David Weber's Through Fiery Trials

This is the series that never ends...
Yes, it goes on and on my friends
Some people started reading it not knowing what it was
And they'll continue reading it forever just because
This is the series that never ends...

All smart-aleck remarks aside, I'm really glad this series didn't end because the end of the last book, At the Sign of Triumph, it really looked like it could. I mean, there was obviously a lot of work to do and another war (or more) to fight, but it's not like the illustrious Mad Wizard Weber

*rises from his chair and places his hand over his hearth*

Whom I loves and respects.

*Sits back down*

Hasn't left us all dangling with a lot more story left to tell after the initial Big Bad gets theirs. (I won't say Prince Roger if you don't.)  Fortunately though, there was an afterward that said the story wasn't over. It turns out it really wasn't.

I was kind of surprised with this one. Anyone who has read much Weber at all (and I definitely include myself in that group) is used to massive amounts of combat. Weber's best known series is, after all, the Honor Harrington novels which take place over a series of wars and star a naval officer who has a well-earned reputation for always being at the center of the battle. The crazy thing about Through Fiery Trials is that it's not combat heavy.

The other key component to Weber's writing has always been political maneuvering and there is a lot of that here. The planet of Safehold (and this is the tenth book in the Safehold series) has just come through a long period of religious war and a schism in the church that the entire population had been part of. Things are getting better for the most part, but if Cayleb and Sharleyan, the leaders of the winning side in the war, want to see what they fought for come to fruition it's going to take some work after the fighting stops.

That's the main thrust of Through Fiery Trials. It's not all just Cayleb and Sharleyan. This is the first Safehold novel to not feature a Dramatis Personae and I'm wondering if that's strictly because of space considerations, because the cast hasn't gotten any smaller. The thing is that the huge cast and the enormous world is what makes Weber's work really function.

Safehold is a living breathing world. Through Fiery Trials bounces across the globe keeping up with everything that is happening. It's apparent that Weber has spend a long time and a ton of effort producing this book and indeed the entire series. Each chapter begins with a header telling us where we are. Then we find out what characters we're there with. It takes a bit of getting used to if you haven't read something this epic but once you do, it's awesome. I love Harry Turtledoves work for much the same reason. No epic story, especially a war or the recovery afterward, can be well covered by only one character and their point of view. There are forces at work that are incomprehensible even to the people that are trying to control them and the Law of Unintended Consequences fully applies. Only by showing thirty two gagillion points of view can one attempt to make a balanced view of a massive war. Weber does that like a champion.

Now, it does have to be mentioned that this is the tenth book in a series that doesn't show any sign of ending anywhere in the foreseeable (at least to me) future. I really do recommend starting with the first book and working your way through because it's easy to miss things when you HAVE read all the books and you DO know what's going on. Coming in mid-stream is going to be rough and the earlier books are each worth your time in their own right. Seriously, start this thing where it starts because there is too much to try and backfill on your own.

There were a couple of moments in Through Fiery Trials that had my heart pounding. Weber seems to like toying with his audiences emotions. Now, that's a good thing in a writer but few are this good at it. Of course, part of the problem is that I try to predict what's going to happen next and in a few cases things I could tell that things were about to go horribly awry but I wasn't sure what or how. Actually, in at least two case I WAS sure how, but I was wrong. But still, this is not a book for the weak at heart. It put me through the ringer. Oh shit moments abound so be ready for them.

My one complaint about Through Fiery Trials is the same complaint I've had about every Safehold novel and will continue to have in the future: The names in the book suck. I'm being dead serious when I say that. One of my biggest pet peeves in all of literature is when authors change things and mess with language just to say they did it. Mr. Weber decided that due to a millenium plus of linguistic drift he'd make all of the names look weird and it works. They certainly do look weird. It can be kind of a pain though. I've known how to read for over thirty-five years now and having to sound out the name of a character in a book can be a bit annoying. It doesn't kill the story for me. If it didn't I wouldn't still be here ten books in. The fact remains that the stories would be better without it.

All in all though, Through Fiery Trials was awesome. I can't wait for the next one and Weber has set it up nicely. I know Weber uses history as source material and I'm wondering if one particular group of people is going to do what I think they're going to do based on history. I hope not, because if so the bloodletting is going to be massive. Then again, they're not real people and wars are what Weber does best. I guess I'll find out eventually. Sooner would be better.

Bottom Line: 4.5 out of 5 Riot Batons

Through Fiery Trials
David Weber
Tor, 2018

Through Fiery Trials is available for purchase at the following link: