# Novels that are largely padding **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 18, 2009, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novels-that-are-largely-padding/518015 "2009-11-18T10:21:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novels-that-are-largely-padding/518015/101 "2009-12-02T21:05:06Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > I agree with this - I liked the adventure of the mids. It’s a good story on its own, and it introduces a type of Motie the Navy ships hadn’t seen, as well as their whole population issue. It leaves you holding your breath during the negotiations, and with an irresistible urge to smack Dr. Horvath upside the head. > > I think a lot of the later Honor Harrington books suffer from padding, or at least endless political exposition. Well, I said that it was entertaining for the reader - I liked it, but it didn’t “serve the plot”. I haven’t read _The Afghan_ and so I can’t say if that’s similar or not. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novels-that-are-largely-padding/518015/102 "2009-12-02T21:12:28Z")
But it did serve the plot. It revealed some huge, important to the plot secrets about the Moties that had been hinted at, but not stated. By that point, all we knew was that Blaine’s fyunch(click) had gone insane, and all the Moties got upset when they learned that individual humans can actually live without breeding. During the mids adventure, we find out that Moties will die if they don’t breed, they constantly fight wars over resources and their society collapses on a very regular basis, AND they’ve got a warrior class that will beat the living shit out of the Imperial Marines. Really, really important stuff for the plot at the end of the book, when the Motie ambassadors are negotiating for rights to leave their system & settle the rest of the galaxy. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novels-that-are-largely-padding/518015/103 "2009-12-02T21:14:54Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I have – I’ve got the complete 20-volume Burton translation. > > not even close – although the 1001 nights gives you stories within stories within stories (up to seven layers deep), it _does_ resolve them in a reasonable amount of time\*. Padding it ain’t > > \*Except the framing story, of course, but you pretty much expect that. Heh, It’s a joke - of course the 1001 nights isn’t padding, but the whole purpose (as related by the framing story) is to delay resolution, since resolution = death for the authour. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novels-that-are-largely-padding/518015/104 "2009-12-02T21:19:43Z")
**Zsofia** , I get what you’re saying now - it had no bearing on the plot because the people involved, who received all the information that we, the readers needed, were unable to pass that information on to any other characters. I’d disagree with calling that padding though - I’d call it remarkably entertaining exposition. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novels-that-are-largely-padding/518015.md?page=5)