Like a Mighty Army

December 2, 2013
Weber’s seventh far-future Safehold novel (after Midst Toil and Tribulation) is a complex and fascinating epic about change, identity, and the nature of faith. The empire of Charis and its allies are valiantly attempting to end the corrupt Church of God Awaiting’s centuries-long planetary stranglehold on all innovation. Unfortunately, even Merlin Athrawes, their swashbuckling robot ally from a more scientifically advanced past, hasn’t been able to save the Charisian side from heavy losses over a brutal winter campaign. Weber is refreshingly interested in the civilian and social consequences of revolution: the Charisian leaders struggle to feed their population and smuggle much-needed relief supplies to their allies. Merlin, formerly the human space officer Nimue Alban, remains the highlight of the series, a clever old female soul playing a combined Gandalf and James Bond in a male android body. Weber’s sensitive portrayal of his transgender robot hero’s identity issues (“I’ve... ah, encountered a few problems in becoming permanently male”) takes new and fascinating turns, and a colorful assortment of saints and schemers fill out the cast.

December 1, 2013
Another doorstopper in a doorstopper series, the seventh of Weber's popular slow-burn Safehold yarns (Midst Toil and Tribulation, 2012, etc.). The premise is that a powerful and xenophobic alien race, the Gbaba, attacked and destroyed Earth. The survivors fled to planet Safehold, where a faction of religious fanatics, the Church of God Awaiting, seized power and, in the name of keeping humanity hidden, buried all evidence of advanced technology and introduced a repressive medieval regime, complete with inquisition to deal with dissenters. Nearly 900 years later--and from this entry, you won't learn how--a cybernetic avatar, Merlin Athrawes, appeared and stealthily began to introduce advanced technology in recognition that only a global war would suffice to overthrow the absolute grip of the church. Assisted by Merlin and other avatars, virtual personalities and an artificial intelligence, the island empire of Charis has declared its independence from the church and is forging ahead with steam-powered ships and equipment, modern-style field guns and efficient assault rifles, though as yet only a handful of the rebellion's top leaders know Merlin's secret. Other lands around the globe have allied with Charis, and the fighting has been bloody, debilitating and vengeful. Yet the church's vast armies and resources are far from defeated and, in their own limited way, are capable of changing and adapting to meet the threat. Fans know the formula: plenty of rousing battle scenes--Weber's specialty--and characters that gradually, over many pages, come into focus, along with a seemingly endless torrent of detail, some rich and illuminating but more commonly scarcely relevant to the plot or to those readers who'd rather just get to the combat. If you're not already addicted to this series, don't start here.

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January 1, 2014

On the world of Safehold, a religious war has been waging for many years (and in six previous books, most recently Midst Toil and Tribulation). But the heretical Charisian-led forces know something that their fanatical opponents among the "faithful" do not: that their religion is built on a lie meant to protect the planet from alien predators by keeping their levels of technology primitive. Military history buffs will enjoy watching the Charisian empire reinvent the rifles and artillery that finally give them an edge over the larger forces of the Church of God Awaiting. VERDICT A huge cast of confusingly named characters, action that jumps frequently among battle sites, and a slew of complicated political relationships mean that those not well versed in the Safehold series and its worldbuilding will make frequent use of the maps and character listings. But this series has a loyal fanbase that will cheer the arrival of another meaty military tale.

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