The Shiva Option: Starfire, Book 3

<Spoiler Alert> Plot elements may be discussed. This book is the sequel to the recommended "In Death Ground", and picks up as if you were just beginning another chapter instead of another whole book. The fate of Humanity and its allies is in doubt, and only the greatest of individual and societal sacrifices will save the day. Death and destruction continue from the first book on a scale that is near incomprehensible. The arachnid enemy has pushed the alliance into several corners, and will not listen to any sort of peace entreaty. The only conclusion possible is reached and implemented with a cold efficiency that will sap the very humanity from the souls of those who must prosecute the option. It is a simple matter - fight to win, or die. Most of the action is similar to the first book, epic space engagements with a give-and-take through the chapters as one side or the other employs a fleeting advantage in technology. There is a slightly different method to the author's descriptions of the battles, less on the details of the battles as they occur, but more of an emphasis on the outcomes of the battles as a setup for the next phase of action. Nonetheless, "Shiva Option" is a very satisfying read and a fitting conclusion (?) to this mini-series. Only one quibble to mention, and that would be the star charts at the beginning are nearly incomprehensible as to how the different star systems are oriented to each other. But don't let that detract from an otherwise highly satisfactory effort. Recommended.

This is the best military Sci-Fi I have ever read. But it is the second novel about a war. For maximum enjoyment, read "In Death Ground" first. Humans and 3 other races are allies, when a new race, the Bugs, attack without warning at first one planet and then another hundreds of light years away. The Bugs never communicate. And when the Bugs capture a planet, they kill all the inhabitants. Or worse.Interstellar flight is only possible through warp points. Some warp points between two star systems are "open", that is, detectable from around either star. But others are "closed", that is, detectable from only one star. If a fleet in one star system advances to a second system, it can be ambushed by an enemy fleet entering the first system to cut off its retreat.Battles between fleets involve battleships, cruisers, carriers, fighters, missiles, and stationary space fortresses. The Bugs are willing to sacrifice any number of ships to defeat an Allied fleet. And the Allies often have to use suicidal rear guard actions to give time for civilian evacuations or for a fleet to escape. But after awhile, the Allies learn to cooperate better and begin winning some battles and retaking some captured planets.

I've been a great fan of David Webers books many years now. The most famous "Honor Harrington" series is truly great to read.I found this book without actually looking for it. And by the look of it seemed interesting. So I got this one and the one before it (which is part one out of a two part series) which is called "In death ground". This book ends the story but you should really read the former one first to get all the needed backstory and a proper beginning.There is a lot of charachters. Some deeper compared to others. Also a great deal of space battles. Epic ones to be honest. The basic conflict is about two VERY different ways of life. Two extremly different kind of life: ours and our allies and the "Arachnids" who sees us as simpy food. This time EVERYTHING is on the line and loosing the war simply is NOT an option!

THE SHIVA OPTION conludes the story begun in IN DEATH GROUND. The story and the options are just as horrific and the consequences are just as bad.Humanity and its allies face a war to the end with a race that will either eat every race it comes across or die trying. They cannot be negotiated with. They can either be killed or allowed to win. Killing them is not easy because they don't care about their own casualties. They have only a hunger and nothing can assuage it.The space battles are well though out as is the strategy presented. They should appeal to fans of space battle. Like the predecessor, however, the real story concerns the hard choices of the leaders.This is not a fun book to read but it is interesting and worthwhile. It also leaves open the possibility that more bugs will appear in later volumes.

