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Dahak #1
Mutineers' Moon
For Lt. Commander Colin Maclntyre, it began as a routine training flight over the Moon. For Dahak, a self-aware Imperial battleship, it began millennia ago when that powerful artificial intelligence underwent a mutiny in the face of the enemy. The mutiny was never resolved--Dahak was forced to maroon not just the mutineers but the entire crew on prehistoric Earth.
Dahak has been helplessly waiting as the descendants of the loyal crew regressed while the mutineers maintained control of technology that kept them alive as the millennia passed. But now Dahak's sensors indicate that the enemy that devastated the Imperium so long ago has returned--and Earth is in their path. For the sake of the planet, Dahak must mobilize its defenses. And that it cannot do until the mutineers are put down. So Dahak has picked Colin Maclntyre to be its new captain. Now Maclntyre must mobilize humanity to destroy the mutineers once and for all--or Earth will become a cinder in the path of galactic conquest.
Dahak has been helplessly waiting as the descendants of the loyal crew regressed while the mutineers maintained control of technology that kept them alive as the millennia passed. But now Dahak's sensors indicate that the enemy that devastated the Imperium so long ago has returned--and Earth is in their path. For the sake of the planet, Dahak must mobilize its defenses. And that it cannot do until the mutineers are put down. So Dahak has picked Colin Maclntyre to be its new captain. Now Maclntyre must mobilize humanity to destroy the mutineers once and for all--or Earth will become a cinder in the path of galactic conquest.
315 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1991
98 people are currently reading
2416 people want to read
About the author
David Weber
329 books4,565 followersDavid Mark Weber is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1952.
Many of his stories have military, particularly naval, themes, and fit into the military science fiction genre. He frequently places female leading characters in what have been traditionally male roles.
One of his most popular and enduring characters is Honor Harrington whose alliterated name is an homage to C.S. Forester's character Horatio Hornblower and her last name from a fleet doctor in Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander . Her story, together with the "Honorverse" she inhabits, has been developed through 16 novels and six shared-universe anthologies, as of spring 2013 (other works are in production). In 2008, he donated his archive to the department of Rare Books and Special Collections at Northern Illinois University.
Many of his books are available online, either in their entirety as part of the Baen Free Library or, in the case of more recent books, in the form of sample chapters (typically the first 25-33% of the work).
http://us.macmillan.com/author/davidw...
Many of his stories have military, particularly naval, themes, and fit into the military science fiction genre. He frequently places female leading characters in what have been traditionally male roles.
One of his most popular and enduring characters is Honor Harrington whose alliterated name is an homage to C.S. Forester's character Horatio Hornblower and her last name from a fleet doctor in Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander . Her story, together with the "Honorverse" she inhabits, has been developed through 16 novels and six shared-universe anthologies, as of spring 2013 (other works are in production). In 2008, he donated his archive to the department of Rare Books and Special Collections at Northern Illinois University.
Many of his books are available online, either in their entirety as part of the Baen Free Library or, in the case of more recent books, in the form of sample chapters (typically the first 25-33% of the work).
http://us.macmillan.com/author/davidw...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 174 reviews
January 16, 2019
This reminded me, in no small part, of some of the old SF novels I’d read, such as This Island Earth and Slan. I’m not sure whether this is coincidental, or by the author’s design. Anyway, if you’re looking to read a military SF novel similar to Weber’s work in the Starfire universe or the Honor Harrington series, this might not be your thing. There is lots of action to be found here, but it is of a very, very different vintage. Does this mean this book was a disappointment? No, indeed not, although my favourite sequence takes part in the first half of the book (It concerns Colin’s first contact and subsequent visit with Dahak) which means the book peaked early for me and then coasted to its conclusion.
Some of the concepts introduced here are really cool, such as Dahak himself (itself?) and the imperial weaponry and gadgets. I can’t help but feel that this represents a bit of self indulgence on the author’s part. Like another reviewer mentions, this could indeed be seen as a superhero tale, with the protagonist’s transformation from Joe Everyman to semi-immortal Imperial super soldier. The dream of every geekly inclined boy, no? Mutineer’s Moon puts a novel spin on the ‘aliens among us’ theme and I quite enjoyed it. I don’t want to elaborate too much on Dahak - it’s not really spoiler territory but it will take away from the gosh-wow experience if the reader is overly knowledgeable beforehand. On the other hand, that also means you shouldn’t be reading synopses regarding this book (or the back cover) either.
