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Spolier - My issues with the Gordian Protocol - Spoiler

David's and Jacob Holo's newest alternate, cross history series.
Spolier - My issues with the Gordian Protocol - Spoiler
Post by Sharidann   » Sun May 19, 2019 9:37 am

Sharidann
Lieutenant (Senior Grade)

Posts: 59
Joined: Fri Sep 10, 2010 9:29 am

So, yes, this will spoil some stuff, so if you didn't read it...

At your own risk

S
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Frankly, even the blurb didn't convinve me about the GP, hence I didn't buy, as customary, the eARC, not even the kindle, rather went the bundle version which baen offers for a month.

My issues with the book :

1) Minor but a personal peeve: if you write about historical features in a book, I am assuming that you mean the real ones and hence that they are orthographed correctly. I know it is not an issue if you aren't an history buff, usually, but frankly Reinhard Heidrick ( I am assuming you were thinking of Reinhard Heydrich) and von Rundstet (instead of von Rundstedt)... I know, minor, but when dealing with historical figures, I simply have higher expectations.
2) the date for Hitler's assassination doesn't work in my eyes: 16th of may 1940, the funny war (drôle de guerre in french) has ended with the beginning of Blitzkrieg on 10th of may... I am pretty sure that French, English, Belgian, whatever intelligence agencies would pick quite quickly upon Hitler's death and with political disarray, even in the middle of a war, I don't see the Wehrmacht being as successful as it was nor France collapsing that fast (keep in mind, the ceaserfire happened on the 22d of June...) or Dunkirk being needed.
3) The whole Shikegi family really comes around as a big bunch of A$$holes frankly. OK, I understand the thingie with wanting to save their own universe, no biggie here. But their ruthlessness makes this reader actualyl happy each time they got their butt kicked. They had the potential for grandeur, true but no matter of exposition, family life, whatever can make them look like anything else than a goon squad.
4) the whole thingie with Grandad was not bad but the way he got converted to the cause in the blink of an eye was a bit too much, too fast. Oh yea, my wife and small kids just got slaughtered because my idiotic grandson didn't take enough precautions and didn't even warn me of the possibility of an attack and now I am to get my pound of flesh from the bad guys... I felt it lacked subtlety.

Besides that, I found some reviews of the book amusing as people were ranting about the whole beginning and sensitivity training and interpreted it as DW and JH being bigots and pushing their socio-political views to the forefront... and at that point the usual SJW crew quit reading and missed the whole point (meaning that people are simply complex and can't be categorized with one broad stroke... oh well...).

It wasn't a bad book, by far, but point 2 kinda ruined it for me... Placing the assassination of Adolf on the way back from Rethondes after the ceasefire was signed, for example, would have been totally possible and would have made the whole setup more credible.

Just my 2 cp, and please don't see it as a rant, just wrting what I think and as english isn't my first language, I probably lack subtlety. My goal isn't to offend anyone.
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Re: Spolier - My issues with the Gordian Protocol - Spoiler
Post by Dilandu   » Sun May 19, 2019 10:32 am

Dilandu
Admiral

Posts: 2536
Joined: Sat May 07, 2011 1:44 pm
Location: Russia

Sharidann wrote:
2) the date for Hitler's assassination doesn't work in my eyes: 16th of may 1940, the funny war (drôle de guerre in french) has ended with the beginning of Blitzkrieg on 10th of may... I am pretty sure that French, English, Belgian, whatever intelligence agencies would pick quite quickly upon Hitler's death and with political disarray, even in the middle of a war, I don't see the Wehrmacht being as successful as it was nor France collapsing that fast (keep in mind, the ceaserfire happened on the 22d of June...) or Dunkirk being needed.


Exactly my issue with the book, too.
------------------------------

Oh well, if shortening the front is what the Germans crave,
Let's shorten it to very end - the length of Fuhrer's grave.

(Red Army lyrics from 1945)
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Re: Spolier - My issues with the Gordian Protocol - Spoiler
Post by kaid   » Mon Jun 24, 2019 11:35 am

kaid
Lieutenant Commander

Posts: 108
Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2009 12:08 pm

I almost stopped reading the book at the whole fox news strawman chapter I am glad I pushed through because after that the whole thing is basically ignored and never really plays any role in the book or the character. I find it really odd they bothered adding that in the first place. Just really weird choice that does nothing for the story .

It just reads a bit like somebody was watching fox news and got angry at the libruls for a chapter.
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Re: Spolier - My issues with the Gordian Protocol - Spoiler
Post by Dilandu   » Fri Jun 28, 2019 4:29 pm

Dilandu
Admiral

Posts: 2536
Joined: Sat May 07, 2011 1:44 pm
Location: Russia

Yep, same problem. Basically this fragment gave nothing to the plot besides establishing author/s political preferences.
------------------------------

Oh well, if shortening the front is what the Germans crave,
Let's shorten it to very end - the length of Fuhrer's grave.

(Red Army lyrics from 1945)
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Re: Spolier - My issues with the Gordian Protocol - Spoiler
Post by Bluesqueak   » Sat Aug 03, 2019 7:49 am

Bluesqueak
Captain of the List

Posts: 429
Joined: Fri Aug 19, 2016 3:04 pm

kaid wrote:I almost stopped reading the book at the whole fox news strawman chapter I am glad I pushed through because after that the whole thing is basically ignored and never really plays any role in the book or the character. I find it really odd they bothered adding that in the first place. Just really weird choice that does nothing for the story .

It just reads a bit like somebody was watching fox news and got angry at the libruls for a chapter.


The Chair of History is bullying and trying to fire a junior professor for 'the higher good'. Earlier, we saw ART murdering helpless Alexandrians 'for a higher good'. Later we'll see another society committing terrible crimes for, yup, 'a higher good'.

That's the theme throughout. As I saw it, the book asks the question 'who is going to suffer for this higher good of yours? Is it you, you and me ... or is it just me?'

I think the only query I have with the university scene is that Ben's being a bit naive if he thinks a gay brother will derail accusations of transphobia. Heck, if Ben was gay himself, it wouldn't derail accusations of transphobia. The writer Gareth Roberts has recently had a story dropped from an anthology because another writer accused him (not the story) of being transphobic. Apparently Gareth is the wrong sort of gay. :(

But anyway, the point is that the book seems to be trying to apply the litmus test for 'higher good' claims. Is the person making the claim prepared to suffer, even die, themselves? Or is it always someone else who ends up suffering 'to save the world'?
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