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Ascent to Empire #1
Governor
For more than fifty years, the Terran Republic and the Terran League have been killing one another. The death toll has climbed ever higher, year after year, with no end in sight. But the members of the Five Hundred, the social elite of the Republic’s Heart Worlds, don’t care.
Rear Admiral Terrence Murphy is a Heart Worlder. His family is part of the Five Hundred. His wife is the daughter of one of the Five Hundred’s wealthiest, most powerful industrialists. His sons and his daughter can easily avoid military service, and political power is his for the taking. There is no end to how high he can rise in the Republic’s power structure.
All he has to do is successfully complete a risk-free military “governorship” in the backwater Fringe System of New Dublin without rocking the boat. But the people sending him to New Dublin have miscalculated, because Terrence Murphy is a man who believes in honor. Who believes in duty—in common decency and responsibility. Who believes there are dark and dangerous secrets behind the façade of what “everyone knows.”
Terrence Murphy intends to meet those responsibilities, to unearth those secrets, and he doesn’t much care what the Five Hundred want. He intends to put a stop to the killing.
Terrence Murphy is coming for whoever has orchestrated fifty-six years of bloodshed and slaughter, and Hell itself is coming with him.
Rear Admiral Terrence Murphy is a Heart Worlder. His family is part of the Five Hundred. His wife is the daughter of one of the Five Hundred’s wealthiest, most powerful industrialists. His sons and his daughter can easily avoid military service, and political power is his for the taking. There is no end to how high he can rise in the Republic’s power structure.
All he has to do is successfully complete a risk-free military “governorship” in the backwater Fringe System of New Dublin without rocking the boat. But the people sending him to New Dublin have miscalculated, because Terrence Murphy is a man who believes in honor. Who believes in duty—in common decency and responsibility. Who believes there are dark and dangerous secrets behind the façade of what “everyone knows.”
Terrence Murphy intends to meet those responsibilities, to unearth those secrets, and he doesn’t much care what the Five Hundred want. He intends to put a stop to the killing.
Terrence Murphy is coming for whoever has orchestrated fifty-six years of bloodshed and slaughter, and Hell itself is coming with him.
484 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2021
266 people are currently reading
622 people want to read
About the author
David Weber
322 books4,549 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 142 reviews
March 7, 2021
Governor is a prequel set some 400 years earlier to the standalone In Fury Born (which was also an extension of the earlier Path of the Fury), so for anyone who read that, the general picture of where the book (and the Ascent to Empire series which it opens) is known, though of course, the details are not.
With memorable characters, fewer than usual infodumps (the novel clocks at a good 450+ pages and still feels that it could have had another 2-300 and still be exciting) and an ending at a very good TBC point wrapping up a lot of the (mini) storylines inside, Governor was impossible to put down and I reread it once already since the first time I rushed through it as the pages really turned by themselves, so it will be a top book of the year for me, while the next series book a huge, huge asap.
On the downside, I would say that some of the armored marines banter seemed superfluous and I'd rather had more scenes with Eira and Callum for example or more 500 Hundred skulduggeries, or New Dublin "person in the street" perspective etc; the ftl/space war setup is also as of now less conducive to interesting actions and that made some of the space battles kind of repetitive and without too much excitement (except "are these people sane or suicidal genocidal murderers") - In Fury Born had a setup closer to the Honorverse say and much more conducive of tenseness, though the significant difference of the lack an Eridani edict convention and the consequent genocidal planetary strikes were there too.
Overall, one of the best D Weber (and collaborators) novels in recent times and the best mil space opera from him in a while, so highly recommended; would say to leave In Fury Born for after the next book or two in this series, if not yet read, but if you want to have an outline of how events will go, they are in there.
With memorable characters, fewer than usual infodumps (the novel clocks at a good 450+ pages and still feels that it could have had another 2-300 and still be exciting) and an ending at a very good TBC point wrapping up a lot of the (mini) storylines inside, Governor was impossible to put down and I reread it once already since the first time I rushed through it as the pages really turned by themselves, so it will be a top book of the year for me, while the next series book a huge, huge asap.
On the downside, I would say that some of the armored marines banter seemed superfluous and I'd rather had more scenes with Eira and Callum for example or more 500 Hundred skulduggeries, or New Dublin "person in the street" perspective etc; the ftl/space war setup is also as of now less conducive to interesting actions and that made some of the space battles kind of repetitive and without too much excitement (except "are these people sane or suicidal genocidal murderers") - In Fury Born had a setup closer to the Honorverse say and much more conducive of tenseness, though the significant difference of the lack an Eridani edict convention and the consequent genocidal planetary strikes were there too.
Overall, one of the best D Weber (and collaborators) novels in recent times and the best mil space opera from him in a while, so highly recommended; would say to leave In Fury Born for after the next book or two in this series, if not yet read, but if you want to have an outline of how events will go, they are in there.
July 11, 2021
Exciting New Book
If you like military scifi, this book is definitely worth a look. Interesting characters and an exciting concept. The ending is a good climax to this story, but it's definitely structured as the first book in a series and I'll be looking forward to the sequel.
If you like military scifi, this book is definitely worth a look. Interesting characters and an exciting concept. The ending is a good climax to this story, but it's definitely structured as the first book in a series and I'll be looking forward to the sequel.
November 27, 2024
If you like the Honor Harrington series you will like this one set in a different universe. It mixes space battles, politics, and social commentary as is usual with Weber's books. This time it is a bit heavier on the politics (not surprising with a tile of Governor). The characters are interesting. The setting is good. The social commentary between the haves and have-nots is pretty clear, but also central to the plot.
It is a good read and the ending is top notch.
It is a good read and the ending is top notch.
February 18, 2025
Good space politics.
October 4, 2021
I couldn't exactly figure out if this book is a prequel to a series of books that already exists, or if it's book one of a series of books yet to be written. Either way, I don't think I'm going to get on board for whatever comes next.
