The Aliens That Took Everything | Armageddon Reef

[@BanilyaGorilya]

Literally added Killing Star, the 3-Body Problem series, and Blindsight to my reading list because of this awesome channel. I was just a Dunehead but it’s nice to be interested in other novels!

[@emmanuelboakye1124]

Cool👍👍

[@Hilo__]

You will not be disappointed by Blindsight, such a fantastic book!

[@kyle857]

I was very disappointed in 3 body problem. The ideas were cool but the writing wasn't great imo. The beer chapter was the first one about the communist revolution.

[@jared7360]

Three body problem was so good holy shit

[@tygerbyrn]

Same here! I thought I had read nearly every SF novel and books back in the day. Apparently not since I had not even heard of The Killing Star, etc. Thank you Quinn!!!

[@urielrcha]

Quinn's videos lately are the best part of my days.

[@wretchardkimball9049]

Whadda ya mean lately!

[@dannymaurice5543]

Best part of my day. Everyday

[@stegora_]

i can say the same ahah

[@DinkSmalwood]

Agreed. When you don't have enough time to read the same amount of sci-fi as you used to, this channel is a great for easing the cravings.

[@Thegoat6969yooo]

I would make a joke out of that but i genuinely feel the same way. I like escaping with the ideas n characters he brings to life. It helps when real life becomes too much sometimes for just one person to accept in its entirety. Lean on me brother. No one can face a lifetime but maybe day by day with a little help from fellow nerds

[@Akaterial]

I have read the Safehold series up to the current book. David Weber is a world builder. He goes into great details of the layout of the land, the history, customs of the people, political intrigue and gives very detailed descriptions of everything that goes on including the thoughts of the characters. It is great to get a very detailed picture of things as there is very little little left undescribed. It makes the books thick and the reading long to get to the action. Armageddon Reef starts with technology about the level of the 1400s. It is currently about the point of WWI with the exception of electricity. Everything is steam and pneumatically powered due to the technology restrictions. It is interesting to learn a bit of how technologies were invented here on Earth by reading how they were reinvented on Safehold. Quinn, have you thought of doing a video on the Ember Wars? That series has a very interesting take on aliens and how Humanity eventually takes to the stars.

[@carlll6101]

I agree, but also I think he sucks with lead characters, that are flat and suffer from power creep. His side characters and villains are often way more interesting. But main heroes of his work are the worlds he creates that are incredibly detailed. He made 18c age of sail stories into epic space saga and build world and science around the concept in way that makes you believe in it.

[@Shinzon23]

Not so much Tech restrictions as there's a giant fuck off WMD kinetic impact platform in orbit set to nuke any source of electrical energy that persists for long periods of time.

[@kannoramirez2288]

​@@carlll6101 it's the same thing with his Empire of the Ashes omnibus.

[@BanditUshanka]

I'm a WH40K nut and randomly came across this channel and now I have a lot more goodies in my library.

[@DekkarJr]

Saaaaaaame! Deathwatch!

[@EksaStelmere]

This channel has pretty much become my primary book recommendation channel. Very seldom have I run into anyone who can keep recommending books that I end up enjoying. Props and Godspeed.

[@WFKPG]

Learned about so many new books and worlds thanks to you, cheers mate. This looks like another great series.

[@Pazfora]

I’ve read all 10 books of the Safehold series. The good: The first 3 books kick off a compelling narrative with characters that I found myself caring about. Nimue is a complex protagonist with a sordid history, breathtaking technology at her disposal, and heartbreaking crossroads when the story begins. The world building is solid, rich and detailed… The bad: The details start to become labored and tedious, to the point where I often wondered what the last 3 chapters actually contributed to the story arch. Webber (the author) begins to ramble early on with things he finds interesting: how sailing ships worked, how late renaissance armies formed up, the chemistry of gunpowder and its derivatives… so be ready to go back to school. I love history and chemistry and still found myself skipping entire chapters waiting for Webber to get back to the story. He starts putting so much planning into how each and every battle unfolds that he seems to forget about the main story, diving way too deep way too often. It gets worse with each book, and if you’re able to power through all 10, you may feel the story could have been told in 5 books (or less). Certainly give these books a chance, but be ready for a rewarding story delayed by chapter after chapter of tangential musings at best, and at worst the tiresome ramblings of an old war veteran suffering from a mix of scurvy and overindulgence in “cherry bean tea”.

[@spudthepug]

I’d say that’s a general theme with his writing. I know in Honor Harrington the math descriptions make my brain blue screen.

