Month: October 2008

Categories
Books

The Dark Path by Walter H. Hunt

While this book is in the same world as The Dark Wing, it’s set 80 years later. The cultures have changed in the interval; Zor and Human are used to interacting, though resentment is still present.

This book centers around Jackie and Ch’k’te, who react to the discovery/invasion of strange aliens– the Ghuls. There’s a lot of confusion given the alien’s powers of deception. Along the way, Jackie looses control of her base and gets drug into complex Zor plans. She’s seen as the current incarnation of Qu’u and is dragged into events to replicate those of legend.

Despite a more personal viewpoint throughout and good characterization, it’s frustrating to be as lost as Jackie. The book doesn’t really end– unlike the Dark Wing, this is clearly a chunk of a larger book and doesn’t have a satisfying ending. I checked out the next book in the series and hope that it’s more rewarding in the end.

Categories
Books

The Dark Wing by Walter H. Hunt

The Dark Wing is a tale of war between the (human) Imperium and an alien race– the Zor, birdlike and different.

The story is well written and centers on Sergei Torrijos, though other characters (including, later on, Zor protagonists) get POV chapters. There are elements that suggest roleplaying potential– like the ability of gunners to “crack” a shield early, and a pilot’s ability to evade/present new faces to the enemy in a way that prolongs the ship’s life. That information, and several other bits of history and technological explanation are given in straightforward info-dumps.

The book is mostly about the war; the Zor attack in the first chapter, and the humans scramble to counter attack. Interestingly, a cultural gulf between civilians and military is laid out and developed; the military is generally tired of the premature peaces that are negotiated, always leaving the Zor ready to attack again soon.

Admiral Marais steps on scene and begins driving the Imperial Navy onto a new path. It’s interesting watching through Sergei’s eyes as he learns about the Admiral’s drives and goals. There’s a very interesting subplot about Intellegence and spies, and hints at a future enemy.

The book lasts a longer than you’d expect– the war comes to a close, but the after effects must be navigated. This takes about 25% more of the book and casts a different light on the accomplishments of the war.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. This was a reread.

Categories
Game Group

Next Game: Tentatively, Friday October 10th

At the moment, it looks like everyone can make it for the game on Friday. If Dad and Eric change their schedules, I’ll try to let you all know.

We left off with the group perched on a ledge about 500′ above the end of the trail, as a Wyvern and rider flew around the mountain face and seemed to spot you…

Categories
Books

Off Armageddon Reef by David Weber

Off Armageddon Reef is an interesting book with two distinct parts. The first part is a brief tale of humanity’s end, as the Gbaba destroy Earth’s last war fleet. The Gbaba are implacable and not really detailed– it’s enough to know that they’re the creatures in the night.

The book transitions to the other half of part one for a while, telling briefly about the terraforming and colonization efforts to establish humanity’s last colony. There’s an interesting tale of hubris and terrible decisions, as the survivors are almost all mindwiped and led around by a false religion, where the unimpaired humans use technology to establish themselves as angels and make their decrees inviolable. While it’s done for (mostly) good reasons, it makes the reader queasy– and sparks a rebellion among the unimpaired. In the end, the religious decrees are established and the angels fade into the background.

All of the above is background for the bulk of the book. This chunk is a mostly first person tale by Nimue Allen, an android with memories from the end of Earth’s empire. Nimue decides to right wrongs and nudge the world’s development towards the best technology they can reestablish without the Gbaba sensing it.

Her struggle is interesting and mirrors a lot of Renaissance and Reformation history, altered for the new world and experiences. It’s compellingly written, with slightly progressive allies and a lot of worries about deception and the effect of their actions. The characters come across as clear and strong, making me look forward to its sequel By Schism Rent Asunder. It’s on request at the library now.