HVT-034 Shadow of Victory

This time, we dive right into the final book in the Saganami Island series:  Shadow of Victory.

This chunky novel weighs in at 756 pages and hit the streets in November 2016.  The story covers a date range from February 1921 PD through October 1022 PD.  For those tracking dates, you’ll realize this is one of those times when David covers events we’ve already seen, but from a different perspective.  There’s also some new info in here, too.

The major things that happen reflect the continuing exposure of, or for some, the revelation of, the Mesan Alignment.  These include the sneak attack on Manticore itself, destroying a significant segment of their economy and military infrastructure.  We also see Operation Janus, the Alignment’s effort to discredit Manticore by making false promises of military support to oppressed segments of other start nations if they decide to rebel.  Then there’s the horrific Operation Houdini.  These plans are diabolical, especially when taken together.  The false promises might embolden revolutions, causing the division and downfall of many when Manticore never shows up with the “promised” support.  It would also drain resources from the governments experiencing those revolutions.  Additionally, when Manticore appears to renege on promised support (that they never made), it paints them in a light that they can’t be trusted to keep their word internationally.  Finally, in the context of the hostilities between Manticore and the Solarian League (actually provoked by the Alignment!), Manticore looks like they’re acting consistent with the propaganda that paints them as improperly seeking to expand their empire by force, employing their military to engage the Solarians directly and indirectly.  There’s certainly a lot going on here.  

We’ll warn you now:  your hosts didn’t particularly enjoy this book.  Tune in to find out why and let us know if you agree or not. We rated Shadow of Victory with a 2.5, a 2 and a 3 (out of 5), for an overall rating of 2.5.

As always, thank you for listening.  Special thanks to those of you who take the time to like and follow us on social media, share this podcast with others, and to even comment on our posts.

Next time, we’re excited to discuss A Call to Vengeance, book three in the Manticore Ascendant story arc.  That’s right: we’re going to see what happens next with Travis Long, Lisa Donnelly and others as the young Royal Manticoran Navy continues to struggle against emerging mercenary threats to the Star Kingdom while the government struggles with how well to fund the Navy in light of possibly decreasing funds for the navy while increasing funds for the Manticoran Patrol and Rescue Service.  Yes, we’re about to enjoy some more great storytelling from the dynamic trio of David Weber, Timothy Zahn and Tom Pope!  As always, be sure to grab your copy, invite a friend, and join us again next time.