Honest Opinion (May Contain Spoilers)

C. O. Thompson wrote:McGuiness Down Under John Prigent
I'm not 'from the 40s' - I'm from 1940 and hoping to live long enough to see at least one of RFC's series completed and read its ending.
Cheers
John [/color]Yes!! John I'm from 42. I already have two dead brothers one at 73 another at 62, so I do hope MWW does not stretch his current series (Plural) out over too many years.
I can Hope after all both my parents reached 88.

Peter Sadly, RFC's readership is aging along with him, although I'm sure lots of young whippersnappers are discovering the Honorverse and Safehold, especially with the availability of ebooks rather than being limited to the offerings of their local library.

Any of us could be hit by a bus tomorrow, and RFC had a health scare (at least it scared me!) so my concern that either he or I won't be around to see his many series completed is growing year by year.

While he writes, we're waiting as fast as we can. I realize he has a life away from the computer, but I can't help begrudging the time he isn't writing the next of our favorite novels. Greedy of me, I know, but it shows how much he has me hooked, or clearly I wouldn't have spent countless hours reading and commenting on his literary creations.

Dictate quickly RFC. I'd like both of us to be there for the end...

If he doesn't have one already, perhaps it is time that David got a "Watson" on staff. He can call it OWL and have it read all the previous books to check for continuity as he 'dictates the next'
Oh well... I have no problem spending other peoples money but... it seems that it would be a ligament tax deduction as a business expense

Any way, the thing that seems to be driving most of up a wall (as we age) is the length of time it takes for the next installment in Safehold or Honorverse to wend its way through the publication process.

I understand that the muse might refuse to play some day and then he writes the Sword of the South.

David is not the only writer/artist that takes off in a different direction with fans standing in the universe they stepped out of asking... wtf? Like... when will Honor knock out Manpower????

I know nothing... I only think[/quote]



Age is a strange and how people age is even stranger. I am 65 and my parents are 87 this year and my father’s uncle (five years older) is still alive and well. My grandfather survived Pearl Harbor (USS California) and lived until he was 104 and my great-aunt died at 102, their father died in Belleu Wood (WWI). . Barring any major illness, accidents or war most of my family lives until their late 90’s and early 100’s. IMO how you maintain your health determines your life-span.

With all that being said I think I have a fair chance to living to see all of David’s books written and published as long as he maintains his body and mind like any excellent mechanic maintains a car.

I would rather see David enjoy a long life with family than risk his health trying to quench my thirst for any of his unpublished stories. Just my two-cents for what it is worth.

And by the way, he needs an OWL to help in maintaining his health and the furtherance of his stories.

With all that being said I think I have a fair chance to living to see all of David’s books written and published as long as he maintains his body and mind like any excellent mechanic maintains a car.

I would rather see David enjoy a long life with family than risk his health trying to quench my thirst for any of his unpublished stories. Just my two-cents for what it is worth.

And by the way, he needs an OWL to help in maintaining his health and the furtherance of his stories.

Very well said Senior Chief!
Way too many people crash and burn in misery trying to grab one more trinket in life.

We find enjoyment from the work that David produces while he is healthy and happy and I have not reached the point that makes me want to have my happiness at the expense of others...

And that ought to be worth more than two cents

Charles83 wrote:

JeffEngel wrote:Incidentally, as a parent in my 40's, I'm content to read YA stuff, but for me, it's got some parental horror aspects to it: "Kids! You're in danger! Call the adults, get home! KIDS!!!"

Anyone else have that reading experience?

Sadly not me, I'm 32 and well because of a very unique and complicated situation I found myself while i was younger practically on the same position as a lot of those teenage kids of those books, the parent i could trust unavailable and the parent i could not trust, and that ussually made the entire situation 3 times worse, available, so most of my issues and adventures I needed to solve by myself, and when you grow up on a place that has an undeclared civil war I can tell you those adventures can be scary.

Nowadays I am on a good place rebuilding my life and enjoying it, I do love reading and well i like having debates about it, so I do enjoy this forum plenty, I understand your reaction jeff but well I sort of connect with the kids on those YA books and i do not end up having the same reaction you do.

In my teens, I had a bit more independence of my parents than a lot of my peers - they divorced and I, my father, and my mother and sister tended to live along three different axes while most of us were living in the same house. It's a step or two in the direction you were living from some of sort "safe and cared for" origin point, but not remotely that far out.

Anyway - I can adopt and understand the youth perspective of YA books; it's just that, for me, the anxious parent one is an easier, practically compelling fit.

JeffEngel wrote:

Keith_w wrote:Isn't the development of new, young readers why he has 2 YA series running in the Honorverse?

Two? The Stephanie Harrington books with Jane Lindskold would be one, and the other...? I've not managed to get my hands on Manticore Ascendant ones yet, but they didn't sound like young adult fare.

Incidentally, as a parent in my 40's, I'm content to read YA stuff, but for me, it's got some parental horror aspects to it: "Kids! You're in danger! Call the adults, get home! KIDS!!!"

Anyone else have that reading experience?

