The Reaches

Reaches #1-3 omnibus

by David Drake

In a distant part of the galaxy where immense danger threatens, desperate pirates travel to the outer limits of space, doing trade with the star colonies and encountering rivals, aliens, and strange human hybrids, in an omnibus edition that contains the trilogy Igniting the Reaches, Through the Breach, and Fireships.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Ebooks, Military Science Fiction, Space

880 pages, Hardcover

First published December 30, 2003

About the author

David Drake is an American author of science fiction and fantasy literature. A Vietnam War veteran who has worked as a lawyer, he is now one of the major authors of the military science fiction genre.

Reviews

[Gerd Berger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ich verstehe nicht wieso die "Reachestrilogie" nicht viel bekannter und populärer ist. Meiner Meinung nach eine der großartigsten Space-Operas, die es gibt. Mein Favorit war der mittlere Roman "Through the Breach", der alles enthält, was ich mir von Weltraumabenteuern erwarte: Aufbruch ins Unbekannte, Auseinandersetzungen auf fremden Planeten und im All, exzellent geschilderte Action, hervorragende (aber nicht immer symphatische) Charaktere, vergangene Kulturen und deren Überreste, kurz gesagt eine Handlung, die einen packt und nicht mehr loslässt.

[Lance · Rating 1 out of 5]

100 pages in and glad I did not buy this book. It is poorly written, and character development is next to non-existent! It bounces from one scene to another. It could have been so much more, to bad.

[Frederick Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Military Scifi, and I love the fact that David Drake was inspired by historical events. Good for a lite pulp read, but with depth.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took halfway through the book before I could really start to enjoy it. If you like David Drake books hang in there it does get better.

[Red7paulbrennan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was invested in all the the Characters. A new take to me in low tech space combat.

[steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting, almost believable future. An intergalactic civilization has collapsed, leaving humanity spread out among the stars. But one man on Venus has a vision of a grand unifying government ... no, wait, he doesn't. Somehow, the people left on other planets after the collapse don't count as "people" or "human" anymore, since their technological level has degraded to only what is needed for survival. So the visionary wants to "liberate" the people from the oppression of not only the evil empire of Earth, but of themselves.

It could almost be hopeful, if it wasn't a paranoid, self-defeating distopia. Mass production is frowned upon, as supposedly it led to the collapse, so there's a large focus on individual craftsmanship. But somehow, there are no rules or specifications for the crafts, so weapons are limited to single-shot cannons, laser or gauss, with a variety of ammunition and payload that make loading and firing almost more trouble than it's worth. The whole reason for this is, of course, that this is actually the story of Sir Francis Drake, transported to the far-flung future, and it fit better in the author's head if the soldiers didn't have access to rifling techniques or semi-automatic weapons.

The story itself is pretty good - lots of explosions, boarding of ships, takedowns of villains. Good things to build a narrative around. We really only see the Venusian point of view, but you'll barely notice the lack, and the Earth Federation makes for a worthy villain. The only thing that drags things down a bit is the protagonist of all three stories, Steven Gregg, as he whinges on about how horrible war is, and how it's ruined him for life outside of the confines of battle. He's become a hero in his own right, and inspires others to great and wonderful things, but he's haunted by all the people he's gunned down. In some ways, he might be regarded as an author avatar, as David Drake is a Vietnam veteran. A reminder of the things we ask the men and women in the armed forces to do on our behalf.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains the trilogy of Igniting the Reaches, Through the Breach, and Fireships. All follow the adventures of the Stephen Gregg, a gentleman of Venus, and Captain Piet Ricimer. Starting out as young traders who are forced to fight for their lives far out beyond Pluto, the men become friends. Captain Ricimer eventually becomes one of the richest, most powerful men on Venus, while Stephen Gregg, also very wealthy, becomes one of the most feared due to his talent for battle. There is plenty of action in the books as Venus struggles to maintain independence from the tyranny of Earth. It is very enjoyable to read them all in a single volume.

[Lynn Calvin]

baen ebook

[Douglas]

Includes Igniting the Reaches (1994), Through the Breach (1995), and Fireships (1996).

[J Emmett]

Solid characters that you want to believe will cage their demons and lead successful lives.

The characters grow in believable way in reactions to a centralized earth governments desire to control mankind's destiny. The cost of combat and the dangers of space harrow the hearts of the Venusian sailors