John

Toil and Tribulation is a worthwhile continuation of the Safehold saga. Some surprises are included in the story, and there is much of the industrial, military, diplomatic, and theological complexity for which this series has become known. At times, though, complexity gives way to tedium. Hence four stars and not five. The story is worth listening to.

The breadth and depth of military history and tactics that are presented. I recognize this is an acquired taste, however, and so this tale may not be for everyone.

The narration is carelessly done. Pronunciations from previous volumes and their narrations are nearly unrecognizable. There is no attempt at using English and other accents to distinguish various ethnic groups as done so well in previous volumes. Worst of all, even English words such as adjutant are badly mispronounced. If the producers of the next volume can't do better than this, I'll just buy the book and be donewith it. Please bring back Oliver Wyman or Jason Culp.

No movie could be made long enough to do the Safehold series any justice.

Plot development in Shattered Hourglass is uneven and at times disjointed. The previous two installments in this series were well balanced. However, there is at least a measure of plot closure at the conclusion of Shattered Hourglass.

Some of the character development in this installment was disappointing. Admiral Goedelman on board the the USS Washington unnecessarily loses stature in my opinion. However, this is balanced by the development of the characters of Jan, John, and especially the protagonist's Islamic comrade-in-arms.

Jay Snyder's performance in all three of the installments in this series is professional and quite enjoyable. This entire series benefited much from Jay's narration and storytelling abilities.

There appears to be enough material available at the conclusion of Shattered Hourglass for this series to continue. I hope Mr. Bourne will carry on.