Shadow of Victory - Quality of the Story / Plot?

I think it all depends on the reason you buy DW's books - if you just want to read the book, wait for mmpb, ebook dropping low or get it from the library if possible as it's clearly the worst in both Honorverse and Safehold to date and that regardless of how it will all go in the last volume, unless those liberation movements on all those planets turn all to have a crucial role to play - if say one of them leads to sometime major like exposing Darius, then why include the others, if none are that important why not skip them beyond a few mentions here and there (after all after the big fuss with Silesia in earlier volumes, have we heard anything about that recently?)

On the other hand if DW's writings provided the huge enjoyment they did for me across so many years, spending $15 on a mediocre book is a thank you and I would have no regrets or second thoughts for doing it

It had a plot? Seriously, it just feels like filler, cut from the previous book(s). There were a few fun scenes like the unmasking of Firebrand and the introduction of Dr. Cat (not the actual name but if you've read the scene you know who) but overall it's just *bleh*.

For any series with a less faithful fanbase, this probably wouldn't be the prelude to a grand finale but the series killer.

So I read the preview chapters in the Baen ebook store and...

Haven't I read this plot already? Okay, the planets involved are different and we're getting more behind the scenes in the Mesan Alignment, but at the end of the day, Shadows of Victory looks like it's covering the same plot and time frame as Shadow of Freedom.

I think I'm going to save my money for a book that actually progresses the timeline rather than a buy a story that I think I already know the end of because I already bought and read a slightly different version of it.

evilauthor wrote:snip ...

I think I'm going to save my money for a book that actually progresses the timeline rather than a buy a story that I think I already know the end of because I already bought and read a slightly different version of it.

It is certainly your right to not buy this book, just as it's the author's right to tell his story his way. The issue may be, and probably is but I'm not a mind reader, as simple as RFC knowing exactly where the story goes next and thus doesn't look at this book the same way as the rest of us. If he feels this'fill-in' story is necessary, I'm going to give him the benefit of doubt. He has met and exceeded my expectations many times over the years, and has earned the right to finish telling his story his way.

Bookaholic wrote:

evilauthor wrote:snip ...

I think I'm going to save my money for a book that actually progresses the timeline rather than a buy a story that I think I already know the end of because I already bought and read a slightly different version of it.

It is certainly your right to not buy this book, just as it's the author's right to tell his story his way. The issue may be, and probably is but I'm not a mind reader, as simple as RFC knowing exactly where the story goes next and thus doesn't look at this book the same way as the rest of us. If he feels this'fill-in' story is necessary, I'm going to give him the benefit of doubt. He has met and exceeded my expectations many times over the years, and has earned the right to finish telling his story his way.

^^^This.

Frankly, IMO, the reason so many are "disappointed" with this book is that the expectations leading up to its release were so high.

And so wrong.

Most, if not all, the speculation I read in the months leading up to the release of the eARC was focused on big showdowns, new tech, seeing Bolthole, and other stuff. With very little of that in here (one major space battle, a single new ship), it's no wonder people are unhappy. They didn't get what they wanted - socks instead of the latest shiny new toy.

While I read and followed all those speculation threads, I certainly didn't hold on to them as if they were a given. I had no more expectations going in to read SoV than I did any other book I read for the first time.

I enjoyed the book. I read it and enjoyed it for what it was - backstory involving several smaller systems that may or may not prove important later on. There's been so much dealings with the high and mighty in earlier books, I felt it was a little refreshing to see the Honorverse from the viewpoint of "the little people" - the ones who will also be affected by the outcome of the final book.

Tl;dr - I liked it, and I didn't get my hopes up that it would be more than it was.

There has also been a lot of complaint about the blurb - to the point of some calling it false advertising.

Why, I'm not sure. I knew that SoV was 'The Adventures of Damien Harahap' within seconds of seeing it the first time, and haven't been able to figure out just what lines other people were reading between. Did that disappoint me? Maybe a bit, since I wasn't expecting a cut-off matching CoG, but certainly not enough that I'm not cursing Toni for moving Final Release to the paper publication date - on the old system I'd only have 2 more days to wait!

As for it being a junk book that wastes electrons, quite frankly there aren't all that many HH books that that _can't_ said about: HotQ, FiE, maybe HAE, the last 1/4 of IEH + EoH. Those, it can be argued, are the essential early stories. Everything else, the necessary bits of backstory are brought up in those. And yes, that does include OBS! The series could just as well have started with HotQ, which is why the film project was looking at doing just that. Would I be just as happy if they didn't exist? Definitely not, despite the fact that I wouldn't [and didn't, for years] miss FoD. Worth reading, every one of them - and it was only while writing this that I came to agree that OBS isn't the essential starting point, but more prequel. Because each of them reads on its own terms.

MaxxQ wrote:

Bookaholic wrote:
It is certainly your right to not buy this book, just as it's the author's right to tell his story his way. The issue may be, and probably is but I'm not a mind reader, as simple as RFC knowing exactly where the story goes next and thus doesn't look at this book the same way as the rest of us. If he feels this'fill-in' story is necessary, I'm going to give him the benefit of doubt. He has met and exceeded my expectations many times over the years, and has earned the right to finish telling his story his way.

^^^This.

Frankly, IMO, the reason so many are "disappointed" with this book is that the expectations leading up to its release were so high.

And so wrong.

Most, if not all, the speculation I read in the months leading up to the release of the eARC was focused on big showdowns, new tech, seeing Bolthole, and other stuff. With very little of that in here (one major space battle, a single new ship), it's no wonder people are unhappy. They didn't get what they wanted - socks instead of the latest shiny new toy.

While I read and followed all those speculation threads, I certainly didn't hold on to them as if they were a given. I had no more expectations going in to read SoV than I did any other book I read for the first time.

I enjoyed the book. I read it and enjoyed it for what it was - backstory involving several smaller systems that may or may not prove important later on. There's been so much dealings with the high and mighty in earlier books, I felt it was a little refreshing to see the Honorverse from the viewpoint of "the little people" - the ones who will also be affected by the outcome of the final book.

Tl;dr - I liked it, and I didn't get my hopes up that it would be more than it was.

There are some wonderful scenes.

There is a truly fine ending.

sorry if this is a silly question

but I thought we have to wait till November to get the whole book? only the first part is available now.

Alistair wrote:sorry if this is a silly question

but I thought we have to wait till November to get the whole book? only the first part is available now.

The eARC is available now for $15 for the crazy of us.

kzt wrote:

Alistair wrote:sorry if this is a silly question

but I thought we have to wait till November to get the whole book? only the first part is available now.

The eARC is available now for $15 for the crazy of us.

And it is worth it. Never, ever read any of Mr. Weber's work with your own expectations. He manages to shoot holes in them.