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The Spark
The Spark | David Drake
5 posts | 4 read | 2 to read
In the time of the Ancients the universe was united—but that was so far in the past that not even memory remains, only the broken artifacts that a few Makers can reshape into their original uses. What survives is shattered into enclaves—some tiny, some ruined, some wild. Into the gaps between settlements, and onto the Road that connects all human reality and the reality that is not human and may never have been human, have crept monsters. Some creatures are men, twisted into inhuman evil; some of them are alien to Mankind— And there are things which are hostile to all life, things which will raven and kill until they are stopped. A Leader has arisen, welding the scattered human settlements together in peace and safety and smashing the enemies of order with an iron fist. In his capital, Dun Add, the Leader provides law and justice. In the universe beyond, his Champions advance—and enforce—the return of civilization. Pal, a youth from the sticks, has come to Dun Add to become a Champion. Pal is a bit of a Maker, and in his rural home he's been able to think of himself as a warrior because he can wield the weapons of the Ancient civilization. Pal has no idea of what he's really getting into in Dun Add. On the other hand, the Leader and Dun Add have no real idea of what might be inside this hayseed with high hopes. THE SPARK: A story of hope and violence and courage. And especially, a story of determination. At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). About The Spark: ". . . entertaining tale combining the feel of Arthurian legend with nifty far-future super science . . ."—Publishers Weekly About David Drake: “Drake deftly weaves a web of political machinations and intrigue that vividly depicts the costs of war. Fans of Patrick O'Brian's Maturin and Aubrey novels will enjoy this intricate, rousing space opera.” —Publishers Weekly “[R]ousing old-fashioned space opera.”—Publishers Weekly “The fun is in the telling, and Mr. Drake has a strong voice. I want more!”—Philadelphia Weekly Press “[S]pace opera is alive and well. This series is getting better as the author goes along…character development combined with first-rate action and memorable world designs.”—SFReader.com “[P]rose as cold and hard as the metal alloy of a tank…rivals Crane and Remarque…”—Chicago Sun-Times “Drake couldn’t write a bad action scene at gunpoint.”—Booklist
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review
swynn
The Spark | David Drake
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Mehso-so

Retelling of King Arthur stories in a science-fiction-y world of parallel universes and alien technology. I liked the weird setting and plain prose, but was turned off by the episodic plot and the hero's relentless aw-shucks personality.

DuckOfDoom I felt the same. Got it a long time ago in a book box and decided to never read this author again. 4y
swynn @duckofdoom I bounced hard off one of Drake's Hammer's Slammers books long time ago, and hadn't picked him up since. A friend recommended this series, and it's better than I remember that anyway. I'll probably read the next due to the recommendation, but likely won't become a fan. 4y
DuckOfDoom Oh, it will be a series? I thought it was a standalone 4y
swynn @DuckOfDoom A sequel was published earlier this year. I don't know how many more are planned. 4y
11 likes4 comments
blurb
swynn
The Spark | David Drake
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Tower of Due, November 2019. Priorities?

review
DuckOfDoom
The Spark | David Drake
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Mehso-so

Last read of 2017. I am currently only able to upload a bunch every couple of days. While the world was interesting, it seems I just don't care about the story. The hero and the other characters seemed bland to me, and the story was too long or too short in all the wrong places. The annotations by the author were barely readable, if you get the xhance to annotate your book, it should be possible to decipher the annotations.

review
shahn77
The Spark | David Drake
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Bailedbailed

I think I made it about 25% of the way through this book. I kept thinking it had to get better. Awful. Just awful. The writing is poor, the story is boring, the characters are all stereotypes.

blurb
speljamr
The Spark | David Drake
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I waited a while to post this, but since I've already seen others posting without marking it as a spoiler I'm hoping this will be ok now. This was last month's #pagehabit sci-fi box.

#mypagehabit #sciencefiction #scifi

abbsinwonderland I got this box too from a giveaway. Not sure how I feel about it. 6y
DuckOfDoom I too receive my box a bit later than everyone else, because I live in Germany. So I decided that it is actually good? Because at some point I just want to know what's in there 😄 What do you think about the book? It sounds a bit strange to me.. 6y
DuckOfDoom I also shouldn't write comments early in the morning with German autocorrect on. Sorry if it is a bit confusing 😅 6y
See All 11 Comments
Ingerella Oh wow. I didn't know there was such a box! I need to check it out! 6y
shahn77 @abbsinwonderland Have you read this yet? I am bailing. I am really annoyed. This seems to be a really poorly written fantasy novel, not scifi. Just curious if anyone else is struggling with this. 6y
abbsinwonderland @shahn77 I haven't started it yet... I haven't really heard too many good things so I've been hesitant starting it. 6y
speljamr @shahn77 @abbsinwonderland I haven't gotten to this yet either. Looked like standard David Drake military stuff. So far, only one book of the Sci-fi box has looked really good. The others are on a much lighter side of sci-fi than I would pick. As an avid sci-fi reader I haven't really been impressed with the author selection so far. 6y
shahn77 @speljamr @abbsinwonderland I really enjoyed last month's book. It was my first page habit box. I probably wouldn't have picked it out at the bookstore which is part of the fun of ordering the box. I expect to get a book that doesn't work for me once in a while, but I am just frustrated that this really seems miscategorized and the writing is so poor. It doesn't seem like a curated pick. 6y
speljamr @shahn77 @abbsinwonderland I agree, the previous box had what looked like a good choice in an up and coming sci-fi writer. I have the new box on the way, if the choice is like the Spark I'll probably go elsewhere. 6y
shahn77 @speljamr @abbsinwonderland I have the next one coming too. I am of the same opinion. If the next one isn't good, I will probably cancel. Thanks for the input on this one. I was really struggling! 6y
abbsinwonderland @shahn77 @speljamr I got two boxes for free from a giveaway, so I can't really complain...but I am glad I didn't pay for it. 🙄 Who knows if I'll read this now. 6y
72 likes11 comments