David Weber

[Timba]

I'm flummoxed that I did not know this. I do have some CD versions of some of the later Honor Harrington books I bought in hard cover, but this is all good news -- I think. I'm contemplating the idea that anything available on the internet inevitably becomes free, and that being the death of publishing. I don't quite believe it, but there is likely some truth there nonetheless.

Vertigo is right on target, the free library is awesome. I have sampled a variety of authors I might not have purchased if that was my only option and in several cases found them enjoyable and eventually purchased everything they had out as an e-book at the site.

I agree that e-books will change publishing but I do not think it will be the end of it.
1. Not everyone wants to read e-books so the hard copy approach remains a definite market.
2. Authors still need good editing.
3. Some organized marketing never hurts sales.
4. There is the question of where will e-books go in the future. I can imagine interactive maps (imagine the map at the beginning of the book tracing out the journey as you read so at any given point you can check the map and be well oriented) and I would imagine there are other things that could be done with maps also and it seems to me this would be more than most authors would be up for doing themselves but might like as a feature to their offerings so enter the publisher. I can imagine more artwork in e-books done in vibrant color. I can imagine a marriage of e-book and short video to bring some of that artwork to brief life. I can imagine being able to highlight a character's name and pop up a short 1 paragraph biography which for my ever aging brain would help me keep some of these large, sweeing, epic tales properly focused. I can also imagine that there are a lot of people far more imaginative than me and am looking forward to what the creative community brings us in this regard. It also seems to me that all of these things would give the publisher some justification for the often ridiculous price they are charging for e-books. When a hard copy book from the book club is the same price as the e-book something is fishy in e-book pricing.

I also wonder about interactive books such as http://mongoliad.com/ and where that might lead. It is an exciting time to be alive. I hope we can avoid killing ourselves off so it can all come to fruition.

 

[Vertigo]

I also think that the open approach of Baen is a fundamentally good thing. Maybe I'm a naive optimist but I honestly think that by being so open they are trusting their customers and in my experience if you distrust your customers and treat them like criminals (DRM!!!!) then they are likely to behave like criminals whereas if you trust them they will generally try to live up to that trust. I must say that I would find it morally much harder to pirate from Baen than from a publisher that seems to assume up front that we are all criminals and out to steal from them. I'm not saying I would pirate anyway but just that I would find it harder. It's much harder to lie to someone who trusts you than it is to someone who is already treating you like a liar.

I apologise as this is really going rather off topic

 

[Parson]

Vertigo is right on target, the free library is awesome. I have sampled a variety of authors I might not have purchased if that was my only option and in several cases found them enjoyable and eventually purchased everything they had out as an e-book at the site.

I agree that e-books will change publishing but I do not think it will be the end of it.
1. Not everyone wants to read e-books so the hard copy approach remains a definite market.
2. Authors still need good editing.
3. Some organized marketing never hurts sales.
4. There is the question of where will e-books go in the future. I can imagine interactive maps (imagine the map at the beginning of the book tracing out the journey as you read so at any given point you can check the map and be well oriented) and I would imagine there are other things that could be done with maps also and it seems to me this would be more than most authors would be up for doing themselves but might like as a feature to their offerings so enter the publisher. I can imagine more artwork in e-books done in vibrant color. I can imagine a marriage of e-book and short video to bring some of that artwork to brief life. I can imagine being able to highlight a character's name and pop up a short 1 paragraph biography which for my ever aging brain would help me keep some of these large, sweeing, epic tales properly focused. I can also imagine that there are a lot of people far more imaginative than me and am looking forward to what the creative community brings us in this regard. It also seems to me that all of these things would give the publisher some justification for the often ridiculous price they are charging for e-books. When a hard copy book from the book club is the same price as the e-book something is fishy in e-book pricing.

I also wonder about interactive books such as http://mongoliad.com/ and where that might lead. It is an exciting time to be alive. I hope we can avoid killing ourselves off so it can all come to fruition.

Timba,

If those features, particularly the one for aging brains!! became available I would likely begin buying e books exclusively. Now if they could only do that on TV too. I am always asking my wife, "Who is that? Have we seen her before?" --- I guess I'm not much of a visual learner.

 

[Timba]

Timba,

If those features, particularly the one for aging brains!! became available I would likely begin buying e books exclusively. Now if they could only do that on TV too. I am always asking my wife, "Who is that? Have we seen her before?" --- I guess I'm not much of a visual learner.

I do not know about your visual learning skills but I can testify that I experience the exact same issue. Somebody in a show seems vaguely familiar and it bugs me either until it surfaces from the turmoil of the black hole operating at the center of my brain or my wife provides the insight. I am happy (or sad) to say she is not always able to make the connection either. What is really ridiculous is sometimes days, weeks or months later it will suddenly pop into my head when I am not doing anything associated with the show or character in question. The look I get from my better half then is ...... well, you are married, you know.