So, what’s it all about? Our guy goes from, well, not quite zero (he’s an astronaut after all) to hero in rather interesting fashion and is then tasked with saving not only Earth, but also the Imperium, from destruction. But first, he has to sort out a mutiny that’s been going on for 50,000 odd years. Interest piqued yet? Now, this novel mostly deals with the ‘sorting out the mutiny’ bit, leaving the rest for another book. It’s a military SF novel , but the action is all Earth bound. Insurgence and infiltration, urban warfare, spectacular aerial dogfights - this is the kind of thing you’ll find here. The catch? These guys do not play around when it comes to armaments and implants and the destruction they wreak is rather remarkable.
As the war between the different Imperials and their respective 'Terra born' factions escalates, there is enough collateral damage, in-fighting and intrigue to keep the pages turning at a fairly rapid pace. What I probably like most about this novel, is the promise of things to come, because let's face it, this is only the beginning...
Mutineer’s Moon is the first in a trilogy and things can only get bigger and better from here.
There is also an omnibus edition titled Empire From the Ashes.
Some of the concepts introduced here are really cool, such as Dahak himself (itself?) and the imperial weaponry and gadgets. I can’t help but feel that this represents a bit of self indulgence on the author’s part. Like another reviewer mentions, this could indeed be seen as a superhero tale, with the protagonist’s transformation from Joe Everyman to semi-immortal Imperial super soldier. The dream of every geekly inclined boy, no? Mutineer’s Moon puts a novel spin on the ‘aliens among us’ theme and I quite enjoyed it. I don’t want to elaborate too much on Dahak - it’s not really spoiler territory but it will take away from the gosh-wow experience if the reader is overly knowledgeable beforehand. On the other hand, that also means you shouldn’t be reading synopses regarding this book (or the back cover) either.
So, what’s it all about? Our guy goes from, well, not quite zero (he’s an astronaut after all) to hero in rather interesting fashion and is then tasked with saving not only Earth, but also the Imperium, from destruction. But first, he has to sort out a mutiny that’s been going on for 50,000 odd years. Interest piqued yet? Now, this novel mostly deals with the ‘sorting out the mutiny’ bit, leaving the rest for another book. It’s a military SF novel , but the action is all Earth bound. Insurgence and infiltration, urban warfare, spectacular aerial dogfights - this is the kind of thing you’ll find here. The catch? These guys do not play around when it comes to armaments and implants and the destruction they wreak is rather remarkable.
As the war between the different Imperials and their respective 'Terra born' factions escalates, there is enough collateral damage, in-fighting and intrigue to keep the pages turning at a fairly rapid pace. What I probably like most about this novel, is the promise of things to come, because let's face it, this is only the beginning...
Mutineer’s Moon is the first in a trilogy and things can only get bigger and better from here.
There is also an omnibus edition titled Empire From the Ashes.
October 14, 2019
This started off a solid 4* and when I discovered the premise behind it, the potential rose to nigh on 5*
However once the halfway mark is reached and Colin has joined some other people (to remain spoiler-free), it devolves into huge sections of exposition delivered by various characters, spattered with tiny parts of action and a smattering of character development. Even when you are anticipating action, there is just speech after speech - WE DON'T CARE!
Stop telling us what it's all about, and show it. I get the feeling this book was way too ambitious for the length the author perceived it to be, and it's just a lot quicker to tell rather than show. I was excited in the first fifty pages, and it was all downhill from there. I wish this book was as good as it had the promise to be.
However once the halfway mark is reached and Colin has joined some other people (to remain spoiler-free), it devolves into huge sections of exposition delivered by various characters, spattered with tiny parts of action and a smattering of character development. Even when you are anticipating action, there is just speech after speech - WE DON'T CARE!
