Patriarch's Hope (A Seafort novel) (Paperback)

by David Feintuch (Author) "...and so we gather to commission UNS Galactic, the greatest ship ever built, the pinnacle of human interstellar endeavor..." (more)
Key Phrases: enviro bills, security joeys, comet room, New York, Admiral Hoi, Jerence Branstead (more...)

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)
• 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.com Sales Rank: #1,424,667 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 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 9 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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This franchise has run its course, February 1, 2002

By	Kevin W. Parker (Greenbelt, MD) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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

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.