Customer Reviews

Shiva in Steel: Library Edition

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The editor needs a good talking to. While this book has a number of suspenseful moments, and I don't feel completely cheated, I think Fred needed to do another draft of his outline. Tension is built up on elements that prove to be completely irrelevant, like the mysterious box of contraband. Turns out, it's just a device to get the main character into the book. The McGuffin of the title, Shiva, inexplicably fizzles toward the end, and a whole new Big Ending Battle ensues that is totally unrelated to Shiva's fate. Hints are raised (Berserker's being "lucky" for the sociopath) that end up nowhere. I love the Berserkers, but this one was a disappointing mess. I wish other writers would write Berserker books.

When Saberhagen is not repeating himself in every other paragraph, heis contradicting himself. The reader is left scratching his head as characters will often describe something (for example), that's wonderfully complex, then two pages later refer to the same thing as "barebone".

It can't be both Fred...

Topping off the grade-school level of consistency in the presentation of facts in this book is the plot with gaping holes in it.

Let's see... the Solarians establish a base out in the middle of nowhere with their most prized secrets in it. Except that there's no defenses to speak of.

The most important task force ever consists of six ships, which are shot up completely by some Berzerkers in passing.

A very prudent commander is specifically told to be careful of enemy agents, then simply solicits volounteer help from what's essentially a planet of outcasts, allowing the agent to waltz in.

Of course, this agent actually doesn't want to hurt the base or want anything in it... so the warning of course should never have come.

The most tactically superior thinking machine to ever grace the Berzerker cause runs a pretty damn stupid campaign against a sitting-duck base. My Atari 2600 would be a more formidable opponent....

I will never touch another book by "Saberhagen" again. This book is an incomplete work and the publisher should be ashamed for printing it and taking people's money.

In the last couple of months I reviewed two other Saberhagen novels on Amazon: Berserker Star and Rogue Berserker. Both showed more craftsmanship than Shiva in Steel.

The other reviews printed here carry the main idea. The book seems carelessly or hastily done.

For example-- the first two-thirds of the book are focused toward preparing and arming a sortie against the berserkers. The ships are prepared, the crews are trained, the strategy is planned. Then we find out, there's going to be no expedition. A kind of ad hoc battle flares up as the berserkers somehow locate the Solarian base. A reader has the feeling that Saberhagen started out to write a big novel, say 500 pages, and then for whatever reason needed to bring it to a very rapid close.

As for the characters . . . again, a work half finished. Harry's great love, Becky, shows up in the novel. Given the build-up to her appearance, we are expecting some engagement between Harry and the girl. However, she is little more than a cardboard cutout. There's no characterization, really, and the total exchange between Harry and Becky amounts to just a few paragraphs.

Several times, Harry begins to develop sub-plots. Marut is a commander with whom Harry has lots of conflict. He's a pretty central figure in the first half of the book. Then he just disappears. We finally get a sentence or two at the very end informing us that his ship was lost in the battle. Other characters are brought on stage, given some scenes, and assume some reality in the story, to include the Emperor Julius and Christopher Havot. Both of them peter out. It is as though Saberhagen decided to write them into the story, then loses track of them.

I formerly had given Saberhagen's Rogue Berserker a very strong rating. I thought it was really well done. This novel is really a patched-together mess. I wonder if the publishers were pressuring him and he was over-deadline. He had a rough draft . . . well, "it would just have to do!"

Not for me it didn't. Didn't do, I mean. And one of the other reviewer's comments, that we never find out what happens to the title villain Shiva . . . that's ridiculous. You have a title villain, and you somehow lose track of him?

This is a problem with today's equivalent of the pulp market. Novels are pumped out fast, sometimes one or more a year. Publishers keep badgering their few authors who have something of a name for more and more productivity. If the book is ready it comes out. If it is half-finished and desperately needs work, it comes out anyway. At least some of this criticism should go to the editor at the publishing house.

Saberhagen has other much better novels in print. Buy those.

First, let me say that in general I like the way Fred Saberhagen writes, and his stories and plots are exceptional. I got hooked on the berserker series after reading "Berserker Base", and went to my local half price bookstore and bought every book in the series I could find. This book, Shiva in Steel, has proved to be the worst. The hype over the big bad Shiva is never resolved! Did it die? Is it hiding in our hero's ship as he makes his get away? We never know. Mr. Saberhagen repeats himself a lot, and his prose isn't very smooth in this novel for some odd reason. He's done fine in the past, but this one was sloppy. New editor? No editor? The plot wasn't bad, but the execution was poor. This should have been a draft rather than the final product. If this is your first Berserker book, don't give up on the series. This was the worst of the bunch; the others are pretty good.

This is really quite weak compared to Saberhagen's earlier writings. Not terribly engrossing. if you're new to the Berserker series, start with a much earlier book. Only read this if you liked the Berserker series as a whole and are willing to spend time on the weakest member of the series.

I'd swear I read this beserker story before. First, I thought this was a poor expansion of a previous short story. I've loved a lot of Saberhagen's work including a lot of the Beserker stuff. I'd suggest he put away this milieu until gets some real new inspiration.

Not only is it hard to follow, but I truly have no idea if they got Shiva or not! I happen to be a great fan and have all the books and stories, but I have to say, Mr. Saberhagen may wish to pass on the series to another writer.

Re-hash of old plots and scenarios. Not much excitement

I've been a fan of the Berserker books for more than 20 years: To the point that I've been known to rebuy a Berserker novel at the airport because there's nothing new I'd rather pick up. So two stars is pretty much the lowest rating I'd give a Berserker book on principal. My two biggest objections to this book are:

1) The characters all have hidden agendas that are never exposed. Mr. Saberhagen refers to connections between the characters, but never fleshes them out. By the time the Berserker's arrive on the planet I was praying they would destroy humanity just so I wouldn't have to spend any more time with the characters.

2) Mr. Saberhagen tends to repeat himself in the book. Many times Mr. Saberhagen says the same thing within the same paragraph or two. I really wish he'd spent more time adding detail to the characters.

__________________________________
I made it through Saberhagen's new Berserker novel, but just barely
-- the opening moves like rush-hour traffic in L.A.: S - L - O - W.
Once it gets moving [around p. 160(!)] it's not too bad. Inside the
padding is a pretty decent novellette struggling to get out. Maybe. The
characters are so flat, cardboard looks well-rounded. Plot-threads
dangle, and logical holes gape. Saberhagen clearly lost interest at the
first draft, and his editor didn't send it back for a badly-needed rewrite
(bad Tor!). Is he in poor health?

Shiva in Steel somehow got a good review in Locus, which is why I
bought it (besides having liked previous Berserker stories). So I
suppose YMMV, but I doubt it. Trust me -- you don't want to read
this one. Reread an old Berserker book instead. It's bad enough, I feel
guilty recycling it to the used bookstore.

Happy reading (something else) --
Peter D. Tillman