Stop telling us what it's all about, and show it. I get the feeling this book was way too ambitious for the length the author perceived it to be, and it's just a lot quicker to tell rather than show. I was excited in the first fifty pages, and it was all downhill from there. I wish this book was as good as it had the promise to be.
January 26, 2009
4.5 to 5.0 stars. Superb military SF with excellent world-building and above average character development. Dahak is a truly memorable character. Highly Recommended!!!
February 28, 2019
Very good Military science fiction novel, not sure if I will read the rest in the series....but that has more to do with my genre preferences and not the story itself....
April 28, 2024
2.5 stars.
This book started out pretty enjoyable. I liked the main character and the A.I. ship Dahak was interesting. I was looking forward to some space adventure, but it eventually went a little off track from what I thought it was going to be, and turned into more of a spy-type book with political espionage. My husband said it turned into a Tom Clancy-like book. Also, right off the bat there are some pretty heavy deaths, with a whole family being found murdered. There wasn't too much detail about it though, which helped.
I think I would have enjoyed the second half of the book a lot more if there had not been so many points of view. While listening to the audio, it was hard to keep everyone straight, and there was no warning that the book was moving onto another character's point of view. No pause, no change in tone of voice, no nothing. I eventually gave up trying to keep up with who was who. There's also a bit of a romance, or the beginnings of one, thrown in there that was very predictable and lackluster.
Minor spoilers in the spoiler tag below.
A couple of people have already gone on to read the second book in the trilogy and said it was more like what we were expecting the first book to be like and suggested we read the next book. While I thought the book was ok, I didn't really love it enough to keep reading, even if book two might be better.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader and on Facebook.
This book started out pretty enjoyable. I liked the main character and the A.I. ship Dahak was interesting. I was looking forward to some space adventure, but it eventually went a little off track from what I thought it was going to be, and turned into more of a spy-type book with political espionage. My husband said it turned into a Tom Clancy-like book. Also, right off the bat there are some pretty heavy deaths, with a whole family being found murdered. There wasn't too much detail about it though, which helped.
I think I would have enjoyed the second half of the book a lot more if there had not been so many points of view. While listening to the audio, it was hard to keep everyone straight, and there was no warning that the book was moving onto another character's point of view. No pause, no change in tone of voice, no nothing. I eventually gave up trying to keep up with who was who. There's also a bit of a romance, or the beginnings of one, thrown in there that was very predictable and lackluster.
Minor spoilers in the spoiler tag below.
A couple of people have already gone on to read the second book in the trilogy and said it was more like what we were expecting the first book to be like and suggested we read the next book. While I thought the book was ok, I didn't really love it enough to keep reading, even if book two might be better.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader and on Facebook.
May 26, 2011
Oh dear. Veeeery cringeworthy material.
Okay, if you like naive science fiction, that is in fact an action novel, peppered with words like 'grav gun' and 'orbital missiles', go for it. Otherwise, save your time. I give it that I have finished the book, and I was remotely interested how things will work out in the end. But the whole story is fully of naive moments, unbelievable plot turns and very cliche scenes. Earthman teaching aliens poker? You bet. Marine names for different types of spaceships? Yup. US Army ads? You bet. Characters flat as tinfoil sheet? But of course. The last straw was the annoying trope of "alien that speaks old English". Annoying.
In other words: good for a laugh, but don't treat this seriously. Can be harmful, if overdosed.
Okay, if you like naive science fiction, that is in fact an action novel, peppered with words like 'grav gun' and 'orbital missiles', go for it. Otherwise, save your time. I give it that I have finished the book, and I was remotely interested how things will work out in the end. But the whole story is fully of naive moments, unbelievable plot turns and very cliche scenes. Earthman teaching aliens poker? You bet. Marine names for different types of spaceships? Yup. US Army ads? You bet. Characters flat as tinfoil sheet? But of course. The last straw was the annoying trope of "alien that speaks old English". Annoying.
In other words: good for a laugh, but don't treat this seriously. Can be harmful, if overdosed.
November 12, 2020
What do you do if you're a super advanced civilization that's trying to break away from your "oppressive" government, after you are forced off your mother ship onto a fertile planet with no humanoid species? Do you A) pro-create like the dickens and use your super advanced technology to get back to the stars in a couple hundred years? Or B) wait 52,000 years for humans to evolve, while your people hide under a rock trying to not let the primitives know you're there on the planet?