As for the books, I gotta be honest I thought there would be more of this sort of thing by now. I think publishers are lost in their paradigm of paper books and have not yet thought far enough outside the box.

 

[Parson]

I do not know about your visual learning skills but I can testify that I experience the exact same issue. Somebody in a show seems vaguely familiar and it bugs me either until it surfaces from the turmoil of the black hole operating at the center of my brain or my wife provides the insight. I am happy (or sad) to say she is not always able to make the connection either. What is really ridiculous is sometimes days, weeks or months later it will suddenly pop into my head when I am not doing anything associated with the show or character in question. The look I get from my better half then is ...... well, you are married, you know.

As for the books, I gotta be honest I thought there would be more of this sort of thing by now. I think publishers are lost in their paradigm of paper books and have not yet thought far enough outside the box.

I do indeed know the "look." Isn't aging a wonderful thing?

 

[Parson]

Just finished "How Firm a Foundation." Here's my Amazon review:

I would judge this book to be the weakest of the Safehold series. I found that it lacked the kind of build up and action that is Weber's usual trademark. There were some important developments among the characters in this series and it would likely be a mistake for anyone who is continuing to follow the Safehold series to miss it. For me the biggest thing in this book was the fact that we have a least one hint that Weber might be thinking of bringing the story back to space. I would cheer this move loudly! For me the weakness in this whole series, save the first novel "Off Armageddon Reef," is the sword and gun powder age this book is set in.

 

[Timba]

Re: David Weber-SPOILER ALERT

Just finished "How Firm a Foundation." Here's my Amazon review:

I would judge this book to be the weakest of the Safehold series. I found that it lacked the kind of build up and action that is Weber's usual trademark. There were some important developments among the characters in this series and it would likely be a mistake for anyone who is continuing to follow the Safehold series to miss it. For me the biggest thing in this book was the fact that we have a least one hint that Weber might be thinking of bringing the story back to space. I would cheer this move loudly! For me the weakness in this whole series, save the first novel "Off Armageddon Reef," is the sword and gun powder age this book is set in.

I would agree that it did not have as much punch as the volumes 1-4 but I thought there was a great deal of character development as well as story development and I am thinking the next book will bring some of that together in the way of action.

The introduction of suicide bombers, something we are sadly all to familiar with ourselves these days, and the fomenting of rebellion by the church in a neighboring country dismayed me, perhaps because it seemed a little too real given what is happening in the world. Still it drives the story forward and I look forward to how this will develop, new allies for Charis perhaps?

I was also saddened by the loss of several characters I liked but I acknowledge that is necessary in any series with this kind of scope and timeline.

The continued development of the young princess and her brother and the young adopted prince along with the push forward on industrialization were elements of interest for me.

Oddly, as much as I enjoy space adventures the whole sword and gunpowder along with seafaring is actually providing quite enough excitement for me. Having said that, I agree the hint that we may eventually get back out in space and give those genocidal bastards what for is a very satisfying idea.

 

[Parson]

Timba: I would say we are in major agreement. I thought the book felt like it was in a land between. We have been there, and we are going there; but right now we are here and we have to make preparations for there.

The developments you mentioned are all there, and there was definite development in characters, but the story line itself drug.---- Having said all that, I'm glad I read it. The scene in the prison with the captain and the "boy" will stick in my mind forever.

 

[chrispenycate]

Well, I've only just finished Armageddon reef. Not that it takes me that long to read, when I lay my hands on it, but I have a certain dislike of paying $15 (Oh, all right:- $14.68) for a mass-market paperback.

I will either be picking up later volumes or an eReader soon, though.

 

[Timba]

Well, I've only just finished Armageddon reef. Not that it takes me that long to read, when I lay my hands on it, but I have a certain dislike of paying $15 (Oh, all right:- $14.68) for a mass-market paperback.

I will either be picking up later volumes or an eReader soon, though.

Sadly Chris even the e-books are price inflated for this series. Not available at that nice Baen Book price.

Parson,

I agree, we are on the same page and yes the scene you mention will haunt for a bit, it bothered me reading it, bothered me later and when you moved it front and center in my mind again it bothered me once again. It is one of the things I like about Weber, he has a knack for capturing the good, the bad and the oh so ugly about we humans and for me at least it rings true. I do not know how the big, bad gas bag at the center of the web of evil will get his but I am looking forward to it. He has a lot to account for.