[@Vespie]

All that, and the names drove me crazy.

[@battleoid2411]

@@Vespie ah yes, lyts ryplyce evyry vowyl wyth y

[@ptonpc]

I'm doing that now on the second novel. Should I skip a few or just go to the last one?

[@ptonpc]

@@spudthepug At least with Honor Harrington, (The earlier novels) he would give the summary and then put an appendix in for the readers who wanted more details.

[@kuuro_7712]

These non-sapient aliens you've been covering are the most chilling concepts since the dark forest. To think we'd be the last bastion of comprehension of the universe, and that our comprehension must be limited in order to safeguard what little we could is literal hell as far as I'm concerned. The universe deserves to observe itself and that can only be accomplished through consciousness, and possibly only through us

[@themanfromerf]

I don't know man, it sounds pretty metal to me. GO BACK TO SLEEP YOU OBNOXIOUS LITTLE HOMUNCULUS, THERE'S WORK TO BE DONE AND ALL YOU DO IS GET IN THE WAY. Pretty hardcore.

[@housewilma4904]

yet it is also a dangerous expersion of human delusion that "we are so special unique and only we are TRULY alive" i do belive such aliens could exist but it would be more a alien mindset then a super inteligent animal i think the spider species in one book quinn coverd is a far more "realistic' take on a alien inteligence terryfying to humanity that is still a form of "people" not "beasts"

[@TeChNoWC7]

The universe deserves nothing and sentience is a curse.

[@themanfromerf]

The author is so edgy, but... I don't know, I kind of like it. He does it well at least, the way he writes is interesting. Cool concept too, but also very edgy. I don't think its really practical.

[@kuuro_7712]

@@TeChNoWC7 The universe is the way it is, for better or worse, but sapience is our chance to change it. We started with food, worked to luxury for some, eventually luxury for all. Then to planets, and maybe after we master physics we will make a world where none are unhappy, because we deserve better than nature

[@RobertoMaurizzi]

I'd say the setting is more historical fiction than fantasy. The series of book goes through accelerated scientific, military, logistic and industrial innovation, giving IMHO very interesting insights on how things like navies and modern factories have replaced their previous versions

[@horsemumbler1]

Alternate history with 'sufficiently advanced technology and actual history standing in for magic and vision I to the future.

[@KarlHessey-db6mf]

I think you should read entire books mate, with the same calmness and at the same time making people feel engaged, you have a great voice

[@michaelmoolick9419]

Nice essay. The Gbaba area a quiet horror behind the action of the series, which in turn also shows the horrors man can and does visit upon itself. For those interested in works with related concept, the relatively obscure Dykstra's War shows what a series more focused on the Gbaba may have found out.

[@traceface7001]

some fan mail: as a teen i read loads of sci fi, in and after college i used to work overnights and listened to sci-fi audiobooks religiously. since then my time has sunk so i'm rarely reading much of anything let alone full series or deeper stuff. your channel has been a great chance for me to keep up with solid leads, but maybe more so in getting to experience some of these stories in a nutshell. obviously not the same as reading them, but when i know i won't be able to read the vast majority it's great to be able to still enjoy some of the questions and ideas they present. cheers for doing what you do.

[@robotaholic]

Since the Gbaba hasn't evolved or even changed in 600 years the humans ought to be able to handle them easily on their second encounter

[@no2party]

Depending on the tech level of Safehold when they return. It'll all depend on Merlin and Nimue's guidance.

[@pinzig]

The problem is not just quality, but quantity. Even if they can get a technical edge, the unending swarm of fearless Gbaba can and have just overwhelmed by numbers alone.

[@battleoid2411]

Earth already had some crazy technology, even the relatively "simple" federation tech merlin is able to stealthily fabricate is extremely advanced, nano drones, near-perfect space/aircraft, and computers so powerful they can hold multiple human minds and still maintain detailed simulations and processing capabilities

[@bricefleckenstein9666]

@@pinzig The Humans already had a tech edge - just not quite ENOUGH of one.

[@iagmusicandflying]

It's been a minute since read this series, but by the end of the war with the Gbaba, the humans have a clear and decisive technological advantage but by that point the Gbaba just had an insurmountable quantity. Like the observation of a WWII German Panzer commander who said something along the lines of "We could beat Sherman tanks at a 10-1 disadvantage. The problem was there was ALWAYS an 11th Sherman tank."

[@randallphobia8698]

Weber has touched on unstoppable aliens wiping out sentient species before with his Empire From the Ashes trilogy (which feels incomplete to me). I enjoy the Safehold series & hope that Weber manages to complete it in a way that satisfies both himself & the readers.

[@spudthepug]

Me too!

[@christopherlee7334]

At that point I'd go out of my way to just erase life itself from the universe and then work to bring about vacuum decay and erase the universe itself from existence. Better that than erasure of sentience. Such a world is better off not existing.

[@stevenhetzel6483]

​@@christopherlee7334vacuum decay doesn't erase anything, just brings it down to a lower energy state. Conservation of energy homie. Also, did you have to wipe you straight black bangs out of your eyes and set the razor down to type that comment? Do you have Thom York posters on your wall?

[@christopherlee7334]

@@stevenhetzel6483 no, but I did enlist in the SSBN force and actually enjoy doing 1SQ drills. I'm hoping to receive an actually valid and authentic EAM someday soon. About time this place burned.

[@flaco777]

In David Brin's Uplift series it was common for some, but not all, really advanced species to purposely return to an non sentient state and then if luck would have it, "naturally" start the process over again with some help from the galactic civilization. That or not and remain non sentient forever. It'd be a nice series to touch upon in general. Greg Bear's Forge of God and Anvil of Stars books are a good example of the dark forest idea influenced by Fred Saberhagen's Berserker novels. All stories that would be nice to explore on your channel.

[@lockeisback]

so glad Brin is mentioned here, with the sooner world, the library, and even calling one of the books ______ Reef (for Brin it was Brightness Reef), just seems like a massive and obvious allusion or nod from one author to another. also, great books.

[@NihilistAlien]

Rode the uplift trilogy 12 years ago. Damn time flies by.

[@FoxfireGreen]

Thanks for the rec, this series looks like something I might enjoy.

[@salmatosjr5285]

I have read everything (well almost) of anything written by David Weber. His Honor Harrington series got me hooked and the Safehold Series is amazing. Hopefully his next installment will be out in the next year or so. The one problem with his long running series is that they can get a little stale until he grabs you again with his story development and line of thought. If I were to recommend a starting point the Honorverse would be my recommendation.

[@beverlywhitman303]

or the Dahak series, it's only 3 books, Path of the fury was pretty good too.

[@salmatosjr5285]

@@beverlywhitman303 I enjoyed path of the fury.i have to check the Dahak series. I can't remember if I read them.

[@FusilAutomatique]

You have such a talent for shifting between mediums and frames of reference in chunks that build on each other and hold your attention. Like where you narrate the last stand of humans, go on to describe the horror from a human perspective, and follow-up with an outsider's viewpoint comparing the situation to pest destruction. It gives a broad context and appreciation for the scenario which makes you feel more engaged with whatever builds on it. This could be a silly question but is there any world where you do an audiobook version of the Three Body Problem Series? (I've only just started going through a lot of your videos recently).

[@Axehilt]

I _really_ wanted to like this series. The premise is amazing! Most of the story beats are amazing! It's just such a dry style with such a slow pace that I finally abandoned it ~5 books in. I just wanted to feel real progress towards that goal of somehow dealing with the Gbaba problem, but ~5 books in it felt like they hadn't even really _begun_ to tackle that problem! Just felt like the polar opposite of other books I've enjoyed in recent years like Brandon Sanderson's stuff, where new major-feeling plot elements are regularly introduced (and also resolved) at an exciting pace, and they don't dwell too much on the nitty-gritty details of everything.

[@sethjensen2291]

My last 60+ hours in books have all been introduced to me by this channel. All my favorite stories now.

[@davidgunther8428]

I've read the Safehold series. I liked it. It’s sort of an alternate- history about the Renaissance and early modern / industrialization era. The writing and characterization is better than Weber's earlier series, which is still very good. I don't have many thoughts on the Gbaba themselves because they only feature in the first book, which I read when it was first published.

[@johnathancurry6993]

Stories like this, mixed with real world events, is exactly why I enjoy writing sci-fi myself. The endless possibilities formed and made, always leaves a spark within, amplified through videos likes this. So thank you Quinnideas for all the work you put into your videos, and for all the books you've introduced us to, which continue to spark our galactic interest. Signed; Federation Galactus

[@Treveli45]

Never thought of the Gababa like that. But I started reading the series when it first came out, and after the start of the first book, they aren't talked about much (other than 'they're on their way'), so I've forgotten too much. And yeah, if you get started with Safehold (or the Honorverse) find their wikis, you'll need them for reference after awhile.