I do consider the Manticore ascendant series to be YA

Damn you all are a bunch of old farts. Here I was thinking being born in '59 made me an oldster here and I see readers born in 1940! Dear Lord, I'm a wet behind the ears kid here!
I think some perspective is called for too. We Weber fans have several series to watch for from David, and he does keep providing sequels in many of them. If Safehold is a little slow then a new Honorverse book or a Multiverse or War God series might come out instead. We have options. Pity the poor Game of Thrones types who are waiting years for an author that is only doing one series. Or pity those that tried to hang on through the dragging agony that "The Wheel of Time" became. I shudder, and about them can only point and say "Write nothing like this!" I stopped at around book seven or eight knowing that that story was going to become like watching grass grow, but with less excitement and detailed descriptions of cellular process to bore you to tears included.
We are blessed with much, much better.
SO let us not be in such doom or gloom. Provided our beloved author takes care of his health and goes on long walks with his loving wife I'm sure that we will all see these end of his current series and perhaps still have time to complain about how slow his next brainstorm of ideas are going.
And you just know he's got ideas for other series and hero's in the future. Maybe not as many as say Ray Bradbury or Issac Asimov but...

Larry

Larry wrote:Damn you all are a bunch of old farts. Here I was thinking being born in '59 made me an oldster here and I see readers born in 1940! Dear Lord, I'm a wet behind the ears kid here!
I think some perspective is called for too. We Weber fans have several series to watch for from David, and he does keep providing sequels in many of them. If Safehold is a little slow then a new Honorverse book or a Multiverse or War God series might come out instead. We have options. Pity the poor Game of Thrones types who are waiting years for an author that is only doing one series. Or pity those that tried to hang on through the dragging agony that "The Wheel of Time" became. I shudder, and about them can only point and say "Write nothing like this!" I stopped at around book seven or eight knowing that that story was going to become like watching grass grow, but with less excitement and detailed descriptions of cellular process to bore you to tears included.
We are blessed with much, much better.
SO let us not be in such doom or gloom. Provided our beloved author takes care of his health and goes on long walks with his loving wife I'm sure that we will all see these end of his current series and perhaps still have time to complain about how slow his next brainstorm of ideas are going.
And you just know he's got ideas for other series and hero's in the future. Maybe not as many as say Ray Bradbury or Issac Asimov but...

Larry

Larry,
If you think you are old... you definitely are
I know people who are half my age but older than I... they stopped learning and contributing to their communities and do nothing more than work and watch TV

Your comment about Asimov and Bradbury are well taken, just after I signed off yesterday, I though about the effect of social media and the internet and wondered what Issac or Ray would have though had their every nuance been pounced on and pulled apart like a lamb at the lions convention

I also recalled a comment about the aging of Davids audience/fan base and that there was a recent post about the Honor Harrington movie and game setback when the company that was developing them went belly up.
At about the same time that I read that I happened to meet up with a neighbor who is a game developer working with the Star Trek on line game <(I am not a fan of on line games and the only game I play on my computer is Free Cell where I have 100%)>
however; I mentioned the Honor series and found that the neighbor is a fan of Horatio Hornblower books so I suggested that he check out this game but it does not seem to be available for down load.
I also went into a local (well stocked) comic store to see if they had the 'Graphic Novel' books and they did not. I tend to be a compulsive buyer; had it been there I would have bought it.

My point is that David has made some effort to reach into the market that the youngsters frequent but, ran into a road block... let's hope is agent or manager is working to solve this.

Larry wrote:Damn you all are a bunch of old farts. Here I was thinking being born in '59 made me an oldster here and I see readers born in 1940! Dear Lord, I'm a wet behind the ears kid here!
I think some perspective is called for too. We Weber fans have several series to watch for from David, and he does keep providing sequels in many of them. If Safehold is a little slow then a new Honorverse book or a Multiverse or War God series might come out instead. We have options. Pity the poor Game of Thrones types who are waiting years for an author that is only doing one series. Or pity those that tried to hang on through the dragging agony that "The Wheel of Time" became. I shudder, and about them can only point and say "Write nothing like this!" I stopped at around book seven or eight knowing that that story was going to become like watching grass grow, but with less excitement and detailed descriptions of cellular process to bore you to tears included.
We are blessed with much, much better.
SO let us not be in such doom or gloom. Provided our beloved author takes care of his health and goes on long walks with his loving wife I'm sure that we will all see these end of his current series and perhaps still have time to complain about how slow his next brainstorm of ideas are going.
And you just know he's got ideas for other series and hero's in the future. Maybe not as many as say Ray Bradbury or Issac Asimov but...

Larry

Yeah, I'm feeling like a young whipper snapper now after reading some of these posts. Also 1959, BTW. And I did wait through the whole Wheel Of Time series, and as much as I'm addicted to long series, it was tough. It makes me laugh when some of the guys here fuss about the pace of the Safehold books, or the time between books. We've got it good compared to Jordan or Martin.

Expert snuggler wrote:Google is approaching supernatural powers these days. Are you sure there's no orbital mechanics simulator online? Failing that, is there an equivalent of Dan Alderson these days? He was a NASA orbital mechanic who consulted with authors.

Ah, yes! The Alderson Drive. Now THAT brings back some happy memories.