I guess you could say this is my first "Military Science Fiction" book I've read and I have a few problems with it. It takes quite awhile to get going and as such was boring in the early chapters. There are good guys who are not all good and bad guys, except for one, who aren't all bad. The hero of this particular story, Admiral/Governor Murphy, seems to have no weaknesses. He's sort of a military genius, able to anticipate the enemy's moves before even the enemy itself knows what it's going to do and he also apparently has the shrewdest political mind of anyone in creation, anticipating what the scheming politician's back home are planning for him as well. There's a whole lot of science fiction military strategy mumbo-jumbo that makes no sense whatsoever. The authors use complicated wormholes to get their interstellar ships from "A" to "B" but it's the wormhole stuff and the acceleration/deceleration to and from them that makes things really hard to understand what's going on during the space battles. On the other hand, it's all kind of fun although I found myself skimming through some of the battle sequences just so I could skip the details, and there are lots and lots of them, and get to the end to find out who won, who gets killed and who survives.
Characters and their relationships are sketchy. The most interesting possibility, between Callum, the Admiral's son, and a girl he rescues after her planet is destroyed, is given short shrift. The reasons for the political machinations of both sides and the actual reason for the war that's been going on for over 50 years is never explained, other than the fact that the bad guys are sort of Chinese and the good guys are not. That's a reason to go to an interstellar war?
So all-in-all, while not a bad book, I just am not grabbed by the whole idea of it. If it's typical military science fiction then I guess you could just say I'm not a fan.
I guess you could say this is my first "Military Science Fiction" book I've read and I have a few problems with it. It takes quite awhile to get going and as such was boring in the early chapters. There are good guys who are not all good and bad guys, except for one, who aren't all bad. The hero of this particular story, Admiral/Governor Murphy, seems to have no weaknesses. He's sort of a military genius, able to anticipate the enemy's moves before even the enemy itself knows what it's going to do and he also apparently has the shrewdest political mind of anyone in creation, anticipating what the scheming politician's back home are planning for him as well. There's a whole lot of science fiction military strategy mumbo-jumbo that makes no sense whatsoever. The authors use complicated wormholes to get their interstellar ships from "A" to "B" but it's the wormhole stuff and the acceleration/deceleration to and from them that makes things really hard to understand what's going on during the space battles. On the other hand, it's all kind of fun although I found myself skimming through some of the battle sequences just so I could skip the details, and there are lots and lots of them, and get to the end to find out who won, who gets killed and who survives.
Characters and their relationships are sketchy. The most interesting possibility, between Callum, the Admiral's son, and a girl he rescues after her planet is destroyed, is given short shrift. The reasons for the political machinations of both sides and the actual reason for the war that's been going on for over 50 years is never explained, other than the fact that the bad guys are sort of Chinese and the good guys are not. That's a reason to go to an interstellar war?
So all-in-all, while not a bad book, I just am not grabbed by the whole idea of it. If it's typical military science fiction then I guess you could just say I'm not a fan.
May 2, 2022
I read Path of the Fury way back in 1993 shortly after it came out. It was a Christmas present for me for 1992. Having always been somewhat of a Sci-fi fan the world of military Sci-Fi was relatively new to me. The original story knocked my socks off and made me a lifelong David Weber fan, and I promptly picked up the 2006 hardcover expanded version In Fury Born when it was released. I loved the expanded look into the world of Alecia DeVries, and it is a book that I reread every year or so. I understood Mr. Weber’s decision to leave that universe alone, because he had somewhat written himself into a corner by making the main character essentially super-human.
BUT!
He has returned to the “Furyverse” with this novel, and I couldn’t be happier.
Based on what would otherwise be considered a throwaway paragraph in In Fury Born, this story goes back 400 years and introduces Terrence Murphy, who is fated to become the future leader of humanity. The character development and the veiled references to ‘Something bigger going on’ are fantastic, and the detail given to descriptions of equipment are good enough to fuel the imagination without being exhaustively specific. Another good thing that the authors have done is mirror a lot of the technospeak of the previous book, with the descriptions of starship accelerations being near identical copies. For me at least this makes the internal world consistent across both. It really throws me out of the narrative when an author changes something like that in subsequent books and then I feel compelled to go back and forth rereading to make sure I’m understanding what is being written.
The authors do a phenomenal job of depicting a society that is stratified, with elite society concerned with business and power, while the lower strata of society are war weary and near breaking. The beats of the story come excellently timed, and foreshadowing is not overt but is leading up to resolutions and revelations that form a satisfactory ending and set up for following novels.
If you are a fan of Mr. Weber, military Sci-Fi, or well written Sci-Fi in general I can’t recommend this book high enough.
BUT!
He has returned to the “Furyverse” with this novel, and I couldn’t be happier.
Based on what would otherwise be considered a throwaway paragraph in In Fury Born, this story goes back 400 years and introduces Terrence Murphy, who is fated to become the future leader of humanity. The character development and the veiled references to ‘Something bigger going on’ are fantastic, and the detail given to descriptions of equipment are good enough to fuel the imagination without being exhaustively specific. Another good thing that the authors have done is mirror a lot of the technospeak of the previous book, with the descriptions of starship accelerations being near identical copies. For me at least this makes the internal world consistent across both. It really throws me out of the narrative when an author changes something like that in subsequent books and then I feel compelled to go back and forth rereading to make sure I’m understanding what is being written.
The authors do a phenomenal job of depicting a society that is stratified, with elite society concerned with business and power, while the lower strata of society are war weary and near breaking. The beats of the story come excellently timed, and foreshadowing is not overt but is leading up to resolutions and revelations that form a satisfactory ending and set up for following novels.
If you are a fan of Mr. Weber, military Sci-Fi, or well written Sci-Fi in general I can’t recommend this book high enough.
