On Basilisk Station by David Weber - Audiobook Review #4 - Disco Reads

_{Cover image via Baen Books & David Weber}

Disco Reads, An Audiobook Review

We have finally moved on from the Dresden Files novels to start looking at one of my other favorite series. This time it's Sci-Fi and some of the greatest Sci-Fi I know, at that. You may not be aware of the amazing world of Honor Harrington, but you need to be. Below is my review of a specific audiobook version of the first book in this series.

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On Basilisk Station - David Weber

Read by Madelyn Buzzard (This is the LOC-NLS version.)

The Story

From the book jacket:

Having made him look a fool, she's been exiled to Basilisk Station in disgrace and set up for ruin by a superior who hates her.

Her demoralized crew blames her for their ship's humiliating posting to an out-of-the-way picket station.

The aborigines of the system's only habitable planet are smoking homicide-inducing hallucinogens.

Parliament isn't sure it wants to keep the place; the major local industry is smuggling; the merchant cartels want her head; the star-conquering, so-called "Republic" of Haven is Up To Something; and Honor Harrington has a single, over-age light cruiser with an armament that doesn't work to police the entire star system.

But the people out to get her have made one mistake.

They've made her mad.

Now, first, I must say that the version I have listened to is NOT the commercially available version. From a friend, I received a copy of the Library of Congress- National Library Service 'talking books'. It's essentially a free service for the Blind to experience books via the National Library Service. As I prefer this narrator over the version read by Allyson Johnson, I decided to review this one. My review for the story is independent of that, but my review of the narrator only applies to this version.

As for the story...

This is one of the best examples of world-building I have ever experienced in Fiction of any sort. David Weber is amazing at offering the details you want and need, without being unbearably long-winded. It's no 'light-reading' type of exposition, but it's tolerable. We have a strong female lead, in some really awesome Naval/Space combat, mixed in with political intrigue and a wonderful bit of the David & Goliath fight. It's an amazing portrayal of a small, single system but very rich and technologically advanced Kingdom versus a large, Communistic/Welfare 'People's Republic' that has gone expansionist to keep feeding it's populace on the dole. This presents a plucky, but capable under-dog using it's better education and tech to battle a larger, more brutish enemy. Mix in some amazingly feasible space battles, given the technology involved, and you have a really amazing Science Fiction thriller.

Truly, you will find yourself very involved in these characters.

The Narrator:

Madelyn Buzzard

I have only listened to books read by her in this series. She absolutely sounds like I would expect Honor to, and she does the other voices involved amazingly well. She doesn't attempt to stretch her voice to other gender's beyond what might be comfortable. She has a powerful mezzo-soprano that conveys emotion extremely well with it's breathy touch. Pacing and enunciation is perfect. An absolute joy to listen to.

(Compare this narrator to the commercial version which has horrible pronunciations and bad tonal quality to see why I prefer this recording.)

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In Summary:

This is an amazing introduction to Honor and her universe. It only grows from here and by the most recent books, you are going to be fully involved.

10/10 - Would recommend.

Thanks!

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