By Schism Rent Asunder

May 5, 2008
In this eagerly anticipated sequel to 2007’s Off Armageddon Reef
, the sheer scale of the Kingdom of Charis’s naval victory against corrupt forces of the Church of God Awaiting has the Church newly wary of Charis’s technological innovations. These were introduced by Merlin Athrawes, bodyguard to King Cayleb II and actually an android imprinted with a human’s memories and personality who seeks to throw off the false religion that bars mankind from the stars. As Charis’s neighbors scramble to rebuild their shattered fleets and prepare for the inevitable reprisals, the Church lurches toward placing the entire nation under proscription and declaring holy war. The numerous characters are never reduced to stereotypes, and Weber’s portrayal of the social changes brought about by Charis’s bootstrap industrial and military revolutions ring true. If not as action oriented as the first volume, the descriptions of the rebirth of knowledge and the human spirit are at least as enthralling.

Starred review from June 15, 2008
In "Off Armageddon Reef", the author of the popular Honor Harrington series launched a brilliant new saga that began with the near total destruction of the human race and detailed the struggles of the one colony that survived by paying a high pricereinventing history and denying the use of technology. The story continues, as King Caleb of the island nation of Charis attempts to reclaim his human past and faces the wrath of the powerful Church of God Awaiting. Weber transitions from the galactic space battles of the Honor Harrington books to old-fashioned sea battles with the skill of a naval expert. Though his story encompasses meaty issues such as the separation of church and state and the importance of a shared mythology, its focus remains on the people who embody the strengths and weaknesses of a flawed but ever hopeful humanity. Along with its predecessor, this second installment of an important sf saga belongs in all libraries. Highly recommended.

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.