November 25, 2024
"In Fury Born" is one of my favorite David Weber books, so I was excited to hear that there would be another book in the same universe. This is a prequel .
I enjoyed this book but found myself skimming over a large amount of techno-babble which kept the rating down. (Rated as 3.5 stars rounded up.)
I enjoyed this book but found myself skimming over a large amount of techno-babble which kept the rating down. (Rated as 3.5 stars rounded up.)
January 6, 2022
I found the start of the book a bit slow and some of the long-winded explanations behind the ‘pseudo science’ didn’t add to the story. Eventually the story picks up and in the main becomes a very decent read, although it is still not without its faults.
I found some of the characters were almost caricatures e.g. League Admiral Xing and I wasn’t convinced by the Machiavellian Federation ‘top dogs’.
Also the big space battles tend to degenerate into long descriptions of missile types, numbers and speeds.
Overall if possible I would have given 3.5 stars, I vacillated between three and four stars, but in the end gave the book the benefit of the doubt.
I found some of the characters were almost caricatures e.g. League Admiral Xing and I wasn’t convinced by the Machiavellian Federation ‘top dogs’.
Also the big space battles tend to degenerate into long descriptions of missile types, numbers and speeds.
Overall if possible I would have given 3.5 stars, I vacillated between three and four stars, but in the end gave the book the benefit of the doubt.
October 7, 2025
Ir 2552.gads un jau vairāk nekā divsimts gadus cilvēces rīcībā ir tehnoloģijas, kuras ar tās kosmokuģiem ļāvušas kolonizēt neskaitāmas planētas un zvaigžņu sistēmas, izplesties Visuma dzīlēs un atklāt tās noslēpumus, un, protams arī izmantot visas iespējas, lai iegūtu resursus un no tiem savukārt maksimālu peļnu. Diemžēl arī starp zvaigznēm, kur nevajadzētu trūkt apdzīvojamām planētām, kur nu vēl derīgu izrakteņu objektiem, cilvēce nespēj iztikt bez karošanas, un pēdējos gandrīz 60 gadus Terran Republic nemitīgas kardarbības dēļ ar Terran Līgu nāvei regulāri nolemj simtiem tūkstošus.
https://poseidons99.com/2025/10/07/da...
https://poseidons99.com/2025/10/07/da...
March 4, 2024
I preferred the second half of the book. It really started to get interesting.
June 3, 2021
Excellent!
It’s the prequel of Path of the Fury/ In fury born...
So if you have read those, you have a rough idea of what to expect and still... Weber‘s Prosa takes you in... be it the plight of refugees or gripping space battles, it’s very good!
And in Richard Fox he has a solid co-author!
Can’t wait for the next one!
It’s the prequel of Path of the Fury/ In fury born...
So if you have read those, you have a rough idea of what to expect and still... Weber‘s Prosa takes you in... be it the plight of refugees or gripping space battles, it’s very good!
And in Richard Fox he has a solid co-author!
Can’t wait for the next one!
July 14, 2021
It has been a long time since I read something by David Weber. I really liked his Honor Harrington series. Well, at least until he developed a dire case of word diarrhea and every book turned into talk, talk and more talk. This book appears to be cowritten by David Weber and Richard Fox, the latter of which I have not read much from.
I do not know how much of the book is Weber and how much is Fox but if the book was written by Weber alone I would say: Yeah, Weber is back!
This is really a great book. It has everything I would expect from Weber, and I guess now from Fox as well. It has a rich and well done universe. The characters are great. The story is good with a good mix of story development, twists and action. On the subject of action, especially the fleet action, it is very well done.
As usual with Weber there’s a fair amount of politics. As a matter of fact there is a political underpinning that drives the story and of course, a whole bunch of political asshats. Normally I would not like that at all but Weber manages to pull it off. Maybe because our hero is really allowed to be a hero as well as allowed to come out on top and the political scumbags are unable to stop him.
Speaking of the hero. For me having a likable, competent and kickass hero is a must. Admiral Murphy doesn’t disappoint in this area. I especially like that he gets plenty of opportunities to show the lazy and/or criminal morons that thinks they can screw him over or just avoid getting caught the errors of their ways.
As the story moves along we get to see the views and reactions from the enemy as well and, in particular their reactions (surprises) when Murphy comes their way. Hmm, come to think about it, for the bad guys, Murphy’s name is pretty well choses when it comes to screwing up their plans. Murphy’s law and all that.
It has been a long time since I’ve read a book that I truly without hesitation or with any second thoughts place in the 5 out 5 stars category. I really hope that Weber and Fox writes a second book with Admiral Murphy.
I do not know how much of the book is Weber and how much is Fox but if the book was written by Weber alone I would say: Yeah, Weber is back!
This is really a great book. It has everything I would expect from Weber, and I guess now from Fox as well. It has a rich and well done universe. The characters are great. The story is good with a good mix of story development, twists and action. On the subject of action, especially the fleet action, it is very well done.
As usual with Weber there’s a fair amount of politics. As a matter of fact there is a political underpinning that drives the story and of course, a whole bunch of political asshats. Normally I would not like that at all but Weber manages to pull it off. Maybe because our hero is really allowed to be a hero as well as allowed to come out on top and the political scumbags are unable to stop him.
Speaking of the hero. For me having a likable, competent and kickass hero is a must. Admiral Murphy doesn’t disappoint in this area. I especially like that he gets plenty of opportunities to show the lazy and/or criminal morons that thinks they can screw him over or just avoid getting caught the errors of their ways.
As the story moves along we get to see the views and reactions from the enemy as well and, in particular their reactions (surprises) when Murphy comes their way. Hmm, come to think about it, for the bad guys, Murphy’s name is pretty well choses when it comes to screwing up their plans. Murphy’s law and all that.
It has been a long time since I’ve read a book that I truly without hesitation or with any second thoughts place in the 5 out 5 stars category. I really hope that Weber and Fox writes a second book with Admiral Murphy.