Let's shoot for plan B and see how it goes. A good story wasted on a silly, unrealistic plot device. Don't think I'll read the rest of the series.
Let's shoot for plan B and see how it goes. A good story wasted on a silly, unrealistic plot device. Don't think I'll read the rest of the series.
August 20, 2018
A very good series, unique concepts, believable plot, likable characters.
April 25, 2014
This book has many things to like about it. Weber definitely steps outside of his comfort zone for sections of this title, and while not all of it works, I was glad to see him stretch his limits a bit.
The first thing that catches my attention is the use of genetically altered humans fighting among normal people. In a way, it is incredibly reminiscent of Sterling’s ‘Draka’ series, especially the final book in that series. Weber manages to write these characters in a way that they seem superhuman but not out of the bounds of reality.
The characters are all very well written. This is one of the few titles that Weber steps back form his white hat / black hat problem and gives everyone, good guys and bad guys, shades of gray. There is some decent, if not ground breaking, character progression with most of the major characters, which is also nice to see. The only character that feels flat for me was Dahak. His transfer from machine to self-aware never really felt believable for me, as he was acting self-aware from the beginning. The only change was Weber telling us he became self-aware.
The story is very interesting and well-constructed. It is paced well with no overly-slow parts and the action not all shoved together. I like the high tech mixed with today’s world concept, so most books of this ilk get a plus from me.
http://homeofreading.com/mutineers-moon/
The first thing that catches my attention is the use of genetically altered humans fighting among normal people. In a way, it is incredibly reminiscent of Sterling’s ‘Draka’ series, especially the final book in that series. Weber manages to write these characters in a way that they seem superhuman but not out of the bounds of reality.
The characters are all very well written. This is one of the few titles that Weber steps back form his white hat / black hat problem and gives everyone, good guys and bad guys, shades of gray. There is some decent, if not ground breaking, character progression with most of the major characters, which is also nice to see. The only character that feels flat for me was Dahak. His transfer from machine to self-aware never really felt believable for me, as he was acting self-aware from the beginning. The only change was Weber telling us he became self-aware.
The story is very interesting and well-constructed. It is paced well with no overly-slow parts and the action not all shoved together. I like the high tech mixed with today’s world concept, so most books of this ilk get a plus from me.
http://homeofreading.com/mutineers-moon/
September 3, 2020
I really loved the early quarter or so of this book. The premise of an extraordinarily ancient civilization, a lost vessel, mutineers settling on a planet, thousands of years passing. Pretty darned cool.
Characters are a bit caricature, it's a bit hoo-rah military. Sometimes that's fun, and I enjoyed that aspect of this book.
Things got kinda slow about halfway, and by the end I had lost momentum of excitement. Seeing some of the comments of the second book discouraged me to pursue further in this series.
I liked it, but not enough.
Characters are a bit caricature, it's a bit hoo-rah military. Sometimes that's fun, and I enjoyed that aspect of this book.
Things got kinda slow about halfway, and by the end I had lost momentum of excitement. Seeing some of the comments of the second book discouraged me to pursue further in this series.
I liked it, but not enough.
February 2, 2018
A solid action packed military fiction but this part is NOT a space-opera. Yes, the first two chapters happen around earth, but the moon is the furthest point of flight. The rest of the book is happening on Earth. I don't know why I found the last chapters 20 to 23 very emotional. Might be the weather since sentences like "Osir had come full circle at last" made me tear up.
March 31, 2019
The book reminds me of the Science Fiction from the 50s or 60s, if not before. This is a slightly different style from the author’s big space operas such the Honor Harrington books. I enjoyed the story although there were times when he over describes things and I find myself skip reading sections just to get through them.
October 14, 2019
Interesting if unorignal concept can’t overcome shallow characters lacking development, and thin to non-existent descriptions of what should be really cool alien tech. Besides Dahak, no other ship is described... what does a fighter look like, how about the heavy tank?
May 3, 2020
This book sets the lower bound for how dumb a book can be for me to read to the end.
