A Novel in the Safehold Series (#2) - By Schism Rent Asunder

I'm a David Weber fan. You'll find a different universe here if your a Honor Harrington reader. Writing style is close enough that I pretty much skip the long dialog sections, they are predictable if you've read Weber before. Still a good story with some engaging characters. I always keep a few like this on my Kindle so I've got something to read when life takes me to some queue where I have nothing else to do.

Very refreshing after too much of Honorverse. But I still love you honor :-)
Reminded me about Pern by Anne Mccaffrey The Dragonriders of Pern but with deeper characters and a nice plot.

Quality was just as good as the first however the story line had me wanting to do something else a few times. Some parts of the story was dragged out a little too long and like everyone else felt that you could of gone with out the whole wedding theme.

The other reviews have covered the ground well, leaving me only to mention the sappy romantic element Weber introduces in "Schism", perhaps with the intention of making the series more popular with women. Who knows, if this succeeds, he may get his female readership into double figures.

Book 2 is a good continuation of a great premis begun in "Off Armageddon Reef": a remnant of humanity has fled to a remote corner of the galaxy to hide from an implacablly hostile race that exterminates any intelligent species it finds. To avoid detection by electronic emissions, the colony establishes an 18th century society and a 15th century religion that borrows heavily from old time Catholicism. The memories of the colonists are selectively wiped of any traces of technology and human history. After 800 years of pastoral existence, an android that carries the total intelligence and personality of one of the original humans awakes and sets about secretly lifting humanity out of its torpor without revealing too much too soon. Much of the first book is about naval battles that will appeal to fans of Patrick O'Brian (like me).
The second book continues the story without really acquainting the reader with the prologue -- if you haven't read the first one, you will not get much of the second. Unfortunately, "Asunder" is close to becoming what finally turned me off the Honor Harrington series: FAR too much behind-the-scenes political intrigue. Weber is fascinated with Macchiavellian maneuvering by kings and princes, to the extent that it becomes tedious. Pages and pages of it. I don't read these books for geopolitical intrigue. If the next one continues this trend I will drop it as fast as I dropped Honor Harrington. It would be too bad, because the underlying story is fascinating.

This book was written as the second in a (long??) series of novels about Safehold.
It is not that I do not enjoy reading Weber's novels, it is that I believe that I should not start reading them until he is done (if ever) with the series. The Honor Harrington series has been going on for decades.
If you did not read the 1st Safehold book, this one will seem to be filled with references that do not make much sense to you. The characters were formed and molded in the 1st book and this book builds on those character plots. It does not always refresh your memory from the 1st book.
My main problem is 18 months between books is a long time to remember who is who in the book. How a certain character is related to others. Who plotted against who and how those plots ended.
Thus my comment that maybe I should wait till the end, buy them all at one time and read them all at once.
I was hooked on the Honor Harrington series that way, about 4 or 5 of them were published prior to me reading them. That way I could read them in a row and have the personalities sink into my brain.
The last Honor Harrington book was back in '05. There is a new book coming out next year (09) but that is a spin off from the main plot line.
I hope it does not take 4 years for a new Safehold book.

The second in what Mr. Weber has announced as an eight book series. It is riveting. BSRA widens and deepens our understanding of many of the characters introduced in Off Armageddon Reef. This book held my attention for the three days it took me to finish it.

Not as much combat as OAR, but much more discussion of the political background and characters' motivations. I liked it.

Off Armageddon Reef, the first book in this series, was the first David Weber book I had ever read. It was great. I loved it so much that I preordered the second book when I heard it was coming out. What a disappointment. I almost gave up on it about 100 pages in. When characters weren't sitting around talking to each other, they were sitting around thinking to themselves.

The two things I loved in the first book were (1) how the main character, Merlin, made new innovation possible without it being obvious that it was his idea, and (2) the great sea battles. The second book had little, if any, of either. Sorry, David, I have second thoughts about your writing abilities now. It's going to take some convincing to get me to buy the third book in this series.

This book was written as the second in a (long??) series of novels about Safehold.
It is not that I do not enjoy reading Weber's novels, it is that I believe that I should not start reading them until he is done (if ever) with the series. The Honor Harrington series has been going on for decades.
If you did not read the 1st Safehold book, this one will seem to be filled with references that do not make much sense to you. The characters were formed and molded in the 1st book and this book builds on those character plots. It does not always refresh your memory from the 1st book.
My main problem is 18 months between books is a long time to remember who is who in the book. How a certain character is related to others. Who plotted against who and how those plots ended.
Thus my comment that maybe I should wait till the end, buy them all at one time and read them all at once.
I was hooked on the Honor Harrington series that way, about 4 or 5 of them were published prior to me reading them. That way I could read them in a row and have the personalities sink into my brain.
The last Honor Harrington book was back in '05. There is a new book coming out next year (09) but that is a spin off from the main plot line.
I hope it does not take 4 years for a new Safehold book.

The second in what Mr. Weber has announced as an eight book series. It is riveting. BSRA widens and deepens our understanding of many of the characters introduced in Off Armageddon Reef. This book held my attention for the three days it took me to finish it.

Not as much combat as OAR, but much more discussion of the political background and characters' motivations. I liked it.

Off Armageddon Reef, the first book in this series, was the first David Weber book I had ever read. It was great. I loved it so much that I preordered the second book when I heard it was coming out. What a disappointment. I almost gave up on it about 100 pages in. When characters weren't sitting around talking to each other, they were sitting around thinking to themselves.

The two things I loved in the first book were (1) how the main character, Merlin, made new innovation possible without it being obvious that it was his idea, and (2) the great sea battles. The second book had little, if any, of either. Sorry, David, I have second thoughts about your writing abilities now. It's going to take some convincing to get me to buy the third book in this series.

I really enjoyed the first book in the series "Off Armageddon Reef". This book has less action and more political detail. Some of Merlin's secrets are revealed to others and several unexpected alliances are formed. By the end of the book we still have a long way to go to reach the expected conclusion. Based on the pace of the first two books this could easily become a six or ten book series. All in all Weber creates a consistent believable world. Schism Rent Asunder makes me yearn for the next book in the series.

I have been a fan of Weber for a long time, but it is getting difficult to hang in there. This book is OK, but does not expand the story all that much. Also, it is hard to get into the characters, let alone remember their names. He must like "y's" My biggest gripe is "the story" Between the political discussions ad nauseum, and the military discussions, ditto, the story gets lost in the shuffle. Honor Harrington set everything out by example and told a hell of a story. Once Weber started explaining every little thing, things deteriorated and he needed an editor with a very large blue pencil which noone ever provided. Too bad. However, if you skip the rambling, there is a story there somewhere and it is readable, when you don't care to take your time. It sure doesn't grab you though, which some of the previous books did.

