This is the second book in this series by David Weber. I reviewed the previous volume, Off Armageddon Reef, here.
Weber continues the series with more excellent writing. I think there is nobody in science fiction who can combine exciting characters, excellent military writing, interesting politics, and a plot that keeps you reading like David Weber can. I often find that as series go on my interest drops. After a time I quit caring what happens next, but that is not true of any of Weber’s series.
In By Schism Rent Asunder, we get to learn a great deal about the church, its structure, and its scripture. It’s interesting, and I’m pretty sure intentional, that the various scriptures attributed to the archangels are generally slightly rewritten passages from the Bible or to some extent from other scriptures.
On the one hand we have religious suppresion and cruelty carried to the maximum degree, then we have a more moderate church. Yet there remains the question of whether the entire church is based on a lie. King Cayleb and his Kingdom of Charis have to face these questions along with the much more practical issue of whether they will manage to keep on living while fighting against “God’s church” and its secular power.
There’s a certain amount of reflection of the reformation period in Europe with elements like excommunication and the interdict brought into play.
This book is clearly not a conclusion to the story, but it does answer many questions even as it leaves you wondering just what those power sources are under the temple in Zion, and how long can Nimue Alban, also known as Merlin Athrawes manage to remain undetected.
