| $@%&! level: Low (I think. I don't remember much swearing, but it is David Weber, so be cautious.) “Bedroom” level: Low (one scene of what I can only call involuntary arousal) Violence level: High Back Cover: “After a massive war with the alien Gbaba, survivors of the human race retreat to the planet Safehold, where they sacrifice basic human rights—and an accurate memory of the Gbaba—for the preservation of the species. The colony's founders psychologically program the colonists to prevent the reemergence of scientific inquiry, higher mathematics, or advanced technology, which the Gbaba would detect and destroy. Centuries later, cultural stagnation on this feudal but thriving planet is enforced by the all-powerful Church of God Awaiting. But one kingdom—with the aid of the war's last survivor, a cybernetic avatar that awakens to reinvent itself as a man named Merlin Athrawes—risks committing the ultimate heresy.” |
I think what I love most about this story is the way the conflict is set up, with one side being totally outnumbered, the whole world against them, no chance of survival under normal circumstances, but given a huge technological advantage to even things out. In this case, Merlin, with his knowledge of past technology and access to pre-Safehold records, provides that advantage for the Kingdom of Charis, which he picks out as the most progressive of the planet's nations. It's not like it's muskets against rayguns, because Merlin's real goal is to make sure the human race is ready to fight the Gbaba later, so he has to lead them to grow on their own. But it's enough of a technological advance that the Church declares holy war, and because it controls the entire planet, it can call in all the other nations to fight against Charis. So it's literally the whole world against this one kingdom, which is a complicated enough situation to provide a nice long series of war-like books. It's really the quintessential underdog story, and while that's something that David Weber does with startling frequency, I honestly never get tired of watching him do it. It's also possible that I have a bit of a bloodthirsty streak when it comes to watching bullies get whupped on by people that they've entirely underestimated. There's always something so satisfying about that.