I am almost through the second book. I've enjoyed it but would like to see a more active role and action taken by Merlin. I hope I live long enough to read the whole series because I think the premise is fascinating.

If anything this book feels more like Weber is working to advance the world building and setting up for bigger conflicts. It is clear that Weber has a long term goal for the series but all the setup in this issue comes off as a little unsatisfactory when put next to the epic battles that closed out the previous installment. On the bright side for readers who like political maneuvering and Machiavellian schemes this book will hit the right notes and by the end there is a fairly complex web set up. A lot of time is devoted to looking in on the "great game" of politics on Safehold and the various factions attempts to prepare for the conflict that is just on the horizon. Unfortunately by the end of the book that conflict is still just on the horizon.

We get the same basic cast of characters as in the first book with the exception of a handful of new players. This helps some because instead of whole sections devoted to introduction of a character Weber can now focus on developing and fleshing those characters out. While the main cast was pretty robust by the end of Armageddon's Reef the supporting cast still felt a bit flimsy and much of that is resolved here. In particular you get really good development in Calyeb, the new king of Charis. He really comes into his own as the strong ruler of men Weber seemed to be gunning for and feels more like the Henry VIII analogue that Weber wanted. And more importantly we get Prince Nahrman as a major player. In a book focused on scheming and plotting this is the character to watch. He comes off as pure id and is simply a pleasure to follow, every moment the story is with him you can't help but enjoy the man's guile.

There is one issue in the characterization that bumps against all this good development. Weber chose to write in a romance between Cayleb and Queen Charleyan and has the same weakness that hurts most sci-fi writers I have read, he simply cannot write believable romance. The two characters fall in love at the drop of a hat and their coupling comes off as entirely forced. While I do enjoy them together once there are paired off, and probably would have had no problems with their relationship had they been initially presented as a couple, I just do not buy the love story. This is a pretty big problem since a large portion of the book is dedicated to their falling in love.

To be clear this isn't a bad book, it's just a deviation from Off Armageddon Reef and really Weber's normal style in general. For fans of Weber or the first book I would say stick with this series, he is clearly building to something massive that you will not want to miss.

Second in the Safehold military/religious science fiction series revolving around Merlin Athrawes and his mission to help the planet of Safehold evolve into what the original pioneers had intended...if she feels that is the proper path.

My Take
Phew...another intense story from David Weber. It's only similarity to his Honor Harrington series is that it's science fiction. Every once in awhile, I have to try and remember that this is the same author. Dang, he's good!

Yes, it was zealous and passionate and I suddenly realized it was 6:33 am...but I only had some 40 pages to go...! Fortunately, it wasn't as intense as the first one, Off Armageddon Reef (Safehold, #1).

Weber has a number of parallels with our own world history: the numerous religious wars fought here versus a single planet-wide religion that was carefully created to have no conflicts; the Nazi-like repressions; and, the flat-out lying and abuse of their flock simply to maintain their own luxurious lifestyle.

It's interesting to read the use of words on both sides to lay off blame as well as place it within the range of reactions and beliefs as to their accuracy versus heretical ranting. Weber is really going to take advantage and stress the tension to the nth degree as he teases and retreats with hope and frustration. Arghhh! I must get the next in the series, By Heresies Distressed (Safehold, #3)!

I need to know if Cayleb survives this next invasion--Weber never lets you get complacent. I need Merlin to get a SNARC inside the Group of Four's meeting place in Zion! How will the other countries jump when they learn of the two and possibly third alliance agreeing to join with Charis against the Church?? How will King Zhames react to Charisian retaliation? So many people are caught between their belief in the Church versus their acknowledgment of its corruption. Then there's that new group of priests working to gather evidence against the Group of Four...does anyone wonder if there's a connection to the Chinese Gang of Four from the early 20th century?? The assassination attempt against the archbishop. I love Merlin's sneaky ideas!

I love, love, love Dynnys' speech just before his execution. I sure hope it has greater reverberations than it has yet..!

Then there's the revelations from Archbishop Maikel and his super-secret group that prompts Merlin's own revelations. One of the sore points for Cayleb with the Group of Four was their backing (after some serious cash exchanged hands) of Tahdayo Mahntayl as the new Earl of Hanth. A totally spurious appointment. It's important now because Mahntayl finally sees the writing on the wall and abandons the county he paid so much for leaving the beleaguered Bishop Mylz Halcom to abandon his post in Hanth and head for Tellesberg to plot and destroy.

I love it when Wave Thunder reveals to Nahrman exactly how detailed is the information they have on everything Narhman has done over the past few months! Snarkkkk!

Then, of course, there is the age-old proverb: Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely" and, in this story, the Church has reigned supreme for the entire history of this world. Supreme and so powerful that they think nothing of ordering the destruction of an entire country, like choosing which pair of shoes to wear today.

Now, of course, they're on the defensive, especially after receiving the communique from the new Archbishop of Charis.

The Story
The second indication the Council of Vicars receives that their world has changed is the interception of Father Rahss (Ross) Sawal's courier ship and the messages he carries. No Charisian will allow a Temple courier to pass unhindered. Not now.

It's a complicated back-and-forth as Cayleb and his people push forward to protect their own lands as they prepare to invade others and gathering up unexpected allies as they go. Their enemies are doing their own dashing with varying degrees of success as they absorb their crushing defeat. And the Church refuses to admit to any of their wrongdoing, preferring to spread propaganda and increase the violence against an innocent group of people who are preparing their own defenses.

Privateers sanctioned and partially funded by the King Cayleb harass and destroy the shipping of Charis' enemies. Archbishop Maikel forces Merlin to don a disguise with him and accompany him to a shabby monastery. A move that brings that day into reality in which Merlin confesses all to Cayleb. The technical issues have calmed down and now revolve around solving the metal issue of bronze, iron, or wrought iron for cannons, what to use to maintain the rifling grooves in both cannon and rifles, and projectile shapes. A new Imperial spymaster.

Most of the planet is concerned with the text of the letter sent by the new archbishop and all but four of her bishops setting the Church of Charis aside from the Council of Vicars' jurisdiction. The same letter distributed throughout their world. Everyone on the planet sees through the fiction of the "Knights of the Temple Lands" who began this.

A little complication...Larys Shaikyr is the master of the galleon Raptor charged by the emperor with attacking enemy shipping with the men receiving one-fourth of the prize money. Hahl Urbahn is his first officer, Dunkyn Hyndyrs is the purser and they are working as a squadron with Slash Lizard, War Hammer, Windcrest, and Sea Kiss. The convoy they subdue is a bit more than expected--gold and silver bullion belonging to the Church. A nice chunk that one-fourth; even better if it's 100-percent.

Revenge for the massacre at Ferayd results in Admiral Rock Point leading 30-some ships of the Imperial Navy to attack the harbor.

