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Reaches #1
Igniting the Reaches
Millennia after the collapse of human civilization, humankind battles to rebuild an interstellar empire, and Stephen Gregg and Piet Ricimer leave the Free State of Venus to seek their fortune amid the perilous opportunities along the new exploration frontier.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 1994
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131 people want to read
About the author
David Drake
307 books888 followersDavid Drake is an American author of science fiction and fantasy literature. A Vietnam War veteran who has worked as a lawyer, he is now one of the major authors of the military science fiction genre.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 2, 2024
David Drake’s Science Fiction is very recognizable. He was fond of taking real life battles and events and transposing them into futuristic settings. His future societies reflect the common historical practices and socio-political environments in which the source material took place.
As such, his Science Fiction often seems to have a general anachronistic feel to it. Or at least, in my opinion.
Whether you appreciate Drake’s voice and narrative tendencies, or not, there is no denying the man could write action sequences.
Not so very long ago, he thought, you and I were in the business of supplying crews just like this one. But times change, and men change . . . and maybe occasionally they change for the better.
Igniting The Reaches follows the exploits of two Venerian (i.e. from Venus – but why isn’t it Venusian then?) spacers (and their crew) as they attempt to reclaim (re-initiate trade with) the planets that were previously settled (a thousand years after contact with these colonies was lost and space faring endeavours ceased due to a social catastrophe, leaving them cut-off and isolated).
There are some interesting ideas here, notably the Mirror, or Mirror-space, which holds untold riches but is a dangerous place to go, and the ancient factories at the edge of space (which are mentioned here, but don’t feature – hopefully more on these in the sequels). Also, the Molts, an alien race with genetic memory, who hold the key to operating human technology where humans have lost the technical knowledge.
Despite the romp-like nature of some of Drake’s SF books (they are basically adventures in space, with strong military aspects), I don’t find them to be quick reads at all.
I try to write fiction about people who behave as closely as possible to the way people do in my internal version of truth. One of the ways I achieve that end is to use historical events as the paradigm for my fiction: if somebody did something, another person at least might act that way under similar circumstances. - from the author’s afterword
Why only 3 stars? I didn’t really warm to any of the characters, which is important in a novel like this. Also, I would have liked to see some of the ideas developed a bit further. However, I am still keen to see what happens next, in Through the Breach.
As such, his Science Fiction often seems to have a general anachronistic feel to it. Or at least, in my opinion.
Whether you appreciate Drake’s voice and narrative tendencies, or not, there is no denying the man could write action sequences.
Not so very long ago, he thought, you and I were in the business of supplying crews just like this one. But times change, and men change . . . and maybe occasionally they change for the better.
Igniting The Reaches follows the exploits of two Venerian (i.e. from Venus – but why isn’t it Venusian then?) spacers (and their crew) as they attempt to reclaim (re-initiate trade with) the planets that were previously settled (a thousand years after contact with these colonies was lost and space faring endeavours ceased due to a social catastrophe, leaving them cut-off and isolated).
There are some interesting ideas here, notably the Mirror, or Mirror-space, which holds untold riches but is a dangerous place to go, and the ancient factories at the edge of space (which are mentioned here, but don’t feature – hopefully more on these in the sequels). Also, the Molts, an alien race with genetic memory, who hold the key to operating human technology where humans have lost the technical knowledge.
Despite the romp-like nature of some of Drake’s SF books (they are basically adventures in space, with strong military aspects), I don’t find them to be quick reads at all.
I try to write fiction about people who behave as closely as possible to the way people do in my internal version of truth. One of the ways I achieve that end is to use historical events as the paradigm for my fiction: if somebody did something, another person at least might act that way under similar circumstances. - from the author’s afterword
Why only 3 stars? I didn’t really warm to any of the characters, which is important in a novel like this. Also, I would have liked to see some of the ideas developed a bit further. However, I am still keen to see what happens next, in Through the Breach.
December 29, 2023
Giving up about five chapters in or so. I don't like the two characters - I get that they're in a weird post-collapse revival of human civilization, but even given that, they're *weirdly* conservative about some things.
They're also described as traders who actually try to trade on occasion, but the first time they meet anyone, they basically engage in robbery and piracy - and the character that seems to be the representative of their employer (or owner? I'm not sure.) at first is surprised, but then is fully gung-ho about rushing a compound fully armed, and stealing everything they have. (Only to sell it back to ... the same corporation/family a chapter later?)
Did I mention the weird enslavement of what *seems* to be a sapient-ish race? Because yeah, they're also ardent slavers.
I don't know if this will end up making sense, but I'm not sticking around to find out. Gregg, Ricimer, I hope you the worst on your journey that I will not be reading ahead to find out.
(I glanced at a few other reviews, and apparently this is a scifi-retelling of some European colonial history? That would certainly explain why everyone is a piece of shit on just about every possible axis.)
They're also described as traders who actually try to trade on occasion, but the first time they meet anyone, they basically engage in robbery and piracy - and the character that seems to be the representative of their employer (or owner? I'm not sure.) at first is surprised, but then is fully gung-ho about rushing a compound fully armed, and stealing everything they have. (Only to sell it back to ... the same corporation/family a chapter later?)
Did I mention the weird enslavement of what *seems* to be a sapient-ish race? Because yeah, they're also ardent slavers.
I don't know if this will end up making sense, but I'm not sticking around to find out. Gregg, Ricimer, I hope you the worst on your journey that I will not be reading ahead to find out.
(I glanced at a few other reviews, and apparently this is a scifi-retelling of some European colonial history? That would certainly explain why everyone is a piece of shit on just about every possible axis.)
January 3, 2018
Interesting reimagining of the career of Sir Francis Drake, set in a far future, and from the point of view of one of his associates (I don't know enough of Drake's history to know if the viewpoint character is based on a real character in Drake's life).
Where Drake fought to give England a place as a colonial power in a world where the Pope had divided the New World between Spain and Portugal, David Drake's (no relation as far as I know!) character, Piet Ricimer, is of the lesser ‘nobility’ on Venus, when the ‘Administration of Humanity’ has divided the extra-Solar planets between the governments of North and South America.
Where Drake fought to give England a place as a colonial power in a world where the Pope had divided the New World between Spain and Portugal, David Drake's (no relation as far as I know!) character, Piet Ricimer, is of the lesser ‘nobility’ on Venus, when the ‘Administration of Humanity’ has divided the extra-Solar planets between the governments of North and South America.
November 30, 2009
An attempt at swashbuckling privateers in space. Light and readable, not very deep. Good concept.
May 31, 2017
David Drake mines history for storylines. Igniting the Reaches takes the Age of Exploration to the stars!
July 12, 2023
Author is based and Sir Francis Drakepilled
January 2, 2026
They fly around the galaxy and have battles. Meh.
April 14, 2016
Drake has been one of my favorite writers for a long time, and the Reaches trilogy is my favorite of his works. The books are not as well known or as highly regarded as many of his other titles like the Hammer series or the Leary books or the Isles novels, but I thought he hit the perfect blend of historical influence, space opera adventure with pirates and privateers, and an entertaining and intelligent examination of politics, economics, and sociology. The books are well paced and plotted and I enjoyed the characters.
March 31, 2013
collection of short stories. Different story lines and entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews