First off, a great read as usural. Same depth as any weber fan would expect. The storyline of the previous books sets things up nicely for this one and most of the open plot issues are resolved with new ones taking there. The new issues however, finally start getting to the core issue when Merlin 'discovers' a few things. All in all a good book but definitely an 'inbetween' book needed to progress the future plot line. Which will be awesome.

No Honor Harrington series available truly his better books

The descenders for the last line of text on a page appear at the top of the following page for my font and font size. It makes a few words hard to read and I haven't had this problem with any of the other books I've read.

How Firm a Foundation is filled with the "standard Weber structure" which I happen to like very much. The political intrigue, the swashbuckling action, the deeply detailed descriptions are all there. As he has in the past, he gives the reader a deep insight into the characters, allows us to develop a relationship with them, and occasionally, kills them to add emotional depth. All pretty satisfying. However, in the end, this book felt less "progressive" with regard to the overarching story running through the series. If the fundamental premise is that there's a group of big, bad aliens (the Gbaba) looking to exterminate humanity and one of the main protagonists, Merlin/Nimue, has to get this last pocket of humanity ready for that confrontation, and 5 books into the series, we're getting ready to introduce the steam engine, to this reader, it feels that we won't address the reason for the existence for this human colony on the planet Safehold until 15 or 20 books down the road. I don't want to sound as if I did not like the book because I did. I enjoy Weber's interaction between old and new technologies and how they affect society. I'm even looking forward to seeing what happens next. I just wish this series would feel more like the Weber/Ringo Prince Roger series (March Upcountry, etc) which lasted 4 books than it does to Weber's immensely popular Honor Harrington series. It is fine to introduce new threats and challenges that the characters and society have to face to continue a series (as he's done in the Honorverse). But here, it just feels like we're a very, very long way from dealing with the underlying threat encountered at the beginning of the series.

Why should anyone be allowed to write a review of a book they haven't purchased, merely to make a protest about the cost? How about either don't buy it and don't comment, or buy it THEN comment. If you're very upset over the pricing, write to the publisher. Don't clutter up book review comment sections. (yes, I fully realize the irony of this statement.)

The plot didn't move all that much and the chapters could have been condensed drastically in some areas and still convey the same. Felt too much like fluff to hold out until the next book

$15 for an e-book seems a bit excessive to me. Considering that I can purchase the hardcover for less.