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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Age of Re-discovery, April 5, 2004
This review is from: The Reaches (Hardcover)
The Reaches is an omnibus edition of the Privateer series, containing Igniting the Reaches, Through the Breach, and Fireships. In the far future, humans have spread throughout a great volume of space. But then came the Collapse and mankind lost contact with everything beyond the orbit of Pluto. Now mankind is beginning a new age of expansion into the galaxy, re-discovering lost worlds, races and treasures. The North American Federation and the Southern Cross are becoming rich from new colonies and trading posts among the stars. Other nations have also sent out trading ships to gain some of these riches. The colonists on Venus are eager to participate in this treasure hunt and send out their own ships. One of the most lucrative trade items are Molt slaves. The Molts are an alien race that moved into human space after the Collapse. They have a form of genetic memory and many can operate the pre-Collapse systems found on the abandoned worlds. Molts slaves are obtained from other Molts who sell to the human traders in return for insignificant trinkets. In Igniting the Reaches, the Venerians send out a flotilla of three ships to the planet Salute. Upon landing, they find only a single man in the Southern compound; the others have hastily evacuated when they were sighted. The Venerians load the 98 Molt slaves found in the compound and takeoff for the world Virginia, a Fed colony. In Through the Breach, the Venerians take a flotilla toward the Breach, a dangerous corridor to another spacetime. On the way, the commander puts down a conspiracy and executes a nobleman. After a terrifying passage through the Breach, the Venerians find themselves in a region that has been unvisited since the Collapse. In Fireships, the Feds start confiscating Venerian ships to support an invasion of the planet. When this news reaches Venus, the Governor retaliates by issuing Commissions of Redress -- i.e., Letters of Marque -- to the parties hurt by the Federation action. She also authorizes a punitive expedition to retrieve the captured ships. These novels are loosely based on the exploits of Sir Francis Drake, although some events are based on those of other English mariners during that period. The starships are crude craft compared to the pre-Collapse vessels, with rough hulls built around millennium old electronics and hand wrought engines. They are somewhat reminiscent of the starships in Smith's Henry Martyn, but not quite as primitive. The geopolitics and psychological perspective of these novels are brutal and pragmatic. Although religion greatly influences the lives of these characters, their beliefs are harsh and merciless. Slavery is commonplace on Earth, although less so on Venus, and the populace of both worlds view Molts as less than human. In these respects, this series accurately reflects the worldview of the Elizabethan period. Recommended for Drake fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of adventure with a realistic viewpoint. -Arthur W. Jordin
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
standalone series... rousing good stories... sympathetic characters..., August 10, 2005
This review is from: The Reaches (Hardcover)
Great to have these three novels collected in one place. I am a David Drake fan and especially like his Hammer's Slammers and Leary and Mundy RCN series. But I've found Drake's non-series books to consistently stand on their own merits, and they give me more to read by this excellent author.
"The Reaches" comprise 3 experiments by Drake on a common theme. It's Elizabethan England in space. Drake's forward warns readers of the seeming incongruity of troops traveling by starship but still using single-fire weapons. That said, having read all three novels, it works.
The first novel, "Igniting the Reaches", is the most grim in tone and chaotic in plot. But the tone is no more grim than in Hammer's Slammers, and the plot chaos is true to the feel I get when reading 1500's history. The lead characters are Piet Ricimer, a charismatic leader, and Stephen Gregg, a cold-eyed killer who absolutely supports Ricimer. Ironically, Gregg is the more sympathetic of the two characters, as he struggles with his growing ability to be ruthless, whereas Ricimer remains the same master planner and visionary throughout the book.
In the second novel, "Through the Breach", Drake adds a third character, Jeremy Cooke, who tells the story in first person narrative and gives an outsider's look at Ricimer and Gregg. The plot now focuses on the growing conflict between two space nations as Jeremy comes to manhood.
In the closing novel, "Fireships", narrative returns to third person. Jeremy disappears from the main story and a new character, Sally Blythe, captain of a merchant starship, is introduced. Competent and forthright, Blythe picks up where Cooke left, working to help Ricimer and Gregg defeat the Federation. The story ends with victory for Venus and a burgeoning love interest between Sally and Stephen Gregg. All four characters across the three novels come out alive and with prospects for remaining well.
David Drake indicates he modeled Ricimer on Sir Francis Drake (no relation!) and Gregg on one of Francis's best friends. To me this is of bookish interest only, as it in no way interfered with a trio of rousing good stories. The most sympathetic characters to me are the three who assist Ricimer, rather than Ricimer himself.
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9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
GRIM TALE, OLD STORIES, July 19, 2004
This review is from: The Reaches (Hardcover)
To begin with THE REACHES is not a new book by any stretch of the imagination. It is the compilation of the Igniting the Reaches series including the title story, Through the Breach and Fireships. If you haven't read or have but want to own the entire series this volume is a great way to do it, but there is nothing new here. To me THE REACHES seemed less a story than a psychological study into the effects of war on man, primarily combatants, and especially those involved in the hand-to-hand, in-your-face type of combat. In fact the plot has the appearance of being more of a support for the combat scenes than the other way around, and combat there is in plenty. Combat in exceptionally bloody, gruesome detail. If you don't like combat fiction then stay away from this one, if you do it will give you everything you ever wanted. Although the combat scenes are exceptionally well written the plot is fairly thin and superficial, the characters shallow and one-dimensional. As a study into the psychological damage that combat can inflect on a participant this book is superb, as a story read for entertainment it is only average. Not for everyone but good enough to be RECOMMENDED.
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