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Multiverse #2
Hell Hath No Fury
It began with two men. They came from very different worlds—entirely different universes, in fact—one using sorcery and the other using mental powers and steam-age technology. They met in a virgin forest on a duplicate planet Earth. Neither side knows who shot first, but each blames the other, and it doesn't really matter, now, because war has begun.
War between the universes is the last thing responsible leaders on either side want. But the fury of their respective populations, xenophobic fear of the unknown, and cries for "justice" (or vengeance), are all driving both sides towards the brink. And unscrupulous, power-hungry men—and Arcana and Sharona alike—have agendas of their own.
The fuse has been lit, and a war stretching across the universes, fought between dragons, spells, and crossbows and repeating rifles, machine guns, and artillery is erupting in white-hot rage and fury. Where it will end—and how—no one knows
War between the universes is the last thing responsible leaders on either side want. But the fury of their respective populations, xenophobic fear of the unknown, and cries for "justice" (or vengeance), are all driving both sides towards the brink. And unscrupulous, power-hungry men—and Arcana and Sharona alike—have agendas of their own.
The fuse has been lit, and a war stretching across the universes, fought between dragons, spells, and crossbows and repeating rifles, machine guns, and artillery is erupting in white-hot rage and fury. Where it will end—and how—no one knows
632 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 2007
60 people are currently reading
581 people want to read
About the author
David Weber
322 books4,547 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 61 reviews
November 26, 2020
The second installment of the Multiverse series packs a lot more punch than the first, and actually lives up to its billing as military science fiction. The Multiverse is a hugely ambitious series as Weber and Evans build not just one complex world, but two. Arcana's world works on magic, as in every thing we may use some sort of mechanical devise for, they have a magical version. They even utilized magic to create dragons and griffins, and their war horses are also magically 'improved'. Sharona, the other world, is basically a feudal society undergoing an industrial revolution but also contains people with 'talents'-- mind powers that come in a variety of flavors.
After 1200 pages of build up, HHNF starts with a bang. Sharona holds 'Hells Gate', the universe where the two worlds first met and clashed. Due to the author's heavy use of foreshadowing, we know more clashes will soon ensue. Given Weber's love of complex political intrigue, we have wheels within wheels on both sides. Arcana became unified after a nasty war when the portal to parallel universes were first discovered, but unification does not mean there are not rivalries; a similar situation holds for Sharona, although the various empires/nations live in peace, they do not have a unified government. Facing the threat of war, however, Sharona feels compelled to form a unified government, but again, rivalries make the process difficult.
It seems there is a deep plot within Arcana for one of the societies subsumed under unification to gain control, and deeply planted operatives within the Arcanan army make their move by basically declaring war on Sharona. Utilizing their dragon air power and their transport capabilities, they quickly start mopping up Sharona's outposts and moving up the chain of universes. They are quite brutal about it, killing and torturing POWs along the way to get information. Yet, there is one portal where Sharona's military is more than a token force, and we know the big denouement/battle will take place there.
Unlike Hell's Gate, we do get some amazing battles here, with dragons that shoot fireballs, lightening and even poison gas. Sharona's guns and artillery seem no match, but Arcana has not faced the real might of these yet...
I have a weakness for military science fiction, and there are some amazing battles scenes here. Weber is a master at this; unfortunately, his endless political intrigues occupy much more space in this series than is really warranted. If you love feudal political intrigue, you should love this series. If you are looking for pure military science fiction, this series will try your patience. 2.5 stars rounding up for fire breathing dragons versus heavy artillery!
After 1200 pages of build up, HHNF starts with a bang. Sharona holds 'Hells Gate', the universe where the two worlds first met and clashed. Due to the author's heavy use of foreshadowing, we know more clashes will soon ensue. Given Weber's love of complex political intrigue, we have wheels within wheels on both sides. Arcana became unified after a nasty war when the portal to parallel universes were first discovered, but unification does not mean there are not rivalries; a similar situation holds for Sharona, although the various empires/nations live in peace, they do not have a unified government. Facing the threat of war, however, Sharona feels compelled to form a unified government, but again, rivalries make the process difficult.
It seems there is a deep plot within Arcana for one of the societies subsumed under unification to gain control, and deeply planted operatives within the Arcanan army make their move by basically declaring war on Sharona. Utilizing their dragon air power and their transport capabilities, they quickly start mopping up Sharona's outposts and moving up the chain of universes. They are quite brutal about it, killing and torturing POWs along the way to get information. Yet, there is one portal where Sharona's military is more than a token force, and we know the big denouement/battle will take place there.
Unlike Hell's Gate, we do get some amazing battles here, with dragons that shoot fireballs, lightening and even poison gas. Sharona's guns and artillery seem no match, but Arcana has not faced the real might of these yet...
I have a weakness for military science fiction, and there are some amazing battles scenes here. Weber is a master at this; unfortunately, his endless political intrigues occupy much more space in this series than is really warranted. If you love feudal political intrigue, you should love this series. If you are looking for pure military science fiction, this series will try your patience. 2.5 stars rounding up for fire breathing dragons versus heavy artillery!