June 7, 2021
Governor - Ascent to Empire is the first book in a new series by David Weber and Richard Fox. This book is set in the same universe as David Weber's book "In Fury Born". In this one Rear Admiral Terrance Murphy is being sent to a backwater colony as the new Governor as well as the military leader of the space forces stationed there. The leadership of the Terran Republic expects him just to be a placeholder and remain far from the war between The Terran Republic and The Terran League. This war has been going on for many years with millions dead. Terrance Murphy has maneuvered himself into this position and along with his son and some fateful helpers he intends to put an end to this long and bloody conflict.
This book is a great start to a new military science fiction series. I look forward to the next installment!
This book is a great start to a new military science fiction series. I look forward to the next installment!
July 17, 2021
I've enjoyed webers honor harrington series so thought I'd give this one a try. Although co-written with another author, this one is much in the same vein as the harrington stories. The story is well done, but for me it just felt like a retread.
June 30, 2021
An OK military SF novel, bit old school and somewhat predictable, I'd recommend the early Honor Harrington books if you haven't read them.
September 2, 2025
I really loved this book.
FYI, this is a prequel to "In Fury Born (1)" by David Weber. It is not necessary to read "In Fury Born", but it helps (a little) knowing how that particular universe works.
The story: For years Terrence Murphy has been perceived as an elitist fop taking credit wherever he could, and paying more attention to his resume and appearance than to actually accomplishing anything. Thus, he seemed like the perfect "ticket puncher" to govern the planetary system of New Dublin.... far from the ongoing war with the Terran League and he would be of no threat to the Terran Republic's 500. However, once the new Governor arrives at the New Dublin system is entirely contrary to expectations. Murphy is competent, a real leader and just what New Dublin needs, a man of honor willing to do whatever it takes to protect the citizens.
Any problems with this story? Well... I was put off at first by the whole "rich fop" sham Murphy was pulling, but it soon became clear that it WAS all a sham. He wasn't simply a lazy guy who was finally pushed into doing something good. It had been his plan all along!
The other complaint I have is that the names of the opposing sides were so similar that it was confusing at first. As I recall, Murphy was part of the Terran REPUBLIC. He was fighting the Terran LEAGUE. If the names had been shortened to "THE REPUBLIC" and "THE LEAGUE" it would have simplified my life.
Other than that the story was very exciting. Lots of action.
Any modesty issues? There was occasional vulgar language. I seem to recall the F-Word being used at least once. There was also a suggestion of a possible sexual situation, but it soon became clear that it wouldn't happen... at least not in this book. Maybe in the sequel.
There was a big battle near the end and most of the major questions were answered, but also leaving a big opening for the sequel. The sequel is "Rebel". I will begin reading it soon.
FYI, this is a prequel to "In Fury Born (1)" by David Weber. It is not necessary to read "In Fury Born", but it helps (a little) knowing how that particular universe works.
The story: For years Terrence Murphy has been perceived as an elitist fop taking credit wherever he could, and paying more attention to his resume and appearance than to actually accomplishing anything. Thus, he seemed like the perfect "ticket puncher" to govern the planetary system of New Dublin.... far from the ongoing war with the Terran League and he would be of no threat to the Terran Republic's 500. However, once the new Governor arrives at the New Dublin system is entirely contrary to expectations. Murphy is competent, a real leader and just what New Dublin needs, a man of honor willing to do whatever it takes to protect the citizens.
Any problems with this story? Well... I was put off at first by the whole "rich fop" sham Murphy was pulling, but it soon became clear that it WAS all a sham. He wasn't simply a lazy guy who was finally pushed into doing something good. It had been his plan all along!
The other complaint I have is that the names of the opposing sides were so similar that it was confusing at first. As I recall, Murphy was part of the Terran REPUBLIC. He was fighting the Terran LEAGUE. If the names had been shortened to "THE REPUBLIC" and "THE LEAGUE" it would have simplified my life.
Other than that the story was very exciting. Lots of action.
Any modesty issues? There was occasional vulgar language. I seem to recall the F-Word being used at least once. There was also a suggestion of a possible sexual situation, but it soon became clear that it wouldn't happen... at least not in this book. Maybe in the sequel.
There was a big battle near the end and most of the major questions were answered, but also leaving a big opening for the sequel. The sequel is "Rebel". I will begin reading it soon.
June 7, 2021
The reluctant warrior
A man looking to prove himself and, in doing so, stop a war. A corrupt government. An unending war. A Fringe on the verge of rebellion. An Alien race that has its own agenda.
Terence Murphy’s grandfather was a recognised war hero while his father was a ‘disgrace to the name’! Neither of these
descriptions was accurate as both had been ‘spun’ the way that the Central Worlds decided was best for the Five Hundred.
There are two major sections of humanity, the Federation and the League. They have been at war for sixty years, now stalemated at Beta Cygni, in one sector, and in which time the Fringe Worlds have given up the best of their children to fight. Few of them came home and, of those that did, many were disabled.
Terence Murphy had spent his career in Survey. By chance he was involved in a fight with a league taskforce and won a decisive victory. He is now a Rear Admiral and could have sat back on his laurels; after all he is married to the daughter of a key player in the Five Hundred and known as a bit of a fop. To everyone’s surprise he pushed for the Governor’s job on the Fringe world colony of New Dublin.
On his way to his posting he came across the results of a bombardment of the planet, Inverness, by a league task force. The Federation appointed governor had run rather than defend the planet. Murphy’s people saved the few survivors continuing on to New Dublin with the rest of the Inverness forces they’d picked up.
Murphy set out with his own agenda but fate plays a hand and he becomes the Federation’s biggest nightmare.
This book has a tried and true storyline that still pulls you in. I know that I had to finish it before getting some much needed rest.
Nothing has been mentioned of a series but this story cries out for a sequel! I look forward to it.
