25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not bad, but not up to RCN#1, January 5, 2004
The Far Side of the Stars is the third in Drake's RCN series, light space-operas starring Lt. Daniel Leary, a young starship captain in the Republic of Cinnabar Navy, and his faithful, deadly Signal Officer Adele Mundy. I liked With the Lightnings, the first book of this series, a lot: <http://www.sfsite.com/10b/with43.htm>, but didn't much care for Lt. Leary, Commanding, the darker sequel. This one's an improvement, I thought, but still....
The RCN series is Drake's SF tribute to Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin "Master & Commander" series -- itself a knockoff of Forester's Hornblower stories [note 1]. The sfnalization of Jack Aubrey's Royal Navy is a bit too literal for my taste -- Drake has starships with actual *sails*, complete with sailors in the rigging, and warships exchanging broadsides of solid-shot missiles. Granted, these are Casimir-effect sails, and antimatter-powered missiles that have a top speed of 0.6 c, but still....
Leary and Mundy (the fighting librarian!) were a fresh, fun combination in LIGHTNINGS. In this book, they, and their supporting cast, seem a little shopworn. One of the pleasures of a good series is watching the characters and background develop and grow richer from book to book. So far, Leary, Mundy and their universe seem pretty static -- and I'm starting to think that they aren't really very likeable, or very interesting, people. The plot is episodic, which is fine, but, you know, we've seen this stuff before.... And the auctorial pushing, shoving and hammering-to fit are distressingly obvious.
Hmm. I see I haven't said much about what actually happens in the book. And I don't think I will, actually: you can get a plot summary from the Usual Sources, but I don't think it's really going to help you decide whether or not to read the book. Anyway, if you're new to the series, you need to start with #1. And stop there, would be my advice.
Bottom line: STARS is decent commercial fiction and a not-unpleasant way to spend a few hours. Fans of Leary & Mundy will want to check it out [note 2]. But Drake has done better. And I believe I'll let someone else take the lead in trying out the next RCN Leary/Mundy book.
Baen's cover art comes in for (often well-deserved) brickbats, and this is a prime example. The man in the heavily-armored spacesuit (click on cover to enlarge), who appears to be riding a souped-up Space Ski-Doo --and the four different typefaces in the title, all contribute to, well, an *unusual* cover. Eye-catching, to be sure. It definitely doesn't match my mental picture of STARS...
STARS comes with a bonus: a really neat CD, which includes the complete texts for 26(!) of Drake's books, including an audio version of STARS and other cool stuff. This is a new Baen marketing idea, and a good one.
_________
Note 1). the O'Brian books are popular with a lot of SF fans (including me). And everyone should try at least one Hornblower....
Note 2). One hazard the book-reviewer faces is that critical reading of light, commercial fiction may spoil the fun for the reviewer. For this one, I was truly in the mood for a light, escapist read, and read it pretty much like I'd read any such book. It just didn't quite do the job for me, and I'm adding this note to make sure you know that I like Drake, and I like this kind of book, and I think I gave it a fair shake. And it's not a *bad* book -- just a little disappointing. Your mileage may vary.
Review copyright 2004 by Peter D. Tillman
First published at SF Site
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
ROLLICKING GOOD FUN, GREAT SPACE OPERA, November 25, 2003
The saga of Lt. Daniel Leary and Adele Mundy has been one of the better series written by Drake in the past few years. Unpretentious and fun it combines just the right amount of hard-hitting action with humor and frivolity, just what you would expect from a twenty-three year old naval officer.
THE FAR SIDE OF THE STARS is the third in the series and amply fulfills the requirements for escapist literature. While the characters are not particularly deep nor is there any real reason to expect a great deal of growth, after all were looking for fun here not a literature lesson, regardless we do start to see a definite change in the relationship between the characters. Adele is obviously in love with Daniel although she would probably rather eat the barrel of her own pistol than admit it, and Daniel, well there is something going on there, what it is will remain to be seen. Have to save something for future volumes now don't we?
All in all this installment of the Leary series is a great read with more than its fair share of fun and excitement. You bet I RECOMMEND it and am waiting eagerly for more to come!
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
More fun from the RCN, October 10, 2003
The RCN (Republic of Cinnabar Navy) series revolves around Lt. David Leary, a politician's son, who entered the navy to get away from his father and politics. Leary proves to be an able commander and an expert tactician... and something of a womanizer. The series also follows Adele Mundy, the only survivor of a political massacre of her family. She is a computer wiz who's so good it's not exactly believable. In many ways, the books are seen through her eyes as she begins to emerge from the shell she created when her family was killed.
The Far Side of the Stars follows Lt. Leary and Adele Mundy to the weak Confederacy of the Galactic North in the newly decommissioned and sold Princess Cecile. With the war between the Republic of Cinnabar and the Alliance now over, Leary leaves the navy and is hired by eccentric nobles from a far off planet. With the crew of the Cecile and Adele in tow, they head out into rough territory in search of the Earth Diamond, a diamond said to hollowed and to contain the continents of the earth inscribed on the inside. Adele has a dual purpose, courtesy of Cinnabar intelligence, find out if an Alliance base has been built in the Confederacy.
The result is a search across numerous planets for the jewel, a confrontation with Alliance pirates and finally a discovery that may just see the end of the Princess Cecile and her crew.
~*~
Despite his obvious skill at writing, David Drake has never been one of my favorite authors. Many of his books, perhaps colored by his experience as a combat veteran of Vietnam, are grim with a dark sort of humor about them.
The RCN series, of which The Far Side of the Stars is the third book, is refreshingly different than many of his other books. For one thing, the tone is lighter, and the characters, at least some of them, have a feel about them that is very unlike many of Drake's earlier novels. While it contains some of the darker view of life that Drake is well known for, there is a sort of optimism in the characters that seems refreshing for his writing.
To the Far Side of the Stars, like the previous novels in the series, is at points a little over the top. Adele is such a computer wiz that it's unbelievable. But despite this, it does manage to easily follow in the tradition and mood of the previous novels. It's a classic adventure story, sort of a cross between star Trek and Honor Harrington.
Lt. Leary remains his indomitable self throughout the novel. But Adele Mundy is where this story seems to focus. I've always enjoyed her character. She is alone in the universe, with no personal attachment left, and then with Lt. Leary showing her friendship, she begins to change. In this novel, she grows significantly. Her shell begins to crack and a hint of something growing between her and Lt. Leary is revealed.
I rather enjoyed this novel. It, along with the other books in the series is a great deal of fun. I just wish that Drake would take less time to come out with novels in the series.
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