November 19, 2015
(review November 2015 on something like the 4th or 5th complete read)
For an introduction to the series (and its publication history and travails) see my review of Hell's gate
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Here I will add a few comments about this one:
- non-stop action and a book that cannot literally be put down; while hell's gate has slower moments, this just rolls from page one until the end some 500 pages or so later; useful glossary especially for the corresponding names of places, countries etc in Sharona and Arcana in our Earth terms; very good ending at a pause point in the main action (the blurb of Road to hell is quite spoilery about this btw) with a little semi-cliffhanger in a political sub-plot
- while it reads like the last 2/5 say of a huge 1300 page novel (of which Hell's gate was the first 3/5 or so as page count goes), it is so packed and has so much action that it feels like a much shorter novel, and I really, really want to see what comes next
- if there is one minor negative, the relatively short appearances of the four main early characters from Hell's gate qualifies, but new (and old) characters take center stage with brio
Overall - one of the best one volume novels in the Weberian oeuvre - as pacing, tightness, lack of unnecessary detail etc goes, though it needs Hell's gate to which it represents the last part; highly, highly recommended and now with Road to Hell scheduled soon, the series lives again and one hopes it will go much more than the promised 4 (these 2 and at least 2 more) since there is great promise here
For an introduction to the series (and its publication history and travails) see my review of Hell's gate
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Here I will add a few comments about this one:
- non-stop action and a book that cannot literally be put down; while hell's gate has slower moments, this just rolls from page one until the end some 500 pages or so later; useful glossary especially for the corresponding names of places, countries etc in Sharona and Arcana in our Earth terms; very good ending at a pause point in the main action (the blurb of Road to hell is quite spoilery about this btw) with a little semi-cliffhanger in a political sub-plot
- while it reads like the last 2/5 say of a huge 1300 page novel (of which Hell's gate was the first 3/5 or so as page count goes), it is so packed and has so much action that it feels like a much shorter novel, and I really, really want to see what comes next
- if there is one minor negative, the relatively short appearances of the four main early characters from Hell's gate qualifies, but new (and old) characters take center stage with brio
Overall - one of the best one volume novels in the Weberian oeuvre - as pacing, tightness, lack of unnecessary detail etc goes, though it needs Hell's gate to which it represents the last part; highly, highly recommended and now with Road to Hell scheduled soon, the series lives again and one hopes it will go much more than the promised 4 (these 2 and at least 2 more) since there is great promise here
December 2, 2021
Second in the Multiverse series created by David Weber and Linda Evans, Hell Hath No Fury is quite excellent. If one can stomach quite a bit of violence. For violent it is. Two separate worlds in two separate universes, each exploring new alternate universes through portals they’ve discovered, encounter each other in the first book. And Arcana, the magical, militaristic culture run entirely by spells attacks a civilian survey crew from Sharona, which is a technology-based world, of a WW I era of technology, including rifles, revolvers, artillery, etc. Both sides suffer casualties, but while Arcana takes two prisoners, both of whom are presumed dead by Sharona, and one of them is the most popular woman in their universe, Sharona exacts their revenge on Arcana. So Arcana sends out some “diplomats,” asking to negotiate, not shoot. Things seem odd, but the Sharonans decide to negotiate in good faith, as they don’t want an interstellar war. Meanwhile, the devious Arcanans are moving up thousands of troops and dozens of battle and transport dragons to attack the Sharonans and invade their portals and take as many as possible into Sharonan territory. In doing so, they’ve lied to their troops, telling them their most popular citizen was killed by Sharanon troops when in fact it was an Arcanan who killed him. And they know that. They’re itching to start an interstellar war, but they have no orders to do so. One rogue mid-level officer has ordered this and now tens of thousands of lives are at stake.
Meanwhile, we meet Crown Prince Janaki, heir to the Sharonan throne, detailed to take some prisoners home and accompany Voice Darcel Kinlafia, the man who “saw” the original slaughter and alerted all of Sharona to what had happened. Janaki is a good man and talks Kinlafia into going ahead of him to run for Parliament, where he might be able to do some good. He, like his whole royal family, has Glimpses and knows his destiny lies in dying in defense of a major portal fort several universes away. His father, Zindel, and his sister, Andrin, not yet 18, both have strong Glimpses and are deeply worried. A Conclave is called and a world government is called for to unify the world’s countries and their armies into one, all presumably to be led by Zindel. Unfortunately, one Chava Busar, Emperor of Uromathia, is holding everything up, refusing to give his approval to this arrangement unless Zindel’s son marries one of his daughters, thus putting his grandchild on the empire’s throne at some point in the future. Many people are ticked, but Zindel agrees and the time is set for putting this all together.
So, the time has come for the Arcanans to attack. And they do, with 14,000 men against 800 Sharonans. And they lose a battle dragon or two, which shocks them, even though they annihilate all Sharonans. There are three types of battle dragons. One breathes fire, one throws lightning bolts, the third breathes poison gas, killing the most people. They are their secret weapon, since the uncivilized, barbaric Sharonans don’t have and have never seen magic.
And they attack a fort. And decimate it. And take prisoners. And torture and slaughter the prisoners. And this becomes a pattern. When Weber, for this is undoubtedly his work, writes bad guys, they are REALLY bad! The Arcanans are evil bastards. They kill all the Voices, since the have learned about the Sharonan VoiceNet and how they use it, and they destroy fort after fort, taking prisoners and torturing and slaughtering them as they go. It seems the only honorable Arcanans are the long distant Jasak Olderhan and Gadrial Kelbryan.
Finally, they reach the big fort, the major fort where Janaki is. Through his Glimpses, he has been able to warn the commander of the impending attack, how it will happen, where it will come from, how to defend, etc. And they’re ready. The battle scene is a typical David Weber battle scene: most excellent. And of course, Janaki dies. The serious problem with that is it leaves Andrin heir to the throne and now Busar is insisting she immediately marry one of his sons and he is gloating his way to the throne. However, as we will hopefully find out in the next book, Kinlafi will have something to say about that and will play a major role in the survival of Sharona. The book ends in a typical Weber cliffhanger stalemate and I’m damned eager to see some Sharonan revenge. The problem for many people is that this book was published in 2007 and there’s been no Book Three. People have been left hanging and they’re not happy about it. Apparently, Linda Evans became quite ill, so the series was discontinued. People ask why Weber didn’t just continue it himself, since it was so quite obviously HIS book. But he didn’t. The good news is, I just learned that Book Three is scheduled for publication in March 2016! With a different co-author. Don’t know what happened to Evans, but I’m damned glad Weber got together with someone to continue an excellent series. The first book was quite good, but this one was better. Lots of action, lots of intrigue. Definitely recommended.