August 27, 2018
Good premise! The Moon is a spaceship and aliens live among us!
September 26, 2011
I started reading this during the recent onset of rainy weather here in Virginia, starting with the hurricane last month. There's is something in my brain, a trigger, that associates cool, rainy weather with the trifecta of Saturday evenings, comic books, and pulpy science fiction/fantasy. It doesn't get much pulpier than Weber's Mutineer's Moon, book 1 of the Dahak trilogy. (I'm actually reading the omnibus edition, but thought it would be more fair to list the books individually as I finished them.)
Its a little startling to realize that this book is just shy of twenty years old - the politics and climate of international affairs in the book, while a bit simplistic in some ways, still manage to resonate as being right on cue for modern day to near future Earth. You know, except for the fact that the moon is really a giant, orbiting alien space craft set to look like a moon when the proto-human population on the ship faced a mutiny. Except for that, of course.
I called it pulpy, and I'll stand by that - don't pick this book (or series) up if you are looking for deep discussions on human nature, highly correct science and scientific conjecture, or really deep, introspective science fiction. This is big explosions and quick action scenes that don't necessarily always make sense in retrospect, but that work nicely in the context of the fast paced story that Weber has written.
If you've read the kind of books I review high, especially in the science fiction category, and agree with me, then this is probably a good fit. Its eye candy for the brain, in all the brain rotting sweetness our mother's used to warn us about. And keep an eye on the moon, because there might be something up there keeping an eye on us, too.
Its a little startling to realize that this book is just shy of twenty years old - the politics and climate of international affairs in the book, while a bit simplistic in some ways, still manage to resonate as being right on cue for modern day to near future Earth. You know, except for the fact that the moon is really a giant, orbiting alien space craft set to look like a moon when the proto-human population on the ship faced a mutiny. Except for that, of course.
I called it pulpy, and I'll stand by that - don't pick this book (or series) up if you are looking for deep discussions on human nature, highly correct science and scientific conjecture, or really deep, introspective science fiction. This is big explosions and quick action scenes that don't necessarily always make sense in retrospect, but that work nicely in the context of the fast paced story that Weber has written.
If you've read the kind of books I review high, especially in the science fiction category, and agree with me, then this is probably a good fit. Its eye candy for the brain, in all the brain rotting sweetness our mother's used to warn us about. And keep an eye on the moon, because there might be something up there keeping an eye on us, too.
March 4, 2012
This is my second Weber read (the first being "On Basilisk Station.") I liked it. The characters were good and the action was good, but... Weber uses a lot of characters in this book, with a lot of POV shifts. I had a hard time keeping track of who was who (and on which side of the book's central conflict) sometimes. Partly this was down to the epub's formatting (POV shifts that would be marked with a wider break between paragraphs in print form look like any other paragraph break when it comes to epub if you don't plan for it.) Partly it was that I was only reading a few pages a night before bed. It got a little hard to track from time to time.
Overall, though, the setup is great. The characters are good - Colin is a classic military sci-fi hero, and I wish his AI partner Dahak had had more "screen time" in this book. I was not a big fan of Jiltanith's stilted speech patterns, but the character itself was good. The main villain, Anu, was okay, but I felt like he was never really more than a sketch.
Anyway, I'm not going to jump right into the next book, but I definitely will get to them. Next up I'm trying some other Baen authors (Eric Flint, for a start.)
Overall, though, the setup is great. The characters are good - Colin is a classic military sci-fi hero, and I wish his AI partner Dahak had had more "screen time" in this book. I was not a big fan of Jiltanith's stilted speech patterns, but the character itself was good. The main villain, Anu, was okay, but I felt like he was never really more than a sketch.
Anyway, I'm not going to jump right into the next book, but I definitely will get to them. Next up I'm trying some other Baen authors (Eric Flint, for a start.)
October 14, 2013
This is a pleasant romp in the style of older Weber books. A good and even mix of grand space opera, characters, intrigue and battles (both ground and space) lend to a delightful story that reaches back in the history of Earth and postulates an interesting fictional future. There is occasional handwavium, but for the most part it's kept under control and doesn't damage the story. Recommended.
