An OUTSTANDING Story Line Excellent Military SF!

Where does Crusade rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Up at the top, David Weber is a premier Military SF writer. These books were written about 15 years ago, and Crusade, In Death Ground and The Shiva Option were the limit until Exodus came out, which marks a different turn to the series.

What other book might you compare Crusade to and why?

Written with the same standard as the best Honor Harrington books. Great character development. You come to really like and respect Admiral Anton and Admiral/Senator/Former president Anderson. The interplay with Kathara the orion with Admiral Anton is very interesting as 2 different views of Honor and culture clash.

Have you listened to any of Marc Vietor’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I don't recall ever hearing him but he is an excellent story teller, giving life to this favorite series I have waited so long to be able to hear.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"Intrigue, Suspense, and a Battle of Epic Scale across the Stars" This series would be an excellent basis for a TV series or a movie series. There is enough time and depth to make a series of movies that would be very entertaining.

Any additional comments?

Starfire is a great series I cannot emphasize enough. It was a great read when they first came out, and I have waited years to hear it. The storytelling by the narrator is full flavored, with great character development and clear audio clues as to who is which character. An excellent rendition of an excellent book!

11 people found this helpful

Mediocre story. Excellent performance.

I've heard it said that if you are writing fiction, you still need to write something that's believable. While this story is military sci-fi so the battle scenes and weapons are all imaginary , and most of that could be believed, the basic premise of the story is intellectually insulting. I suppose the authors are trying to make a statement about the kind of radical jihadist spirituality that plagues a part of our world today but the idea that a single human Starship could influence an entire species of backward aliens to wage Jihad war against all of humanity after only 90 years of exposure to such ideas , is just plain ridiculous. Even more ridiculous is the idea that such aliens could have created an entire star fairing economy and weaponry in less than a span of a thousand years or more. These authors do seem to be very good at writing dialogue and human interaction but really the Space Battles and circumstances people find themselves in are just plain adolescent and fairly boring in the end. I really can't recommend this book and I I'm highly unlikely to consider purchasing any more in this particular series.

8 people found this helpful

Good Story, Hard to follow at some points

narration was fast but i blame the author for bit putting in some setting when jumping between characters. got lost a few times

5 people found this helpful

action packed space opera

Not sure if this is book one of the Starfire series or book two. Audible has it as book one and Amazon as book two. I enjoyed the Honor Harrington series; so thought I would give this one a try.

Weber is noted for his military science fiction adventures. In this book the Terran Federation is confronted by a new enemy that might have some relationship with a lost Terran fleet in the distant past. Weber tossed out some familiar names such as Manticore and Saint-Just, which were also used in the Honor series.

Apparently this series was written 1992 before the Honor Series. I do not think it is as well written as the Honor series, but I might go on and read book number two in the series. Marc Vietor does a good job narrating the book. Vietor is a Broadway Stage actor who is beginning to make a name for himself in science fiction audiobooks.

9 people found this helpful

great book

great story. great characters. couldn't stop listening to the book. can't wait to get the next book in the stories.

3 people found this helpful

Long time fan of the series

Any additional comments?

Loved this series when I read it in paperback (numerous times), had to buy the audible and loved it just as much.

3 people found this helpful

Great Story

Where does Crusade rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book ranks in the top 10 among all the audio books I'v listened to so far, can't wait to listen to the next book in the series.

What other book might you compare Crusade to and why?

I would compare this book to another book I like by Raymond L. Weil called Destruction. Both books are about a desperate human situation that must be overcome.

What does Marc Vietor bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator, Marc Vietor brings the book alive with his reading of the book. His voice characterization is great.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I could have listened to this book in one setting, if I'd had the time. Couldn't wait to get back to listen.

6 people found this helpful

Returnable?

May I return this one? I have dozens of Weber books but this is the first one I could get past the first section.

4 people found this helpful

Classic space opera

Any additional comments?

When David Weber appears on a paperback cover, it is usually a story that is quite predictable yet enjoyable none the less. Great pallet cleanser, though nothing special.

1 person found this helpful

The start of something wonderful

Great in its own right, but most important for characters who are in the sequels.

1 person found this helpful