Product Description
Prince Roger MacClintock was an heir to the galaxy's Throne of Man-and a self-obsessed spoiled young brat . . . until he and the Royal Marines sent to protect him were stranded on Marduk with only their feet to get them half way around the entire planet. So far, they've traversed a continent, crossed a sea full of ship-eating monsters, taken over an enemy spaceport, and hijacked a starship. But they're not home-free yet, because home is no longer free. In Roger's absence, a palace coup by enemies of the MacClintock family has seized control of the Empire. His mother the Empress is a captive in the palace and even in her own body, drugged so that her will is not her own. Roger's bother, the heir to the throne, is dead. And Roger himself has been branded an outlaw and traitor. Roger and his faithful band of human marines and native alien warriors have beaten the barbarian planet Marduk. Now they must re-conquer an interstellar empire. But they aren't about to give up, and with the help of those on the throne planet who are still loyal to the Empress they will infiltrate (under cover of a restaurant specializing in exotic Mardukan dishes, no less), they will make anyone who gets in their way (such as local mobsters who make the mistake of kidnapping Roger's fiancé) very sorry that they did, and they will not rest until the rightful ruler has been restored. Once again, a lot of power-hungry people are going to learn a hard lesson: You do not, ever, mess with a MacClintock! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (65)

so few who serve so well
could not beleive how quickly I received this book. just finished the first three books in this series and had not gone into withdrawal pains yet. thank you. will definitely use this seller again and again.

Good Finish
This is an excellent military science fiction series.The only thing that keeps this from being a five-star rating are a couple of stylistic issues I have with the writing.More than once, I encountered an exchange between characters that just sort of "clunked" instead of flowing smoothly.

There were also too many references to other works, some painful.There is an Admiral Helmut, in charge of the Sixth Fleet, who is referred to repeatedly as "Dark Helmut, Lord of the Sixth."Ouch.It's not even really a "funny once", to use one of Robert Heinlein's phrases, because it's first used in the first book.

Overall, excellent characterization, good dialog, and the sort of constant action that would make a pretty good series of movies.The transformation of Prince Roger from a spoiled, arrogant fop to a leader of Marines and alien soldiers is plausible, and very engaging.I highly recommend the entire series, but read them in order, or you'll get very, very lost.

An epic read.
I can hardly believe that I made it through this series. Most definitely, I will never find myself thinking glowing thoughts about any of the books here. But it had to have 'something or other' to keep a person reading upwards of 3000 pages.

In my mind, this is NOT science fiction. Other than the fact that humans have spread across a few hundred inhabited planets with a faster than light drive, all of the technology here I would expect to see within a short time span.

The main crux of this series is that Prince Roger crash lands on a planet and his body guards protect him as they cross half way around the place while on foot. However, the aliens here are not very interesting. They are basically over grown humans with four arms and technologically stuck in the very first stages of the industrial revolution.

Mainly this series is a never ending battle. One after another. Yawn. In 'We Few', Weber and Ringo, with just a fewchapters left, introduce new characters just so they can play out a space battle. This is really off putting, because you have been reading this series and with only a handful of chapters left are meeting several new people?

This is not at all a great series. Not sure why I read it. Ringo and Weber are like two geeky kids having a futuristic military battle. They are not concerned with pushing a plot, character, storyline, futuristic idea, or interesting alien concept. Im an ex geeky kid myself. So I understand where they are coming from. But beware, their are hundreds of scifi books better than this.

Oh John Ringo, No!
Others hit the nail on the head with a pig pocking wrench.I loved this book and the others in the series, but it does just kind of end.Things build and build, then you're diverted to a technical space battle... and then you're back to Roger for the last couple of pages as things are quickly wrapped up.Seeing as all the characters are pretty much dead by the end, there's no way they could have stretched it out with another book, but a few more chapters could have easily been justified.I'm theorizing the temperature must have risen to above 32 degrees (practically Mardukan standards) and caused Ringo to go into hibernation (he's the polar opposite of a Mardukan) so the book had to be finished somehow.:-)Anyway, it's still a good read and fitting end to an epic series that I wish could have lasted longer.It's Ringo's name on it, so for me, it's a must-read.

