Off Armageddon Reef

David Weber

Book 1 in the series:Safehold

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'Off Armageddon Reef' in the 'Safehold' series by David Weber is a science fiction novel that explores the challenges faced by humanity in establishing a colony on a new planet while being threatened by a relentless alien race. The story delves into themes of political intrigue, religious control, and the struggle for technological advancement within a society built on strict prohibitions. The narrative follows the protagonist, Merlin, who navigates a world shaped by a new religion that hinders progress and seeks to uncover the true history of Earth civilization.

Weber's writing style in 'Off Armageddon Reef' combines elements of naval fiction with intricate world-building and thought-provoking questions about societal control, belief systems, and the fight for freedom. presents a richly detailed world with political maneuvering, engaging characters, and captivating plot twists that keep readers intrigued about the future of the series.

Characters:

Characterization includes a vast array of individuals, often leading to confusion due to similar names and extensive titles, with Merlin serving as the central, superhuman figure.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is characterized by detailed descriptions, intricate world-building, and a blend of political intrigue with sci-fi elements, often slowing down the narrative with extensive dialogues.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot centers around humanity's struggle for survival against a malevolent alien race, leading to the establishment of a low-tech colony governed by a repressive church, while an advanced AI seeks to restore lost technology.

Setting:

Set in a future colony where society has regressed to a pre-industrial state under a theocratic regime, the environment is characterized by naval warfare akin to the Age of Sail.

Pacing:

The pacing fluctuates, starting slowly to establish the world and characters before building tension with naval battles, yet can feel tedious due to lengthy political discussions.

The Temple of God’s colonnade soared effortlessly against the springtime blue of the northern sky. The columns were just over sixty feet high, and the central dome which dominated the entire majestic ...

Notes:

Humanity nearly wiped out by the Gbaba, an alien race determined to exterminate all human life.

A colony fleet escapes and establishes society on the planet Safehold, banning advanced technology to remain hidden from the Gbaba.

Colonists have their memories erased and are led to believe they were created by God and his Archangels.

Merlin Athrawes, an AI, is hidden for 800 years and aims to reintroduce technology to help combat the Gbaba.

The society is dominated by the Church of God Awaiting, which has authoritarian control over the populace.

Political intrigue and religious conflict drive the plot, leading to war with other kingdoms.

The narrative features complex world-building that mixes sci-fi with elements reminiscent of historical fiction.

Many characters have unique or altered names that reflect a linguistic drift over centuries, making it hard to keep track of them.

The book alternates between political maneuvering and naval battles, with an emphasis on detailed descriptions of ship warfare.

Weber explores themes like technological advancement versus religious doctrine, showcasing a struggle for freedom and innovation.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include themes of war, religious oppression, and potentially disturbing depictions of violence and societal control.

From The Publisher:

Humanity pushed its way to the stars - and encountered the Gbaba, a ruthless alien race that nearly wiped us out.

Earth and her colonies are now smoldering ruins, and the few survivors have fled to distant, Earth-like Safehold, to try to rebuild. But the Gbaba can detect the emissions of an industrial civilization, so the human rulers of Safehold have taken extraordinary measures: with mind control and hidden high technology, they've built a religion in which every Safeholdian believes, a religion designed to keep Safehold society medieval forever.

800 years pass. In a hidden chamber on Safehold, an android from the far human past awakens. This "rebirth" was set in motion centuries before, by a faction that opposed shackling humanity with a concocted religion. Via automated recordings, "Nimue" - or, rather, the android with the memories of Lieutenant Commander Nimue Alban - is told her fate: she will emerge into Safeholdian society, suitably disguised, and begin the process of provoking the technological progress which the Church of God Awaiting has worked for centuries to prevent.

Nothing about this will be easy. To better deal with a medieval society, "Nimue" takes a new gender and a new name, "Merlin." His formidable powers and access to caches of hidden high technology will need to be carefully concealed. And he'll need to find a base of operations, a Safeholdian country that's just a little more freewheeling, a little less orthodox, a little more open to the new.

And thus Merlin comes to Charis, a mid-sized kingdom with a talent for naval warfare. He plans to make the acquaintance of King Haarahld and Crown Prince Cayleb, and maybe, just maybe, kick off a new era of invention. Which is bound to draw the attention of the Church...and, inevitably, lead to war.

It's going to be a long, long process. And David Weber's epic Off Armageddon Reef is can't-miss sci-fi.

Safehold Series

1. Off Armageddon Reef

2. By Schism Rent Asunder

3. By Heresies Distressed

4. A Mighty Fortress

5. How Firm A Foundation

6. Midst Toil and Tribulation

7. Like A Mighty Army

8. Hell's Foundations Quiver

9. At the Sign of Triumph

Ratings (10)

Incredible (2)
Loved It (5)
Liked It (3)

Reader Stats (19):

Read It (10)
Want To Read (7)
Did Not Finish (1)
Not Interested (1)

1 comment(s)

jesbud259

Loved It

2 months

All of the book reviews and summaries quickly point out that this is a series about mankind fleeing a genocidal alien race, intent on completely wiping out humanity. It’s also quickly clear that this alien race (the Gbaba) found humanity by stumbling across our electronic “noise” that we’ve been spewing into space since the early 20th century. In a last-ditch attempt to save our species, we humans send a colony off into the unknown to find a planet, terraform it, and live a simple minimal-technology life, until we can figure out how to arm up and go on the offensive.

All of that is covered by everything else you read, but it’s a lot more than that. It’s a very engaging tale about egos, oppression, and scrabbling back from the brink of extinction. When we pick back up on humanity’s story, they’re a water-powered society with intensely oppressive rules that prevent them from getting any more advanced than that. However, with the help of our hero, Merlin, we can watch them slowly develop and find ways to defeat that oppression.

This first book is just enough to get you hooked, and immediately continue on to the next books in the series. If my first paragraph speaks to you at all, give the books a try, I’m very confident that you’ll be happy you did!

What can you read after
Off Armageddon Reef?

See the list (100 books)

About the Author:

David Weber is a science fiction phenomenon and the author of the Safehold series, including By Schism Rent Asunder, By Heresies Distressed and A Mighty Fortress. His popular Honor Harrington and Honorverse novels-including Mission of Honor, At All Costs, and Torch of Freedom-are New York Times bestsellers and can't come out fast enough for his devoted readers. His other top-selling science fiction novels include Out of the Dark, the Dahak books and the Multiverse books, written with Linda Evans. He has also created an epic SF adventure series in collaboration with John Ringo, including We Few. His novels have regularly been Main Selections of the Science Fiction Book Club. Weber has a bachelor's degree from Warren Wilson College, and attended graduate school in history at Appalachian State University. He lives in South Carolina.

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