A Mighty Fortress

A Mighty Fortress : Safehold

  • by David Weber
  • Narrated by Jason Culp
  • Series: Safehold
  • 35 hrs and 35 mins
  • Unabridged Audiobook
4.4 (1313
Ratings.
)

Publisher's Summary

Young Cayleb Ahrmahk has accomplished things few people could even dream of. Not yet even thirty years old, he’s won the most crushing naval victories in human history. He’s smashed a hostile alliance of no less than five princedoms and won the hand of the beautiful young Queen Sharleyan of Chisholm. Cayleb and Sharleyan have created the Charisian Empire, the greatest naval power in the history of Safehold, and they’ve turned Charis into a place of refuge for all who treasure freedom.
Their success may prove short-lived. The Church of God Awaiting, which controls most of Safehold, has decreed their destruction. Mother Church’s entire purpose is to prevent the very things to which Charis is committed. Since the first attempt to crush the heretics failed, the Church has no choice but to adopt some of the hated Charisian innovations for themselves. Soon a mighty fleet will sail against Cayleb, destroying everything in its path.But there are still matters about which the Church knows nothing, including Cayleb and Sharleyan’s adviser, friend, and guardian— the mystic warrior-monk named Merlin Athrawes. Merlin knows all about battles against impossible odds, because he is in fact the cybernetic avatar of a young woman named Nimue Alban, who died a thousand years before. As Nimue, Merlin saw the entire Terran Federation go down in fire and slaughter at the hands of a foe it could not defeat. He knows that Safehold is the last human planet in existence, and that the stasis the Church was created to enforce will be the human race’s death sentence if it is allowed to stand.The juggernaut is rumbling down on Charis, but Merlin Athrawes and a handful of extraordinary human beings stand in its path. The Church is about to discover just how potent the power of human freedom truly is.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful

Very Drawn Out

I got this becasue I thought it was worth continuing the series, just to see what happens. But not much happens.

If the parts of the earlier books that really interested you were:

1) The bad guys talking
2) The fact that the bad guys can't see the snarks
3) Recieving reports of the bad guys talking
4) What each individual good character thought of the bad guys talking
5) What the good guys say to each other about what they already thought about what the bad guys said
6) What they all think about what each other said
7) Discussing the most obvious response
8) Finally doing what they already discussed ad nausium
9) "To be honest"
10) What adversaries are standing around thinking just before the moment they die
11) The details of artillery
12) The details of sails, riggings and hulls
13) The 6-8 hour naval battles

... Well, if those are the parts you like, you'll like this. If you like the other parts of the actual story, you'll find bits and pieces scattered around occasionally.

Sorry I can't reccomend it more highly. It was tough to get through, yet, I suppose it was interesting as a whole.
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- Pam

Not Weber's Best Work

I don't customarily write reviews, but I feel compelled to do so this time. This is far, far below Weber's normally outstanding work.

The characters spend way more time thinking, and far less time doing. The action scenes are pretty much non-existent. I'm not drawn in by the political side of Weber's works, but they are usually well balanced by scenes that move the plot forward or provide for some intense action. I can't remember more than about an hour of action within the entire 35+ hours.

In the end, this book is NOT worth the 2 credits. My recommendation is to hold off on picking this book up until/if the next book in the series arrives and you can see if that one improves. If the next book is better, you might just want to find an abridged version of this one or read a plot summary.
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- Clayton

Book Details

  • Release Date: 04-13-2010
  • Publisher: Macmillan Audio
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