A man looking to prove himself and, in doing so, stop a war. A corrupt government. An unending war. A Fringe on the verge of rebellion. An Alien race that has its own agenda.
Terence Murphy’s grandfather was a recognised war hero while his father was a ‘disgrace to the name’! Neither of these
descriptions was accurate as both had been ‘spun’ the way that the Central Worlds decided was best for the Five Hundred.
There are two major sections of humanity, the Federation and the League. They have been at war for sixty years, now stalemated at Beta Cygni, in one sector, and in which time the Fringe Worlds have given up the best of their children to fight. Few of them came home and, of those that did, many were disabled.
Terence Murphy had spent his career in Survey. By chance he was involved in a fight with a league taskforce and won a decisive victory. He is now a Rear Admiral and could have sat back on his laurels; after all he is married to the daughter of a key player in the Five Hundred and known as a bit of a fop. To everyone’s surprise he pushed for the Governor’s job on the Fringe world colony of New Dublin.
On his way to his posting he came across the results of a bombardment of the planet, Inverness, by a league task force. The Federation appointed governor had run rather than defend the planet. Murphy’s people saved the few survivors continuing on to New Dublin with the rest of the Inverness forces they’d picked up.
Murphy set out with his own agenda but fate plays a hand and he becomes the Federation’s biggest nightmare.
This book has a tried and true storyline that still pulls you in. I know that I had to finish it before getting some much needed rest.
Nothing has been mentioned of a series but this story cries out for a sequel! I look forward to it.
April 11, 2024
This space opera begins in new series in the same universe as the Honor Harrington series. Its star is Admiral Terence Murphy. He's from a military family and he is a member of the Five Hundred - the most powerful families in Terran Republic.
According to his father-in-law, one of the wealthiest industrialists of the Five Hundred, Terrence is a sure bet for a life in politics. He's presentable, has a useful heritage, and he's something of a fop who will surely follow the guidance of more capable men.
However, the Five Hundred has severely underestimated Terrence Murphy. His assignment to be the governor of New Dublin, a fringe world, is supposed to give him some experience and built some political points. But when he runs a rescue operation to Inverness, another fringe world, which has been attacked by the Terran League, his priorities change.
The Terran Republic and the Terran League have been at war for more than fifty years. The Five Hundred has found multiple ways to profit from the war and it isn't bad for them. The taxes and soldiers commandeered from the fringe worlds have both paid for it and staffed the spaceships that are fighting it. New Dublin is sick of it and on the verge of declaring independence from the Terran Republic. And they are not alone.
The Terran League has plans, a secret alliance with the alien Rish, and a secret base building a massive fleet. They also have plans to change the war by moving the fight deep into the Terran Republic's planets. But Terrence Murphy finds out about the plans. Now all he has to do is convince the Five Hundred what is happening which is against all their entrenched beliefs and profit margins.
This was an excellent space opera. I am looking forward to more of this series.
According to his father-in-law, one of the wealthiest industrialists of the Five Hundred, Terrence is a sure bet for a life in politics. He's presentable, has a useful heritage, and he's something of a fop who will surely follow the guidance of more capable men.
However, the Five Hundred has severely underestimated Terrence Murphy. His assignment to be the governor of New Dublin, a fringe world, is supposed to give him some experience and built some political points. But when he runs a rescue operation to Inverness, another fringe world, which has been attacked by the Terran League, his priorities change.
The Terran Republic and the Terran League have been at war for more than fifty years. The Five Hundred has found multiple ways to profit from the war and it isn't bad for them. The taxes and soldiers commandeered from the fringe worlds have both paid for it and staffed the spaceships that are fighting it. New Dublin is sick of it and on the verge of declaring independence from the Terran Republic. And they are not alone.
The Terran League has plans, a secret alliance with the alien Rish, and a secret base building a massive fleet. They also have plans to change the war by moving the fight deep into the Terran Republic's planets. But Terrence Murphy finds out about the plans. Now all he has to do is convince the Five Hundred what is happening which is against all their entrenched beliefs and profit margins.
This was an excellent space opera. I am looking forward to more of this series.
August 26, 2025
Governor, the first Ascent to Empire book had a lot going for it. Space battles, political intrigue, moral and ethical dilemnas in a war zone, and most of it was really good. The political intrigue felt all to real, and the moral and ethical reasoning gave the characters a little more depth than what might otherwise have come across. Terrance Murphy is not the most engaging character, but he is good enough to carry the plot, and he has plenty of more interesting people around him.
The basic plot revolves around Murphy getting deployed to a "fringe" system as governor, right as the enemy his government is fighting against is ready to launch their big surprise attack. The attack, of course, is targeting the same system Murphy is now the governor of. Around this main storyline, you have the political machinations of the wealthy elite, which is somewhat interesting and way too realistic, along with a handful of other smaller storylines.
This book has plenty of good stuff, mainly with the array of supporting characters of different and interesting backgrounds, most of whom are more engaging than Murphy himself. The space battles are okay, but there are a lot of numbers thrown at you, and sometimes the speed, force, and velocities of different ships and ordnance made my eyes start to glaze over. I almost prefer the unscientific Star Wars style dogfighting, no matter how problematic the physics, are to the dry descriptions of long range projectiles being hurtled through space. My only real problem with this novel is the battle scenes, which I found myself almost skimming through, because its hard to invest in the outcome of a battle when there are too many numbers and not enough people and emotions.
Aside from that, I enjoyed Governor and will read the sequel.
The basic plot revolves around Murphy getting deployed to a "fringe" system as governor, right as the enemy his government is fighting against is ready to launch their big surprise attack. The attack, of course, is targeting the same system Murphy is now the governor of. Around this main storyline, you have the political machinations of the wealthy elite, which is somewhat interesting and way too realistic, along with a handful of other smaller storylines.
