The Weapon

Freehold, Book 2

By: Michael Z. Williamson

Narrated by: Stephen Bowlby

Length: 17 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Kenneth Chinran was a disaffected youth who joined the military and was recruited for an elite deep-cover unit, completely training and exercises so tough that several of the recruits did not survive. At the peak of his career, he was sent by his star nation to infiltrate a fascistic, militaristic planet: Earth.

He lived in deep cover for years, marrying and having a daughter. Then the Earth forces attacked his home system, and he and his team came out of hiding, attacking and destroying the infrastructure of the crowded planet, disabling transportation and communications and creating terror in city after city.

As a result of his attacks, billions died for lack of the food, water, and power, which the ravaged system could no longer supply. His sabotage was successful, but the deaths of so many weighed heavily on his mind, making him wonder if he was still sane. Then the secret police discovered his identity. With his daughter, the only thing in his life that had so far kept him human, he was on the run, while the resources of a planetwide police state were tracking him down. He could see no way to escape from the planet, and if he and his daughter were caught, death was the very least that they could expect.

But Chinran is a warrior in his soul, and even if he loses this last battle, he won't go down without a fight that his pursuers - the ones who survive - will never forget.

©2005 Michael Z. Williamson (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

The one percent are intrinsically better than us

Freehold, aka the rich, abuse and criticize earth, aka the poor. the poor naturally grow up to become some sort of rapist thug retarded zombies in the ultimate nanny state.

Good but not great; not as good as the first book.

The story was rather slow after the first few chapters. The performance was great; really conveyed the cockiness of the main character.

Had it's moments

Is there anything you would change about this book?

It is a pretty simple story. It has it's moments. Overall it was just OK.

If you’ve listened to books by Michael Z. Williamson before, how does this one compare?

This is my first Williamson book.

What three words best describe Stephen Bowlby’s voice?

Fit the part.

Do you think The Weapon needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No, I think it may have one but I don't think it needs one. The story wasn't that compelling.

Entertaining, but too much politics

The story overall is good, but the politics portion is painful to listen to and if I was reading this in a book I’d have quit long ago.

Sci-Fi action on steroids, but with a story

This was just a fun book to listen to with the bonus of a creative plot, good character development and a storyline that enriches the experience. I found the author's amount of details provided about weapons, war strategy and politics to be just enough to make things feel real and draw me into the story, yet not too much to become overwhelming or boring. The military action was quite creative with Sci-Fi flare to ramp up the intensity, but not to the point that it became too far out of the realm of believability.

I really enjoyed the boot camp sections of the story, which seemed to follow the blueprint of an elite Nave Seal like experience, but with the futuristic twists and insanity to make it Sci-Fi. This is definitely a testosterone driven amusement ride of a book with the inclusion of some bad a** women tearing it up.

Entertaining if you can ignore the politics

The story is decent military science fiction but with a steadily thickening paste of right wing political theory that pulls the story down. I have no problem with an author who puts some political views into a book and it can add to a story. Views that I don't agree with are fine because it creates an interesting perspective. The problem here is that Williamson keeps harping more and more about the politics as the book goes on. By part way through the second half fully half of the material is political (corporations unchecked and untaxed are the best thing for society and would never destroy a world for higher profit, everyone owning a gun makes life safer, etc). As I said in small doses (see Starship Troopers) this can add to a story by adding flavor to the universe, this isn't a small dose.

All of that said, the story is fun if you can ignore the politics. I came to this book with low expectations figuring it was the type of book that would be titled "The Weapon" which would include lots of text about how bad ass the main character was and that wasn't going to be deep. If fulfilled expectations and has been entertaining, it was well worth the sale price I paid for it, I just wish I didn't have to slog through the political drivel (I am such sheeple, I believe that since the murder rates are lower where the number of guns are fewer that it is safer to have fewer guns around...).

Satisfying military sci-fi storytelling

This is another example of where the provided synopsis is not indicative of the overall story. In this case, the description of a Freehold war with Earth comprises less than the final third of the audiobook. The first two thirds unfold in a diary fashion of a tale that describes our "hero's" military career from the earliest beginnings.

While hardly hardcore military sci-fi, the storytelling is superb and the listener is afforded a front row seat to the complete development of a seasoned and well trained special forces operative who can do it all if necessary. While the political overtones are kept to a minimum, there is sufficient explanation to appreciate the divergence between Earth and Freehold, although there is probably insufficient detail to understand how either societal organization has any long term viability.

At it's heart, the story is one of competing needs between an individual and his parent society and we are privy to that evolving struggle as the character develops. The diary-like conversational style of the performance is eminently suitable for the writing style and the listening is quite easy and inviting.

great, brutal scifi.

better than book 1. absolutely brutal. love it! You know it's good when you root for Earth to be decimated. Long live the FreeHold. They are Humanities rightful heirs. May they populate the Stars.

Unrelenting

Best reviewed in three parts. The training I found engrossing, horrific and exciting. The middle part of the book I found unrelentingly violent to the point I nearly gave up. The final third was brilliant as well as horrific. The exageration of where this planet is headed made me laugh and cringe, but it could be real, one day, when I'm long gone I hope. The taking down of the UN tense, well thought out and then full of bloody violence (but in contect this time, I thought) then the prolonged escape had me on the whole gripped till the end. Not for the light hearted, but well worth the effort, in the end

Awesome!

Awesome! Highly recommend! In my opinion the best book in the series.