March 21, 2014
David Weber has some terrific ideas. This book is no exception. The premise if very entertaining, but the story had many ebbs and flows.
The first half moves quickly. Then it starts to drag with new characters, new settings, and too much information too quickly. However, the end speeds up and I finished the book.
Enjoy.
Don
The first half moves quickly. Then it starts to drag with new characters, new settings, and too much information too quickly. However, the end speeds up and I finished the book.
Enjoy.
Don
August 27, 2011
This is an absolute favorite of mine. The concept is incredible and while some parts of the plot are a little predictable, there are just moments where everything works perfectly. Highly recommended
September 28, 2011
The concept that an ancient race of humans came to earth in a huge moon-sized space ship, had a mutiny, and the Terran race was descended from them is a very interesting what if. David Weber is very detailed, yet, I found myself caught up in the story. And this was the second time reading it!
December 23, 2013
The idea behind the whole plot is great, the story is well paced.
The 4stars are pretty generous, as characters are very caricatural.
But it was a nice read, not unforgettable and certainly absolutely first degree... Rest of the brain is not so bad, isit?
The 4stars are pretty generous, as characters are very caricatural.
But it was a nice read, not unforgettable and certainly absolutely first degree... Rest of the brain is not so bad, isit?
June 7, 2017
Picked this up at a Thrift store with the other volumes as well and it delivered a good, solid space 🚀 opera story, covering human history and that "ancient enemy" concept that would serve so well in future omnibus stories.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 26, 2020
Je retrouve avec plaisir les univers de science-fiction militaires de David Weber, ses personnages stéréotypés mais sympathiques, ses intrigues bien menées et ses valeurs qui me parlent. Toujours un peu bavard parfois mais une valeur sûre pour moi!
November 25, 2011
I read this years ago and really liked it. when I came across it again recently I decided to give it another read. This is still a great book. Recommend it to anyone who like sci-fi or David Weber.
February 20, 2022
excellent book. lot of wonderful characters and family generations to win the long extended war
second reading still good
second reading still good
April 18, 2025
This is one of, if not my favorite book series by this author. It has Weber staples - competent and moral leaders, skilled space pilots, great characters all around, and also sci-fi tech that is unique, plausible, and believably advanced - and it ALSO has a massive, sentient, dryly humorous, brilliant starship! And he's named after a dragon :)
Dahak is a compelling character even without the philosophical questions raised by him being a sentient starship computer with unexpected emotions. I’m drawn to not-quite human characters like Spock and Data, so I enjoyed Dahak’s interactions with Colin MacIntyre, and his transformation from a slightly alien intelligence to a trusted friend.
Nergal’s dilemma – their time as mutineers was not brushed aside, even though some people might dismiss it. They were the ‘good guys,’ but they were human, too, with pasts and serious mistakes. That issue was well-solved.
Jiltanith’s Shakespearian speaking style was a fun detail, as well. I am a fan of fantasy as well as sci-fi, so her archaic dialogue in the middle of a sci-fi world added a fun twist. Her and Colin's interactions were terrific.
I do love Tinkerbell the Rottweiler. I liked her adventures exploring Dahak's turbolifts and her ‘diplomacy work’ with Brasheen’s people. (Do they ever see the Internet’s trove of cat and dog videos?)
Bioenhancement was well-developed, with its initial sense-overload, extra abilities, and connections to the computer systems. We are heading that way with Neuralink – I wonder what that world will be like. Also, in today’s world of AI and rapidly expanding technology, how many people would opt for bioenhancement and how many would refuse?
I also enjoy when “the real world” gets woven into stories, so I liked the references to the Egyptian gods and the War of Roses. I wonder if the reference I caught to the first humans’ long lifespans, such as Methuselah’s, was intentional.
If you like complex, admirable, real characters, I heartily recommend this series, and David Weber in general!
Dahak is a compelling character even without the philosophical questions raised by him being a sentient starship computer with unexpected emotions. I’m drawn to not-quite human characters like Spock and Data, so I enjoyed Dahak’s interactions with Colin MacIntyre, and his transformation from a slightly alien intelligence to a trusted friend.
