Haven's marriage was under a monogamous vow. I did rather enjoy watching Emily, et al, gang up on the two of them!
David Weber writing schedule from Baen's Bar
Date: 2005-11-11 06:40 am (UTC)Paul
=====================================================
Guys --
This was supposed to post earlier today, but I seem to have somehow contrived
to have it fail. So I'm trying again.
Please note: I do not really have time for this (when do I ever?) but someone
(you know who you are) pointed out to me that there are questions about my
writing schedule. So here are some answers.
Just finished: Handed in the ms for the new, combined PATH OF THE FURY plus
prequel, bound together as one novel, IN FURY BORN. Jim has scheduled it, I
think, but I don't remember exactly when for. I'm guessing it would be
somewhere around March/April 2006.
Currently: Working on the first of four books for TOR. They're going to be a
new departure for me, and I think they're going to be fun. The delivery on
book #1 is scheduled for the end of December, and things look good on that
front.
Next: I'm anticipating finishing up a collaborative work with Linda Evans.
Again, we are launching a new series -- this one here at home under the Baen
Banner. I figure that one ought to be done by the end of February 2006, at
the latest.
Next #2 (& #3): Eric and I will be working, more or less simultaneously, on
1634: The Baltic War and COS2. I'll be doing the bulk of the writing on one
book; he'll be doing the bulk of the writing on the other one, and we'll be
telling each other which chapters we need where. I think we're planning on
getting started on this sometime in March and finishing up by the end of
June 2006.
Next #4: I'll be working on the sequel to Shadow of Saganami. This will be a
solo. I need to have both the next COS and the next SI book firmly in place
before I can move on to the next mainstream Honor. I'm assuming that I
will begin work on SI #2 no later than July of 2006 and probably have it
delivered by October 2006.
Next #5: I'll be doing the next TOR book, which is due for delivery in
December 2006.
After that?
I expect to have the second collaboration with Linda coming in somewhere
around the end of next year, so it might be the number one project for Spring
2007. The next SOLO project for me, however, would be the next mainstream HH
novel, which will weave together what's happened in the COS, SI, and HH
threads. And, yes, there will be MAJOR changes in the environment in all
three threads.
Assuming all of this holds up (and it is, of course, subject to change), I'm
thinking you guys should probably see:
March/April 2006: IN FURY BORN
June 2006: Tor Book #1 (current title: OFF ARMAGEDDON REEF)
September/October 2006: 1st Linda collaboration
November/December 2006: 1634:THE BALTIC WAR and COS #2
March/April 2007: SI #2
June 2007: TOR Book #2
September 2007: 2nd Evans Collaboration
October/November 2007: next HH mainline novel
Again, at this point all of this is a best-estimate situation, and things
could change and slip-slide around. But that's my current best guest.
Take care,
David
Re: David Weber writing schedule from Baen's Bar
Date: 2005-11-12 07:46 am (UTC)June 2006: Tor Book #1 (current title: OFF ARMAGEDDON REEF)
September/October 2006: 1st Linda collaboration
November/December 2006: 1634:THE BALTIC WAR and COS #2
March/April 2007: SI #2
October/November 2007: next HH mainline novel
Well that will help keep my wallet safe from DW.
DV