With the Lightnings

RCN Series, Book 1

By: David Drake

Narrated by: Victor Bevine, David Drake

Length: 13 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

Daniel Leary is a lieutenant in the Republic of Cinnabar Navy with no money and no prospects since he quarreled with his ruthless, politically powerful father.

Adele Mundy is a scholar with no money and no prospects since her family was massacred for conspiring against the Government of Cinnabar.

Kostroma is a wealthy planet which depends on diplomacy to stay independent in a galaxy whose two great powers, Cinnabar and the Alliance, battle for supremacy.

In a few hours, diplomacy is going to fail Kostroma. Daniel, Adele, and the scratch crew they gather aren't much to stand in the way of a powerful invasion fleet, but just possibly they're enough.

Men and women who hold courage cheap and honor more dear than life itself face impossible odds in a novel of color, intrigue, and slashing action. From the corridors of a treason-ridden palace through the perils of unknown seas and hellish jungles to a final blazlng climax in space, the heroes never bow and the action never flags.

They have nothing on their side but each other - and heaven help whatever tries to stand in their way!

BONUS AUDIO: Includes an exclusive introduction by author David Drake.

Go Navy: download more titles in the RCN Series.

©1998 David Drake (P)2008 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The yarn unfolds into an authentically taut and exciting tussle, courtesy of Drake's unflinching portrayal of battle's downside and his eye for telling detail." ( Kirkus Reviews)
"A full measure of appealing derring-do." ( Publishers Weekly)

Details, details, details!

I’m a long-time fan of David Drake and his Hammers Slammers series. I also think Patrick O’Brian wrote the best nautical novels ever. So it was no surprise to me that I really liked this book. Mr. Drake freely admits he uses O’Brian’s Aubrey / Maturin novels as his inspiration but he doesn’t copy them. Mr. Drake’s gift is his ability to envision an entire universe and fill it with all the necessary details: history, physics, biology, human psychology, military technology, politics, etc. Most of which have a factual basis. Then he puts his characters into this universe and leisurely develops them and their story. Great characters, intricate plot, lots of action. All-in-all a superior example of the military science fiction genre.

Still One of the Best Space Operas To Date

This is one of my absolute favorite space opera series. No matter how many times I read or listen to it, I thoroughly enjoy the story. Daniel and Adele have one of the best friendships in any novel, perfect counterparts to each other!

Not my cup of tea

Just could not get into it, this was plodding to me, it's hard to define what I did not like about it but I just did not care about any of the players involved.

Boring and Pompous

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

The story took to long to get started. The main characters were too pompous and egotistical.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The narrator was too mono-toned. It sounded like he was not enjoying the book either.

Not my cup of tea

I found this story boring. The characters uninteresting. The relationships superficial. Honestly I tried so hard but I just couldn’t do it. I was looking for something more like the Honor Harrington series but I didn’t get that. I will say it is well preformed. Just didn’t fit me. This more a failure of audibles algorithm then of the author.

Two hours in and nothing happened

I gave up after two hours. This book and series might turn out to be excellent but such a slow start for a military science fiction just doesn't cut it with me. I don't know who many pages that is but really, nothing happened. How dull.

WHAT?

I've read many exciting and fun books from this author but this is about the worse book for audio I've heard.! I picked this out because it cost 1.99, im sad to say that even with a great voice this was a waste of money and time for everyone.

The Science Fiction takes a back seat

The story seemed so focused on character development that the science was seemed in the way. Very slow start and, frankly, plodding. I never bought into the main characters and did not care to see how things turned out. For the first time in 15 years of listening to science fiction on Audible, i did not finish a book.

Terrible

Absolutely terrible. The plot is predictable, the characters are boring, the writing style is lamentable. This is my first experience with David Drake, and it will certainly be the last. I dislike leaving a book i have purchased unfinished, but between the poor writing, the predictable lines and the monotone narration, turning OFF this book is a welcome relief.

Space Aubrey/Maturin It Isn't; Weak Narration

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Victor Bevine and David Drake ?

Patrick Tull

Any additional comments?

This book falls well short of Patrick O'Brian's standards. That in itself is no crime. A novel could be half as good as Patrick O'Brian's weakest and still be excellent. The problem with this novel isn't the story. The plot is creative and well plotted. But the narrative is weakly executed. The navy culture seems a bland, barely updated caricature of the 18th century British Royal Navy. The jargon isn't authentic and the characters aren't nearly as rich. Drake plods on with page after page of explanations of the cultural and scientific context for his story, told in a straightforward reading by his third-person narrator. And the audio performance doesn't help things. Where some narrators will add that last bit of artistic interpretation to help a work move from good to transcendent, this narrator persists in small errors and inauthenticities that pull the listner out of the story; For the narrator, boat's are moored to a "KAY" (pronouncing the word phonetically) instead of a "KEY"; The naarrator's officer rests his foot on the "GUN-WALES" instead of the "Gunnals" of the boat. A little homework would have helped. Worse yet, the narrator only makes a mild attempt at giving each character a different voice. To see the difference, listen to Patrick Tull's brilliant narration of any Aubrey/Maturin novel. Two minutes will do. I don't want to be too harsh. As I said, the story is creative and revealed in an interesting, albeit slow fashion. But by inviting a direct comparison to O'Brian, the author risks frustrating those looking for O'Brian in space.