Details Books In Pursuance Of An Oblique Approach (Belisarius #1)
| Original Title: | An Oblique Approach (Belisarius, #1) |
| ISBN: | 0671878654 (ISBN13: 9780671878658) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Series: | Belisarius #1 |
David Drake
Paperback | Pages: 467 pages Rating: 4.21 | 4013 Users | 77 Reviews
Identify Based On Books An Oblique Approach (Belisarius #1)
| Title | : | An Oblique Approach (Belisarius #1) |
| Author | : | David Drake |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 467 pages |
| Published | : | December 28th 2004 by Baen Books (first published July 1st 1998) |
| Categories | : | Science Fiction. Alternate History. Fantasy. Fiction. Historical. Historical Fiction. War. Military Fiction |
Representaion Supposing Books An Oblique Approach (Belisarius #1)
Some of the best-written trash I've ever read. Trash, by the way, is a perfectly legitimate genre. There is good trash and then there is bad trash. Never turn down the opportunity to read good trash.This is pulpy, ridiculous, muscular, high-adventure alternate history with totally implausible science fiction trappings. In fact, "An Oblique Approach" is a horrible misnomer. They should call it, "A Shameless Approach."
I don't think this book cares at all about historical accuracy, plausibility, Orientalism, subtle drama or complex psychology. Drake and Flint play fast and loose with history, wheeling in breathtaking anachronisms. The protagonist is a 6th century Roman general fighting a 15th century war against a 13th century geopolitical landscape in defense of a Pax Romana-era vision of his homeland, with a supporting cast taken from the 18th and 17th century, lead by some kind of abstract hyper-advanced thought machine from the cold and distant future.
There are famous historical figures repurposed into wildly inappropriate cameos (Tarabai the Concubine--which is about as appropriate as Queen Elizabeth the Streetwalker) and figures of marginal relevance catapulted to the front of the narrative. The authors dabble in the culture of India and Byzantium, decorate their narratives in the pulpy trappings of Vedic tradition and African culture with all the reverence for accuracy of an Indiana Jones movie.
And I love it. It's a guilty pleasure, but it's hard not to love this book. It wouldn't work, by the way, if not for Drake's fine craftsmanship. David Drake has a gift for language and an ear for rhythm and expression. He paints vivid portraits of his characters, instills them with vigor and life. His dialogue is sharp and his descriptions imaginative. He does, however, have a tendency to slip into long passages of pure diagesis and explication, and often affects a breezy manner, glossing over narratives and telling me what I wish he'd show me.
All things considered, I enjoyed this book. Drake writes well, and the quality of his authorship is enough to re-appropriate brazen implausibilities into a distinct style
Rating Based On Books An Oblique Approach (Belisarius #1)
Ratings: 4.21 From 4013 Users | 77 ReviewsArticle Based On Books An Oblique Approach (Belisarius #1)
I can't decide if this is a totally underrated series or if I should feel slightly guilty about liking it as much as I do. Probably both. It's historical sci-fi, which is a subgenre I can't always get into, as I'm not particularly a history geek, and it's also almost pure military porn, which I like rather more than I can explain.The best thing about the book is the banter. It's totally anachronistic, but it's funny, and for pure pulp like this, that's all I care about. The second-best thingShort on action and long on dry humor.
Some of the best-written trash I've ever read. Trash, by the way, is a perfectly legitimate genre. There is good trash and then there is bad trash. Never turn down the opportunity to read good trash.This is pulpy, ridiculous, muscular, high-adventure alternate history with totally implausible science fiction trappings. In fact, "An Oblique Approach" is a horrible misnomer. They should call it, "A Shameless Approach." I don't think this book cares at all about historical accuracy, plausibility,
2018 reread: Superb, one of the greatest series of novels that it has been my great pleasure to have read.
Alternative history is a strange kind of world. The authors will spend months, if not years researching real life events, real life characters, plotting maps and following conquests that happened in humanity's history. Then they will purposefully twist their own work by imagining a single event while splits the timeline into uncharted territory and create a narrative following the exploits of the real life figures who lived in that time. A lot of work goes into these what-if imaginings and it
Military fantasy. Not a lot of action, but still kept me interested. Not sure I'll continue the series.
I had rather hoped I would hate this book. Seriously. Many years ago, when I first purchased my Kindle, I downloaded dozens of books from the Baen free library. That included the first four books in this series. Those books, along with many other free/cheap books that I downloaded around that time period, have resulted in an overwhelmingly large list of books that Im still trying to work my way through. So I thought, if I didnt like this book, then I could delete the other three books and make a
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