Nergal’s dilemma – their time as mutineers was not brushed aside, even though some people might dismiss it. They were the ‘good guys,’ but they were human, too, with pasts and serious mistakes. That issue was well-solved.
Jiltanith’s Shakespearian speaking style was a fun detail, as well. I am a fan of fantasy as well as sci-fi, so her archaic dialogue in the middle of a sci-fi world added a fun twist. Her and Colin's interactions were terrific.
I do love Tinkerbell the Rottweiler. I liked her adventures exploring Dahak's turbolifts and her ‘diplomacy work’ with Brasheen’s people. (Do they ever see the Internet’s trove of cat and dog videos?)
Bioenhancement was well-developed, with its initial sense-overload, extra abilities, and connections to the computer systems. We are heading that way with Neuralink – I wonder what that world will be like. Also, in today’s world of AI and rapidly expanding technology, how many people would opt for bioenhancement and how many would refuse?
I also enjoy when “the real world” gets woven into stories, so I liked the references to the Egyptian gods and the War of Roses. I wonder if the reference I caught to the first humans’ long lifespans, such as Methuselah’s, was intentional.
If you like complex, admirable, real characters, I heartily recommend this series, and David Weber in general!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 23, 2022
Fun and exciting novel. Great pacing and some interesting relationships explored, mostly between Colin and Dahak. That takes place in the first 100 pages of the book, and the rest paces you like an exciting thriller, but did not break out of any of my expectations in novel ways.
Spoiler until the end of paragraph - It was surprising to me how Dahak had no analysis on the possible evolving circumstances of the mutiny crew on earth. I myself had predicted that it was very likely there was a breakaway faction to the original mutineers, so the supercomputer didn't predict this possible circumstance and plan ahead at all with Colin? There was much more planning that was lacking in the way Colin's strategy evolved on Terra (like walking in on his old friend at the base with Mutineer tech, hi old friend! oh whoops your whole family died; how boneheaded of an idea was that to a military guy that he didn't even consider a hostage situation?), that just seems at odds with the ability to have the most powerful computer that ever existed to analyse possible outcomes on earth, even with little information. It seemed obvious to me that, that the mutineers, having 50,000 years to plan, could hide their people among multiple generations. Just because 1 person shows up with tech and none of their children do, doesn't mean that there is no inherent relationship between the mutineers and that person. If I could come up with this idea before the book told me, shouldn't the computer have been able to? I don't buy that it was something special about human understanding that was lacking in the computer's analysis - this should seem obvious to any smart type pattern analysis done by such a powerful AI.
After the first part of the book, the rest of the book was fun, but somewhat expected. Overall a book definitely worth your time for being entertaining and fun, I would give this book a 3.5 stars in fact, but it won't rank for me amongst the best.
Spoiler until the end of paragraph - It was surprising to me how Dahak had no analysis on the possible evolving circumstances of the mutiny crew on earth. I myself had predicted that it was very likely there was a breakaway faction to the original mutineers, so the supercomputer didn't predict this possible circumstance and plan ahead at all with Colin? There was much more planning that was lacking in the way Colin's strategy evolved on Terra (like walking in on his old friend at the base with Mutineer tech, hi old friend! oh whoops your whole family died; how boneheaded of an idea was that to a military guy that he didn't even consider a hostage situation?), that just seems at odds with the ability to have the most powerful computer that ever existed to analyse possible outcomes on earth, even with little information. It seemed obvious to me that, that the mutineers, having 50,000 years to plan, could hide their people among multiple generations. Just because 1 person shows up with tech and none of their children do, doesn't mean that there is no inherent relationship between the mutineers and that person. If I could come up with this idea before the book told me, shouldn't the computer have been able to? I don't buy that it was something special about human understanding that was lacking in the computer's analysis - this should seem obvious to any smart type pattern analysis done by such a powerful AI.
After the first part of the book, the rest of the book was fun, but somewhat expected. Overall a book definitely worth your time for being entertaining and fun, I would give this book a 3.5 stars in fact, but it won't rank for me amongst the best.
September 25, 2025
I'm more positive about this book than my two star rating suggests. I liked reading it, but I'm not curious about the other two books in the trilogy. Although I loved the idea of the Moon as a huge alien starship and its 50,000 year background, I didn't really get that sense-of-wonder that I was hoping for. Dahak isn't Rama.
