Patriarch's Hope (Seafort Saga 6) [Paperback]

David Feintuch (Author)

Book Description

Series: Seafort Saga 6 | Publication Date: April 6, 2000

As UN GenSec, Nicholas Seafort is the most powerful man on Earth. Obsessed with honour and faith, Seafort remains a driven individual who follows his own uncompromising sense of what is right. In particular, he has fought to protect humanity by diverting resources to ever larger, more heavily armed starships. But there has been a price - global ecological collapse has ravaged the Earth. Even as Seafort, confronted with the results of his stubborn course, turns his attention to the growing calamity, an orbital assault threatens the future of all mankind. '(The Seafort Saga) is probably the best military SF of the last twenty years, and among the best SF of any kind' SCIENCE FICTION CHRONICLE More information on this book and others can be found on the Orbit website at www.orbitbooks.co.uk

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If you're already a fan of David Feintuch's bestselling Seafort Saga, Patriarch's Hope will be a welcome chance to catch up with the series' hero, Nicholas Seafort, now Earth's global executive. In this installment, Secretary General (SecGen) Seafort must juggle the demands of a colonial empire across the stars, a powerfully politicized Navy, and a morally questionable world religious council against the needs of a dangerously degraded planet. Much of the book details Seafort's political maneuvering and the discarding of his anti-"Enviro" prejudices with the help of his idealistic son. But the action picks up before the book closes, as a crippled Seafort leads a small team to wrest a giant battleship from the hands of a mutinous captain unhappy with the SecGen's change of heart.

If you aren't already a fan of the "Seafort Saga," you may or may not be sold by Patriarch's Hope, depending on your tastes. The grizzled, conflicted Seafort huffs and puffs predictably throughout, and the pseudofuturistic, military motif is ever-present and a bit much at times (the "SecGen" and his "middies," use "puters," fly "helis," and find frequent cause to shout "Belay that!"). Hope is passable military SF, but it serves better as an adventure-filled primer on honor, stoicism, personal responsibility, and male bonding. --Paul Hughes --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

It's full speed ahead with all lasers blazing in this addition (after Voices of Hope) to Feintuch's popular space opera series. Nicholas Seafort, hero of the Transpop Rebellion, has risen to the post of SecGen of the United Nations on a badly polluted 23rd-century Earth dominated by a fundamentalist Christian Council of Patriarchs. Seafort, a devout Christian and a former military man, tries to strike a balance between an increasingly belligerent navy (backed by the Patriarchs) and an increasingly intransigent Enviro Lobby. The screws are further tightened on Seafort when he becomes the target of terrorist attacks supposedly conducted by Enviro radicals. Then the Patriarchs try to force him to support a naval buildup that will negate even the most modest environmental legislation. A bomb attack leaves Seafort partially paralyzedAand at this point the novel's action takes off with a vengeance. As always in the series, Seafort is a powerful, larger-than-life figure. If his heroics seem improbable, he is rendered somewhat human by his acute awareness of his moral failings. But he is also a relatively unpleasant hero, given to bullying, holier-than-thou pronouncements and prone to mete out physical punishment to young men who do not meet his high moral standards. This novel will appeal to Feintuch's many readers and to most aficionados of military space opera, but it is unlikely to attract fans of more sophisticated SF. (May) FYI: Feintuch won the 1996 John W. Campbell Award for best new science fiction writer.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Orbit (April 6, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 185723961X
• ISBN-13: 978-1857239614
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,092,928 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Would The Author Report To Mr. Tammarov For A Canning?, May 18, 2000

By 

Mistrmind "mistrmind" (MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Patriarch's Hope (Hardcover)

Patriarch's Hope is book # 6 in the 'Seafort Saga'. After the 5th and disastrous outing in "Voice's Of Hope", I was a little skittish in picking up "Patriarch's Hope". Next time I should listen to my intuition. This is an exhaustive book with very little care towards the supporting characters.

The story is set in futuristic version of 19th century British Navy. The Earth is collapsing environmentally under the heavy industry that the Navy is putting forth to beef up their fleet. Seafort, now Secretary General, leads his wife, friend, joeys, and middies alike to certain and uncertain doom and demise.

