Published by Warner Books, 1996.
paperback, $5.99, ISBN: 0-446-60333-3
391 pages.

Voices of Hope is the fifth in the series following the exploits of Nicholas Seafort. If you have read through the first four, there is no hope of missing this fifth book, even though it takes place almost entirely upon Earth with minimal involvement with the Navy.

Feintuch continues his strong style, bringing a wide variety of new characters into play against the backdrop of Seafort and other characters we feel that we know on a first-name basis. However, it is preciely the newness of the situation, away from the confines of a naval ship in the middle of space, that tries our patience. The first four books took eight years to write--this last one doesn't seem to have the same gestation period.

Voices staggers from the start, not quite missing a beat as much as setting the wrong beat. Seafort, retired and living in a secluded compound, is under siege--from the populace who sees him (correctly) as their saviour and hero, from his political colleagues who wish to tap into that popularity, and from his past. However, most of the book is not so much about Seafort as his kid and aide's kid, and it wears thin with a story built around hackers and ghetto subcultures, and the inevitable collision the two make when the two boys leave the protected world of modern technology for the twisted remains of a devastated New York City.

Feintuch regains a measure of rhythm about a third of the way through the book, then pounds out vintage grab-you-and-hold-you-by-the-neck action. It takes that long to settle into the main and minor characters, and to accept the situations and ramifications of various actions. The denizens shake out into believable forms, the crisis plays out, and it certainly begins to look like it's the end of Nicholas Seafort.

And in many ways it is a fitting end to the series--and one hopes Feintuch will leave it alone. The first four books were brilliant, this fifth, Voice of Hope, shows sequelitus in the initial stages, but eventually grasps the Feintuch tradition of internal trepidation and external quick-paced action.

Note: There are technically five books in the Hope series: Midshipman's Hope, Challenger's Hope, Prisoner's Hope, Fisherman's Hope, and Voices of Hope, but the last should not be considered part of the series, as it takes place almost entirely upon Earth with minimal involvement with the Navy.

Related Reviews:

Midshipman's Hope
Challenger's Hope

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