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Title: the nay-sayers are nuts
Review: I've been reading SF for just over 65 years. My SF library runs to 1800 volumes. While Empire From the Ashes may have been one of Weber's early works, it simply sparkles with imagination. If you don't enjoy it, find another genre to read. He has grown greatly in the conversations between characters (in Safehold, they are amazingly good), but they are just fine in the Dahak trio. I have recently finished reading Asamov's Foundation pentology (including the Robot inclusions) and six of Heinlein's best. Neither of them can touch Weber's attention to detail, and INTELLIGENT conversations between characters who are at the top of Safehold's heirarchy and therefore intelligent. The monologues are so good they can bring an unexpected lump in the throat. If all you want is car-chase type reading, you may skip pages, but if you want a brilliant read from a great SF writer, Weber is your guy.
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