[@jaydee4397]

I'm glad you noted that the sci-fi was mostly backdrop and the books spend more time in our past level of technology as they tell their story. That makes a big difference to me.

[@CybershamanX]

Going to have to check this out! Imagine a human future where AIs advance to a point where they control us, but, due to built-in directives, don't get rid of us, yet humans let their minds devolve to the point where we can barely think. And then the AIs tell us we are going to war and we follow blindly. Sort of like the Gbaba. Wow. Lots to think about! Thank you so much for this video! Looking forward to your graphic novel! Peace! 😎🤘☮️

[@muthias4582]

You’re doing the Safehold series?!!!!!! No way!!! This is an absolutely big surprise but a pleasant one if I say so myself!

[@Rabarbarzynca]

Didn’t expect it either, love Weber’s novels, but they don’t hit me as something Quinn would discuss. They are a bit on action side and their story is usually reiteration of our history, but with some twist.

[@richardkenan2891]

I don't know that there's much for him to discuss in the Safehold series, beyond the creeping horror of a species abandoning consciousness to become essentially genocide machines on the interstellar scale, just waiting for something to show up and attract their attention. They didn't build a Doomsday Weapon, they *BECAME* a Doomsday Weapon.

[@Charistoph]

@@richardkenan2891, kind of makes you wonder if dogmatism should be added as one of the Great Filters of the Fermi Paradox.

[@ptonpc]

@@richardkenan2891 I'm on the second novel (At this rate it may be my last unless something improves). Personally I would have found what you mentioned to be far more interesting. So far, I am finding Safehold to just be a Honorverse with some tweaks and a fresh coat of paint. I used to read all Weber's novels and liked them but at some point, I feel he worked out a formula during the Honorverse and thought to himself "That's good enough. No need to put any more effort into it" Of course, this is just my personal feelings, I know of other people who love every instalment and that's fine.

[@ziggyjordan]

This video, like many of your others, is just remarkably well made and insightful. Not just insightful to the book but also to you and the way you think. I admire your ability to convey this, as well as your abilities in perceiving the societal, sociological, and psychological matters discussed in the work you analyse. This is why I keep coming back time and time again. Keep up the good work.

[@Dankest-Jedi]

Quinn I only found your channel about a week ago. I just ordered The Three Body Problem and look forward to reading it. Thanks for suggesting it, as well as generally being awesome and producing such delightful content.

[@JamesSavik]

I'm a big fan of David Weber, and I'm glad to see you covering some of his work. Safehold is just a fraction of the stuff he's done: The Honor Harrington, Empire of Man, and Muniteeners' Moon series are all great yarns. Safehold is a monumental slog, covering some eleven books. If you want to dive into a deep rabbit hole, this one will keep you busy for some time.

[@SeanKula]

Have you ever read Micheal Ely's "Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri" trilogy? It's an amazing series and video game. I think you would like it. It's not about galactic civilizations but the way it focuses on what goes on on one single planet and the varying factions and differences is incredible.

[@AAron-gr3jk]

The game is a forgotten gem. The graphics don't hold up but a remaster would ensure sales (don't talk to me about the horrible Beyond "remake" )

[@matthewwilliams8978]

That's my favorite game of all time! It weaves so many classic hard SF elements together with true futurist predictions and technological advancements.

[@SeanKula]

@@AAron-gr3jk I completely agree. And yeah screw beyond Earth that was utter garbage game. Did you know you can pick up a copy of Alpha Centauri and alien crossfire on GOG for five bucks?

[@AAron-gr3jk]

@@SeanKula got my original crossfire cd and the gog planetary pack :)

[@raidermaxx2324]

lol i remember playing that game back in the late 90's.. the series has really fallen off since those days lol

[@liv4combat]

Absolutely love David Webers Starfire Universe series with Steve White. Outstanding work. Yes, it's mostly space warfare over hundreds of years, but there are interesting characters with whom the reader will become emotionally invested.

[@bricefleckenstein9666]

The later Starfire books were just White. Weber appears to have gotten "too busy" with his own novels.

[@ptonpc]

The Starfire novels are military sci fi done right with engaging characters etc.

[@phillipshorter7751]

Invested is right. The vengeance of clan Prescott was well worth the wait. As was the survival of VF94 through the whole bug war.

[@bricefleckenstein9666]

@@ptonpc Weren't the first Starfire novels written while Webber was still working for ADB on Starfire itself?

[@Jiberonni]

Thank you, Quinn, for all that you do! You've introduced me to some great stories like Hyperion and The Three Body Problem. I'll definitely be adding this series to my list.