Meanwhile, we meet Crown Prince Janaki, heir to the Sharonan throne, detailed to take some prisoners home and accompany Voice Darcel Kinlafia, the man who “saw” the original slaughter and alerted all of Sharona to what had happened. Janaki is a good man and talks Kinlafia into going ahead of him to run for Parliament, where he might be able to do some good. He, like his whole royal family, has Glimpses and knows his destiny lies in dying in defense of a major portal fort several universes away. His father, Zindel, and his sister, Andrin, not yet 18, both have strong Glimpses and are deeply worried. A Conclave is called and a world government is called for to unify the world’s countries and their armies into one, all presumably to be led by Zindel. Unfortunately, one Chava Busar, Emperor of Uromathia, is holding everything up, refusing to give his approval to this arrangement unless Zindel’s son marries one of his daughters, thus putting his grandchild on the empire’s throne at some point in the future. Many people are ticked, but Zindel agrees and the time is set for putting this all together.
So, the time has come for the Arcanans to attack. And they do, with 14,000 men against 800 Sharonans. And they lose a battle dragon or two, which shocks them, even though they annihilate all Sharonans. There are three types of battle dragons. One breathes fire, one throws lightning bolts, the third breathes poison gas, killing the most people. They are their secret weapon, since the uncivilized, barbaric Sharonans don’t have and have never seen magic.
And they attack a fort. And decimate it. And take prisoners. And torture and slaughter the prisoners. And this becomes a pattern. When Weber, for this is undoubtedly his work, writes bad guys, they are REALLY bad! The Arcanans are evil bastards. They kill all the Voices, since the have learned about the Sharonan VoiceNet and how they use it, and they destroy fort after fort, taking prisoners and torturing and slaughtering them as they go. It seems the only honorable Arcanans are the long distant Jasak Olderhan and Gadrial Kelbryan.
Finally, they reach the big fort, the major fort where Janaki is. Through his Glimpses, he has been able to warn the commander of the impending attack, how it will happen, where it will come from, how to defend, etc. And they’re ready. The battle scene is a typical David Weber battle scene: most excellent. And of course, Janaki dies. The serious problem with that is it leaves Andrin heir to the throne and now Busar is insisting she immediately marry one of his sons and he is gloating his way to the throne. However, as we will hopefully find out in the next book, Kinlafi will have something to say about that and will play a major role in the survival of Sharona. The book ends in a typical Weber cliffhanger stalemate and I’m damned eager to see some Sharonan revenge. The problem for many people is that this book was published in 2007 and there’s been no Book Three. People have been left hanging and they’re not happy about it. Apparently, Linda Evans became quite ill, so the series was discontinued. People ask why Weber didn’t just continue it himself, since it was so quite obviously HIS book. But he didn’t. The good news is, I just learned that Book Three is scheduled for publication in March 2016! With a different co-author. Don’t know what happened to Evans, but I’m damned glad Weber got together with someone to continue an excellent series. The first book was quite good, but this one was better. Lots of action, lots of intrigue. Definitely recommended.
January 24, 2013
Another multi-verse book; another cliff-hanger ending. Oh, no, it's not over. Weber was introducing new characters and sub-plots halfway through his tome (Admittedly, half the length of Hell's Gate.)
Like the Honor Harrington books, long on fully realized cultures and characters, but beginning to look like another never-ending tale. I'm thinking Robert Jordan. That may sound like a complement; it's not. (Publishers and authors may enjoy the royalties, but readers start feeling betrayed.)
A good read, but not sure I have the patience for more.
Like the Honor Harrington books, long on fully realized cultures and characters, but beginning to look like another never-ending tale. I'm thinking Robert Jordan. That may sound like a complement; it's not. (Publishers and authors may enjoy the royalties, but readers start feeling betrayed.)
A good read, but not sure I have the patience for more.
March 23, 2017
Gaaah! The cliffhangers! I guess I'm just glad that I didn't have to wait all those years between book 2 and book 3... I'm downloading Book 3 right now and will begin it tomorrow morning on the commute to work (I'm listening to audio versions of this series).
But, more to the point -- much more action-packed than Hell's Gate (book 1), and it brings us deeper into the conflict that is happening here. The bad guys are very VERY bad and there were a few times I would have been happy to strangle one or two of them (none of the worst of them have met their final ends yet, more's the pity). But there is hope, in the end of the book, and you the reader end up with a very clear picture of which side to sympathize with.
From the dragon riders' side of things, a good picture of (US) Air Force doctrine and approach to strategic air strikes. I am glad that real-world aircraft are less vulnerable to heavy weapons than dragons appear to be, however.
We end on a hopeful note, but it's a wistful hope -- after all seemed lost, the good guys were able to at least stall the advance of the Dark Side... but even at home, there are venal conspirators seeking to undermine the forces of Good for their own gain. Very much a middle book in a compelling series. I look forward to the next one
But, more to the point -- much more action-packed than Hell's Gate (book 1), and it brings us deeper into the conflict that is happening here. The bad guys are very VERY bad and there were a few times I would have been happy to strangle one or two of them (none of the worst of them have met their final ends yet, more's the pity). But there is hope, in the end of the book, and you the reader end up with a very clear picture of which side to sympathize with.
From the dragon riders' side of things, a good picture of (US) Air Force doctrine and approach to strategic air strikes. I am glad that real-world aircraft are less vulnerable to heavy weapons than dragons appear to be, however.
We end on a hopeful note, but it's a wistful hope -- after all seemed lost, the good guys were able to at least stall the advance of the Dark Side... but even at home, there are venal conspirators seeking to undermine the forces of Good for their own gain. Very much a middle book in a compelling series. I look forward to the next one
August 8, 2012
I guess the best description of this book is "ponderous". It's not that the writing isn't good or that the characters aren't interesting but that it's trying to convey a HUGE scope. You've got two entirely different civilizations clashing and neither side is really the "bad guy." I must hand it to David and Linda for starting such a project but I'm not certain I would try it. This must have been like constructing a scale model of the Taj Mahal out of toothpicks.
In any case the action and stories comes in fits and starts since it jumps back and forth between universes and characters. SO MANY CHARACTERS. Some people like the gigantic cast of characters but I can only take it in (forgive me) small doses. I prefer a small core of characters with occasional forays into minor characters' arcs. So I suppose I'm biased.
I have noticed that David has a tendency to expand the number of characters the longer his books are. His earlier books were tighter whereas his most recent works take their time. Sometimes this works . . . and other times--not.