The Cover
It's a rather subdued Baen cover with its deep-burgundy rising into a black gradient background and a lime green bordered viewport of a window of Merlin floating above the planet in his skimmer as per the opening scene in the book.

The title is sadly true for By Schism Rent Asunder is the fate of this planet for the Gang of Four simply can't give up their "perks". Certainly not to care for their flock!

By Schism Rent Asunder (2008) is the second SF novel in the Safehold series, following Off Armageddon Reef. In the previous volume, Charis developed a powerful navy through their own creativity and a few innovative hints from Merlin. When the Group of Four ordered five seafaring nations to attack Charis, the Charisan navy decisively defeated the attacking fleets. But King Haarahld of Charis was killed in that attack and his son Cayleb was enthroned as his successor.

In this novel, Merlin Athrawes -- PICA of Nimue Albans -- spends some time in orbit reviewing the SNARC data and contemplating the events that had led to the present circumstances. Strictly speaking, he did not have to come into space to gather the data, but orbit provides some peace from the troubles on the surface of Safehold. Besides, space is the proper environment of a Terran naval officer.

Cayleb Ahrmahk is now king, but he needs to marry. He has an heir in his younger brother, but none from his own body. Many of his subjects are worried about the succession.

Rayjhis Yowance -- Earl of Gray Harbor -- is Cayleb's First Councilor. He had also been First Councilor to Cayleb's father and has known the present king since his birth. He also knows more about Merlin than most of the King's advisors.

Sharleyan Tayt has been queen of Chisholm from an early age. Her navy was one of the attacking fleets, but she has done everything she can to confound the alliance against Charis. Under her orders, the Chisholm navy vessels surrendered as soon as they came under fire.

Mahrak Sahndyrs -- Baron Green Mountain -- is Sharleyan's maternal uncle and her First Councilor. He has been her main supporter ever since she lost her father and gained the throne. He is really the only noble in the realm that she entirely trusts.

In this story, a Charisan ship blockading Eraystor Bay fires on a Church courier ship, captures the crew and takes the dispatches from a strongbox. The Charisans show small respect for the crew and none at all for Mother Church. No one is hurt in this action, but future incidents probably will not be so bloodless.

Cayleb discusses the succession with his inner council. He sends Gray Harbor to Chisholm to pass on his proposal to Queen Sharleyan. She discusses the proposal with Baron Green Mountain and decides to accept. She then announces the proposal and her acceptance in a public session of her court.

Cayleb has not only proposed marriage, but also has proposed merger of the two Kingdoms into the Empire of Charis. The couple will be equal co-rulers, living part of the time on Charis and the same length of time on Chisholm. They will spend a significant amount of time sailing between capitals.

When Cayleb is away from the empire, Sharleyan will be his regent and will continue the practice of moving the crown between Kingdoms. When one of them dies, the other will become Emperor/Empress over both Kingdoms. When both are dead, the imperial crown will be passed to one of their children.

Cayleb is worried about Prince Nahrmahn of Emerald and the Group of Four, but his primary concern is Prince Hektor of Corisande. Hektor is already working on the new technologies and has detailed information on several of the innovations. Moreover, he has talented and dedicated people producing the new weapons and tactics.

Prince Nahrmahn knows that he is a prime target for the Charis forces. Still, he too is worried about Corisande and the Group of Four. He also thinks that the whole affair has been mishandled. He now regrets his attempt to assassinate Cayleb, but he sends his First Councilor to Charis with extraordinary powers to seek an accommodation with Charis.

Meanwhile, the Group of Four is continuing to dig themselves into a deep hole. Grand Inquisitor Clyntahn has convinced himself that the Charisan heretics have brought their problems on themselves, readily forgetting his own contributions to the troubles. Captain General Maigwair is filled with arrogance and Chancellor Trynair sees only the political problems.

Treasurer General Duchairn is regaining his faith, but considers Mother Church as essential to the salvation of the people of Safehold. Even the horrible death of Erayk Dennys only reinforces his conviction that the Church of God Awaiting must remain supreme. He obviously disagrees with the theology of Archbishop Maikel Staynair of Charis, the locally appointed successor of Erayk Dennys.

This tale tracks events in Charis, Chisholm, the City of Zion, Emerald, Corisande and elsewhere. Merlin has planted sensors everywhere except in the Temple. Cayleb has the benefit of detailed intelligence on his friends and enemies. Yet even with the assistance of OWL -- a Terran Navy AI -- Merlin is almost overwhelmed by the amount of data he has to personally review.

Naturally, this basic idea is not new. Lest Darkness Fall is a classic SF novel based on a very similar concept. Since the ideas are not new, the details are greatly important to maintaining the interests of the readers. This series will probably address only the significant renaissance of innovation within the society rather than addressing the future problems of returning to space.

This volume contains numerous and sometimes surprising preparations for the war against Prince Hektor and the Group of Four. It concludes with the sailing of the Charisan forces against Corisande. The next volume should be filled with military, naval and political action. Enjoy!

Highly recommended for Weber fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of religious politics, innovative societies, and a bit of romance.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Do you like poetry? If so, the title should appeal. Of all the fiction novels I've read in recent years, it stands as the best title, to me. The deliberately stilted cadence is a provocative evocation of an earlier era. Akin to Lincoln's archaic formulation of the first sentence of the Gettysburg Address. Weber's title fits beautifully as a perfect and literal summary of the book's plot. It is not even a metaphor. Naturally, there is more to the book than its title. But I felt it worthwhile to praise Weber on an inspired choice.

How about the plot? I will try to refrain from any spoilers. Other reviewers will assuredly have no such compunction.

One difference with the earlier book is that the current story seems to have fewer combat scenes. Instead Weber spends exhaustive time fleshing out the dimensions of the struggle. Blending two periods in our history. One is a reworking of the Protestant Reformation and of England in the time of Elizabeth I facing predominantly Catholic Europe. The other is the Napoleonic Wars. The technology and tactics are set in the latter. While the religious kerfuffle is in the former.

Some readers and reviewers might complain about the seemingly interminable religious and political back and forth. We have seen this before in Weber's Harrington series. Some of the later books in that delved into the social and political structures of the warring states. So too here. I suspect he prides himself (and rightly so) in being able to build out a fully formed world.

Weber is adept at this. Plus, given the Harrington series, this book reads like an interstitial effort. He is laying the groundwork for more climatic episodes later. Also, like Turtledove or Stirling, he is stringing out the plot into as many books as possible. Daresay the next book will not be the last of this series.

One persistent frustration is the unfinished business from the start of the first book. When most of humanity was exterminated by aliens. The series chronicles a climb back into space. But will we ever get to a return encounter? Of course, the palliative for smiting the aliens is the bopping of the reactionary human opponents, and we will have to be content with that.

