The Stars at War II (Starfire) (Bk. 2) [Hardcover]

David Weber (Author), Steve White (Author)

Book Description

Series: Starfire | Publication Date: July 5, 2005

The war wasn't going well. The alien Arachnids were an enemy whose like no civilized race had ever confronted. Like some carnivorous cancer, the "Bugs" had overrun planet after planet . . . and they regarded any competing sentient species as only one more protein source. Defeat was not an option. . . . The Grand Alliance of Humans, Orions, Ophiuchi, and Gorm, united in desperate self-defense, have been driven to the wall. Billions of their civilians have been slaughtered. Their most powerful offensive operation has ended in shattering defeat and the deaths of their most experienced military commanders. Whatever they do, the Bugs just keep coming. But the warriors of the Grand Alliance know what stands behind them and they will surrender no more civilians to the oncoming juggernaut. They will die first-and they will also reactivate General Directive 18, however horrible it may be. Because when the only possible outcomes are victory or racial extermination, only one option is acceptable. The Shiva Option.And peace isn't always wonderful Once the enemy is defeated, the central governments of the Inner Worlds were anything but willing to relinguish their wartime powers. To insure that their grip on the reins of power remained firm, the bureaucrats are allowing the non-human beings of the Khanate in, while keeping the Fringe Worlds out, smugly confident that this will keep the colonial upstarts in their place. The Fringers have only one answer to that: Insurrection.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Weber is the science fiction phenomenon of the decade. His popular Honor Harrington novels (such as the New York Times bestseller Ashes of Victory) can't come out fast enough for his devoted readers. His latest Honor Harrington novel for Baen is War of Honor, tenth in the series. Steve White completed a tour of duty in Vietnam as a Naval officer. His SF adventure trilogy for Baen comprising The Disinherited, Legacy, and Debt of Ages was highly successful, as was Prince of Sunset, and its sequel Emperor of Dawn. With David Weber, he has collaborated on Insurrection, Crusade, and In Death Ground, earlier novel in the same series as The Shiva Option.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1056 pages
• Publisher: Baen (July 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743499123
• ISBN-13: 978-0743499125
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #521,516 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Mark Weber is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1952. Weber and his wife Sharon live in Greenville, South Carolina with their three children and "a passel of dogs".

Previously the owner of a small advertising and public relations agency, Weber now writes science fiction full time.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Two More Books under One Cover, October 8, 2005

By 

John A Lee III "jal3" (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Stars at War II (Starfire) (Bk. 2) (Hardcover)

Like THE STARS AT WAR, this is not really a new book. It is a collection of two previously published works although there are reputedly about 20,000 new words included. If you already own either of the books, there is little reason to buy this volume. Otherwise, it is a good buy.

The two included books are THE SHIVA OPTION and INSURECTION. Reviews of each appear below.

THE SHIVA OPTION
THE SHIVA OPTION conludes the story begun in IN DEATH GROUND. The story and the options are just as horrific and the consequences are just as bad.

Humanity and its allies face a war to the end with a race that will either eat every race it comes across or die trying. They cannot be negotiated with. They can either be killed or allowed to win. Killing them is not easy because they don't care about their own casualties. They have only a hunger and nothing can assuage it.

The space battles are well though out as is the strategy presented. They should appeal to fans of space battle. Like the predecessor, however, the real story concerns the hard choices of the leaders.

This is not a fun book to read but it is interesting and worthwhile. It also leaves open the possibility that more bugs will appear in later volumes.

INSURECTION
Insurrection takes place in the same universe as IN DEATH GROUND and THE SHIVA OPTION about a generation after the events of the latter. Humanity has been at peace but that doesn't stop nasty politicians from trying to do nasty things to people. Finally, a time comes when the people will take it no more and the result is civil war.

This book makes clear that there are honorable people on both sides of the conflict but the horrors of war are such that innocents are bound to suffer. Like the other books of this series, the action sequences are well though out and well written but the main lessons come from choices faced by the protagonists. Weber and White are good at writing about space battle. They are even better at writing about political issues and human choices.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 4 1/2 stars well written space thrillers, June 28, 2005

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Stars at War II (Starfire) (Bk. 2) (Hardcover)

"Shiva Option". The enemy's first and only directive is that all other species, sentient or not, is food. Humanity and its three ally races that form the Grand Alliance are under siege, losing the war to the Bugs. Efforts to communicate and forge a truce leading to peace have failed as the Bugs refuse to communicate or perhaps are unable to communicate with beings they consider beneath them on their food chain. Death apparently awaits humanity.

"Insurrection". Several generations have passed since the Fourth Interstellar War against the Bugs (see The Shiva Option). The central Corporate Worlds of the Terran Federation refuse to relinquish their war powers though the hostilities are over. They control everything while the Fringe Worlds pay the price. However that is not enough for the avaricious leaders of the Corporate Worlds as they want more power. To expedite matters by causing chaos in the Fringe Worlds, a Corporate World agent assassinates Fringe Worlds leader Fionna MacTaggart. Rebellion explodes on Fionna's home planet. The Terran Federation Navy arrives to put down the revolt by force but instead the crews mutiny refusing to kill fellow citizens; soon rebellion spreads across the Federation leaving the Federation reeling near death.

These are two reprints of early 1990s space operas combined into one book. "The Shiva Option" remains one of the most exciting thought provoking thrillers of the past two decades. "Insurrection" is also a well written action thriller as a domino effect leads the Terran Federation on the brink of a supernova, but does not contain the cerebral punch of "The Shiva Option" because much of the cast are throwaways.

Harriet Klausner

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You have read them before..., August 30, 2005

By 

Claus "cryoruggie" (Prior Lake, MN United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Stars at War II (Starfire) (Bk. 2) (Hardcover)

Just remember that both sections in this big volume have been published previously, and if you like Weber and White - like I do - you will probably have them on your shelf.
Obviously, if you haven't read the "Shiva Option" or "Insurrection" this is a "must get" book, since both stories handle interstellar war with detail and finesse.