Where this book really shines are the details of these alternate universes, including culture, technology and mindset. I'm unsure if it was a case of "Linda creates one universe and David creates another" or if it was completely cooperative. But the detail and 'feel' are amazing. I'm hoping that as the series continues, we'll see more of a smaller core of characters come to the fore.
In any case the action and stories comes in fits and starts since it jumps back and forth between universes and characters. SO MANY CHARACTERS. Some people like the gigantic cast of characters but I can only take it in (forgive me) small doses. I prefer a small core of characters with occasional forays into minor characters' arcs. So I suppose I'm biased.
I have noticed that David has a tendency to expand the number of characters the longer his books are. His earlier books were tighter whereas his most recent works take their time. Sometimes this works . . . and other times--not.
Where this book really shines are the details of these alternate universes, including culture, technology and mindset. I'm unsure if it was a case of "Linda creates one universe and David creates another" or if it was completely cooperative. But the detail and 'feel' are amazing. I'm hoping that as the series continues, we'll see more of a smaller core of characters come to the fore.
March 25, 2021
This a direct continuation of the first book. It would seem it's to be considered a single long book rather than separate books as the first book just ends and this one immediately picks up where it left off. Since this one ends on a complete cliffhanger, I have no doubt that the third book will do the same. This isn't something that bothers me, but apparently it bothers a lot of others.
While there still is a lot of political intrigue and maneuvering of all sorts, this second book has significantly more battle scenes, though many of them aren't much of a battle as it were. Information warfare is also a key part of what happens, as many of the characters act based on the propaganda they've been told, almost every event is rife with misunderstandings, and many mistakes are made due to insufficient information.
There's a scene where a guy, dressed only in his underwear because it's a a night raid, uses a shotgun to shoot down several griffins in one shot one kill style. Another scene that I particularly enjoyed was the usage of artillery cannons against an oncoming dragon strike. In a last ditch effort, one guy takes a grenade launcher and launches a grenade into a dragon's mouth to predictable effect.
The cast of characters is huge, but most of them are killed rather quickly. I'm almost entirely certain this has far and away the most viewpoint characters that have been killed of anything I've read. There are many characters that are introduced and die in a single chapter. Indeed, there are those who only last for a few paragraphs before meeting their end. While there are a few important characters who continue to survive, they are the exception. Several times a viewpoint character will be in mid-thought or action and their perspective abruptly ends because they died.
Overall this is much more about the war effort from both sides rather than any individual characters. If you need a lot of character development or emotional connection to the characters through their progression, then you'll probably be disappointed, because that isn't really what's going on here for almost any of the characters.
While the problems mentioned about the previous book are there still there, most of them have been lessened. They aren't anything more to me than quibbles. I enjoyed this book more than the first and I continue to be surprised by how much I'm enjoying reading it. It's just a lot of fun and not much else, though that's working more than well enough for me.
Rating: 4.5/5
While there still is a lot of political intrigue and maneuvering of all sorts, this second book has significantly more battle scenes, though many of them aren't much of a battle as it were. Information warfare is also a key part of what happens, as many of the characters act based on the propaganda they've been told, almost every event is rife with misunderstandings, and many mistakes are made due to insufficient information.
There's a scene where a guy, dressed only in his underwear because it's a a night raid, uses a shotgun to shoot down several griffins in one shot one kill style. Another scene that I particularly enjoyed was the usage of artillery cannons against an oncoming dragon strike. In a last ditch effort, one guy takes a grenade launcher and launches a grenade into a dragon's mouth to predictable effect.
The cast of characters is huge, but most of them are killed rather quickly. I'm almost entirely certain this has far and away the most viewpoint characters that have been killed of anything I've read. There are many characters that are introduced and die in a single chapter. Indeed, there are those who only last for a few paragraphs before meeting their end. While there are a few important characters who continue to survive, they are the exception. Several times a viewpoint character will be in mid-thought or action and their perspective abruptly ends because they died.
Overall this is much more about the war effort from both sides rather than any individual characters. If you need a lot of character development or emotional connection to the characters through their progression, then you'll probably be disappointed, because that isn't really what's going on here for almost any of the characters.
While the problems mentioned about the previous book are there still there, most of them have been lessened. They aren't anything more to me than quibbles. I enjoyed this book more than the first and I continue to be surprised by how much I'm enjoying reading it. It's just a lot of fun and not much else, though that's working more than well enough for me.
Rating: 4.5/5
May 18, 2021
This is the middle volume of the Multiverse Saga that David Weber co-wrote with Linda Evans. I loved the premise of it. Two vast but very different civilizations discover gateways to Parallel Planets like their own; each one unoccupied and pristine; and each with another gateway leading to yet another Parallel Planet. Both civilizations push onwards from Parallel Planet to Parallel Planet until at last they encounter each other with tragic results.
One civilization, the Union of Arcana is a medieval society run on magic. Complete with dragons, unicorns, griffins, and spells (one amusing note is that they have computers run "by magic" which may seem much that way to the technologically ignorant, myself included)! Dragons are their "Air Force" complete with Fire, Lighting, and Poison Gas weapons.
The civilization they run into, the Sharonians, positively baffle them as their civilization is run by something called "science" producing incomprehensible gadgets and weapons far in advance of their own non-magical technology (akin to late-Middle-Ages). The Sharonians are at a late 19th-early 20th century technology but also a tiny percentage of their population are gifted with psionic powers such as communicating long distances with other psionics, or having the ability see a possible future. The first volume sets all this up getting us familiar with both civilizations and cast of characters but aside to the initial unfortunate encounter, not much happens though war over a world with multiple portals seems inevitable.
This second volume has much more action and Weber who writes good military sci-fi doesn't disappoint. War does erupt with unexpected surprises for both sides. I'll try not to spoil it any more than that. Many age old paradoxes come up. Do the ends justify the means of victory? Is victory at all costs worth the cost both in lives and humanity lost? Both sides have heroes and villains, rationalizations and agendas. It can get very complex and the story sometimes loses itself in the complexities but I'm glad it's there. Though a bit uneven in places it's enough to motivate me to get the third volume to see where it all leads.
