David Weber "On Basilisk Station" SPOILERS FOR LATER BOOKS

[TheDustyZebra]

Re: David Weber "On Basilisk Station"

Oh, good.

(...puts away wet noodle.)

 

[Brian G Turner]

I'm certainly enjoying it a lot more now that Honor Harrington is on the Fearless.

 

[Parson]

That's good to hear Brian. I suspect that your enjoyment will continue to mount, and that near the end you will not be able to put the book down.

 

[Vertigo]

All these discussions keep making me think of going back and doing a re-read of the series. I've never attempted a re-read of such a large series before! Some sort of an immersion session methinks!

 

[Brian G Turner]

That's good to hear Brian. I suspect that your enjoyment will continue to mount, and that near the end you will not be able to put the book down.

Yep, the challenge of dealing with Basilisk after Young is proving very interesting. Plenty of conflict, lots of set-up - has me hooked at the moment.

Anyway, enough distractions - have to start Chapter 10.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

All these discussions keep making me think of going back and doing a re-read of the series. I've never attempted a re-read of such a large series before! Some sort of an immersion session methinks!

Gosh, that's how I always do it!

Admittedly, I think I've fallen at least a couple of books behind at the end.

 

[Vertigo]

The question is when to do it. Between the various series (threads?) I'm about two or three books behind at the moment. So do I read those first or start the re-read? Since I always seem to run a book or two behind pretty much any series I might never catch up and never do the re-read.... I might wait until I go away in the autumn and have a session then

 

[Parson]

Vertigo, I too am considering a re-read. I've all of the early books (thru 10?) 4 times and the others twice and the last 2 only once. My re-read would be of the first maybe 6 or 8. Probably up through Honor's escape from "Hell." I haven't re-read them for some time and part of that is because I spend several hours a week here, and now that I have a Kindle I can afford to read much more, and there is a much better selection of books that really appeal to me. Needless to say, I love my Kindle and the lack of re-reading is the only down side I can see.

 

[Vertigo]

Yes that's the problem I always face; I have so many books waiting to be read that I can end up begrudging spending the time on something I've already read. It's silly and illogical, I know, since there's a very good chance that I'll not enjoy a lot of that new stuff as much as I know I'll enjoy the re-read. Ho hum!!!! I currently own nearly a hundred un-read books and my wish list adds another 300 to that.

 

[Parson]

Yes that's the problem I always face; I have so many books waiting to be read that I can end up begrudging spending the time on something I've already read. It's silly and illogical, I know, since there's a very good chance that I'll not enjoy a lot of that new stuff as much as I know I'll enjoy the re-read. Ho hum!!!! I currently own nearly a hundred un-read books and my wish list adds another 300 to that.

300 books on your wish list? 100 books you own and are unread!! I'm not sure I could stay sane with that amount of extra intended reading.

 

[Timba]

Sadly I own at least 300 unread books and we do not even want to talk about my wish list. Many of these are hardback books sitting on my bookshelf forlorn because I have become addicted to the e-book and its simplicity for my eyes (love to be able to set the font to what I need) but I keep promising myself to get back to them! I will, sometime soon I am sure.


Parson and Vertigo, I enjoyed the Empire of Man series but then I have been described as um...I think easy was the nicest word when it comes to books. I seem to like them all.

 

[Parson]

Timba, I thought I was "easy." But "The Empire of Man" in the two installments I read just became banal. I mean it was all about killing in job lots, with precious little story progress.... "We are heading off planet.... eventually ..... when we get there .... in the mean time.... "

 

[Vertigo]

I think my biggest problem was the overuse of the already much overused trope of spoilt aristo puts comrades lives at risk through arrogance and gradually turns into heroic nice guy.

Timba that is pretty crazy - I thought I was bad.... Parson I take the approach of "how do you eat an elephant?"

One of the reasons those lists are so long - and there's a lot I've not put in yet - is that I had that 25 year hiatus in my reading life. Still I don't think I'm going to run out of material anytime soon

 

[TheDustyZebra]

I'm committed to a re-read of the series now -- when I got the two free on my iPad, I started on them, and that sealed it.

I do have hundreds of books that I haven't read, sitting around waiting for me, but they're in cabinets and boxes so they don't stare at me constantly.

Even when I was little, I preferred to read the books that I had already read, rather than taking a chance on a new one -- it drove my mother crazy, at the library. "But Mom, I know I like these books -- I might not like those." "Yes, but you might."

 

[Vertigo]

Interesting TDZ - I guess I'm almost exactly the opposite. I suppose that makes me an optimist; I'm always hoping the next book will be The One!

 

[Parson]

TDZ: Now, what you are describing sounds just like a little child. "Read me Good Night Moonfor the 68th time!!! Could it be that you just haven't grown up?

Not a bad thing methinks. Especially where it comes to reading H.H.!

I'm present reading the third of the Arc Royal trilogy, and then I've a hankering to read OBS again.

 

[Vertigo]

How do you rate that trilogy, Parson? I've not read anything by Nuttall.

Edit: Ah just seen your post in the July reading thread; you appear to have liked it!

 

[Timba]

I have the Arc Royal trilogy on my tablet, picked up for free I believe, so will move it up to the top of the pile. Have to finish my latest Laurence Dahmer book, Telekinetic and the latest Cassidy Jones book first though.


I will reread HH this winter but I am going to try something new, audible books for this reread. I listen slower than I read so should make for a longer stretch of joy.

 

[Parson]

Timba.... I thought that "Telekinetic" was a new El Donsaii book. I went hunting immediately. It is a new series, so maybe I'll wait a bit, but I see it is getting very nice reviews.

Vertigo... I certainly liked the first 2 well enough, the third one is too new, but so far so good.

(We seem to be going a bit off thread here.)

 

[Brian G Turner]

I did generally enjoy this book - the use of conflict between Honor and her second in command was especially brilliant.

However, one thing confused me - early on, ship-to-ship tactics are described in detail. I seem to recall a section saying that some battles would end in stalemate when the opposing ships put their shields up against each other. When Honor goes through the simulation early on with the grav lance, the opposing forces move with their shields forward.

So - at the end of OBS, why didn't Honor fly her ship that way - until the very, very last moment? Is it because the ship needed to be aligned a different way for accelerating?