A RELISTEN EXPERIENCE - SERIES REVIEW - AUDIOBOOKS
I'm currently relistening to this series for the 4th time ... its really GOOD!I think that would qualify as a favorite series ... it took a little time to realize that I was coming back to this series again and again ... when in the In-between times.There is a reason for that ... GOOD STORYTELLING AND memorable scenes

In this series I found both the overall story and particular scenes that keep drawing me back to relisten. For any fans of this this series I'm particularly talking about 2 particular "scenes" in the overall story ... the death of Costas Matsugi and the death of Rastar Komas Tonorton, the last prince of fallen Fairdan ... I found those two to be particularly moving "scenes" in the stories ... among others ofcourse ... both death scenes but soo touching ... it took something special for these two writers to come up with those scenes and characters in this overall story.I wish they'd continue it.
... Read more

Product Description
In this comprehensive history, David J. Weber draws on Spanish, Mexican, and American sources to describe the development of the Taos trade and the early penetration of the area by French and American trappers. Within this borderlands region, colorful characters such as Ewing Young, Kit Carson, Peg-leg Smith, and the Robidoux brothers pioneered new trails to the Colorado Basin, the Gila River, and the Pacific and contributed to the wealth that flowed east along the Santa Fe Trail. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Very Specific and Very Good
Only 45 miles north of Santa Fe, New Mexico lays Taos, long a city of early Native American settlement. Today Taos is a primary destination for skiers from around the world but during the early 1800s it was an illicit trading entrepot and a smugglers paradise.

While under Spanish control very little was done to tap the fur wealth of the extended surrounding area. Some furs were traded but the annual trading caravans from Chihuahua north to Santa Fe and back record little regarding the movement of fur. The French sought to connect with the Santa Fe - Taos area from New Orleans but were stymied by the Comanche. In 1763 France lost New Orleans to Spain at the close of the French and Indian War and for the next 40 years the Santa Fe-Taos area traded primarily with the Comanche (thus the term Comancheros) and sporadically with San Antonio. But with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, Americans, primarily those of French descent out of St. Louis, started to filter into the area, settling primarily in Taos. By the time of Mexican Independence in 1824 there was a permanent French-American community from St. Louis, over 100 trappers, in Taos itself.

Taos was an open city and held a strategically important location with respect to St. Louis and the nearby Santa Fe Trail.Located in a secluded mountain valley, Taos was an illegal depositary for imports, avoiding the Mexican import duties levied in Santa Fe. The fur trading community at Taos required traps, weapons and other goods from St. Louis and stimulated much of the early trade that developed along the Santa Fe Trail. Moreover, as fur exports from Mexico were not taxed, many of the primary St. Louis trading houses who financed the Taos trappers received payment in fur. With margins often exceeding 500% the economic justification for the exploding fur trade was huge. Originating primarily from Taos, trapping brigades often totaling 80-100 men moved freely into the Salt River area west of today's Phoenix, Arizona, northern Utah, past today's Salt Lake City, and along the front range of the Rocky Mountains, past Denver into today's Wyoming.

By 1826 Taos men had pushed west to California where beaver was sold to American sea captains for transshipment east. William Wolfskill's treck to California is best known for inaugurating the route that become known as the Old Spanish Trail, a trace both Wolfskill and the Spanish learned about from the Indians. The profits earned in California were reinvested in mules and horses and driven back to Taos for sale. In 1831 trapper David Jackson of Jackson Hole Wyoming fame, drove his 700 California mules and horses all the way to Kentucky. Thus a remarkable transcontinental trading business headquartered in Taos flourished along the northern Mexican frontier long before the 1846 US War with Mexico.

Taos trappers reached their zenith in the early 1830s when silk replaced beaver fur in men's Eastern fashions. While many of these individuals really never amounted to much after the demise of the fur trade, many, far too many went on to absolutely remarkable careers in ranching, government, mining, exploration and military service. Kit Carson, Charles Beaubian, Tom Fitzpatrick, Ceran St. Vrain, George and William Bent, Bill Williams, James Clyman, Maurice LeDuc, Lucian Maxwell, Etienne Provost, and Antoine Robidoux all were involved. Becoming Mexican citizens and proving adept at local politics, many former trappers entered government, acquired huge tracts of grant land and set up virtual empires adjacent to the north and east of Taos.