This book has plenty of good stuff, mainly with the array of supporting characters of different and interesting backgrounds, most of whom are more engaging than Murphy himself. The space battles are okay, but there are a lot of numbers thrown at you, and sometimes the speed, force, and velocities of different ships and ordnance made my eyes start to glaze over. I almost prefer the unscientific Star Wars style dogfighting, no matter how problematic the physics, are to the dry descriptions of long range projectiles being hurtled through space. My only real problem with this novel is the battle scenes, which I found myself almost skimming through, because its hard to invest in the outcome of a battle when there are too many numbers and not enough people and emotions.
Aside from that, I enjoyed Governor and will read the sequel.
November 15, 2024
I have read just about every novel that David Weber has published and this is certainly a good one. In it, Weber and Fox create a complex universe in which a corrupt Terran Republic government centered on earth is engaged in a sixty-year war with the corrupt Terran League government. The war has killed many millions of people and doesn't appear to be anywhere close to ending. That’s not a problem for the ruling oligarchy of the Federation whose 500 elite families profit mightily off the war—but others in both governments would like to see the bloodletting come to an end. Some of those want the end to come through negotiation and others through a dramatic increase in the violence and a purposeful targeting of civilians on a massive scale.
To further complicate matters, there is an intelligent and dangerous alien race in the picture whom the reader will immediately realize is trying to use the human civil strife to weaken both polities so that the aliens can emerge as dominant.
This is a great novel with a carefully balanced mix of politics and action. The most unsettling aspects for me was how the Republic's leadership viciously turns on the hero of the novel turning him into a traitor, because if they admitted he had saved the day they would have had to admit how badly they have administered the war. (This isn’t a spoiler. The next novel is titled Rebel.)
After spending a couple of decades in the Honorverse, It’s nice to see Weber developing a new, equally exciting, sf military series.
To further complicate matters, there is an intelligent and dangerous alien race in the picture whom the reader will immediately realize is trying to use the human civil strife to weaken both polities so that the aliens can emerge as dominant.
This is a great novel with a carefully balanced mix of politics and action. The most unsettling aspects for me was how the Republic's leadership viciously turns on the hero of the novel turning him into a traitor, because if they admitted he had saved the day they would have had to admit how badly they have administered the war. (This isn’t a spoiler. The next novel is titled Rebel.)
After spending a couple of decades in the Honorverse, It’s nice to see Weber developing a new, equally exciting, sf military series.
January 28, 2023
I will start by saying that David Weber for almost 20 years for me has been my favorite sci fi author. There have been better books that I have read along the way like Dune and Ender's Game, but for my money David Weber is phenomenal sci fi author. The Governor is another book in another series in which it just sets its teeth into you and always drives home a great ending and cliffhanger in this case.
David Weber's greatest strength is also his greatest weakness. His details that he puts into his books are incredible when it comes to sci fi lingo. So much so that it takes you a long time to get through his books. I would rate this book a 4.5 cause of that flaw cause it makes it very difficult to keep reading. You pick up his books off and on and for me it took about a month to get through.
The story itself is really good and a promising start to the series. This was a prequel novel to the In Fury Born novels, but this story holds up on his own. A man duty bound to his people that have grown stagnant and complacant. The TFN want to sacrifice the fringe worlds and they have had enough. It takes the courage of a man to unite these Fringe elements while the TFN wants to put him in chains for being too good at his job. I look forward to Callums tale in this along with Eira. I just want the next novel so I dont have to wait so long.
David Weber's greatest strength is also his greatest weakness. His details that he puts into his books are incredible when it comes to sci fi lingo. So much so that it takes you a long time to get through his books. I would rate this book a 4.5 cause of that flaw cause it makes it very difficult to keep reading. You pick up his books off and on and for me it took about a month to get through.
The story itself is really good and a promising start to the series. This was a prequel novel to the In Fury Born novels, but this story holds up on his own. A man duty bound to his people that have grown stagnant and complacant. The TFN want to sacrifice the fringe worlds and they have had enough. It takes the courage of a man to unite these Fringe elements while the TFN wants to put him in chains for being too good at his job. I look forward to Callums tale in this along with Eira. I just want the next novel so I dont have to wait so long.
June 4, 2025
The Terran Federation has been involved in a particularly ugly interstellar war with the Terran League for 56 years, resulting in uncounted millions of deaths. One member of one of the 500 Families is going to try to end that war.
Of course, the League gets a vote, and it seems as if there are elements in the Federation who are not particularly interested in actual victory in the war. And there are outside parties working to ensure that the war does not end in Federation victory as well.
While there are some excursions, most of this book is told from the viewpoints of Admiral Terrance Murphy and his son Callum. Both of them are drawn very well and undergo significant and believable character growth during the story.
The world is built believably, with interesting technology (different from, though not wildly different from, that in the Honorverse.) Note that this is set in a different universe than that series. The political landscape is convincingly created and while there are enemy characters who are very close to the line of irredeemable evil, most of the enemy are just people with different goals. And the one alien race we see shows hints that it will become very interesting with further development.
The novel is paced well and kept my attention throughout. If you like the Honorverse, you should really like this as well. Highly recommended.
Of course, the League gets a vote, and it seems as if there are elements in the Federation who are not particularly interested in actual victory in the war. And there are outside parties working to ensure that the war does not end in Federation victory as well.
While there are some excursions, most of this book is told from the viewpoints of Admiral Terrance Murphy and his son Callum. Both of them are drawn very well and undergo significant and believable character growth during the story.
The world is built believably, with interesting technology (different from, though not wildly different from, that in the Honorverse.) Note that this is set in a different universe than that series. The political landscape is convincingly created and while there are enemy characters who are very close to the line of irredeemable evil, most of the enemy are just people with different goals. And the one alien race we see shows hints that it will become very interesting with further development.
The novel is paced well and kept my attention throughout. If you like the Honorverse, you should really like this as well. Highly recommended.