One civilization, the Union of Arcana is a medieval society run on magic. Complete with dragons, unicorns, griffins, and spells (one amusing note is that they have computers run "by magic" which may seem much that way to the technologically ignorant, myself included)! Dragons are their "Air Force" complete with Fire, Lighting, and Poison Gas weapons.
The civilization they run into, the Sharonians, positively baffle them as their civilization is run by something called "science" producing incomprehensible gadgets and weapons far in advance of their own non-magical technology (akin to late-Middle-Ages). The Sharonians are at a late 19th-early 20th century technology but also a tiny percentage of their population are gifted with psionic powers such as communicating long distances with other psionics, or having the ability see a possible future. The first volume sets all this up getting us familiar with both civilizations and cast of characters but aside to the initial unfortunate encounter, not much happens though war over a world with multiple portals seems inevitable.
This second volume has much more action and Weber who writes good military sci-fi doesn't disappoint. War does erupt with unexpected surprises for both sides. I'll try not to spoil it any more than that. Many age old paradoxes come up. Do the ends justify the means of victory? Is victory at all costs worth the cost both in lives and humanity lost? Both sides have heroes and villains, rationalizations and agendas. It can get very complex and the story sometimes loses itself in the complexities but I'm glad it's there. Though a bit uneven in places it's enough to motivate me to get the third volume to see where it all leads.
August 11, 2021
After the explosive debut of the series, a very good second book.
* * *
It began with two men. They came from very different worlds-entirely different universes, in fact-and they met in a virgin forest on a duplicate planet Earth. Neither of them had expected it, both of them realized how important the first contact with any other trans-universal human civilization might be. But something went wrong. Neither side knows who shot first. But both the magic-using civilization of Arcana and steel-and-steam age Sharona, with its psionic Talents, think it was the other side. And it doesn't really matter, now, because the original incident has snowballed. Both sides have additional dead to mourn; both sides have additional wrongs to avenge. Both sides have additional military forces moving towards the front. War between the universes is the last thing responsible leaders on either side want. But the fury of their respective populations, xenophobic fear of the unknown, and cries for "justice" (or vengeance), are all driving both sides towards the brink. The actions of local military commanders and diplomats may well determine the final outcome, and unscrupulous, power-hungry men-and Arcana and Sharona alike-have agendas of their own. The fuse has been lit, and a war stretching across the universes, across an endless succession of identical Earths, fought between dragons, spells, and crossbows and repeating rifles, machine guns, and artillery is about to begin in white-hot rage and fury. Where it will end-and how-no one knows.
* * *
* * *
It began with two men. They came from very different worlds-entirely different universes, in fact-and they met in a virgin forest on a duplicate planet Earth. Neither of them had expected it, both of them realized how important the first contact with any other trans-universal human civilization might be. But something went wrong. Neither side knows who shot first. But both the magic-using civilization of Arcana and steel-and-steam age Sharona, with its psionic Talents, think it was the other side. And it doesn't really matter, now, because the original incident has snowballed. Both sides have additional dead to mourn; both sides have additional wrongs to avenge. Both sides have additional military forces moving towards the front. War between the universes is the last thing responsible leaders on either side want. But the fury of their respective populations, xenophobic fear of the unknown, and cries for "justice" (or vengeance), are all driving both sides towards the brink. The actions of local military commanders and diplomats may well determine the final outcome, and unscrupulous, power-hungry men-and Arcana and Sharona alike-have agendas of their own. The fuse has been lit, and a war stretching across the universes, across an endless succession of identical Earths, fought between dragons, spells, and crossbows and repeating rifles, machine guns, and artillery is about to begin in white-hot rage and fury. Where it will end-and how-no one knows.
* * *
February 16, 2018
--This might turn into an interesting series, as it is certainly convoluted enough with twists, turns, spatial incongruities an plenty of outright mayhem. While the Ternathian Empire including the PAAF (Portal Authority Armed Forces) believe that negotiations are in progress to determine the encroachment of the Union of Arcana on their territory, the only communications network available is being destroyed and the forts guarding the portals are overrun. An entire army had advanced over 4000 miles in 12 days time and the Sharonians thought their only means of transport was foot and/or horse. WRONG! They are faced with fantastical creatures as well as magic.--
September 16, 2017
Decent sequel to the first, with interesting battles and characters, though The politics on the Sharonian Side did get a bit tiring after a while.
I also found the Sharonian characters less well developed than their arcanan counterparts, particularly annoying was the hero worship for the Calirath Family and the fact that the villains on the Sharonian Side don't seem to have any motivations for their actions other than hatred of the Caliraths.
All in all, A good second instalment.
I also found the Sharonian characters less well developed than their arcanan counterparts, particularly annoying was the hero worship for the Calirath Family and the fact that the villains on the Sharonian Side don't seem to have any motivations for their actions other than hatred of the Caliraths.
All in all, A good second instalment.
December 17, 2019
Sadly, Mr. Weber is the literary equivalent of a ham. The first volume was entertaining, but by Volume II it has became...a bit wearing. The villains practically twirl their mustaches and exclaim, "Na-ha-ha!". And, my god, talk about melodramatic, overwrought dialogue! Plus, (and I'll admit that this is not entirely fair) the authors tend to go back to the same descriptive language again and again. I swear if I hear the words "chuckle", "thin" or "icy" one more time, I'll track them down and beat them with a copy of their book.
March 19, 2021
Better than book one
This second book includes a rudimentary map to help keep transitions straight which is a big help. It also has a glossary at the end to help figure out why you recognise a name that is familiar when the book switches scenes back to a different group of characters. I would give it 4.5 stars but forces to pick one r the other it falls short of getting a 5 IMO.
This second book includes a rudimentary map to help keep transitions straight which is a big help. It also has a glossary at the end to help figure out why you recognise a name that is familiar when the book switches scenes back to a different group of characters. I would give it 4.5 stars but forces to pick one r the other it falls short of getting a 5 IMO.
