Customer Reviews

Patriarch's Hope (Seafort Saga 6)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

David Feintuch's Seafort saga is my favorite series (I've read it about 5 times) and this installment (final chapter?) does not disappoint. Patriarch's Hope reads much easier than Voices of Hope did and left me feeling that perhaps Nick Seafort may have some peace at last - doing what he was destined to do. If you're not a fan of the series this is probably not the place to start, but if you're a fan - enjoy and hope for more!

I used to like Nick Seafort. David Feintuch is a fan of the Horatio Hornblower books, but Hornblower mellowed out as he got older and more secure. Seafort just seems to get ever more neurotic. By this time he's a guilt-ridden, self-pitying, whiny old man who attempts to make up for his self-perceived inadequacies by mindlessly holding to a rigid moral code. It doesn't help that this book is written in the first person, and it quickly gets tiresome to hear Seafort repeatedly go on guilt trips for sacrificing Navy cadets to save the earth (as related several books ago) and various other things he blames himself for.

But onto the plot. Seafort is now Secretary-General of the United Nations, attempting to balance the world's varied political interests, most notably the environmentalists and those who support strengthening Earth's military and keeping the space colonies in line. Partway through the book, he's converted to the environmentalist fold after being seriously critical of them. This breaks up the fragile coalition he heads, and in fact the military faction attempts a coup using a new interstellar warship to enforce its will. The most exciting part of the book (frankly, the only exciting part of the book) occurs when Seafort takes it upon himself to reclaim said nuclear warship from the rebels.

In summary, I think this franchise has run its course. Feintuch should move on to something else because this book is only for completists.

The sixth and last book of the Seafort saga is another masterpiece. After storming through the first four books and partially storming and struggling through the fifth book, this was super.

To be able to tell a broken mans feelings and conflicts with such precision is something that I have never found before. Nichk Seafort is the person we all somewhat struggle to become but yet not. The beauty of this book and the entire series is that it keeps your mind racing for hours everytime you finished a chapter. Did Nick do what I should have done? Would I have done the same?

I recommend everyone to read this book and I truly hope youwill like it as much as me.

If you read the previous books...STOP RIGHT THERE!

Seaforts' guilt trip is just too exhausting to read anymore. 'Nuff said about that.

The authors pro-environmentalist stance is spotlighted through Seaforts "obvious" religious and anti-environmentalist idiocy. In this world, the earth has been ravaged by neglect and horrible business practices. What every enviro-extremist expects to happen. Well, it happens in this book, and Seafort just doesn't care about it, and figures we just move to other planets....Gimme a break.

I just couldn't handle the enviro sermons, Seaforts guilt and idiocy, the homosexuality, the blind love and worship of Seafort by everyone...it was a little sickening. Couldn't stomach it anymore.

Read the previous books in the series tho. As usually, the first one was the best...slowly dwindling to this.

This was my first introduction to the Nicholas Seafort series, and after this book, I won't be reading any of the other novels. Here, Seafort is the Secretary General of the United Nations, in a future that is culturally like the 18th century. The government is abusive, religion is everywhere and state-sponsored, and environmental collapse looms just around the corner. Seafort willfully blinds himself to the environmental problems, convincing himself its God's will! Only, after a couple hundred pages of activism and persuasion on the part of his son, he becomes convinced otherwise, and finally tries to do something about it.
This installment of the series illustrated how flawed a character Nicholas Seafort is, and unfortunately, I just can't stomach someone that dumb, pigheaded, and guilt-ridden as a protagonist.

I said it - Voices of Hope and Children of Hope are, in my opinion, both much better than this one.

Nick is a general nuisance in this book. We had the guilt-ridden first-person view of things in Fisherman's Hope; I didn't need the same whining about wanting to die because of all the guilt he's burdened himself with (only nobody else sees it that way, and he is admired SecGen after all - get over it!). Of course, he never quite manages to get himself killed, even though half the cast of characters bites it. My favorite character was the enviro cadet, Bevin, who was the first one to tell Nick he was an idiot. It was about time somebody told him (and he didn't even get caned for saying it...)

Nick is trying out his fatherly role again and doing a rather miserable job, though for some reason all the cadets and middies and civie kids grow to love him. Why? All he ever does is demerit them, cane them, order them to wash out their mouths with soap, tell them they have no honor, no manners, and are stupid, get them killed, etc.

What worked so well in Middy's Hope, because the world was fresh, somehow doesn't ring true in this book. Nick is treating other people unfair, he's short-tempered, his views and ideals seem strange (I never had such a strong feeling against his beliefs in the other books).

If you know the other books, you may want to read this one, as well, because Tad Anselm and Mikhael are introduced, two characters that show up in Children of Hope, but they both make quite a transformation from the end of this book to the beginning of the next one. Also, we get to see P.T. as an adult (I rather like what became of him), and a lot of other characters (Arlene, Alexi, Derek, Jerence, Jeff Thorne, Robbie Boland) show up. But they're only fillers, Nick doesn't seem to need them. Too bad, all characters I took I liking to get killed off.

I feel that I could have left this one out. All in all, I felt this was the worst book in the series so far. Good to know it gets better again with Children of Hope.

Patriarch's Hope is another outstanding chapter in the Seafort Saga. As set in his ways at sixty as he was in his younger years, Nick Seafort lives by his own set of rules that include integrity, honor and respect. His loyalty to his beloved U.N. Navy is unwavering. It makes it all the harder to accept when that same U.N. Navy threatens his government and earth itself in a broad rebellion. The conflict between the Enviro factions and the Navy place Nick Seafort right in the middle. It is his son who ultimately influences his decision on which force is right. As usual, the plot is filled with action and intrigue guaranteed to hold the reader's attention.

Mr. David Feintuch is a remarkably talented author. The Seafort Saga is the best science fiction series I've ever read. I've ordered his first fantasy novel, The Still, and somehow, I know it's going to be outstanding. It's my `hope' that Patriarch's Hope doesn't end the series.