The Tyrant

by Eric Flint and David Drake

Book Overview

If the corrupt Empire ruling most of planet Hafardine falls, so will the last remnants of civilization left behind when galactic civilization collapsed long ago. Only two men see the coming disaster,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743471504
• ISBN13: 9780743471503
• Release Date: August 2003
• Publisher: Baen Books
• Length: 501 Pages
• Weight: 0.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.1" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

The Tyrant, a solid read..........

Ok, I waited for the paperback on this one, but would not have been unhappy if I had bought it hardcover. David Drake had Eric Flint rather than S.M. Stirling as co-author, and it represents an interesting departure from the tone of the rest of the series. While it had it's fair share of blody battles, they were not the primary foccus. Rather the book followed the politics and fealings of the the main character and his family as they try to aviod the fall of Rome and skip the dark ages.This plot basis is fully in line with the idea of Center trying to create an industrial base to rebuild the old federation that created it, so I was not thrown by it's placement in the series. It also had some nicely done historical events thrown in that fit neatly into the story.I have to agree with other reviewers that there is never any doubt of the outcome of any of the events, so it is hard to be as engrossed in the battles as one usually would be, but I could not put the book down, so I have to recomend it. I don't think fans of 1633 will be disapointed in the charecter and plot development, and there is enough action to keep the 1632 crowd involved. This is a great business travel book to pick up at the gift shop, start on the plane, and use to wind down in the evening. It may keep you up reading later than planned, but that's what a good read does.

Very Good, different from their Other Books

I read this sucker in 1.5 days, and for me, that's fast...A real page turner, with some nice surprises, and really nice changes in the same series...I have all of their books (mostly), and I actually enjoyed this one much more than the REFORMER, the 1st book in the series.The characters are human , in the sense we see them in many ways, not jusy military.the story is very good, in the sense of surprises, and a really big mix of different events and inluences.It's not as good as the Belisarius series (what is?), but better than the latter books of that series.Also the Center/Raj conversations are in another character, not the main one, a nice change.I enjoyed the new "companions/council" players that the General creates, a la Raj, on this world; a bit different , for sure.I heartily recommend this Book, it's a really good read in the military sci-fi, ancients tradition. Honestly, a 3rd book would be possible, as now that the continent is "pacified", they could encounter the other continents in more developped or more "evil" states that the one they are on.The CHOSEN was good, but pretty Final; not this one.I hope Eric Flint writes it, I love his workThat's allJean

Good continuation for the series

This book is a great combination of Flint and Drake. I love the strong characters fighting for the salvation of civilization. It moves along at a good pace and has several places with good laughs. I enjoyed Reformer, but I like Tyrant more. Thanks guys!

If you liked the Redemer, you'll LOVE this

A really great sequel that is, perhaps, even better than the first in the series. Fabulous. No more need be said.

Superbly told story from a master storyteller

Eric Flint, in the last few years, appeared suddenly on my list of "Must Buy and Read" authors, and it appears likely that he will never leave it. This latest book certainly adds weight to that impression.This is the second in a pair of books plotted by David Drake involving the battle computer, Center, its guide to things human, Raj Whitehall, and their chosen instrument to save a planet which otherwise has no future, Adrian Gellert. The first book was "The Reformer", and it was fairly readable, but S. M. Stirling is only a fair writer.*THIS* book, on the other hand, blazes with drama, comedy, political intrigue, hatred and revenge, love and laughter. Just about everything, in fact, that makes being alive so intriguing. I came to care deeply about all of the characters, and all of them brought perspective on what it might be like to live in a time when the old must die that the new may be born, and each player must decide for him- or herself whether to attempt midwifery or murder, or both. I found in this book two paragraphs filled with such insight that I deem the cost of this book, in both money and time reading, amply repaid by them. (I'll let you find them rather than spoil the beautiful surprises.) The rest of the book is a bonus from a master storyteller.Thank you, Eric.