Fulminata reviewed The Shiva Option by David Weber
Review of 'The Shiva Option' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
My main point about the previous volume in the series, In Death Ground, still applies to this one: This story shouldn’t need 1300+ pages to tell.
I’m glad I read it, if only to finish the story I began over two decades ago when I first read In Death Ground, but I doubt I’ll ever read it again.
For the most part, this is more of the same as the first part, with the difference being that the tide has turned, and now it’s the story of the Grand Alliance’s eventual victory over the Bugs instead of the story of desperately trying to stop the Bug onslaught. Lots of battles, lots of agonizing over loss, lots of hyper-competent military personnel, and a handful of ridiculous caricatures of people the authors don’t like.
The biggest example of this is a potshot they take at the press, creating a ridiculous caricature of …
My main point about the previous volume in the series, In Death Ground, still applies to this one: This story shouldn’t need 1300+ pages to tell.
I’m glad I read it, if only to finish the story I began over two decades ago when I first read In Death Ground, but I doubt I’ll ever read it again.
For the most part, this is more of the same as the first part, with the difference being that the tide has turned, and now it’s the story of the Grand Alliance’s eventual victory over the Bugs instead of the story of desperately trying to stop the Bug onslaught. Lots of battles, lots of agonizing over loss, lots of hyper-competent military personnel, and a handful of ridiculous caricatures of people the authors don’t like.
The biggest example of this is a potshot they take at the press, creating a ridiculous caricature of a war reporter who hates the military. Apparently he’s bad because he dared to write articles critical of the military before the war. Never mind that a military that’s been at peace for 60 years is bound to have accumulated some graft and corruption, and that investigative reporters are actually good for the military in those situations as they can expose things that would damage the military if left unchecked.
Of course, just in case we might make the mistake of thinking that this might just be someone doing his job, the authors make him a point of view character so we can read his thoughts and realize that he’s just a stupid caricature who hates the military for no reason.
We also get the usual shot a politicians at the end as well, just in case we forgot that the authors don’t like them.
Fortunately, this volume apparently wraps up the prequels to the first volume, which makes it a good stopping place.
