In Fury Born (Baen, ISBN 1-4165-2054-6) is an expanded version of David Weber’s novel Path of the Fury, originally published in 1992. Path of the Fury told the story of Alicia DeVries, a retired elite soldier of the Terran Empire whose entire family is slaughtered in a brutal raid on the colony world of Mathison. DeVries survives with the help of an unexpected ally: Tisiphone, one of the ancient Furies of Greek mythology, drawn by the terrible bloodshed and DeVries’ rage.
Together, they set off in pursuit of vengeance. In the process, they discover that the seemingly senseless massacre on Mathison was part of a larger plot against the Empire, and DeVries must struggle to master the inhuman power and bottomless, consuming wrath of Tisiphone. It was a highly enjoyable book with an interesting spin on space opera/military science fiction.
Expanding the Story of Path of the Fury
In Fury Born includes the original text of Path of the Fury, revised to fit with the new material, and over 400 additional pages that tell the story of DeVries’ career in the Imperial military. It begins with her service as an Imperial Marine, and continues with her rise to membership in the elite Imperial Cadre, personal troops of the Emperor.
The new section concludes with her resignation of her commission in disgust after her fallen comrades in the Cadre are betrayed by their government due to political machinations, setting the stage for the events of the original version of Path of the Fury.
The new section helps flesh out the world of the original novel, showing more of the Terran Empire and its neighbors. Some of the characters in Path of the Fury also become more fully realized in In Fury Born. Path of the Fury was not part of a larger series, so this is the first time that fans of the book have had the chance to see more of its characters and universe.
Impact of the New Chapters
On the level of action, Weber does not disappoint. DeVries’ sees many battles in her service to the Empire, and Weber’s description of them is vivid and does an excellent job building and suspense. In particular, the sections of the book covering DeVries’ time in the Imperial Cadre is very effective both in portraying the awesome power of the Empire’s most elite soldiers and building tension up to almost overwhelming levels.
The addition of the new chapters affects the emotional impact of the later ones, in both good and bad ways. The in media res opening of Path of the Fury, with DeVries stalking and killing raiders among the burnt ruins of her home and bodies of her slaughtered family, had considerably more punch than In Fury Born’s slower start.
On the other hand, other emotional aspects are strengthened. DeVries’ family appear only as corpses in Path of the Fury, but become likable, flesh-and-blood people in In Fury Born, which adds considerably to the effect of the Mathison scenes.
Conclusion
In Fury Born is a highly enjoyable entry to the military science fiction field and a welcome expansion of the fictional universe first shown in Path of the Fury. Long-time David Weber fans, along with anyone who enjoys military science fiction, should look into In Fury Born.
John Markley - John Markley is a writer from Illinois. After graduating from college, he started working for a local newspaper, the Southwest ...
