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A Reader posted a review at 2010-10-08 12:54:57.
(Language: English)
I've just finished listening to 'Echoes of Honour' and as the narrator read the last passage of this book,I couldn't help but sigh with relief. I'm sorry, but I have read my fair share of books and this must be a first occassion where I encountered a writer who clearly must have fallen in love with his literary creation. I've come to the conclussion that this is the only viable explanation for Weber's constant, relentless, annoying and pointless glorification of Dame Harrington.
Dear Mr. Weber, I have read this and previous seven books in this series and yes, by now I have a pretty clear idea of the fact that she's an exceptional officer and outstanding human being. There is no longer any need to shovel more positive epithats regarding her personality and skills in every fifth paragraph. Entire first part of the book is for example completely unnecessary - after all, we KNOW Honor is still alive, so why would the author wish to waste reader's time with descriptions of funerals (yes, not one but TWO!) and nauseatingly repetitive eulogies, pangs of grief and supressed bittersweet memories.
Like I mentioned before, I have read the entire series up to this book and the worst thing is that I do believe I have by now memorised author's entire literary repertoire. All Weber's characters are either brilliant or complete and utter simpeltons. All conversations are overflowing with violent emotions that are almost impossible to control, but also with suppressed wry mental chuckles. Regardless of previous planning, scale or importance of the upcoming battle, the commander will always waste those last five precious minutes just before the start of engagement on explanation of every mundane detail of his/her plan to whomever stands next to him. All naval actions always end with a brilliant victory/crushing defeat caused by a brilliant stroke of genius by main protagonist of the moment. There are simply no mundane, non-conclusive battles in Honourverse. This defies the fact that Newtonian physics Weber uses so skillfully would indicate that most of military actions should end up in slow, boring slugfests reminding strongly of Age of Sail battles during 17th century. True, dramatic battle resolutions that are Weber's forte do make for fastpaced, exciting reading. But at the same time, having now 'consumed' at least ten major engagements, I must admit that I'm starting to find Weber's narratives both boring and predictable, regardless of their 'shocking value'.
Last, but not least, I was negatively suprised by the fact that the author is simply cheating in 'Echoes of Honour'. In previous book he put his heroine in an almost impossible situation. It should have required a major effort to extract her and could have created a premise for quite interesting adventure. But Mr.Weber opts for easy way out and serves us a compressed version of the plot of 'March Upcountry' books. He also more or less grants Harrington her every wish. I won't extend my critique on this aspect of the book, because it would reveal too much of the plot, but come on... how many lucky breaks can a single person get?
I have reached too far into this series not to continue with it, but it will take a very long while before I decide to start next installment.
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