The Road of Danger
Baen Books, 368 pages, $25.00 (hardcover)
Baen Ebooks: $6.00 (e-book)
ISBN: 978-1-4516-3815-8
David Drake’s RCN (Republic of Cinnabar Navy) series draws from the same elements as Weber’s Honor Harrington series—military historical fiction and real military history—but in a completely different manner.
The historical fiction inspiration, in this case, is Patrick O’Brian’s seafaring tales of Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin (which were, themselves, inspired by Hornblower). The pairing here is RCN officer Daniel Leary and librarian/cyber-spy Adele Mundy. Leary is the son of a high-ranking government official; Mundy’s family was executed (by Leary’s father) for treason. Despite this, the two have become fast friends and make a remarkable team as they travel the stars foiling threats against the Republic.
The real-world history comes from the classical world; Drake finds inspiration in the work of Greek and Roman historians. The Republic of Cinnabar and its major enemy, the Alliance of Free Stars, aren’t SF versions of England and Napoleonic France; the military and political situations are much more complex.
Readers familiar with the gritty, boots-on-the-ground tone of Drake’s Hammer’s Slammers series shouldn’t expect more of the same. No one would use the word “genteel” to describe the RCN series, but “friendlier” certainly applies. If you’ve avoided Drake because you didn’t care for the unsparing starkness, give RCN a try.
This time around Leary and Mundy find themselves in a lawless space sector of corporations gone wild, where money is king, corruption is endemic, and armed battles are standard negotiating technique.
Of course, there’s a rogue spy and a sadistic thug plotting war, and once again it’s up to Leary and Mundy to untangle the whole mess and defeat the growing threat. All great fun, with some nice plot twists to keep the reader paying attention (just in case the gunfights aren’t sufficient).