Scan barcode
A review by bory
Flag in Exile by David Weber
2.0
I think this my jumping off point for the series, at least for now.
Where to start? It really is the fact that the whose story was set in Grayson that left a foul taste in my mouth. Weber's insistence in trying to portray Grayson as worthy of respect, regardless of their backward cultural norms, does not hold water. I don't care how hard they've worked, or how far they've come despite their poisonous planet and technological disadvantages. I'm sorry, but this is a society that has, essentially, subjugated its entire female population based on antiquated religious views. We're told that the people of Grayson are changing for the better, but we never see any women that are moving into the workforce, the military, or the circles of government. Maybe it happens in later installment in the series, maybe it doesn't. It's never shown here, and it hurts the narrative.
I hate religious zealotry, and I detest the fact that I had to force myself to read chapter after chapter of religious nuts whose idea of the epitome of an insult against a woman is the word whore. In fact, I almost DNF'ed the book when Honor was having her battle of the faux religious quotes with Brother Marchant.
And boy, oh boy, is Mar Sue-ness out in full force in Flag in Exile. Honor Harrington is the best. She can quote religious texts she's studied for a few months better than a religious zealot who has spent decades studying said texts. She can out-duel one of the best duelist on the planet, after only a few months of training, regardless of her complete lack of experience with sword combat prior to her exile on Grayson.
But the battle between the Grayson Navy and the Peeps in the last ca. 50 pages is great. I was hoping it would take up more of the book, something like what we saw in On Basilisk Station or The Honor of the Queen, but no, we have to read multiple chapters from the point of view of several men calling Honor Satan's harlot. Time well spent it was not. In any case, those last several dozen pages is what gives this book a second star for me, because the rest was a solid 1 star material.
Where to start? It really is the fact that the whose story was set in Grayson that left a foul taste in my mouth. Weber's insistence in trying to portray Grayson as worthy of respect, regardless of their backward cultural norms, does not hold water. I don't care how hard they've worked, or how far they've come despite their poisonous planet and technological disadvantages. I'm sorry, but this is a society that has, essentially, subjugated its entire female population based on antiquated religious views. We're told that the people of Grayson are changing for the better, but we never see any women that are moving into the workforce, the military, or the circles of government. Maybe it happens in later installment in the series, maybe it doesn't. It's never shown here, and it hurts the narrative.
I hate religious zealotry, and I detest the fact that I had to force myself to read chapter after chapter of religious nuts whose idea of the epitome of an insult against a woman is the word whore. In fact, I almost DNF'ed the book when Honor was having her battle of the faux religious quotes with Brother Marchant.
And boy, oh boy, is Mar Sue-ness out in full force in Flag in Exile. Honor Harrington is the best. She can quote religious texts she's studied for a few months better than a religious zealot who has spent decades studying said texts. She can out-duel one of the best duelist on the planet, after only a few months of training, regardless of her complete lack of experience with sword combat prior to her exile on Grayson.
But the battle between the Grayson Navy and the Peeps in the last ca. 50 pages is great. I was hoping it would take up more of the book, something like what we saw in On Basilisk Station or The Honor of the Queen, but no, we have to read multiple chapters from the point of view of several men calling Honor Satan's harlot. Time well spent it was not. In any case, those last several dozen pages is what gives this book a second star for me, because the rest was a solid 1 star material.