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Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
Format: Bargain Price
Label: Tor Books
Manufacturer: Tor Books
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 608
Printing Date: January 09, 2007
Publishing house: Tor Books
Release Date: January 09, 2007
Sale Popularity Level: 21671
Studio: Tor Books
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Rated by buyers -
I really enjoyed the story; however, after reading the Prince Roger series I felt that the story was a little recycled. Introducing technology, and allowing domination over ones enemies. The other portions of the story was very intriguing though. It was a very enjoyable read, and I'm looking forward to the sequel!
Rated by buyers -
Off Armageddon Reef is somewhat of a scifi book full of cultural changes and a civilization that reverted to no technology. This controversial decision was to prevent these settlers from another planet, to be found by the aliens who are disintegrating the human race, one planet at the time. The leaders turn themselves into God-sent emissaries and want the respect due their position. Of course not all agree and there is the very first problem. The mother church is created and it has too much power over the people for many years, as the church grow corrupted. An android is awakened from centuries of sleep and she brings a new hand to the primitive community and introduces technology back to them. I enjoyed this book and do not compare it to any other. I think it stands by itself.
Anna del C.
Author of "The Elf and the Princess"
Anna del C.
Author of "The Elf and the Princess"
The Elf and The Princess: The Silent Warrior Trilogy - Book One (The Silent Warrior Trilogy)
Rated by buyers 
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The scenario is hurriedly defined at the start of the book and the details are relatively irrelevant. When the story gets under way and the concept of bringing a society from midevil technology levels back to interstellar travel levels is really outlined it becomes quite fascinating.
Seemingly simple and isolated technologies which we naturally take for granted or even no longer use yesterday have completely altered and advanced human history.
Rated by buyers -
This is a good start to a new series.
Some details - Earth met the aliens and lost. Badly. Before being wiped out, they sent out a colony to hide and rebuild. The folks who set up the colony decided to build a religious system to permanently keep mankind in a state of non-technological prowess. In the power struggle to do this, the faction against this action - before they were all killed - were able to create an android doppleganger of the daughter of the last Earth admiral.
The doppleganger android sleeps for 800 years, wakes, assess the situation, and decides to start moving humanity back to technology.
In this story the android starts helping a small kingdom fight the establishment. Lots of character development as the good guys are built and the android discovers that its long term plan will be hard emotionally.
Good plot development, good action scenes, and superb scenario development. Weber knows how to build a fight. Given that humanity has a long ways to go plus the oldsters left some powerful technology blocks to emerging technology, there is lots of room for plot twists in the future.
Weber is great at creating and keeping the quality level of a series. His series do not start out great and then nose dive quickly in quality. I do not consider to be one of the overall top individual book authors - though he is quite good - I do think he is the king of quality series. And this series has a long way to grow.
If you like Weber this is a treat that will likely last for a long time. Something to look forward to.
Rated by buyers -
As of this review I'm only at page 120. However...
SPOILER WARNING
The starting chapters read like parts of Armageddon Inheritance and Heirs of Empire rolled into one. Instead of the Achul'Ultan being chased from home, it's humans...and instead of an insane computer driving them in their naive ignorance...its megalomaniacs who make themselves out as gods after having MADE everyone believe they are.
Those who hold onto technology and historical knowledge are slain by those who have disagreed with those that it does not serve their interests. In Heirs of Empire, technology was blamed for the fall of the Imperium which left only Pardal untouched. While here it is to be temporarily abandoned for fear of being detected by those who wish to kill us until the time has come to return to the stars...at least that was the plan. While in Heirs four young people lend their hand to those who have done a wrong in the eyes of those in power, a single person must do the same here.
END OF SPOILERS
So far it takes ideas from some of his early books and gives them an interesting new twist. If you liked Armageddon Inheritance and Heirs of Empire, you should like this book as well. You will see a number of parallels where the circumstances and involved parties.
NEW EDIT....Completed Reading
In my opinion, since it was my originally reading Weber's Crusade that has me wanting to try my hand at writing, this book was done quite well. At the end I half expected to see it move seamlessly back into space, where the descendants of Safehold have finally remembered what was lost and where they now face the Gbaba on terms which offer a good chance of final victory. Yet...other reviews say this is to be only the very first in a new series by Weber. I would certainly hope so, and shall (as patiently as one can when expecting a follow-up by a favorite author) await the subsequent in the series.
As an after thought...I'd like to think of Merlin as a more humanoid form of what Dahak from Mutineers Moon series ought to be. A machine with humanity (whether evolved or once had naturally) that has been entrusted with the survival of humanity...and the price of near-immortality.
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