David Weber has written a very detailed work on the Taos trapper. It was a fascinating period of gradual admission that Mexico's government could not control a territory that was inexorably pre conquered by men whose allegiance remained with the United States.With the declaration of war in 1846 trappers that had settled throughout New Mexico, California and as far north as Oregon would provide a reliable 5th column containing many knowledgeable guides to the United States Army for the conquest of what would become the American Southwest.

Taos Trappers
Vancouver, Taos and St. Louis were the economic centers of the fur trade in western North America. This is the classic study of the fur trade in the southwest and covers New Mexico, Arizona, eastern Utah, and southern Colorado. A must read if you are interested in the fur trade.

Great Book on Taos Area Fur Trade History
This book is the definitive book on the Taos are fur trade.....Sante Fe trail....Bent's Fort...Etc....It is VERY well researched and documented...The notes are awesome!! I have a couple other David Weber books and I really like his writing style...If you want to read ONE book on the Taos fur trade this is it...If you want to know about the fur trade as a WHOLE then there are better books out there....

The Taos Trappers: The Fur Trade in the Far Southwest, 1540-1846
ONE OF THE MOST RESEARCHED BOOKS I, HAVE READ DEALING WITH THE FUR TRADE AROUND TAOS AND THE SOUTHWEST IN GENERAL. ANYONE INTERESTED IN THIS TIME IN HISTORY WOULD FIND IT VERY INFORMATIVE AND GREAT READING. ... Read more

Product Description
While the Imperial forces are busy searching for planet-wrecking pirates, Alicia turns pirate herself and steals a cutting-edge AI ship from the empire in order to begin her vendetta. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (53)

Do NOT read this version of the book! Read 'In Fury Born' instead
Fourteen years after this book was released, the author released a slightly retouched version of this story with a brand new book-length prequel in the omnibus (dunno if it's called an omnibus, but it effectively is) edition 'In Fury Born'. That's the story you want to read.

And yes, you do want to read this story. Where else would you find a marine, a machine, and an ancient Greek deity joining forces under decidedly dubious circumstances to hunt down pirates on a mission of vengeance that would make Nemesis herself take up knitting?

And I did not expect it to end the way it did. Action, anger, anguish - all described in words that actually gave me goosebumps while reading.

Good sci-fi story; well worth reading!
Well written. Fast paced with much action & an interesting story line that keeps your attention. The psychological bond between the main character (Alicia) and her 2 allies (the AI & the mythological Fury) is another asset to the story. All of the above makes for an interesing read.

Path of the Fury
Great, fast paced adventure as I've come to expect from Weber's tales. Unfortunately, Amazon's webpage led me to believe that it was a sequel to Weber's "In Fury Born."They are, in fact, the same book - one in hardcover and one in softcover.Buy one or the other and enjoy!!

three heads are better then one
Tihs book is awesome. It takes a gentically altered human, altered to be a eilite commando. Who sees her family wiped out by pirates. Injured and bleeding she is joined with an enetity from Greek Mythology.
She then steels a new state of the art A.I. warship whos "personality" invades her mind. Now three people sharing the same mind. But pirates beware, three minds are certainly in this book better then one and look out because here they come. Edge of you seat action packed, takes a bit to warm up. But after it does, it is all go, go, go. Oh I hope there is a sequal in the wroks.

Fury
I've been reading SciFi/Fantasy for 50+ years and have thousands of books in my library.There have been a relative few such as Lord of the Rings by Tolkein or Ender's Game by Card that I couldn't put down.Fury is another such. ... Read more

Product Description
Three complete novels in the New York Times best-selling series, all in one generous volume.

Insurrection: After the war against the Khanate ended in victory, the Inner Worlds found it hard to give up the powers they had seized over the Fringe Worlds during the conflict. So they invited the Khanate in to the Federation, to keep the colonial upstarts in their place. The Fringers have one answer to that: Insurrection!