The second book of this series is my second Webber read. I've already read the available parts twice.
I found the premise - a world in the future filled with humans who live in a past when Earth had little technology - to be fascinating. The PICA merlin is more human than the human's at 1000 years of existence and the complete knowledge of technologically advance Earth at his command. This makes him a superman or God for all practical purposes who happens to be the Anti-Christ to the reigning Church of God Awaiting.
This convoluted set of circumstances has filled four long novels as Merlin builds his chosen people into a force that is going toe to toe with the world dominating religious and political power of the planet.
It could be too detailed and slow for many but I'm savoring every minute twice while I wait for Webber to churn out the next installment.
The pace slowed in part two but that is not a problem for me. I believe the power of this work is in the details and the political and religious machinations of the characters.
It's all good with me.

This series has it all in detail and at this pace I could still be wanting more after Webber is gone - unless he happens to be a PICA

I am trying to get caught up on my reviews. I could have sworn I wrote one for this book but obviously I didn't. This will be quick. This is the second book in Weber's Safehold series. It's a good read and does a good job of advancing the plot. (For a summary of the plot of this series, see my review of the first book, 'Off Armageddon Reef'.) I don't really have much more to say. This was a fairly quick read. Nothing momentous - like the titular naval battle at the end of the first book - happens in this book. Weber is more setting the stage to expand the conflict. I will say that I am getting apprehensive that we won't ever get to 'meet' the Gbaba in this series. I have the next two volumes in the series - both of which are considerably longer than this one - and so I will almost certainly stick with it that far.

I just finished reading this one, and I do agree with those above. It plodded in too many places and is similar to the Harrington series, in that I began to lose interest in the over politicization. Not that that's why I stopped reading Harrington... There is enough action sprinkled through to keep me going to the next book and promise in the series to keep me coming back again. It does have the feel of a loooong story, especially if we're ever to get back to the Gbaba. That would make this a multi generational series - of which if the stories keep me interested, I'll be waiting to see. To me though, the one disappointing aspect, and I know it would make 'Merlin's' job a lot harder, is that I had hoped Nimue would remain Nimue, and that I do hope at some point she can shed her facade of masculinity. But that's author's purview.
Overall, it's a good book in a good series with characters you can believe and empathize in. I'll be spending again for the next one...

David Weber is my favorite writer, and while I don't read ALL of his stuff, I've read most of his works. The Honor Harrington series, The Dahak series, etc., and this series seems to have taken all of those and modeled this one. It starts off so much stronger and cleaner than others, and actually, the series seems to be a RECASTED continuation of the Dahak series, which ended with Heirs of the Empire. I really loved that book, as a great what-if, and I think this is where he re-imagined the tale. Humanity has a chance to do it all over again, but this time with a sentient guardian. The book has a right mixture of intrigue and action, and the characters are all "believable", which has been some problems I've had with previous Weber books on occasion. Overall, I'm REALLY looking forward to reading these books for years and years to come. This storyline has massive potential, since he's got to take humanity all the way back to the stars, and victory!

IN short, if you liked the first book, you will like the second. Characters grow, worldbuilding is still solid, I like the action.

Only "slight" problem is some of the "As You Know Bob" info dumps start to get a tad obvious if you are a fellow writer. Also, the Deus ex machina is also starting to be a bit of a problem. To the author's credit, he has very plausible limitations he's established that keeps you from saying "Well why don't you just ...."

The other slight problem is that though I love the story, at this current pace he's going to need 100 books to get us back into space fighting the Gbaba. But I would guess/hope that in the last books in the series we should accelerate fairly fast.

In any event, overall, fun ride, and good part II

Weber comes out strong in this extension of the Safehold series. The work of consolidating the empire after Armageddon Reef is well detailed and the story is compelling as Cayleb draws his forces to him and courts his new empress. The mix of 17th and 18th century nautical tactics with the ultra tech of the mysterious Merlin is enjoyable to read while the religious debates running along as an undercurrent would appeal to a more sophisticated reader. Weber is a great poli/mili sci-fi writer and he seems to be right a home in this new world. There do seem to be a few too many "fan" asides in the book, however. The predominance of wyverns cat-lizards and "slashlizards" has too many earmarks of fan fiction of some nod to the Pern saga. Nevertheless, this makes for a fun read.

I really enjoyed the book even though I missed the first book in the series. I particularly like the subject matter where a clear circle is drawn around how dogma and religion can completely stunt the technological development of a culture. Couple this dampening affect of religion with inevitable corruption and you you have a recipe for disaster. This is a complex story interwoven into many regions of the the world of Safehold. Each region has many characters and in many cases it's difficult to follow. The Author jumps from region to region and charter to character and keeping all the personalities separate and in their own region can be a mental Rubiks cube. I expect as I read further into the series it will be easier to keep them clearer but as a stand alone novel it is difficult. The author is often creating characters that require significant background to fit into the story but once the character is developed they often die or after they play their role they are never refereed to again. So knowing who to mentally commit to memory and who to discard adds to the ongoing complexity. This can make the story sort of exhausting at times to keep up with but despite this I still enjoyed it immensely!

I was at the library and saw all the Weber books. Thinking of trying a new author, I saw the Honor series. However, they didn't have the first one, so I looked for a book that seemed to be standalone. I picked up By Schism Rent Asunder. It was a simple story with a good writing style -- except for the idiotic naming conventions. That only names are treated that way makes it even more annoying.

The biggest problem is that, in writing as if it's the beginning of the industrial revolution, he picks up a 19th Century writing style. He goes off into wandering of way too detailed depictions of science, technology and politics that ruin the flow of the story. I have no problems skimming those pages, you shouldn't either.

The exposition of how the colony was created was straightforward and the book seemed like a simple starting point. It wasn't until I came on to the store to look for the sequel that I realized it wasn't the first book. From what I've read about the first, skip it; the book's not only not needed it's truly dumb in how the Gbaba war was fought. Starting the series with this book skips that but gives you the context.

However, as with too many modern authors, Weber doesn't seem to realize that series books should be a tad more self-contained. The ending was so poor as to be laughable. It wasn't even good as a cliff-hanger. It was truly annoying.

Weber has a nice writing style when he sticks to the plot, which is the only thing saving this book and giving it three stars. The naming conventions take away from the flow of reading, as do the in depth tangents.

Wife: "Did you ready every page?"
Me: "Uhh, yes. Er, well, not exactly."

I am a huge fan of Mr. Weber. However, I noticed the farther I get in his works, the more long-winded and boring he gets with all of the politics and myriads of minor characters. These books are becoming less sci-fi and more political triller - sans the thrill.

The plot of the Safehold series is fine, even if not particularly new or original. I am OK with it... there's so much potential for awesomeness. That said, you *really* have to WORK for it - It's like watching a "monster of the week" episode of Fringe... wishing and hoping for some movement of the big story arc, but it never comes.