I'm not really sure why I didn't care more. Maybe the main character didn't have enough of a grounding in the setting (i.e. friends and family on earth). Maybe it was that he got thrusted into an established conflict and other than having his command implants from Dahak, he didn't really contribute much.
If the book had been about exploring Dahak, figuring out what it was, that it was needed and how to turn it back on would have been a lot more interesting. But I guess that doesn't really fit with the genre of military SF.
But the only thing I really didn't like about this book was the love-interest speaking ye-olde english. It was annoying trying to make sense of what she was saying all the time and, more importantly, it gave me the impression of a very old woman, which made it weird for me to realize she was being set up as the love-interest for the main character. But that's just a minor quibble. At the end of the day, I think I'm just not that into military SF. I did love one of Weber's other books, "In Death Ground", as well as its sequel, "The Shiva Option". Those didn't have any memorable characters either, but the bleakness of the situation and the heroics of war were a lot more engaging.
I still can't *really* put my finger on why though.
I'm not really sure why I didn't care more. Maybe the main character didn't have enough of a grounding in the setting (i.e. friends and family on earth). Maybe it was that he got thrusted into an established conflict and other than having his command implants from Dahak, he didn't really contribute much.
If the book had been about exploring Dahak, figuring out what it was, that it was needed and how to turn it back on would have been a lot more interesting. But I guess that doesn't really fit with the genre of military SF.
But the only thing I really didn't like about this book was the love-interest speaking ye-olde english. It was annoying trying to make sense of what she was saying all the time and, more importantly, it gave me the impression of a very old woman, which made it weird for me to realize she was being set up as the love-interest for the main character. But that's just a minor quibble. At the end of the day, I think I'm just not that into military SF. I did love one of Weber's other books, "In Death Ground", as well as its sequel, "The Shiva Option". Those didn't have any memorable characters either, but the bleakness of the situation and the heroics of war were a lot more engaging.
I still can't *really* put my finger on why though.
December 23, 2022
The main character of this one is instantly likable simply because he’s the product of David Weber asking, “what kind of person would say yes to the scenario I have in mind?” and walking that through to a natural conclusion. Our boy Colin doesn’t waste much time on “that’s impossible” or “this can’t be happening,” because it quite obviously is happening, and he’s a deeply practical guy. That’s the bulk of the first few chapters, because this book really starts in on the plot immediately.
This book also involves good old Dave shoveling in as much cool tech as possible. Every few pages, I was like “oh…that’s so cool.” I would activate my personal skin-level force field to dry myself after a bath, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.
It’s kind of amazing how non-condescending he managed to make “ancient, technologically-advanced aliens influencing civilization on earth”. It’s also kind of amazing how grounded he makes the interactions between characters, especially in light of how no important supporting characters are introduced in the first third of the book. There are very few extra character beats, but everything that’s necessary is there.
This is perhaps not David Weber’s best work, but it is fun. It moves quickly and twists and turns with the best of them. It’s probably the least wordy book in his entire bibliography, too. The writing cuts straight to the point without fanfare or fluff. The story clips right along to a conclusion that satisfies but feels like it leaves the world open for future books. It’s no Weber epic, but it’s a decent read.
This book also involves good old Dave shoveling in as much cool tech as possible. Every few pages, I was like “oh…that’s so cool.” I would activate my personal skin-level force field to dry myself after a bath, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.
It’s kind of amazing how non-condescending he managed to make “ancient, technologically-advanced aliens influencing civilization on earth”. It’s also kind of amazing how grounded he makes the interactions between characters, especially in light of how no important supporting characters are introduced in the first third of the book. There are very few extra character beats, but everything that’s necessary is there.
This is perhaps not David Weber’s best work, but it is fun. It moves quickly and twists and turns with the best of them. It’s probably the least wordy book in his entire bibliography, too. The writing cuts straight to the point without fanfare or fluff. The story clips right along to a conclusion that satisfies but feels like it leaves the world open for future books. It’s no Weber epic, but it’s a decent read.
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