Crusade: Neither side in the Human-Orion war was strong enough to defeat the other, so it fizzled into an uneasy peace filled with hatred and mistrust on both sides. Then a ship appeared from the dim mists of half-forgotten history, and fired on the Orion sentry ship, igniting the fires of interstellar war anew, in a quest to free Holy Mother Terra.

In Death Ground: The human race and two other star traveling races had warred with each other in the past, but now all three are at peace-a peace which is shattered by the discovery of a fourth race, the "Bugs." The newcomers are mind-numbingly alien in their thought processes, have overwhelming numbers, and regard all other species as fit only to be food animals. There is no hope for peace with the invaders, and the galaxy explodes with a battle to the death. Kill-or be eaten! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

what!!!!
I own these books why would i want to buy them again. I wish there was more books to this series.

Another Great Space Opera by Weber and White
This is actually two novels in one (called a megabook). This volume includes both Crusade and In Death Ground. Those familiar with David Webber's other books will not be surprised at the large emphasis upon the military, strategy and the role of technology in warfare.

Crusade is a very intense book, about an alien race's invasion of human space. Their goal, actually, is to "rescue" the human race from their apostasy and return them to their true faith. White and Webber have crafted a rather intense narrative. Though there are breaks from the intense action and warfare for some political maneuvering as well as military strategizing, a bulk of the book is taken up with the battles. The author's do not skimp on the intensity or harsh reality of war, at the same time, though, they maintain a pace and energy throughout which keeps you completely enthralled with what is unfolding therein.

In Death Ground runs much the same gamut, taking place roughly 50 years (or so) in the future from the time the events chronicled in Crusade happened. The action, though not the same, is of equal or even more intense nature. And the stakes have been raised. Now the humans and all their allies are being attacked and invaded by an alien race, referred to as 'Bugs'. The Bugs have one thing in mind for their enemies: annihilation. Well, annihilation as well as finding them to be a food source. Though slightly more advanced in their technology and weaponry, the Bugs more than make up for their lack through brute numbers and a total disregard to sacrificing its own for its purposes.

Please note that In Death Ground starts a story that is actually concluded in The Shiva Option, which is also the first of the two novels in the megabook which follows this one: The Stars at War II.

Both novels are filled with compelling and intriguing characters. Be forewarned, though, unlike the Honor Harrington series, there really are no central characters. This is more a universe based series of novels. Though there is definitely some continuity between characters from one book to the next - but all bets are off as to who survives and who doesn't.

All in all, an excellent pair of novels, though I would recommend getting the second megabook of the series so you don't have to wait for the conclusion of the storyline started in In Death Ground. I highly recommend this to any fan of science fiction, especially those who like the more strategic oriented narratives of the Military Sci-Fi genre.

Not bad.Not good either.
This is actually 2 books in one.The synopsis is listed elsewhere, I'll skip that.

The first book is complete and fairly interesting.

The second book is a cliff hanger and you will need to get the next book (the stars at war II) to know the end of the story.

Honor Harrington series is much better.If you are a video game / space opera fan, you may like this book.If not, I'd recommend passing.If you can't get enough of the fleet action sequences in Honor Harrington, then you may like this book.

For a First Contact book with much less (but enough!) combat sequences, I HIGHLY recommend "Enders Game" instead. Ender's Game (The Ender Saga)

A great introduction to David Weber and Steve White
I got this book with a gift certificate I was given for Christmas. A fried of mine suggested David Weber, because he knew I enjoyed military science fiction. I was a little hesitant at first; I'd never read any David Weber or Steve White before. Boy, I could kick myself for not trying this stuff out sooner.
"The Stars at War (I)" is really two books "Crusade" and "On Death Ground" both are prequels to the books in "The Stars at War II". I just started "The Stars at War II", and I really appreciate knowing some of the background of the universe Weber and White have created. It helps when they mention the Theban Jihad against humanity and how that brought the humans and Orions closer together (circa Crusade) and also how the war with "The Bugs" began and how even the heroes of "Crusade" were not enough to stop the juggernaut of the bugs (On Death Ground).
I reall enjoyed reading both books, and the detail and description of space combat is excellent. The only main thing I can find wrong with the stories is because of my family's military background, and the constant calling of women "sir" in science fiction has always bugged me. I could be wrong (my background is army) but I believe the navy uses "Ma'm" also. This however is a minor detail and does nothing to take away from the action packed plot, and all in all it is a great read.