I had alot of problems with the book in the way the author has his supporting characters fawn over Seafort and his every move and whim. We're constantly treated to Seafort's unbearable temper and devotion to the Navy and Lord God above. It is with constant goading of "Level it out middie!" or "2 demerits! No! 4 demerits! " at anyone beneath him that crosses him that racks on your nerves. I can't understand why this guy has friends, or why midshipmen would want to look up to this overbearing ogre.

I agree with the previous reviewer's comments about how Feintuch treats the female characters in his books. The females in his stories are either deranged villains, insane wives, or helpless damsels in distress. The universe in Seafort's reality holds little in regards to a strong female or independent woman. The pacing of "Patriarch's Hope" is also off. There is alot of flying around on Earth and discussion on the effects of the military on the environment along with "Belay that!", "Report to Mr. Tammarov for a canning" to all the sniveling unfortunate middies that cross this guy's path.

It is only in the last 75 or so pages of the book that the action commences in such a pace that you wonder if Seafort is ever going to catch his breath. The novel ends with the possibility of another sequel, which in all intents and purposes I wish Feintuch would drop in favor of some other tale he could tell.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The storyline that never quits... (Just like the hero!), June 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Patriarch's Hope (Hardcover)

The first few books of the "Hope" series showed great promise, as Feintuch developed the character of Nick Seafort. By Patriarch's Hope, however, one begins to wonder what the other ten billion members of the human race are doing while Seafort saves them all from themselves yet again.

One major flaw in this book is the lack of any respect for the female of the species. Arlene Seafort is little more than a sidekick for her heroic husband; her role in the book's ending is predictable and trite. In earlier books, she dithered when her ship was in trouble, forcing Seafort (who else?) to take charge. Her predecessors, Amanda and Annie Seafort, were both insane. In previous books, we met Laura Triforth, the power-hungry rebel; now there is another female traitor. One begins to wonder if Feintuch's futuristic military is any less ridiculous than the British 19-century navy on which it was based. At least Lady Barbara had a little spine!

Ugh! Feintuch, if you want people to read any more books, try writing a new plot. This one is getting a little old.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Hopeless Seafort, July 25, 2000

By 

Michael O. Akinde - See all my reviews

This review is from: Patriarch's Hope (Seafort Saga) (Book 6) (Mass Market Paperback)

I'm a great fan of the Seafort - when I first encountered him back in Midshipsman's Hope, I was enthralled. Seafort was a tortured, guilt-ridden character, thrust into a difficult situation in which the lives of his fellow humans depended on his every act. Now we're at #6 in the series and guess what - Seafort is still a tortured, guilt-ridden character, thrust into a difficult situation in which the lives of his fellow humans depend on his every act.

The only difference is that Seafort is no longer a starship captain or Midshipman, but now the SecGen of the UN. Fifty years has not taught Seafort anything - he still acts in the same arrogant and overbearing manner as always. For some strange reason (despite his abusing and contempt for almost everyone else) everyone loves and adulates him to an almost sickening degree. Not only that, but his anti-enviro bias at the start is so fanatical that one wonders how he can accuse anyone else of being a fanatic.

The first part of the story is pretty boring and merely tries to distract us from the conflict at the end. Seafort is (of course) willfully blind to the all-too obvious problems that (of course) lead to the conflict on the last 75 pages. Seafort even receives direct warning of the events at the end, but turns a blind eye (though the troubles are quite obvious to the reader). In the action sequences of the end, Seafort rushes around like he was a 15 year old youngster (rather than a 70+ year old cripple) doing everything on his own - I found myself wondering what the heck everyone else on his side - not to mention his opponents - were doing in the meantime? Twiddling their thumbs? It certainly seems so. Superman step aside - Seafort is here.

The sidekick characters seem to exist merely for the purpose of getting killed (to show what great risks Seafort is taking?) or to snivel (to show Seafort's sternness and allow him the occasional kindness?). One of the things which has kept these books interesting is Seafort's strict belief system; by the end of the books, even these unravel - Seafort's internal struggles are still not resolved. What we're left with is a hopeless, tortured, guilt-ridden character - ready for a book #7?

Quite frankly - this books is far below the level of the earlier book and the series ought to have ended two books ago with Fisherman's Hope (at which time the series was already going downhill). It's high time the author leaves Seafort and got on with other projects.