September 30, 2024
Sci-fi with a little bit of Scarlet Pimpernel.
Critiques: One of the two writers did a lot of math, like all the math. And they were convinced that you really wanted to know all of the math. Like I feel the right response to reading the battle scenes was to pull out my trusty TI-84 Plus from college and check his math. Did the authors consider that if you were waiting 28 minutes for a response, you probably wouldn't speak in so many single sentence conversations like you would if you were sitting across from somebody? Nope. Don't worry, they are so many light seconds closer now because of their converging accelerations, that the next response will come in 14 minutes. Oh shit, they are moving away from us now and we are both still accelerating, so we are back up to 32 minutes between responses.
(if you found that paragraph boring, the last 22.12% of this book will be not exactly be what you are looking for. I know because after reading this, I had to do the math)
MC is very competent. Very, very competent. Gets everything right kind of competent. Not as much struggle as I would like.
Despite all the math, I enjoyed the book. Will I jump into book 2 immediately, probability is around 13.6%.
Critiques: One of the two writers did a lot of math, like all the math. And they were convinced that you really wanted to know all of the math. Like I feel the right response to reading the battle scenes was to pull out my trusty TI-84 Plus from college and check his math. Did the authors consider that if you were waiting 28 minutes for a response, you probably wouldn't speak in so many single sentence conversations like you would if you were sitting across from somebody? Nope. Don't worry, they are so many light seconds closer now because of their converging accelerations, that the next response will come in 14 minutes. Oh shit, they are moving away from us now and we are both still accelerating, so we are back up to 32 minutes between responses.
(if you found that paragraph boring, the last 22.12% of this book will be not exactly be what you are looking for. I know because after reading this, I had to do the math)
MC is very competent. Very, very competent. Gets everything right kind of competent. Not as much struggle as I would like.
Despite all the math, I enjoyed the book. Will I jump into book 2 immediately, probability is around 13.6%.
October 15, 2024
Govonor is the first book in a series about earth and several of its' colonies in a war with the league, several colonized worlds, and the war has been going on for over 50 years. With no end in sight, many simply use the war as a easy path to advancement, while others use it to fuel their profits. Neither group want the current statis quo to change, but what about the millions who have to fight the war? The ones that *must* serve, since serving is obligatory for all families except the 500 families that control all of federation space.
One son of an influential 500 family doesn't know what it means not to do his best when given an assignment, and he's about to step on a lot of toes of many 500 families that just want things to remain as is. One man refuses not to do his best, and there's a lot of people that aren't happy when he bringss new evidence to light that just might explain how it is the war has lasted so long.
Pretty well done, and one I'll read more to be sure.
One son of an influential 500 family doesn't know what it means not to do his best when given an assignment, and he's about to step on a lot of toes of many 500 families that just want things to remain as is. One man refuses not to do his best, and there's a lot of people that aren't happy when he bringss new evidence to light that just might explain how it is the war has lasted so long.
Pretty well done, and one I'll read more to be sure.
November 2, 2024
David Weber and Richard Fox are old hands at military space opera. In their universes, battles in space are more like naval battles than air battles. Spacecraft are armored and fire broadsides of missiles at each other. The tactics resemble those of the Napoleonic wars and the Pacific theater in the 1940s. You know there is going to be an impressive shootout at the end. Their challenge is plausibly increasing the speeds and number of missiles from series to series.
Their plots also have a standard model. In Governor, the first volume of Ascent to Empire, the model comes from Weber’s On Basilisk Station, the first Honor Harrington novel. A corrupt leader is being replaced near the intersection of two hostile powers, in this case, the Terran Federation and the Terran League.
Sadly, Governor does not provide us with a new version of the tree cat, but it does offer a good father-son story. Young Callum is pulled away from his well-planned life to test his mettle in combat as a lieutenant in his father’s fleet.
Yes, it is all standard stuff, but is it entertaining? You bet. Weber and Fox are pros.
Their plots also have a standard model. In Governor, the first volume of Ascent to Empire, the model comes from Weber’s On Basilisk Station, the first Honor Harrington novel. A corrupt leader is being replaced near the intersection of two hostile powers, in this case, the Terran Federation and the Terran League.
Sadly, Governor does not provide us with a new version of the tree cat, but it does offer a good father-son story. Young Callum is pulled away from his well-planned life to test his mettle in combat as a lieutenant in his father’s fleet.
Yes, it is all standard stuff, but is it entertaining? You bet. Weber and Fox are pros.
June 17, 2021
Amazingly, Two Are Better Than One.
Both Weber and Fox are individually great authors. In my opinion, Weber is the greatest writer alive today, and Fox is in the top ten. I did not think that anyone could improve Weber's writing. Fox proved me wrong. Set in the universe of In Fury Born, Governor begins the story of the Empire and the House of Murphy. The Heart Worlds of the Federation and the ruling Five Hundred families are vintage Weber. They could almost have been taken whole cloth from the Honorverse. We can see Fox's fingerprints all over the space battles and the behind the scenes political conniving. This is a great book. My only concern is when the next book in the series will be published. Weber has slowed way down with his publishing speed. We are still waiting for the next book in the Honorverse, although there appears to be a glimmer coming up in October 2021. The next book in the Safehold, in the War God, in the Multiverse, and in the Manticore Ascendant series are all still pending. I heartily recommend this book.
Both Weber and Fox are individually great authors. In my opinion, Weber is the greatest writer alive today, and Fox is in the top ten. I did not think that anyone could improve Weber's writing. Fox proved me wrong. Set in the universe of In Fury Born, Governor begins the story of the Empire and the House of Murphy. The Heart Worlds of the Federation and the ruling Five Hundred families are vintage Weber. They could almost have been taken whole cloth from the Honorverse. We can see Fox's fingerprints all over the space battles and the behind the scenes political conniving. This is a great book. My only concern is when the next book in the series will be published. Weber has slowed way down with his publishing speed. We are still waiting for the next book in the Honorverse, although there appears to be a glimmer coming up in October 2021. The next book in the Safehold, in the War God, in the Multiverse, and in the Manticore Ascendant series are all still pending. I heartily recommend this book.