 

[Timba]

The Baen site now has the latest Honor Harrington, A Rising Thunder, in what they call ARC format which basically means an e-book that has not had the final editing process. It is $15.00 but the final edited version will be out in late February early March and will be $6.00. Only one review so far but the reviewer says it is all new material, however, they also indicated it has an abrupt ending as it is the first half of a 2 book approach. They felt it ended so abruptly that it was like it ended mid sentence I am going to show financial discipline and wait until the $6.00 version is out.

For those of you who cannot wait but do not have an e-reader be aware you can get an B&N reader or Kindle reader for your computer and dive in now if you must. :-D

 

[Parson]

Timba,

You should not tell me these things. It will be tough to wait. But I am very seriously considering an e-reader. I like the new Kindle subscription that allows you to borrow books for free. I think I might just bite the bullet. Or.... buy my daughters. She doesn't use it much. Must think about this.

The ending sounds like "In Enemy Hands." That ending frustrated me, a lot. But nothing like "Out of the Dark." That one pushed me way beyond frustrated right into angry!!!

 

[chrispenycate]

No, Parson, punctuation very important here; buying your daughters is nearly as bad as selling them Possessive apostrophe, daughter's.

As Christmas approaches and I have to make my annual want list for the family I was wondering if I dared risk "At all costs", after my disappointment with "War of Honor".

 

[Timba]

Timba,

You should not tell me these things. It will be tough to wait. But I am very seriously considering an e-reader. I like the new Kindle subscription that allows you to borrow books for free. I think I might just bite the bullet. Or.... buy my daughters. She doesn't use it much. Must think about this.

The ending sounds like "In Enemy Hands." That ending frustrated me, a lot. But nothing like "Out of the Dark." That one pushed me way beyond frustrated right into angry!!!

Parson, I am shocked, shocked I tell you to find out you were disappointed by the classic "I will write a book to make a lot of money and cash in on a currently hot topic" that "Out of the Dark" represents. I found it a fun read but ......... For now I am sticking to my pledge of financial discipline, which is helped immensely by my huge volume of unread books. March will be here all too soon, at my current age the months simply flicker by.

No, Parson, punctuation very important here; buying your daughters is nearly as bad as selling them Possessive apostrophe, daughter's.

As Christmas approaches and I have to make my annual want list for the family I was wondering if I dared risk "At all costs", after my disappointment with "War of Honor".

Chris, Thank you for my morning laugh. I am glad I was not in the process of taking a sip of my morning beverage or my computer screen would need cleaning.

 

[Parson]

No, Parson, punctuation very important here; buying your daughters is nearly as bad as selling them Possessive apostrophe, daughter's.

As Christmas approaches and I have to make my annual want list for the family I was wondering if I dared risk "At all costs", after my disappointment with "War of Honor".

Chris, any more comments like that one about my daughter and I will have to petition the good Saint to leave a heaping helping of coal in your stocking, rather than some good old David Weber.

 

[Timba]

Parson,
I am reading an anthology called Warriors and it has a David Webber novella called "Out of the Dark" and was published 03-16-2010 while his novel by the same name was published 07/2010 I believe so this was really worse money grubbing than I thought.

Basically the novella version has none of the scenes in the United States and really is pretty short. Kind of sad that he would add a few chapters and pump it out as a full book less than 4 months later. Made me lose a little respect.

 

[Parson]

Ouch! That does bite (pun intended.). However he is not the first author to write a pretty nice (assuming it is pretty nice) short story/Novella and turn it into a novel. There are even some examples of that which have become classics. The primary example that I know of is Orson Scott Card and "Ender's Game." "Ender's Game" has been in print continually since 1978. (If memory serves me.)

 

[Timba]

Ouch! That does bite (pun intended.). However he is not the first author to write a pretty nice (assuming it is pretty nice) short story/Novella and turn it into a novel. There are even some examples of that which have become classics. The primary example that I know of is Orson Scott Card and "Ender's Game." "Ender's Game" has been in print continually since 1978. (If memory serves me.)

Agreed, loved Ender's Game but really to jump on the vampire wagon once is tolerable, twice when you are not writing vampire stories is one to many for me. Mind you if he was a struggling author trying to make ends meet it might be a different story but Weber really does not fall into that category, does he?

 

[Parson]

He misses being a struggling author about as far as Manticore is away from the sol system.

 

[Vertigo]

Just noticed that the latest HH book A Rising Thunder (due out in March I think) is now available from Baen as an ARC edition ebook. Quite expensive at $15 but if you are desperate for a fix...

Comments seem to be along the lines of there being a lot of tying together of loose ends from the HH books and the spin off books (Torch of Freedom etc) and that it really seems to be setting the scene for more books following the conflict with Solarian Empire and then the Mesan Alignment.