The tediousness that Weber is building in his career really comes to a head in this book. I found myself skipping whole pages looking for a glimpse of the overall grand plot, or even just scanning for a characters' name that I recognized. Often... VERY often I found that I read a whole page and didn't know what I read, so, in an effort to be good, I would re-read the thing, trying to hold all of the minor characters in my limited short-term wetware memory slots.

I am a fan of Weber's work, but I am losing faith. I will keep reading his stuff (from the library) but I'm going to have to stop beating myself up for skimming and page-skipping.

Mr Weber, start dumping the long political dialog... PLEASE!

What many may not realize is just how closely Weber echoes the stories, characters, and even WORDS of Old Earth's Reformation...while still keeping a good story going. It's a good read for pure entertainment, but it's even richer when you realize THIS letter is Luther's 95 Theses, or THAT speech came from another historical figure.

That said, this second book does suffer a bit from "middle of a series syndrome." Even so, characters are well drawn, and the story is hard to put down.

While the pacing may slow at times, and while the politics or engineering may not be to some readers' tastes, as far as I'm concerned "Schism" admirably succeeds in its main goal of giving us a good read.

This was a Weber book. His personal story thumbprints were all over it. And it was totally hypnotic and I lost a ton of sleep to it, because the story just zips along. The characterization is about par. The story, well... I think if it occurrs on a planet far far away, we could maybe FILE THE DAMN SERIAL NUMBER OFF. Earlier in the book I said it was O HAI REFORMATION? Yeah, it is, and the Big Bad Evil church is not even disguised. They have priests and bishops and mass and all the things a person expects from the actual historical Holy Mother Church. Which was irritating, because although there were bones thrown to the good guys in the church, there weren't a lot, and it ended up feeling like an anti-Catholic polemic, even if it wasn't meant as such.

If you liked the empire-building in the Belisaurius books, you may enjoy this (different authors, similar feel). If you are interested in war-by-trade, it's not bad. If you wanted more Heirs of Empire, this is the series for you.
Avoid if you are allergic to anything that looks like religion, if you are bored by empire-building, or if you are vulnerable to losing sleep to books that are gripping but not great.

Will be buy the next one? Yup. But I wish I found Tor as easy to buy ebooks from as Baen. I buy ebooks, I buy paper books, I buy the same book twice, and everyone wins.

Not a bad follow up to the first book, but a lot of stuff left hanging. As many have said (myself included), this series is an expansion on a theme from one of the books from the Dahak series. I am enjoying it because Weber has had the time to develop some of the things that I feel he glossed over very quickly in that book. While others may have found some of the book tedious, I have always enjoyed Weber's character development, so I liked that in this book. Also some of the revelations were very interesting. Anyway, I await the next book in the series, and I do not expect it to end at a trilogy.

I love Weber's Honor Harrington and the War God series's. The Safehold series is not up too snuff with them. I feel there is way too much in depth descriptive narrative about political and military situations, reasons why and reasons why not. When the actions finally occur they still are very stirring and well written. I don't know maybe he gets paid by the word? I will continue on in this series hoping it gets less verbose with the succeeding books.

Spoiler alerts. Read at your own risk.

This book feels incomplete, full of useless details the reader doesn't really need, and too neat for my tastes.

First, there is no romance to Merlin. If the man is as handsome and as commanding as he is, someone must be attracted, at some level, to the man. Nothing of the sort anywhere.

Second. The beauty of the character Merlin is the magic, the mystery, the burden of truth he carries, and the weight of secrets surrounding the character. In this novel, Merlin is stripped of the mystery surrounding him. His mechanical body is explained and discussed openly between significant characters, the amazing impossibility of his existence is accepted without a flinch, and the burden of secrecy Merlin bore alone, is now shared among many, to the -detriment- of the character. No longer is Merlin an object of hidden awe, he is now an impressive work of forbidden technology though not completely understood by those in the know.
I ... hated ... the revelation of a secret society dedicated to the truth of safehold and that such a society not only understood, in part, what Nimue was, but that it could so easily accept such a marvel without fear.
And that's the cusp of it. There is no fear from those who learn Merlin's truth. There is no reverence either. There is nothing except blind acceptance. The lack of wonder, the simple lack of anything resembling logical apprehension at the thought that across from them sat a marionette created by Forbidden Technology in the age of Angels and Demons, is not only unbelievable but downright unpalatable.

A prudent reaction would be fear; to wonder what the -real- agenda of this creature is and how far it could be trusted. Its simple self-preservation and understanding that such doubts must exist not only in wording but in a manner that affects the characters actions.

The minutia of explanations drowns the overall story from an epic saga to the .. preamble.. of an epic saga. Nothing much of importance happens on this book (as so far as the overall picture) except marriage (something easily seen coming from the first book and no surprise), the acquisition of an unexpected a reluctant ally (probably best char in the book) and a tightening of sanctions by the church (expected as well). Even the remarkable revelations of Merlin have no real impact in the story. They're made irrelevant by inaction.

There is a huge lack in the characters.

Most of the main characters talk, act, and think the same way. Its like watching 10 different version of the same character fighting each other, talking to each other, hating, or respecting each other. That's it, the same char over and over and over in different "dresses" ... as if Nimue Alba had split into 100 different people and been reprogrammed with a different background for each.

The book is disappointing, yet, is a must read because it sets the stage for the next book. Hopefully with all the explanations in this novel, the next one will get to the point.

By Schism Rent Asunder is the second book in a new series by David Weber. This book follows up on "Off Armageddon Reef," which established that the world called "Safehold" is a colony of humans that were brainwashed into scientific backwardsness to defend them from the attacks of a genocidal alien race. Set in a time where Safehold has the infrastructure of 17th century Europe and is controlled by a rigid overarching theocracy, "Schism" follows the political machinations in the aftermath of the failed attack by the Church's allies on the island nation of Charis in the first book. Assisted by Merlin, an android with the memories of a woman who was killed in battle 800 years earlier, before the mutiny on the colony ship that brought the people there, Charis prepares for all-out war by seeking allies to defend herself. Much of the content involves meetings, discussions and the like of the various factions involved in the conflict.

I picked up By Schism Rent Asunder recently and finished it today. As a long-time fan of David Weber, I've read most of what he's written over the years. Strangely enough, I didn't realize this was the second book in the Armageddon Reef series and never read the first book. To this book's credit, it does provide enough information in the books early pages to be read without reading the first book.

Weber's story takes a lot of influence from European history, and indeed, his writing shows that he has a lot of depth of knowledge in that subject both with period technology and politics, while throwing a in a dash of sci-fi as well. As always, his political plots are complex and somewhat thoughtful, and his characters black and white in philosophy.