June 19, 2024
In the same tradition as David Weber’s Honor Harrington series, this novel is a thrilling military science fiction, depicting a very naval-like presentation of space combat, akin to Crimson Tides or The Hunt for Red October. What it also includes is a great deal of political intrigue between the aristocratic Murphys, the native settlers of New Dublin, and the rest of the officers and soldiers trying to complete their mission the best way they can. A large portion of this book revolves around world-building a rich galaxy full of geopolitical idiosyncrasies, interesting tech, and foreboding aliens lurking in the background.
What I like about this book is that it involves so much without overburdening the reader. At any given moment, there could be an attack by the enemy, a local rebellion, conspiracy theories proven true, and even blossoming romance. And yet, it never felt like it was too much. There may be a lot of characters to get used to and there’s certainly a lot of world-building at hand, but in the end, the characters generally felt grounded.
What I like about this book is that it involves so much without overburdening the reader. At any given moment, there could be an attack by the enemy, a local rebellion, conspiracy theories proven true, and even blossoming romance. And yet, it never felt like it was too much. There may be a lot of characters to get used to and there’s certainly a lot of world-building at hand, but in the end, the characters generally felt grounded.
July 27, 2024
Uh, oh. Terrence Murphy didn't get the memo.
For years, the Five Hundred of the Heart Worlds have only cared about their wealth and comfort. Five Hundred member Terrence Murphy is dispatched to a Fringe world for a "safe" two-year governorship. If he can keep his head down and avoid rocking the boat, he will continue to rise to the top in Heart World politics at home.
But no one counted on Terrence Murphy being an honorable & principled man. No one counted on Terrence having a mind of his own and the ability to decide for himself what he needs to do next. In other worlds, the Heart Worlders mis-calculated if they thought Terrence Murphy was going to be the average fop do-nothing governor usually seen in the Fringe worlds.
Highly recommended for hard sf space opera fans, military fiction fans, and people who like books with honorable protagonists who take risks for the right reasons and keep their heads when the situation suddenly "goes wrong". Can't wait for book two! [Set in the world of the book In Fury Born by David Weber.]
For years, the Five Hundred of the Heart Worlds have only cared about their wealth and comfort. Five Hundred member Terrence Murphy is dispatched to a Fringe world for a "safe" two-year governorship. If he can keep his head down and avoid rocking the boat, he will continue to rise to the top in Heart World politics at home.
But no one counted on Terrence Murphy being an honorable & principled man. No one counted on Terrence having a mind of his own and the ability to decide for himself what he needs to do next. In other worlds, the Heart Worlders mis-calculated if they thought Terrence Murphy was going to be the average fop do-nothing governor usually seen in the Fringe worlds.
Highly recommended for hard sf space opera fans, military fiction fans, and people who like books with honorable protagonists who take risks for the right reasons and keep their heads when the situation suddenly "goes wrong". Can't wait for book two! [Set in the world of the book In Fury Born by David Weber.]
September 27, 2021
There is a difficulty with prequels. This one is an excellent example of the problem. In this novel, anyone who has already read In Fury Born already knows some things about not only this novel, but the one that has to follow it, if Weber and Fox write it.
I barely remembered the early Fury book, and never read the expanded one, so I didn't remember the "spoiler," but it's a pretty big one, once I looked it up. Still, this was an interesting book, and almost a variant on the Foundation series by Asimov, in that the main character is trying to sustain a culture and a civilization that have possibly tipped over the edge toward collapse, while nobody on the inside is looking at this. They're too busy making money out of unsustainable versions of a present that lead toward a catastrophic possible future.
I do hope that there will be a sequel, and one with more focus on Callum Murphy and Eira. If I'm right about what the spoilers meant, there has to be more to their story.
I barely remembered the early Fury book, and never read the expanded one, so I didn't remember the "spoiler," but it's a pretty big one, once I looked it up. Still, this was an interesting book, and almost a variant on the Foundation series by Asimov, in that the main character is trying to sustain a culture and a civilization that have possibly tipped over the edge toward collapse, while nobody on the inside is looking at this. They're too busy making money out of unsustainable versions of a present that lead toward a catastrophic possible future.
I do hope that there will be a sequel, and one with more focus on Callum Murphy and Eira. If I'm right about what the spoilers meant, there has to be more to their story.
January 7, 2022
Looks like one more to either finish this story and go to the next step.
Two human empires at war for decades. The League seems to have been ready for peace then the military formed a new government after their coup worked and the war dragged on. But the Federation is run by lazy, greedy idiots who want profits from the war and can care less about winning despite an economy that could produce the military might to win quickly.
One officer sees through some of the hypocrisy and as a new governor in the Fringe plans to improve his sector. But the League intervenes and he must defend his sector quicker than he planned. As the story unfolds many little facts convince him that his advisors are correct and he must attack as well as defend.
This series is not related to the Harrington series and a whole new tech system and combat system is developed. Weber again shows how he can weave a story to keep the reader wanting more.
Two human empires at war for decades. The League seems to have been ready for peace then the military formed a new government after their coup worked and the war dragged on. But the Federation is run by lazy, greedy idiots who want profits from the war and can care less about winning despite an economy that could produce the military might to win quickly.
One officer sees through some of the hypocrisy and as a new governor in the Fringe plans to improve his sector. But the League intervenes and he must defend his sector quicker than he planned. As the story unfolds many little facts convince him that his advisors are correct and he must attack as well as defend.
This series is not related to the Harrington series and a whole new tech system and combat system is developed. Weber again shows how he can weave a story to keep the reader wanting more.
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