This is the fourth book in the series, the order of books is Crusade, In Death Ground, The Shiva Option, and Insurrection. (Insurrection was written first, but it takes place last.) The series is fascinating, well thought out, and full of great sci-fi military action, so I suggest you pick it up sometime. The Shiva Option, however, doesn't live up to the rest of the series.The Shiva Options has great military action, but the plot is too simplistic at times and could have used better editing. There are far too many coincidences and unrealistic deductions by the characters. For instance, one enemy world changes its deployment based on what happened at another enemy world even though the book previously stated that those two worlds aren't in contact. To make matters worse, it becomes obvious pretty early how the book will end. The book bogs down in the middle, and you almost want the good guys to lose just so something interesting happens.The publisher, Baen, has a two hundred page preview on their website. Or if you're interested in other books that have a lot of good sci-fi military action and a great plot, pick up the Honor series by David Weber or A Hymn Before Battle by John Ringo.

Read this book years ago but lost in moving. If you're a fan of military sci-fi this is one of the best.

My title says it all. Without a doubt this is already a classic. There are many attempts to copy it's essence but few come close to touching it's magnificence. In Death Ground and Shiva Option set the standard for all the military scifi that came after. Excellence from start to finish.

Follows on from book 3 of the Starfire series (In Death Ground) which is not available on Kindle (my preferred reading method these days). Book 3 introduced the reader to the alien 'bugs' and this book, book 4, continues that story. You can pick up the issues in this book even if you haven't read book 3. Books 1 and 2 in the series almost seem independent stories, with their situations not particularly referred to in Book 3 and 4. In this book there are a few too many introspective or back-story passages which I skim read. The outcome is not surprising but how the outcome comes about has twists and turns. This is the last in the Starfire series with David Weber as an author but his co-author for this series, Steve White, has produced more in this series (for me to read at a later date). They are on Amazon.

Sorry but this is a very poor book. The authors seem to have fallen in love with the Navy they created and are unable to let them lose a single battle. Consequently, you are never in any serious doubt about the outcome of the war and the story becomes an endless series of human victories that quickly overcome the bugs resistance. The story is stretched for 700 pages by some very weak attempts at character development. Unfortunately, as all of the main military characters are resolutely brave, honest and noble and the journalists and politicians are scheming cowards, it is very two dimensional.

Very good.

Epic space opera the way its meant to be done

Quatre romans de David Weber et Steve White également réunis en une édition omnibus :  The Stars at War  ET  The Stars At War II  .Les tomes précédent :  Insurrection  , Crusade  , In Death Ground  ...C'est vraiment bon , touffu et cette impression est encore accentuée par le plan de construction de l'ensemble .Il y a de nombreux personnages ..Impossible de savoir s'ils seront toujours là deux pages plus loin , et ce pour de bonnes raisons ...C'est un univers complexe doté d'une longue histoire de conflits et de rapports inter-espèces .Grâce au talent des deux auteurs nous parcourons la plus grandes partie des guerres et conflits qui ont secoué sur un siècle ( un peu moins ) cet univers soigné et crédible .A un moment donné l'humanité subit un choc frontal de plein fouet avec les forces d'invasions extraterrestres .Énormément de tensions ... de désespoir .. et d'ampleur !On est soufflé par le rythme .Le recit affiche un bon contexte tactique et stratégique , la meme chose pour le renseignement , les décisions politiques et les situations militaires . Les mondes peuplés par l'humanité contre attaquent et c'est assez prenant comme elant narratif .Il y a également une gestion fine de la sortie de crise .. ( un rebondissement de plus aux milieux des nombreux rebondissements )Le contexte technologique du bouquin .. des personnages assez attachants et crédibles en font un excellent moment de science-fiction militaire .Un univers crédible et soigné donc et du souffle et du rythme .C'est assez exceptionnel dans le genre SF militaire je trouve , bien écrit .Un must je crois et selon mon humble avis .Manifestement les auteurs ont mobilisé des connaissances historiques sur la situation militaire et politique des « states « pendant la deuxième guerre mondiale , en partie au moins et sur un front en particulier .Pour les autres conflits il y a également des références historiques certaines , mais je crois que c'est au lecteur de les retrouver , non ?................................................................................................................. The Stars at WarThe Stars At War IIInsurrectionCrusadeIn Death Ground