The Safehold series is not particularly original. Other authors have done the theme of a futuristic wizard bringing the dark-ages into technological advancement, including fellow Baen author David Drake in the Bellisarius series. I read another novel like this back in the early 90's. Weber himself did this theme in his Heirs of Empire novel some years back. He even had a monolithic corrupted church as part of the story. Apparently Weber liked the idea so much he decided to expand it. This new series even has a genocidal race of aliens, much like the Heirs of Empire series.

I've made the observation that as he has become more popular and the editors have lifted their length restrictions, Weber's books have become longer, more plodding and filled with political discourse between characters.

Weber has a great ability to make interesting settings for his stories, but as he's progressed in his writing, I've found it more and more boring. It's not that his later books don't have action, or that I crave action, it's just that the expositionary politics ends up dragging down the story pace and overshadowing character development, sometimes almost unbearably. His earlier books, such as the Honor Harrington debut novels and the like were better edited story-wise and have far better pacing.

By Schism Rent Asunder is not a bad book, and it certainly has better story composition than some of the later Honor Harrington novels, but it has very little action and a glacial pace (the book's time frame is about 4 months, hardly any time at all considering the overarching story). I still liked it, but if one's reason for reading this book is because they like the action of Weber's novels, this one is going to surely disappoint. It's almost purely political and probably intended as a major bit of exposition between Off "Armageddon Reef" and his next book.

Still, despite the fact that reading this novel made me feel like I was reading a revised version of Heirs of Empire, I rather liked it. I look forward to see where the series goes. It's probably going to fill a lot of books at this rate. For fans of Honor, this could be bad news... It looks like a new subject has Weber's attention now.

With all due respects to my fellow reviewers, I have to say that this is one of the best military/political science fiction books that I've read in many, many moons! This is not a book for the majority of "young adults." Rather, it is a book for people with a basic knowledge of Renaissance Europe and England. And yes, it also helps if you know who Machiavelli was and have read some of his works.

"By Schism Rent Asunder" was the first book in this series that I read and I loved it! I served in the US Army in Military Intelligence (amongst other specialties) - not as a "spymaster", but as an analyst, and there are more than a few in-jokes that had me trying to keep from falling down and rolling on the floor (as the saying goes...). Seriously! And there is at least one bit of humor directed to Hitchcock fans that I caught on my second reading. No hints except to say that this is a "slap your head" when you finally find it... [And Ranger Jim is laughing his fool head off!]

IMO, David Weber just keeps on getting better with every new series!

Buy this book!

As other here have already stated, 'By Schism Rent Asunder' is the followup to 'Off Armageddon Reef' and book two of three in the Safehold Series. Compared to Armageddon Reef, this book moves forward at a much slower pace with relatively little action except for a few naval battles. The battles themselves are often told from one brief point in the battle (i.e., beginning, middle or end) instead of an overview of the entire conflict. However even with the reduced action the novel does engage the reader with several interesting revelations and sets the stage for the conclusion of trilogy.

My only issues with the book were that I was extremely disappointed in the role Merlin played. Whereas in Armageddon Reef Merlin played a key role and we were presented with numerous insights into his thoughts, use of technology, physical abilities, etc, in Schism he was reduced to little more than an advisor and mentor. Also, I felt Weber spent way too much time detailing the the process the Charisians and others went through to create new and effective guns/artillery. I found myself skimming or skipping several pages that could have been summed up as 'They invented a new artillery piece using iron.' Those passages felt more like they belonged in a non-fiction book detailing the history of modern weaponry.

It will be interesting to see how Weber concludes this trilogy in the next book as given his current pace it doesn't seem he will be able to resolve the larger plot of humanity's rise back to the stars. Unless of course he pulls out a Deus Ex Machina solution which would be extremely disappointing.

I have enjoyed Mr. Weber's work for years, and own every solo book he has ever written (and most of his collaborative efforts), having read many of them several times over. "Off Armageddon Reef" was superb, and left me eagerly anticipating the next episode. Perhaps therein lies the problem.

I was so excited that I didn't realize until about three-fourths of the way through "By Schism Rent Asunder" (delightfully lyrical title, btw) that nothing - nothing - was HAPPENING! The storyline's pace is positively glacial, and you would need calipers to measure the plot's progress in the first three HUNDRED pages. Instead, the reader is treated to an interminable series of meetings. Call them councils if you like, but they are MEETINGS nonetheless. The characters talk - ad nauseum - about what they're GOING to do and WHY they plan on doing it. Unfortunately, nobody ever gets around to - you know - actually doing anything. Just like meetings in the real world.

Now don't get me wrong: expositive narrative is quite valuable as a literary tool, and I respect Mr. Weber's stupendous imagination, to have crafted such a detailed and finely-honed fictional universe. Nor do I have sophomoric expectations of "non-stop" action, or action for its own sake. But this book is, sadly, lacking, or perhaps lackluster. It feels ... incomplete, and I get the feeling that the next book will move the storyline forward much more rapidly. Perhaps he was rushed to a deadline? Regardless, it might have been better to restructure the plot during the editing process, or perhaps wait and release both this volume and the next simultaneously.

Digression: Those similarly familiar with Mr. Weber's body of work will easily recognize the conceptual similarities between the Safehold series and the (much shorter, but highly recommended) Heirs of Empire. Does Mr. Weber anticipate tying the two together? Could Safehold be a - very - remote prequel?

"Off Armageddon Reef" had the saving grace of blowing stuff up. "By Schism Rent Asunder" has all the excitement of regrouting the kitchen. The problems with this series are almost without numbers. For example, the really good characters are the 'bad' guys, while King Cayleb and Queen Sharleyan are simply too perfect to be anything but place holders for the "good guy" slots. However this might be overlooked if not for some really horrendous plot holes or rather plot canyons that swallow the entire story whole.
1: The SNARC robotic spies. In chaper 5 Merlin "explains" why he can't use his robot minions to eliminate some of the opposition.

". . . it wouldn't have been particularly difficult for him to maneuver several of them deep into the Corisandian's ear canal and use their combined charges to eliminate him while he slept. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to disguise what had happened. . .an explosive burst of flame. . . would be hard for any postmortem exam to miss . . . inevitable allegations that the Charisians must have done it using black arts."

This sounds entirely too much like the author trying to do a patch job, not unlike the original Star Trek and the transporter beam problem. (how do you build tension when the hero can simply beam out of trouble?)
Let's look at some alternative solutions:

a)Counter claim that the "Group of Four" are the ones using black arts and GOD is smiting them.

b) Replace the suicide charge on the SNARC remotes with a toxin.

c) Use the suicide charges to blow up powder stores and factories. Black power has a tendency to do that without any help so it wouldn't be hard to make it look reasonable. And, even it the "accidents" might not look reasonable, who cares. If your enemies keep dying- If their cities and warships and forts keep burning down to the point that you win the war it doesn't really matter what anyone suspects or thinks. Especially if you have a reasonably good propaganda bureau. The Charisians simply have to keep insisting that it's the Group of Four that is on the side of evil and that is why their generals and bishops keep dying. An the more battles they win, the more 'truth" will be on the side of the Charisians. Winners write the history.

