ARMAGEDDON INHERITANCE [Mass Market Paperback]

Here we have a David Weber who has matured slightly from his writing in Mutineer's Moon. The pacing and tension of this book are handled much more effectively. Thus the highs and lows of the story are felt more fully by the reader.

Weber does not disappoint in his battles. Though I do not yet think they are approaching Honor Harrington levels of greatness, we have some massive battles with big, incredibly destructive weapons. Fleet actions on the order of 2 million to 48 in a lopsided hopeless defense. Technology though, as in Harrington, proves to be more important than numbers.

The idea of the Achuultani horde and their masterminds isn't too bad, yet we only get to see one alien in anything more than a "Hmmmm, there is my enemy, I shall attack them, Oh no, now I shall die." presence. More could have been presented from the Achuultani side to make this book better. As it is, they manage to be one step above mindless ravening locust swarms to the reader, but perhaps not known well enough to the reader to have the reader care whether they get wiped out by humanity.

The characters left behind to guard Earth while Colin goes searching for help get the best exposition. Their depression and exhaustion are felt as they suffer wave upon wave of attacks hanging on by their fingernails waiting for Colin's return.

All in all a well done book with just a few things that could have been improved. Weber fans will know what they are getting here and enjoy the fast pace and the space battles.

In this novel, the hypercom transmitter has been repaired and used to broadcast to all Imperial stations, but has not received any responses. Colin takes the Dahak to Sheskar, the nearest known Imperial military base, but finds it has been destroyed by weapon fire, probably in a civil war. They then travel to Defram, but find it completely devoid of life; they speculate that this was caused by a biological weapon. Before leaving the immediate vicinity, they go to Kano, a nearby star, and are greeted with sublight missiles; after destroying the opposing orbital installations, they discover that the planet, Keerah, is also devoid of life, but one of the orbital stations still contains plants in its hydroponics facility. Sending a volunteer aboard, they find valuable information and equipment. From there, they travel to the Bia system and the Imperial capital, Birhat.

Back on Earth, Horus and the Imperial Council direct a vigorous program of retooling and rearming with Imperial technology to meet the threat of the Achuultani. The Supreme Chiefs of Staff expands to nine members, co-opts Marshal Tsien of the Asian Alliance, and directs him to select three others from the Alliance. The Planetary and Orbital Defense Centers are almost on schedule when an attempted coup by Alliance officers severely wounds General Hatcher, the Chairman of the Supreme Chiefs, so he appoints Marshall Tsien as the Acting Chairman. Deeply shamed by the mutiny of his own officers, Tsien promptly, and thoroughly, quells the attempted coup. However, two Asian PDCs have been sabotaged and fall far behind schedule. Although other problems occur, Earth should be ready to defeat the first assault by the enemy advance party, but probably will not be able to withstand the following attacks by the vanguard and the main force unless Colin can bring reinforcements from the empire.

This novel has a basic plot much like the Ringo's Legacy of the Alldenata series, but without the ground combat, or like Dickson's Hour of the Horde. For that matter, it is much like an old western, with the settlers circling their wagons and the scout riding off to get the cavalry. Obviously, the enjoyment comes from the details, which have the precision and realism that we have come to expect from Weber.

Recommended for Weber fans and anyone who enjoys realistic space war stories.