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A Mighty Fortress

Safehold Series, Book 4

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About this listen

Young Cayleb Ahrmahk has accomplished things few people could even dream of. Not yet even thirty years old, he’s won the most crushing naval victories in human history. He’s smashed a hostile alliance of no less than five princedoms and won the hand of the beautiful young Queen Sharleyan of Chisholm. Cayleb and Sharleyan have created the Charisian Empire, the greatest naval power in the history of Safehold, and they’ve turned Charis into a place of refuge for all who treasure freedom.

Their success may prove short-lived. The Church of God Awaiting, which controls most of Safehold, has decreed their destruction. Mother Church’s entire purpose is to prevent the very things to which Charis is committed. Since the first attempt to crush the heretics failed, the Church has no choice but to adopt some of the hated Charisian innovations for themselves. Soon a mighty fleet will sail against Cayleb, destroying everything in its path.But there are still matters about which the Church knows nothing, including Cayleb and Sharleyan’s adviser, friend, and guardian— the mystic warrior-monk named Merlin Athrawes. Merlin knows all about battles against impossible odds, because he is in fact the cybernetic avatar of a young woman named Nimue Alban, who died a thousand years before. As Nimue, Merlin saw the entire Terran Federation go down in fire and slaughter at the hands of a foe it could not defeat. He knows that Safehold is the last human planet in existence, and that the stasis the Church was created to enforce will be the human race’s death sentence if it is allowed to stand.The juggernaut is rumbling down on Charis, but Merlin Athrawes and a handful of extraordinary human beings stand in its path. The Church is about to discover just how potent the power of human freedom truly is.

©2010 David Weber (P)2010 Macmillan Audio Fantasy Science Fiction Arthurian
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Most relevant

Would you listen to A Mighty Fortress again? Why?

not sure, Weber loves to lose himself in the detail, but sometimes, that can be too much when he starts hamming up the 'drama' scenes with endless repetitions of why the seijin does this, and why the emperor does that and how it breaks their hearts to do it. WE KNOW ALREADY!!!!!! Please, less of the over and over again and more STORY.

Who was your favorite character and why?

There's a few, but I also get fed up with them sometimes, because Weber went overboard with the repeat of why's and wherefores.

Did Jason Culp do a good job differentiating each of the characters? How?

He was ok, the female characters were a bit on the whiny side which p'd me off a bit, as most of them are very strong characters, in fact all of Weber's female protagonists are very strong and deserve better treatment out of male readers in general.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I wish I'd read this rather than listened to it. When Weber waxes fantastic about design features and progress, I tend to skim, I can't do that with an audio book, and found I struggled to keep track when he harped on about why this gun is better than that gun. So yeah, my emotional reaction is frustration.

Any additional comments?

Weber has written better, and Tor needs to reign him in a bit, the story was getting lost in the detail and it could have been a shorter and more in depth story. That said, I'm invested now, and am looking forward to the conclusion, but in hardcopy so I can skim the irrelevant stuff.

Too much detail not enough story

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What made the experience of listening to A Mighty Fortress the most enjoyable?

A book is only as good as it's author. David Weber weaves a story showing the reason why the conflict has taken place and how why it must be resolved. The settings and the action are well described, from single person to armies and navies. The Kings ,Queens and Leaders of this world are brought to life as are all the characters.

Set in a period where cross bows and muskets rule along with slavery and power mad despots cling to power. All are unaware that time is running out for all of them. It's not bang/boom good by goon. You get that in a well balanced story .

So WHY AN AUDIO BOOK!!. It's easier on the eyes, no lights needed, no pages to turn and its so nice to listen to a well narrated story like this one .Start with book 1 and I hope you will enjoy the world of Safehold.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I found the central character and all the others so well brought to life I can have no over all favourite.

Which character – as performed by Jason Culp – was your favourite?

see above.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I enjoyed it as it covers joy, sadness, anger and redemption.

Any additional comments?

Even if you have enjoyed the book, do consider an unabridged audio down load. So good after a hard day's work.

A Mighty Fortress: Safehold Series, Book 4.

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A fine addition to the series, and finally getting used to the new narrators style, but miss the old ones range

Great story, miss the old narrator

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I love the premise of the Safehold series and this book really showcases the level of detail Weber has put into his world building but that's both a good and a bad thing.

The World has expanded considerably, with many new people and locations being introduced to add depth and detail to the planet; but at the same time the so has the amount of technical jargon as time and time again he describes the workings of sailing ships. While I can appreciate that he knows his stuff, the fact that I have no idea of the difference between the various different bits that make up a ship's masts and rigging (names I can't even remember while trying to write this review) make those sections incredibly dry and laborious.

So very technical

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I've read the preceding books in the series and if you're working your way through it you'll want to read this one too.

But it's slow to get started and pretty hard work. A large number of characters are introduced early on. The introductions come thick and fast, and most of these characters may be indicated by any of four names; their aristocratic title, e.g. Earl of Chorrus, their appointment e.g Chancellor, and of course by their forename or surname. Nobles would then most often be referred to by simply the place name ib their title, e.g. Chorrus. This onslaught had me feeling like I was cramming for an exam rather than being entertained.

The aspect most interesting to me usually is the descriptions of the technical innovations and the international politics. However very little happens on either front, and at least half the book is taken up by accounts of how rebellious conspiracy is dealt with, hardly a riveting feat in a medieval world when you can call upon futuristic bugging devices.

The narrator's rendition of the imagined accents of some main characters such as Kaleb and Narman, to my ears like horribly mangled Scottish, remain excruciating beyond belief though they were ok in the first book of the series.

I didn't struggle to finish the book and I may give the next in the series a go but I won't be tempted to listen to this one again.

Not his best

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