2) Merlin has got satellites and SNARC spies for real time intelligence on armies, navies and individuals. Even if he only had weather prediction he'd be better off than WWII commanders. As it is Merlin et al are in the position of fighting an enemy who is blind, deaf and almost mute. The ONLY way the Group of Four can succeed is if the author twists the plot to the breaking point to give them a momentary win.

This could have been a great SF series, examining the battle between reason and superstitions, religious reformation, cultural growth, etc. Instead it's a rather pedestrian space opera/fantasy at best.

This book starts out slow and goes downhill from there. I really wonder what happened to the Weber who wrote the early Honor Harrington books.

Gone forever I fear. Starting with the last few Harrington books and continuing with his current work he seems to have forgotten the cardinal rule of the fiction writer--show don't tell. This current book could easily be cut in half without losing a single important plot element or bit of action. I forced myself to get through it (don't ask me why) by skimming over the endless and repetitive and repetitive and repetitive (well you get the point) explanations of the various weapons, characters, situations, motivations, etc.

I have no idea how many books in this series Weber plans, but if he continues as he has been it will need to be a few dozen just to get Safehold to a mid-twentieth century level of technology. And he will lose quite a few reader along the way (me for one).

Do yourself a favor, if you think you must suffer through this book check a copy out of the library.

How many times can characters "cherish" various emotions? Read this book to find out Weber's answer. The phrase "he/she doesn't cherish any [insert X]" appeared too many times and became annoying. In the Honor Harrington series, I think his pet phrase is "pinched the bridge of his/her nose".

Regardless, I enjoyed the book. It did have a little too much detail for me, but I was definitely drawn into the world he is creating.

All in all it's a good bridge to what's hopefully coming.

I liked this book but pick up the pace. At this rate, it will be another 100 books before we make it back into space. The concept is wide open for almost anything and we are forced to spend our time discussing the painful details of how a flintlock works. I can tune into the Discovery Channel if I want to know the history of firearms.

I'm sure I'll read the next but I hope this doesn't turn into a never ending story like Jordan's Wheel of Time series.

If you want a quick, action-packed read, keep looking. If you want to sign on for the long haul, enjoy!

Very pleasant read. Author has a firm grasp on the ïssues handled, whether they be naval battles, boat or ship handling and production, ground based military action, politics, or theological debate.

Once again David Weber has taken a different society, and made it understandable, and interesting. This is the second in the series, and we all wish David would write faster. Although I'm sure his (or somebody's) meticulous editing takes time, waiting another year for the next one is going to be trying! Weber is one of the best at writing dialog (apparently not a common skill), battle scenes, descriptions of hardware, and how foreign societies work. For those who like the Honor Harrington series, and it's associated "Honorverse", this is a worthy addition.

Now, if we could just get David to get on with adding to the "Hell's Gate", "Shadow of Saganami", and "Honor Harrington" series, in addition to the next book in this series, we'd all be much happier.

This, the second book in the safe hold series is written a year or so after the end of off Armageddon's reef. It is the book in which the truth of Merlin identity is reveled (to some one other than the reader).
I found it to continuo the tensions without being to repositions, altho that could be because I read off armageddon's reef a while ago so that it is not fresh in my mind.
If you have read mutineers moon, you will probably like by schism rent asunder, there are some definite similarities.

By Schism Rent Asunder was a keenly anticipated part two in the series. Part 1 had started at a cracking pace and with sufficient background detail, breadth of vision and a sufficiency of characters to promise good things. Unfortunately the second book appears to be a deep in drawn breath rather than a tumultuous onrush.
There are still promising signs and perhaps this is intended to be a four (or even five?) book series, but there are too many longeurs, too much (and too repetitive) explication of the politics and way too much time and space spent on a wedding (never a good sign in an action series)to be a good example of its kind. Still, I suspect that you will not be able to follow later plotting without having read it so - grit your teeth, gird your loins and prepare to wade through it. In fairness it is not all bad but it needed editing and - if not shortening - then a wider view of the world and the characters. I would like more information on some of the other societies - what of the Republic? What of Empire? Conveyed, obviously, as showing, not telling.

Most of us would be given to think that after all the books that David Weber has written over the years, both alone and in concert with other writers, that he would have lost the edge a bit. The Safehold Series is proof positive that that is not the case. He has taken the best of his other novels, dusted them off, tossed out the trash, and made something that stands alone as a great work by itself. This book brings the reader in and takes them for a great ride. Weber is at the top of his game. Bravo. Keep them coming!

The novel adds much to this new world line... though I felt some of the 'shocking twists' were an easy out for a few characters and not really all that unanticipated. Also while I would've liked more action, the pacing works for the 'shortened' format which brings me to my main complaint with the novel... I WANT THE REST OF IT!! Just seems that there should have been more to help round the story out. I will stick with the storyline, but doubt I will re-read/listen (also have audio format) to this 'episode' as often as I do to Off Armageddon Reef....

The first book in this series was outstanding, one of the best science fiction books I've read in several years. This is not quite as good, but still hard to put down if you've read "Off Armageddon Reef".

I read the second book in this series with great anticipation. I consider the first book of the series some of Mr. Weber's finest work.

The pace of this book is much, much slower than the first book. In fact, once I reached the halfway point, I realized that not a single truly significant event had occurred. The second half at first seemed like it was going to be better, but reverted back to the same glacial pace. In fact, I don't believe the story has progressed significantly with this book.

The structure of the book seemed very disjointed as well. The story jumped from subplot to subplot with very little transition, especially in the first half of the book. In fact, there did not seem to be a coherent story line from start to finish. What I mean is in other serial books by this author, such as the Harrington novels, each book though fitting into a grand scheme, has a story of its own. This book did not seem to do this. It simply rearranged a few allies, introduced a couple of secret societies and discussed what would be done in the future.

Bottom line, while I do think this book was worth reading, it was not my favorite work by this author. It seems like its only purpose is to set the stage for the next book in the series. If I had it to do over, I would wait for the paperback.

The second book in the series is more based on political intrigue rather than action (though there are some intense action pieces too). You can see that David Weber is building up for the next book which I can almost guarantee will be action packed. I wonder how many books are going to be in the series as there is a long way to go.

writing style is good as you can expect from David. Some times the names can get confusing trying to keep who's who in the political maneuvering.

I hope you enjoy this book as much as I have.

I've been a fan of David Weber's for some time now and was excited to start this new series. Unfortunately, the second book fails to live up the first book's promise. Where the first book had it's fair share of action and intrigue, this one fails on both levels. It doesn't advance the plot much, but instead focuses on the political fallout resulting from Charis' overwhelming naval victory.