[@brianh9358]

I've read the entirety of the Safehold series - a good series, but I wonder if David Weber will continue writing it. He may be satisfied with where he left things and we will never see mankind rise again to fight the Gbaba. The books do have some pacing issues at times, but overall a good series.

[@Charistoph]

To be fair, LIFE has pacing issues at times, and things can't always move at the speed we want.

[@brianh9358]

@@Charistoph Although when writing a book you have control of pacing. At times he just gets too much in the weeds with rather minor characters and occurrences. It gets a bit slow.

[@Charistoph]

@@brianh9358, true, but when one is trying to provide a perspective on things, especially from a new person, one needs to get in to the weeds. Usually where I start drifting is when he goes off on mathematics and percentages, and I was a math nerd in high school. My point was that he is trying to provide a perspective on life there without relying too much on massive time skips, which he has to use in the Safehold series a lot as is due to the speed of sail.

[@christopherlee7334]

Such a universe should burn and its author as well

[@ZechsMerquise195]

Safehold is an absolute phenomenal series to read. David Weber writing is always interesting and thought provoking.

[@RedTSquared]

LOVE the Safehold Series! Great writing and I always wondered what a Gbaba might look like. I don't remember any descriptions of them from the books. Very nice overview of the series.

[@Sallet1900]

I absolutely loved the clash in technology shown in the wars. One side was hilariously outmatched in both tech and tactics but yet they outnumbered the other and pressed their attack hard only to get bloodied and terrified by superior technology.

[@jessedollin6298]

Love your content mate. You've introduced me to so many new universes.

[@Firsowoq]

Quinn's videos are the type of videos I can safely preemptively like because I know they are going to be good.

[@syran7848]

I have read the entire Safehold series, and am indeed a big David Weber fan in general. His Honor Harrington Military Sci-Fi series is also very good. You should read those as well if you have not and maybe do some videos on them too.

[@efxnews4776]

Not for me, the whole religion buggyman crap simply doesn't cut for me, is cliche and stupid...

[@gearyae]

His Honorverse books have some of the best space naval combat I've read described in books. I really wonder how this Safehold series compares to that.

[@F.O.R.]

@@gearyae they are sea battles to start, but the best part is how he handles the advent of technology and its impact on warfare. I was never specifically i terested in a post-gun powder historical warfare, but it is obvious he did his research and has his own expertise. I would ask my "black-powder" and modern gun enthusiast/ historians and they were intrigued with my Q?s to the point they started reading. It is really just a great series.

[@METT-TC]

I enjoyed the first several in the honorverse, but after a few books they began to become idiot-plots and cliched

[@justinmitchell7206]

@@gearyae Really is a great series. Enjoyed most of the Honorverse stuff, especially the earlier books and they had some great space battles. Safehold has some great navel battles (Weber's talked about how he was influenced by the Hornblower series, and it shows). He also wrote the Empire of Man series with John Ringo, really great ground battles sequences of space marines trudging across the surface of a planet against hordes of natives.

[@Jmac1962]

So glad you've found this Series. I've been enjoying David Webers work since a buddy of mine gave me a copy of the first Honor Harrington novel. I look forward to your videos on Safehold!

[@williammagoffin9324]

Safehold is a fantastic series. I hope you explore it more. While the Gbaba are terrifying, the true horror of the series is what thinking Humans will do to other Humans. Executions worse than crucifixions, suicide bombings, then eventually concentration camps and death marches. It can all be summed up in one often repeated phrase in the novels: "Holy Langhorne and no quarter!"

[@hidokun9145]

Are you talking about reality?

[@williammagoffin9324]

@@hidokun9145 David Weber, the author of Safehold, is a student of history. So our historical events tend to inspire his writings. But the camps, the marches, the Punishment of Schueler, the Rakurai terrorists are all things that happen in the books at one point or another.

[@fatherofdragons4880]

Please do more three body problem, it's literally got me hooked on your channel and sci-fi in general now! Great work!

[@Solenum756]

I'm a big fan of the safe hold series because I love ship ship combat that's just fun and I like to see technology progress overall it's a good story

[@nathanielacton3768]

Quinn, I'm happy to listen to you talk about books I'll never read. You have a great voice.

