The War God's Own (2) (War God (Weber))

This book is really top reading entertainment that doesn't bog you down with plot twists, and suprise endings. If you are looking for something fun that ends well, then this is for you. A review by Epiphyte denigrated it for those very reasons. We all have our peccadillo's, but I for one enjoy the occasional novel that allow's me to relax and not be overly concerned whether the hero/heroine is going to get out with a whole skin! David Weber writes many books like this, and they are all enjoyable. Five stars for fun!

Many sequels fall short of the original, but this one doesn't. Weber hits the ground running and maintains his pace throughout. I had recently read "Oath of Swords" (for which see my review) and broke a cardinal rule--I pulled the sequel out of my to-be-read stack and read it out of order, I was that eager to find out what happened next! I wasn't disappointed. Weber develops his character and world to a further degree, introducing Bahzell's people (including his parents and several sibs), a female Champion of Tomanak, and a young knight-probationer who goes from priggish prejudice to a deep bond with the hradani. Also back is Wencit of Rum and, of course, Bahzell's patron, Tomanak Scale-Balancer. The author has done his research, too, as in the scenes where Bahzell visits a dwarvish settlement and sees what's clearly a blast-furnace in operation. The ending leaves room for more, and I'll be watching. Excuse me--I want to go update my Eyes listing!

I read Oath of Swords as part of my discovery of David Weber in early 96. After reading several Honor books OoS was revelation, a fun, fast light hearted fantsy read. I thought is was a experiment he wasn't to eager to follow up on. An enjoyable proof-of-concept " I can write fantsy to" kinda thing. I was absoultly stunned to see War Gods Own. I didn't know, and I try to keep up with Weber's work. Needless to say I bought right away and haven't been disappointed. The characters are likable, the story fun if predictable, and the background of the world. Wow. I hope Mr Weber returns to the world on a more regular basis. I want to see its past and its future.

Once more David Weber takes us to the world of the hradani, and that reluctant Champion of Tomanak, Bahzell. An enjoyable read, lighter in character than his hard SF, War God's Own picks up where Oath Of Swords left off, following Bahzell Branhakson as he continues to grow into the role of champion. My only objection is that I finished it too quickly; WGO is shorter than OOS, and while it is chock full of the swashbuckling adventure that made the first book so much fun, I was left hungry for more, much more!

Like the previous reviewer, I downloaded the preview from Baen books. I would suggest, in order to fully enjoy War God's Own, you really should read Oath of Swords (the first book) before reading War God's Own. While you might enjoy the latter, there are so many references, just in the preview, to characters and events in the first book, that I imagine it might be hard to follow what's going on. For instance, the young knight's fury over the Ballad of Bahzell Bloody-Hand, a song that Brandark began composing in the first book, is based on Bahzell's adventures in Oath of Swords (I have hopes that Mr. Weber will let us see some of these lyrics someday). And the War God had to argue long and hard in the first book to recruit Bahzell, which is also, I gather, mentioned in the song, which the young knight thinks is making fun of his order and his god. And War God's Own picks up right where Oath of Swords ends. The tone of the previous book and the preview of this one are far lighter than Honor. (Weber does not appear to be near as hard on his characters in this series as he is on those in the Honor series.) There is humor, swashbuckling adventure, a charming reluctant hero and smart-mouthed sidekick, an entertaining supporting cast of characters, villainous bad guys, and some poor sods just trying to do the best they can in a bad situation. The good guys get rewarded and the bad guys get their come-uppance. What more could you ask of a book? I like all of Weber's books, but I think I would have a real problem if both Honor Harrington and Bahzell Bahnakson came out at the same time and I had only enough money for one. I have a feeling Bahzell would win. In fact, I liked the preview so much I ordered it from Baen in the hopes that I might get it earlier than if I wait for the book to arrive at my local bookstore. (When it comes to books, I'm not very good at delayed gratification.)