By Heresies Distressed

Safehold Series, Book 3

By: David Weber

Narrated by: Jason Culp

Length: 24 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

In David Weber's By Heresies Distressed, the battle for the soul of the planet Safehold has begun.

The Kingdom of Charis and the Kingdom of Chisholm have joined together, pledged to stand against the tyranny of a corrupt Church. The youthful Queen Sharleyan of Chisholm has wed King Cayleb of Charis, forging a single dynasty, a single empire, dedicated to the defense of human freedom. Crowned Empress of that empire, Sharleyan has found in Cayleb's arms the love she never dared hope for in a "marriage of state." In Cayleb's cause, his defiance of the ruthless Group of Four who govern mother Church, she has found the task to which she can commit her mind and her courage. It is a cause for which she was born.

Yet there are things Sharleyan still does not know. Secrets Cayleb has not been permitted to share, even with her. Secrets like the true story of humanity on Safehold. Like the intricate web of lies, deception, and fabricated "religion" which have chained humanity for almost a thousand years. Like the existence of the genocidal alien Gbaba, waiting to complete mankind's destruction should humans ever attract their attention once more. Like the existence of a young woman, Nimue Alban, nine hundred years dead, whose heart, mind, and memories live on within the android body of the warrior-monk she knows as Merlin.

And so Empress Sharleyan faces the great challenge of her life unaware of all that task truly entails...or of how the secrets the man who loves her cannot share may threaten all they have achieved between them...and her own life.

Listen to more in the Safehold series.

©2009 David Weber (P)2009 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“From the clean, enunciated tones of Merlin, to the faint Scottish accent of Cayleb, to the gruff and terse voice of Grand Inquisitor Clintan, Culp manages to convey a distinct identity through tone, pitch, accent and speech patterns of each character.” —KingoftheNerds.com

“The unabridged audiobook version of By Heresies Distressed...is masterfully narrated by Jason Culp. The excitement and tension of dramatic events...come across even more strongly to a listener than to a reader.” —BookLoons.com

I miss Oliver Wyman

Not having Oliver Wyman narrate was a big surprise. He established the personality and voices of the characters. With Jason Culp, the personality of Merlin, especially, recedes to the background, IMO.

What Are They Thinking?

Well you don't have to guess. Weber lays out the thought processes of each character in depth for all to hear. The Grand Inquisitor is an open book as he deludes himself and everyone around him. So many scary parallels in today's political arena. The utterly self-righteous power hungry monster who chooses to use GOD, Faith and Belief for his own nefarious ends. I find it difficult to wait for the next episode to see him eventually pay for the pain and suffering he has wrought on Safehold. He is as transparent as his political equals on present day Earth.
Caleb and Charlyan along with Merlin make me wonder if the divine right of kings and queens might be preferable to the bought and paid for leaders of our so called "democracy". This epic struggle between the forces of good and evil is captivating because it slowly takes us deep inside the minds of the characters whose actions shape the future of their world. In the end would living the lie of "The Church of God Awaiting" save the people of Safehold from annihilation by their galactic enemy and would that be preferable to exposing the truth and facing the consequences? What a terrific series.

a grand and sweeping tale

My imagination has been completly carried away by this series, of which this volume is the third installment. I find the detail and scope of the series breathtaking. In fact in all of the science fiction I have read and listened to, I have never seen anyone attempt such an ambitious project. And Weber has done this successfully.

Additionally, I am enjoying the characters and enjoying watching them grow.

I can't wait for the next installment.

Amazing series

I love these books, fantastic story. The forethought that was put in to build connections to later books is great.

Good book okay narrator.

The narrator changed accents for the cast. It was hard to get used to.

Engaging

Weber developed characters you want to follow
the worlds he creates are worth exploring.
Taking a long drive get this series

What a fantastic book.

What made the experience of listening to By Heresies Distressed the most enjoyable?

Astonishing performance let you emerge your self with into the play and become one of the characters known as Merlin.

What was one of the most memorable moments of By Heresies Distressed?

The revelation of the big lie and the outcome of the religious rules

What about Jason Culp’s performance did you like?

Fantastic narration. Superb diction , just outstanding.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The meeting with the king for the first time and ability to explain without appearing to be a daemon

Any additional comments?

Recommend this entire series

A jarring change, but a great book

Any additional comments?

Changing the narrator (which is prevalent in this series unfortunately,) is rather jarring.

Characters with little\no accent now have a Scottish touch, others gain french touches... it is rather confusing.

Average for Weber--Not his greatest

David Weber has become more obsessed with politics as his career advances. You could see it in the evolution of the Honor Harrington series and it is playing out now. In this series, he has a great plot concept and great, likeable characters. The first book, Off Armageddon Reach, was pure genius. The second book, By Schism Rent Asunder, was good, but not great. This third book is only good because we who have followed the story want to see where it all goes. However, I found the plot tedious more than once. Hopefully, someone will point out to Mr. Weber that we are buying science fiction, not political fiction, and adjust the plot line accordingly. I did miss Mr. Wyman for a couple of hours. Mr. Culp, however, persisted with consistent character voices and won me over. So, my recommendation for new readers is to start at the beginning, not here. For those following the story, you obviously have to buy it and listen to it. However, be forewarned that Weber is laboring. We can all hope that he moves things along in the next installment.

Good Story But About Time to Move On

This is a solid continuation of the story line revolving around Charis, Merlin and King Cayleb. It adds new depth to the characters that have already been introduced and picks up a couple of new ones that are moderately interesting. On the other hand, humanity has a long way to go before it gets back to the stars to confront the Gbaba. At the end of this book I was left with the feeling that the current portion story line was going to be dragging on for too long. I would have preferred to see this book wrap things up and set up a new aspect of the story. Unfortunately, that does not happen. While I am glad I spent the credits and I enjoyed the listen I will almost certainly pass on the next two books and wait to see if the story line moves on. As to the reader, while he was not bad I preferred Oliver Wyman's interpretation.