[@themanfromerf]

Yet another new sci-fi author to check out. Thanks Quinn. All this sentience talk lately has me thinking about the idea of "substrate independance". Just how far can you push this idea? Most people are intuitively comfortable with the idea of modern computer hardware being a suitable substrate for a self-aware mind, but if you think about it seriously, it very quickly becomes pretty problematic. I'm not going to attempt to spell the author's name, but I read a great book where genetically modified ant hives were used as a substrate for a self-aware mind. Stephen Baxter has creatures who's minds are encoded on patterns of turbulence in his Xelee series, the Qax. If you take this far enough, you get into some really weird territory. The Qax are pretty strange, but at least plausible. How about this though : If I manually encoded all of the same information processing your brain is carrying out on a piece of paper, say. Suppose that its a 1:1 representation of your actual mind, so I can predict your behaviour, read your thoughts and emotions, simulate how your mind would react to different stimuli, etc. would that be a suitable substrate for a self aware mind? Even weirder, what actually IS the substrate? Is it the piece of paper, or the system of equations itself? Either way... very problematic lol.

[@josephpotter5766]

When I went to university to do Psychology more than twenty years ago they were already talking in depth about the hard problem of consciousness and our biases towards what substrate is 'acceptable' to us as a foundation for intelligence and consciousness. The best discussion I ever had on the subject was with an older professor who'd been studying those subjects since the fifties and who's attitude was "Every piece of physical evidence we have suggests that the substrate doesn't matter, because consciousness is likely a lie anyway. You believe you're conscious in the same way you have free will, and we know to a pretty strong certainty that free will doesn't actually exist and that people are deterministic actors. So the likelihood is that any sufficiently complex system of information, so long as it error checks against itself in enough depth, becomes 'conscious' but the consciousness of a sufficiently complex computer system, corporation or economy doesn't imply free will or ability to act any more than our consciousness does." He sincerely believed that the global economy, and some of the larger national economies were conscious in some fashion. But that it was likely just as unprovable as it's ultimately a challenge to nail down what *our* consciousness is, beyond a universally emergent property of assembling a complex enough system of information.

[@themanfromerf]

@@josephpotter5766 Very insightful, he sounds like an interesting man. In one of Iain M. Banks' books, there's a race called the Morthanveld. They're aquatic creatures, and they have a parable about the appearence of the sun, as percieved through a layer of water : "Sometimes, it seems that the sun is shining especially for you" Something like that, at least. It's undoubtably true that there's something illusory about the self and self perception.

[@genghisgalahad8465]

I love these introductions to otherwise unknown sci-fi horrors! A diamond of a channel in the rough and tumble of same same booktube. The greatest horror being Yo Gabba Gabba!

[@johnhorrall1531]

I liked the Safehold books quite a bit. They did tend to drag on with minutia of various discoveries, however.

[@Just_Stranger_]

keep doing what you are doing man, you are awesome and absolutely killin it. i really appreciate the breakdowns and insights, i love science fiction and you got me hooked again

[@westrim]

The unfortunate thing about the Safehold series is that it's a textbook case of the problem when editors don't have enough power. The first 5 books were originally intended to be book 1, and Weber is on record saying that he deliberately stretched it out to make more money. I gave up around book 4. It's not that the details and many plot threads aren't interesting (although there's more than a handful that aren't), it's that trying to follow so many leads to a good story wrapped in 50 layers of padding.

[@hoi-polloi1863]

I won't argue, there is some pretty serious stretching. That said, I lucked out because I'm the guy who actually does groove on a ten-page digression about the problems of properly mixing one's gunpowder in the factory... ;D

[@battleoid2411]

Yeah thats definitely one of weber's main flaws, he builds some amazing worlds with really interesting stories, but he also loves to go super in-depth on how those worlds work

[@westrim]

@@hoi-polloi1863 I mean, I enjoy that too, including in context. Regimental organization, sailing techniques, all cool. But within a narrative, it's like slamming your foot between the brakes and the accelerator repeatedly. I can follow it, but with every screech I become less engaged. It's always been an issue for Weber, but it got unbearable over the last decade.

[@temujanradari1105]

It is kinda like Moby Dick, a good story encased in a textbook on whales 🐋 - except here it is a whole bunch of military and production technology that is passing the American Civil War as of the later books

[@hoi-polloi1863]

@@westrim I getcha, it's a valid complaint. Have you tried SM Stirling's "Emberverse" series? I think Stirling is a little more smooth on his techno-dumps.

[@raydeld]

I just wanna say I appreciate all the books you keep showing us! So much reading! Thank man!

[@TeresaBaileypolymath]

Quinn, I always love your visual imagery that backs up the books. You do a great job! I would like to see you cover the Miles Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold. She comes up with some fascinating technologies (like the uterine replicator) which she uses to show how humanity diverges on different plantets under different governments. I love Miles Vorkosigan!