December 27, 2017
Narrator: Mark Boyett
2/5
Don’t feel like there was much more value added from this book compared to the previous.
started: 2017-09-30.Sep.Sat 16:04:19
finished: 2017-10-10.Oct.Tue 16:11:50
duration: 18h:59m
2/5
Don’t feel like there was much more value added from this book compared to the previous.
started: 2017-09-30.Sep.Sat 16:04:19
finished: 2017-10-10.Oct.Tue 16:11:50
duration: 18h:59m
December 31, 2023
Of course it ends on a cliffhanger. Sigh. There's more politics and battles. It gets a bit fatal compared to the first book. Anyone can die, and they do. The glossary at the end helps, but the book, while it creates a vivid universe, tends to bog down in the names and terms used.
April 3, 2018
Very uneven story telling. So much of the book was boring. There were some good action elements and character building, but the authors have a tendency to drag the minutia on a bit.
November 20, 2018
Very good book and interesting concept.
August 9, 2018
Awesome read
I really enjoyed this book. It flowed easily between the several story lines. I love the whole concept of the multiverse.
I really enjoyed this book. It flowed easily between the several story lines. I love the whole concept of the multiverse.
December 29, 2018
We waited TEN YEARS for this! Thankfully it's 800+ pages that turn VERY quickly!
June 24, 2022
Good but didn’t end properly, just stopped, with what seemed several loose ends and seemingly pointless subplots.
August 12, 2022
Nearly half the length of the first with Radom time frames between events just runined the story flow.
June 20, 2023
Fasted-Paced, a roller coaster ride, full of adventure and action! :D
December 10, 2023
Good series
Good pacing, thoughtful review of two similar societies with totally different technologies unknown to each other who clash on 1st meeting.
Good pacing, thoughtful review of two similar societies with totally different technologies unknown to each other who clash on 1st meeting.
May 7, 2016
Second in the Multiverse military science-fiction series. And it had better not be the last!
My Take
Weber, Evans, you simply cannot leave me hanging like this!
The deaths, the sacrifices made. The subsection of the Act of Unification requiring a chan Calirath to marry into Chava Busar's family, but then there's that Glimpse that the emperor had involving Darcel Kinlafia with a child and his daughter. The Arcanans are at a temporary standstill while the Sharonians are trying to recoup from the attack and the prince's death.
Does that traitorous bastard, mul Gurthak, finally get exposed? What about the brutality of Thalmayr? Does he ever get stopped? Will Ulthar ever man up? And if he does, what happens??!! If Jathmar and Shaylar's Talents are fading as they go further into the Arcanan universe, will the same happen with the Arcanans' magic as they push further into Sharona??
What happens with Jathmar and Shaylar, Gadrial and Jasak?? And there has been nothing about chan Baskay and his tiny group of survivors…! What did Janaki Glimpse that Darcel just realized? Dang it, inquiring minds have got to know!!!
The brutality and evil of mul Gurthak with his underhanded, traitorous plot. Setting up the Sharonians with the peace talks at the portal while bringing his army and dragons forward for the sneak attack. Only the Talents of the Sharonians enable them to survive at all as they escape through the forest.
I loved meeting Crown Prince Janaki and his encouragement of Darcel Kinlafia, the Voice from Hell's Gate who passed on Shaylar's psychic video of the attack on their party of surveyors to the rest of their world. I wish there were more people of honor like Janaki and Darcel, chan Baskay, oh, so many others who are decent including Sir Jasak Olderhan and Gadrial Kelbryan.
The forward attacks on the Sharonian forts. The knowledge the Arcanans' have of the Sharonians' VoiceNet and how they use it. Then there's the political machinations as the Sharonians attempt to respond to this violent encounter. Most of Sharona wants Zindel as emperor of a united planet but Chava Busar, Emperor of Uromathia, is plotting for his own crowning. His needs come before anyone's including the survival of Sharona.
I. N. T. E. N. S. E. It took me days to read this as it was such an intense story.
The Story
It began with two men. They came from very different worlds — entirely different universes, in fact — and they met in a virgin forest on a duplicate planet Earth.
Neither of them had expected it, both of them realized how important the first contact with any other trans-universal human civilization might be. But something went wrong. Neither side knows who shot first. But both the magic-using civilization of Arcana and steel-and-steam age Sharona, with its psionic Talents, think it was the other side.
And it doesn't really matter, now, because the original incident has snowballed. Both sides have additional dead to mourn; both sides have additional wrongs to avenge. Both sides have additional military forces moving towards the front.
War between the universes is the last thing responsible leaders on either side want. But the fury of their respective populations, xenophobic fear of the unknown, and cries for "justice" (or vengeance) are all driving both sides towards the brink.
The actions of local military commanders and diplomats may well determine the final outcome, and unscrupulous, power-hungry men — and Arcana and Sharona alike — have agendas of their own. The fuse has been lit, and a war stretching across the universes, across an endless succession of identical Earths, fought between dragons, spells, and crossbows and repeating rifles, machine guns, and artillery is about to begin in white-hot rage and fury. Where it will end — and how — no one knows.
The Cover and Title
I can't help it. I think the cover is dorky. Yes, it's accurate in its 1940-ish, almost cartoonish depiction of blasting dragons with fierce armored soldiers fighting back. It just doesn't convey the amazing worlds at odds with each other. I'm not getting that sense of magic versus technology that runs throughout the New Multiverse series. And that series name? What's with that? New Multiverse? Sounds more like a set of textbooks.
The title though, that is amazingly accurate. I love the fury that rains down on the Arcanans at Fort Salby…YES!!
My Take
Weber, Evans, you simply cannot leave me hanging like this!
The deaths, the sacrifices made. The subsection of the Act of Unification requiring a chan Calirath to marry into Chava Busar's family, but then there's that Glimpse that the emperor had involving Darcel Kinlafia with a child and his daughter. The Arcanans are at a temporary standstill while the Sharonians are trying to recoup from the attack and the prince's death.
Does that traitorous bastard, mul Gurthak, finally get exposed? What about the brutality of Thalmayr? Does he ever get stopped? Will Ulthar ever man up? And if he does, what happens??!! If Jathmar and Shaylar's Talents are fading as they go further into the Arcanan universe, will the same happen with the Arcanans' magic as they push further into Sharona??