More annoying than anything is the sudden dearth of nefarious, scheming characters. Kings and princes who in the last book were eager to lend a hand in the destruction of Charis are suddenly remorseful and contemplating the morality of it all. Add the fairly-tale wedding of two ruling houses and the secret society struggling to preserve forbidden knowledge (including the obligatory reference to the U.S. Declaration of Independence) and I fear the series is in grave danger of becoming cliched.

This series is a good take on the (familiar) Arthurian theme.

By Schism Rent Asunder has all the characteristics of a middle series book which follows nicely on from the fast paced constant action of the first book in the series, setting the stage for more action in the next installment. It is full of character development, about which I have only one criticism - its that some of the characters (particularly the baddies) are seen only from a distance. I look forward to the pace picking up again in the next installment. David Weber is easily one of my favourite authors whose books consistently impress.

This was an interesting read. i picked up the first in the series at a book fair and was glad to get the second thru the store. I think it is necessary to read Book 1 before getting into this one. Besides the adventure and story line, the info relayed was pretty cool. I do think the ending was a bit abrupt and, again, being a novice to Weber's works - did not know that book 3 was still not out yet. Hence i guess i was looking for greater closure on certain plot themes in book 2...

By Schism Rent Asunder is a fine second book in this trilogy. Weber's character development continues to be excellent. I enjoy so many of the characters, including the "bad" ones. I anxiously await the next book.

Reading some other reviews, there seems to be an opinion that By Schism ... is only the 2nd of an 8 book series.

Hmm. I enjoy Weber's books but the other series are science fiction. The first two in this series are barely science fiction and at the pace of the timeline there won't be much above the atmosphere until maybe book 5.

I rather wonder why Weber has suddenly chosen to write historical naval fiction against a context of a religious war.

He may have created a problem for himself in that his usual and large following may be expecting the occasional epic space battle and equally are prepared to spend time absorbing the specifics of the impeller drive and a capital missile design but are rather less interested in canvas sail plans and carronade design.

I could guess how the next few novels develop and technolgical development will doubtless be accelerated by Merlin's presence and input but then again I don't see much space combat until Merlin has to take down the surveillance system just prior to the development of electricity/radio communication and that, at best, is several hundred years away in the series timeline.

I suspect this series will develop toward the premise of Weber's 'Heirs of Empire' series with the same form of technologically capable but culturally frozen adversary race.

Shame there looks to be several hundred years worth of planet bound conflict before the remnnants of humanity form an 'Empire from the Ashes' and go hunting Gbaba.

It may be (just) Science Fiction, but not really as we know it, Jim.

It's going to take a long time before this series is back in space.

While this book may not have as many combat scenes as some would want, the author continues to build the safehold world. The one thing (besides combat scenes) that David Weber truly excels at is world building.

I'm definitely looking forward to reading By Heresies Distressed when that comes out.

I am a David Weber fan, especially of his Honor Harrington series, and throughly enjoyed the first novel of this new series (even if he ripped off some ideas from his earlier novels).

Unfortunately, this book, while a fun read, is sloppy in places, especially with a revelation that was not set up in any way, the consquences of which was treated quite glibly.

I would suggest waiting for the paperback.

I certainly hope there are more books to the series, because this one ends, but has no conclusion, unlike "Off Armageddon Reef" which had a complete story arc. This book was also overly wordy with way too much minute description of technology, and not nearly enough action. I'll read the next installment because the overall story is compelling, but hope it moves along at a more enjoyable pace.

David Weber's latest volume concerning Safehold is another good read. Compelling story lines are continued and he sets the stage for books later on in the series. I'd rate this one higher, but this book spends a lot of time setting up events that will occur later on. Nonetheless a good book to read - especially if you are a fan of his writing.

Afrter reading Armageddon Reef, I expected a faster paced book. I realize that is is a series, but if I had read this one first, I may not have been tempted to read the other books in the series. There just wasn't enough swashbuckling. The shipper was prompt and the book arrived as promised-new.

Classic Weber. I believe i stayed up till 4am to finish this book. the mixing of classic era warfare with futuristic technology. I am eagerly awaiting the next books in this new and upcoming series.

David Weber's latest volume concerning Safehold is another good read. Compelling story lines are continued and he sets the stage for books later on in the series. I'd rate this one higher, but this book spends a lot of time setting up events that will occur later on. Nonetheless a good book to read - especially if you are a fan of his writing.

Afrter reading Armageddon Reef, I expected a faster paced book. I realize that is is a series, but if I had read this one first, I may not have been tempted to read the other books in the series. There just wasn't enough swashbuckling. The shipper was prompt and the book arrived as promised-new.

Classic Weber. I believe i stayed up till 4am to finish this book. the mixing of classic era warfare with futuristic technology. I am eagerly awaiting the next books in this new and upcoming series.

I enjoyed reading this book. It seems that this book is setting up for the 3rd installment of the series. It doesn't have nearly as much action as the first book OFF ARMAGEDDON'S REEF but, it is still very good. Mr. Weber spent most of this book on the church ( alot of talk ) and not the military or the "big get evens" that I thought he would. I hope the next installment of the story will have more of what made the first book so very very good and left this book somewhat lacking in my opinion.

I had high hopes for this book after reading the first book in this series. However, it has little internal plot and doesn't do much more to advance the overall storyline. Instead, it's full of banal, repetitive conversation and mind-numbing dull descriptive text that one has to endure while searching for the widely spaced portions where something actually happens.

I loved the first book (off Armagedon's reef). However this book is a big let down after that. This book is mostly about discussions and planning with very little action taking place. And then, the number of characters in this book appears to have tripled since the first book. It was hard enough remembering who was who from the first book written 18 months ago, to have to now remember a "million" other characters.

Anyway, I hope that the next book is more gripping and fast paced and not as boring as this one.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first novel of this new series, which blends an early Renaissance setting with space opera. But this is too obviously a transitional novel, a very long tranitional novel at that. The characters are interesting, and their development is quite carefully crafted, but there is little action compared to the first volume. I am more attached to the many great characters than ever, but frustrated that we will have to wait for one and possibly several long sequels to see what happens to them.

You can skip this book and wait for the next in the series (or maybe the one after that). There is nothing in this book that makes it science fiction. Read a few pages and then skipped to the end. Suggest you doi the same, but do it in a bookstore and save a few $$

I have been a fan of David Weber for years but his books have gone down hill since the last Honor Harrington book...the concept in this new series is excellent but Weber gets bogged down in a long drawn out story line...to many characters with convoluted names and places...

I realize that David Weber has a thing about religion, and how it fits into society. But a robot copy of a human being from a highly advanced technological society should not be fretting over whether God will be upset that what's left of the entire human race is trying to worship him under a made-up religion! Every religion is a made-up religion!