[@Oveyz]

This was great! I didn't know this series at all, despite knowing the author. I'd love to hear more. As for suggestions, as always I'm here to promote A Deepness In The Sky or A Fire Upon the Deep.

[@ptonpc]

I've started the Safehold series. Everything Quinn talks about in the video is in the first few chapters. After that, forget it.

[@RockyX123]

Nice! You're finally covering the Safehold series!

[@driveitlikeyastoleit55]

I'm a fairly recent subscriber to your channel so I don't know if you've covered these but David Drake's Hammer's Slammers and John Ringo's Legacy of Aldenata are two of my favorite series. I'm reading Blindsight right now after seeing your video on it, and I'm really enjoying it. Keep up the good work!

[@paulblase3955]

I like the Aldenata books. Very similar theme: how do we keep not only the people but the culture alive in the face of possible annihilation.

[@liv4combat]

The General series by Drake, and Sterling is also an awesome read.

[@jackingtonfoxpickle4861]

You've reinvigerated a love of reading in a lot of people with your videos. Keep it up

[@JamezDahlMusic]

Cool SW jacket! Quinn > Finn

[@themightybunghole1088]

My man Quinn is going to bankrupt me with these bad ass recommendations. I've bought the 3 problem trilogy and blindsight because of you ,and now this book looks right up my alley

[@barrybend7189]

You should read the Dragon Riders of Pern books.

[@metazuul1103]

Going to have to check this series out! That bit on no longer being "concious" sold me

[@bigronnie9629]

Last time I came this early my wife was deeply disappointed.

[@emmanuelboakye1124]

Bro🤣🤣

[@slinux8420]

Bruh lol

[@Herflik600]

Have you ever read Solaris by Stanisław Lem? In my opionion it's the best SF novel about alien consciousness.

[@rickintx1125]

Also, Lem's "The Invincible" about an alien distributed machine intelligence.

[@jlangkowski]

Everytime I see a new topic from you it's one I've been thinking of. Another amazing video Quinn. Thank you

[@9000bret]

I eventually got bored with this series. It’s so obviously the author’s intent to put Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin books in a sci-fi setting that it was a bit painful. When the tone changes, when suddenly everyone is speaking like 19th century O’Brian or Austen characters and then switch back to something more modern, were tin-eared. I’m just not enamored of David Weber. He always has too much shoe-horned exposition. Setting O’Brian in space is an admirable goal, but this attempt is a failure for me.

[@rexcowan4314]

Excellent job with your sysopsis. Just enough to hook new readers to David Weber. I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series. going too check out your other stuff and go read Blindsight.

[@tonyyul703]

Dude please start reading the books from Warhammer 40k series

[@Mr.Glitch]

That might take a long while to just get through the Horus Heresy books! 😅 But it would be amazing!

[@slinux8420]

@@Mr.Glitch over 600 books........ my guy gonna be on his death bed before he makes a video on warhammer lol

[@Mr.Glitch]

@@slinux8420 he could get the main HH books done in a year if he can do a book a week at least. 🤣

[@morganallen9081]

I have to ration your videos so I don't buy too many books or spoil them before I read them. Keep up the awesome work, Quinn.

[@generalnawaki]

I tried reading LAMA but the writing style kind of threw me off. tried again and just could not over come it. like the ideas but its a pass for me. also the human race facing extinction would not settle ONE world. we would settle as many as possible as fast as possible so as to distract the gbaba as we fire off ark ships to every goddamn galaxy there is we can see, hell send them off to other galactic clusters. make colonies in raw space outside of the galaxy, settling one world is just lazy.

[@AlphaMexiko]

I read the dust jacket to one of them in a book bin & immediately had to Google about them. And all I have to say is, it sounds absolutely amazing

[@theprehistorichubert9448]

DO HUMANITY LOST

[@paulrhome6164]

Love this series, and never expected to learn so much about naval tactics when I started.

[@michaelmoolick9419]

Weber's Honor Harrington other space series has even more naval stuff, with space ships designed so wet navy strategy and tactics apply.

[@billypalmer8525]

I have read all of the Books in this series. This is one of the Top Three Science Fiction Series that I have enjoyed over the years.

[@SuperSanjuro]

Hi Quinn! Just wanted to let you know that your channel has become one of my favorites. I really enjoy the SF concepts you share. You're great at what you do, and I'm here for it. Cheers!