What happens with Jathmar and Shaylar, Gadrial and Jasak?? And there has been nothing about chan Baskay and his tiny group of survivors…! What did Janaki Glimpse that Darcel just realized? Dang it, inquiring minds have got to know!!!
The brutality and evil of mul Gurthak with his underhanded, traitorous plot. Setting up the Sharonians with the peace talks at the portal while bringing his army and dragons forward for the sneak attack. Only the Talents of the Sharonians enable them to survive at all as they escape through the forest.
I loved meeting Crown Prince Janaki and his encouragement of Darcel Kinlafia, the Voice from Hell's Gate who passed on Shaylar's psychic video of the attack on their party of surveyors to the rest of their world. I wish there were more people of honor like Janaki and Darcel, chan Baskay, oh, so many others who are decent including Sir Jasak Olderhan and Gadrial Kelbryan.
The forward attacks on the Sharonian forts. The knowledge the Arcanans' have of the Sharonians' VoiceNet and how they use it. Then there's the political machinations as the Sharonians attempt to respond to this violent encounter. Most of Sharona wants Zindel as emperor of a united planet but Chava Busar, Emperor of Uromathia, is plotting for his own crowning. His needs come before anyone's including the survival of Sharona.
I. N. T. E. N. S. E. It took me days to read this as it was such an intense story.
The Story
It began with two men. They came from very different worlds — entirely different universes, in fact — and they met in a virgin forest on a duplicate planet Earth.
Neither of them had expected it, both of them realized how important the first contact with any other trans-universal human civilization might be. But something went wrong. Neither side knows who shot first. But both the magic-using civilization of Arcana and steel-and-steam age Sharona, with its psionic Talents, think it was the other side.
And it doesn't really matter, now, because the original incident has snowballed. Both sides have additional dead to mourn; both sides have additional wrongs to avenge. Both sides have additional military forces moving towards the front.
War between the universes is the last thing responsible leaders on either side want. But the fury of their respective populations, xenophobic fear of the unknown, and cries for "justice" (or vengeance) are all driving both sides towards the brink.
The actions of local military commanders and diplomats may well determine the final outcome, and unscrupulous, power-hungry men — and Arcana and Sharona alike — have agendas of their own. The fuse has been lit, and a war stretching across the universes, across an endless succession of identical Earths, fought between dragons, spells, and crossbows and repeating rifles, machine guns, and artillery is about to begin in white-hot rage and fury. Where it will end — and how — no one knows.
The Cover and Title
I can't help it. I think the cover is dorky. Yes, it's accurate in its 1940-ish, almost cartoonish depiction of blasting dragons with fierce armored soldiers fighting back. It just doesn't convey the amazing worlds at odds with each other. I'm not getting that sense of magic versus technology that runs throughout the New Multiverse series. And that series name? What's with that? New Multiverse? Sounds more like a set of textbooks.
The title though, that is amazingly accurate. I love the fury that rains down on the Arcanans at Fort Salby…YES!!
March 20, 2010
Hell Hath No Fury by David Weber and Linda Evans
Book two of the Multiverse series is also most engrossing. Evan’s and Weber’s portrayal of two unique civilizations on a road to conflict progress to the actual conflict itself. Arcana base magic technology challenges Sharona’s psychic talents and their science based technology. The multi-universal aspect is that both civilizations have discovered portal to alternate earths that have no populations until they confront each other.
David Weber and Linda Evans do a superb job in describing two dissimilar cultures and those cultures’ idiosyncrasies. As they alternate back and forth from culture to culture you find your sympathies vacillating as well. The beauty of their work is that you truly find things that are both laudable and stimulating for each culture. They are being drawn into conflict by serendipitous contacts and malicious behavior in spite of their root similarities.
The contrast of opposing technologies is interesting. What makes the book great is the emotional undertones. The ability to evoke strong emotions regarding the characters is rare. I cared for Emperor on Sharona and his family and loathed the Arcana villains.
My biggest disappointment with this book was the cliff hanger ending. Normally I don’t mind cliff hanger endings if there is a proposed forthcoming book to get you off the damn cliff. Sadly according to what I can see on the web there is no forthcoming volume let alone a conclusion in process. I wish the authors would have done a better wrap of the work if they weren’t planning on proceeding with the series in a timely manner.
I highly recommend the book with the caveat that I can almost guarantee that you will be strongly annoyed at the ending and the fact there is no foreseeable conclusion.
Book two of the Multiverse series is also most engrossing. Evan’s and Weber’s portrayal of two unique civilizations on a road to conflict progress to the actual conflict itself. Arcana base magic technology challenges Sharona’s psychic talents and their science based technology. The multi-universal aspect is that both civilizations have discovered portal to alternate earths that have no populations until they confront each other.
David Weber and Linda Evans do a superb job in describing two dissimilar cultures and those cultures’ idiosyncrasies. As they alternate back and forth from culture to culture you find your sympathies vacillating as well. The beauty of their work is that you truly find things that are both laudable and stimulating for each culture. They are being drawn into conflict by serendipitous contacts and malicious behavior in spite of their root similarities.
The contrast of opposing technologies is interesting. What makes the book great is the emotional undertones. The ability to evoke strong emotions regarding the characters is rare. I cared for Emperor on Sharona and his family and loathed the Arcana villains.
My biggest disappointment with this book was the cliff hanger ending. Normally I don’t mind cliff hanger endings if there is a proposed forthcoming book to get you off the damn cliff. Sadly according to what I can see on the web there is no forthcoming volume let alone a conclusion in process. I wish the authors would have done a better wrap of the work if they weren’t planning on proceeding with the series in a timely manner.
I highly recommend the book with the caveat that I can almost guarantee that you will be strongly annoyed at the ending and the fact there is no foreseeable conclusion.
January 4, 2022
It starts off with diplomacy, but gets really exciting, really fast.
The story: A war seems inevitable between Arcana and Sharona, but diplomats from Arcana ask to negotiate for peace, admitting their fault. Negotiations begin while Arcana prepares for a deep strike through Sharona's multiverse gates. And then all Hell breaks loose.
There is a lot of action in this book even though it starts off with diplomacy. Also there is a deeper conspiracy revealed. In the previous book, "Hell's Gate," the two combatants seemed to be misunderstanding each other with each new mistake escalating into greater violence. But one hoped that when the dust settled each side would back off. In this book it is apparent that malevolent forces are at work to prevent a resolution and to foster war. Exactly why is unclear, but it exists.
Note that the action in this book includes a lot of violence, and abuse of prisoners including murder.
Any modesty issues? The F-word is used. Other than that, not really. Rape is mentioned but it is more hyperbole than an actual possibility.
Although the main question in this book was resolved (that is, "What was the mysterious Glimpse or vision of the future that the King, the Princess and the Prince had?"), this book ends in yet another cliffhanger. Tune in next week for the thrilling conclusion! This book was published in 2007. The thrilling conclusion was not published until 2016 with a different co-author. I'm glad I didn't start this series until now (2020). I would have hated waiting that long.
I'd read this book again.
The story: A war seems inevitable between Arcana and Sharona, but diplomats from Arcana ask to negotiate for peace, admitting their fault. Negotiations begin while Arcana prepares for a deep strike through Sharona's multiverse gates. And then all Hell breaks loose.
There is a lot of action in this book even though it starts off with diplomacy. Also there is a deeper conspiracy revealed. In the previous book, "Hell's Gate," the two combatants seemed to be misunderstanding each other with each new mistake escalating into greater violence. But one hoped that when the dust settled each side would back off. In this book it is apparent that malevolent forces are at work to prevent a resolution and to foster war. Exactly why is unclear, but it exists.
Note that the action in this book includes a lot of violence, and abuse of prisoners including murder.
Any modesty issues? The F-word is used. Other than that, not really. Rape is mentioned but it is more hyperbole than an actual possibility.
Although the main question in this book was resolved (that is, "What was the mysterious Glimpse or vision of the future that the King, the Princess and the Prince had?"), this book ends in yet another cliffhanger. Tune in next week for the thrilling conclusion! This book was published in 2007. The thrilling conclusion was not published until 2016 with a different co-author. I'm glad I didn't start this series until now (2020). I would have hated waiting that long.
I'd read this book again.
May 14, 2012
Two things first. One is that this review is of the Kindle ebook from Baen. The second is that this book, like the first, was co-written with Linda Evans.
This book avoids the errors of the first. It is action packed, fast paced, and shorter. It is an excellent read.
If anything the book is too short! It only just manages to deal with all the major characters, although three of them, and an interesting possible sub-plot, have just disappeared. 8% of the book is glossary and list of characters tacked on at the end. Who was under pressure to fulfil a contract and came in under contract length?
It develops strands of the various sub-plots nicely, gives a lot of tantalising clues to future likely events, and ends on an actual cliffhanger!
And there it has rested since 2007. If you have read book 1 in the series read this to get the bad taste out of your mouth, if not don't start this series at all until at least the third book comes out. Which in 2009 David Weber said may be in 2013, but then as he hasn't started writing it yet don't hold your breath. I know that Linda Evans was taken seriously ill, and couldn't write at all for 3 years, but this is so frustrating. But they are contracted for 2 more books so there is some hope.
The lack of a third book means that I was in a real dilemma and nearly gave this only 3 stars, as in some I felt as if I had read the first half of a book that needs the second half to really make sense.
This book avoids the errors of the first. It is action packed, fast paced, and shorter. It is an excellent read.
If anything the book is too short! It only just manages to deal with all the major characters, although three of them, and an interesting possible sub-plot, have just disappeared. 8% of the book is glossary and list of characters tacked on at the end. Who was under pressure to fulfil a contract and came in under contract length?
It develops strands of the various sub-plots nicely, gives a lot of tantalising clues to future likely events, and ends on an actual cliffhanger!
And there it has rested since 2007. If you have read book 1 in the series read this to get the bad taste out of your mouth, if not don't start this series at all until at least the third book comes out. Which in 2009 David Weber said may be in 2013, but then as he hasn't started writing it yet don't hold your breath. I know that Linda Evans was taken seriously ill, and couldn't write at all for 3 years, but this is so frustrating. But they are contracted for 2 more books so there is some hope.
The lack of a third book means that I was in a real dilemma and nearly gave this only 3 stars, as in some I felt as if I had read the first half of a book that needs the second half to really make sense.
February 16, 2008
The Hells Gate series explores what would happen if two radically different societies clashed in a universe where trans-dimensional gates exist. Imagine a 3 mile wide window into another Earth which is completely devoid of humans and somewhere on that alter-Earth is another gate leading to another alter-Earth. Repeat 6 or 7 times.
Arcana is a civilization where magic is the the primary form of technology. Dragons exist and are used for warfare and transportation. Many people have PC's (personal crystals that act just like a computer). Soldiers carry swords and crossbows but heavy weapons consist of infantry-dragons (a spell powered fire ball launcher)
On the other side of the playing field is Sharona, a civilization with WWI type weapons and steam power augmented with the occasional "talent" (telepathy, telekinesis, precog, etc)
Arcana and Sharona meet way out in the boonies and there's a misunderstanding. Conflict ensues which leads to war. Like most series of this size and depth, it's a soap opera. There are many names of people and places to remember and so far the heroes and villains are pretty clearly defined. If the idea of "What if Magic and Technology went to war" is interesting to you I'd strongly suggest this book. If it doesn't, try War and Peace instead.
Arcana is a civilization where magic is the the primary form of technology. Dragons exist and are used for warfare and transportation. Many people have PC's (personal crystals that act just like a computer). Soldiers carry swords and crossbows but heavy weapons consist of infantry-dragons (a spell powered fire ball launcher)
On the other side of the playing field is Sharona, a civilization with WWI type weapons and steam power augmented with the occasional "talent" (telepathy, telekinesis, precog, etc)
Arcana and Sharona meet way out in the boonies and there's a misunderstanding. Conflict ensues which leads to war. Like most series of this size and depth, it's a soap opera. There are many names of people and places to remember and so far the heroes and villains are pretty clearly defined. If the idea of "What if Magic and Technology went to war" is interesting to you I'd strongly suggest this book. If it doesn't, try War and Peace instead.
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