[@Samousamaster]

This has become my fav channel, thank you for proving such amazing videos!! You have motivated to read again and I can't thank you enough.

[@Hummelsbusch]

Every time I listen to your videos I instantly go to Audible to download the next great audiobook to listen to. Thank you, you are really inspiring!

[@robertdiehl1281]

Really appreciate your investment of time and effort to present your opinions. There are so many sci-fi novels available to listen to or read now…this is a valuable resource for reference.

[@NickKantoros]

Magnificent series, even if the tale is long-winded at times - I have read all 10 books and wait for the next one

[@michaeldudley6801]

I have read the whole series years ago. Thank you for covering it.

[@sbalogh53]

You have a beautiful collection of books in the background. I love your summaries. Thank you.

[@KacyJones]

Just wanted to say thank you for the content you produce. Your reviews are great.

[@lusifersrelease]

Quin, this has become my favorite channel

[@mrmetaphysic5798]

Hi Quinn, greetings from Germany and thanks you for some really fascinating scifi-content! Here`s my remarks on the Gbaba: A living species not being sentient or even conscious must be considered as a philosophical zombie - a thing with no inside. I can not see how consciousness, once established, should vanish by evolution, because it`s the most powerful tool in taking influence on the things happening in the future and so improving your chances of surviving and evolving into higher forms of consciousness. For philosophical reasons, I do not think that consiousness is based on or emerging from matter, but all we see (and ourselves too, of course) is the product of some sort of objective, universal consiuosness. This may sound theological or even esoteric at first, but this is not my intention. But if you see the immense gap between the neurological theories and the overwhelming self evidence of consiusness ("Cogito, ergo sum.") you can not come to another conclusion.

[@iainballas]

Oh dude I've yet to see any youtubers talking about this great series! I found OAR when I was in high school, and read it... then never remembered the rest until 2017. Thanks for bringing this up! Also one thing I don't think you brought up is this: Pei Shan-Wei was right. Humanity needed to build up a bit, find a distant corner to lay low and QUIETLY make a new fleet, and then go back on the attack. Earth's technology advanced quickly, actually overtaking the Gbaba by the end of the war... but by that point, they were too badly outnumbered. Their ships were able to go against bad odds, but the needed time to build more. So at this point, my guess for Nimue's plan (if Weber continues the series) is going to be to leverage AI, automated production, and Nharman's genius as an AI to develop some superweapon that will take them all out. The Gbaba really seem like some kind of hive-mind species to me, the way they are described. Weber might want to avoid the tropes, but it's the only thing that really makes sense to me. They surrendered their sentience to the collective, and now act like an ant colony, treating any outsider as an existential threat to be eliminated.

[@3lithepunk]

Man the intro is now a sign of Quinn

[@FunkyStuff96]

Man your videos are great, I always rewatch them when I go to bed 😄

[@nrm224]

Fantastic series. Glad to see you covering it.

[@britters220]

I just wanted to say, thank you and I love that you've done this.

[@mwatson3302]

Basically anything you talk about I read haha. Thank you for suggesting "Low" so I could get some hopeful stories in my brain to fight against Blindsight and The Three Body Problem

[@armaniwebb4467]

Because of you, I have bought hyperion, the fall of hyperion, blindsight, and all three body problem trilogy books. Thank you

[@stiopruryd4879]

Thanks Quinn! Thanks to you I discover a lot of new great sciFi series

[@MrDbmcknight]

I’m a huge David Weber fan. The Honor-verse and safe hold novels are very detailed and rich in their nuance. I can’t wait for the next safe-hold book.

[@Chris-es3wf]

Great content as usual, Quinn. 1mm subs will be here before you know it. Then, the stars are the limit. ✌️

[@GuyReactsChannel]

I tried to keep reading this series but honestly it’s a bait and switch because it’s less about sci-fi and more of historical fiction

[@grislyghost]

Love these explorations of specific parts of books and stories you enjoy!

[@empatheticfrog2052]

You've gotten me back into books bro. Thank you!

[@Yoursoul101]

Man your channel has the best Sci fi explanations.

[@themarra3293]

Love your content dude. It's put me on to ao many new books and stories. Thanks Quinn!

[@devilx67]

Love that jacket! And this sounds like a good series. Thanks!

[@mikesumner2020]

This series is solid throughout, well worth any one's time.

[@robwalsh9843]

Great narration! I'll be checking this series out soon.

[@thespacecowboy420]

It's suites like "sweets" and species is the plural of itself. Love your channel. Also "Xeen-oloj-ists"