The Wars of Terra
The Stars at War (2004) is an omnibus edition of the Starfire series, including Crusade and In Death Ground.Crusade is the earliest novel in internal chronological sequence within the series and should be read first.In Death Ground is the second novel in internal sequence following Crusade.This is the first hardback publication of these novels.

Crusade (1992) begins fifty years after the Third Interstellar War, in which the Terrans and Orions formed the Alliance and exterminated the Rigellians.An Orion squadron in the Lorelei system is puzzled when an unknown fleet is discovered coming out of Charon's Ferry, the sixth warp point, since no ship had ever returned from there.Also, the bogies are using a very old Terran Federation Navy code in their transmissions.The squadron commander speculates that these ships could be remnants of TFN forces that had fled the Orions 90 years before during the Second Interstellar War.

When the bogies identify themselves as TFN and refuse to believe that the Orions are allies, the TFN onboard liaison contacts them and explains the Treaty of Valkha.The bogies agree to parlay and, as the main party stands down, the vanguard comes to the Orions.Shortly thereafter, however, the bogies attack with missiles at minimum range and then with X-ray lasers.The Orions release their Omega drones and fight back, but three ships are soon lost.The Orion flagship is then boarded, but self-destructs before being captured.

After studying the available information, the Khanate of Orion decides that the invaders are Terrans.The Strategy Board wants to attack the Federation, but the Khan agrees with the squadron commander's idea of lost TFN forces escaping through Charon's Ferry.He tells the Federation Ambassador that Orion will not attack the Federation or the unknowns, but that the Federation must exact suitable vengeance upon their errant fellows.The Federation agrees and the politicians send a Peace Fleet to Lorelei upon invitation by the unknowns.Under secret orders, the TFN is subordinated to the diplomatic corps with disastrous results as the bogies repeat their underhanded tactics.

In Death Ground (1997) is the first in a duology with The Shiva Option.This story takes place 60-odd years after the Theban War.The enemy ambushes Survey Flotilla 27, destroying or severely damaging the survey cruisers and their escorts.The enemy then pursues the survivors through warp point after warp point.The Terran Federation Navy diverts two nearby task forces to reinforce the survivors of SF27 and sends all available freighters and transports to evacuate the colony planets.

TF58, under Admiral Anthony Villiers, is the first task force to reach the SF27 survivors in the Golan system.He holds the warp point for a while, bleeding the enemy and evacuating part of the population, until forced to withdraw to Erebor.TF58 has a month to prepare, receive reinforcements, and to start evacuations, but the enemy then attacks through the warp point with devastating tactics, mass, and a new weapon.Villiers is forced to commit his battleline to slow the advance, losing his battleships, and leaving Admiral Jackson Teller in command of the withdrawal into the K-45 system.

This story describes the desperate battles to stop the enemy advance. Since the warp points are bottle necks, the fighting is more separated than surface naval combat.Each warp point is defended and the TFN makes the Bugs pay dearly despite overwhelming odds against them, but more Bug ships keep coming through.TFN reinforcements are still arriving, but will they be enough to stop the Bugs?

These stories have many similarities to historical conflicts.The genocidial destruction of the Rigellian Protectorate in the Third Interstellar War parallels the actions of Rome in the Third Punic War. The actions of the Thebans reflect the fanatical behavior of both sides in the long conflict between Christianity and Islam, particularly in the Eastern Roman Empire and in Spain.

The Bug advance is similar in many ways to the Japanese campaign in World War II.After the attack on Pearl Harbor destroyed or severely damaged every US battleship in the Pacific, the US Navy was forced to rely on aircraft carriers and escort ships.Therefore, the strategy was to harass the enemy with destroyers, PT boats, and submarines, while the carrier task forces struck at enemy concentrations and tried to destroy the Japanese carriers.At the Coral Sea, aerial attacks by US carrier planes severely damaged three Japanese carriers and destroyed several escorts.Then, at Midway, the US carriers destroyed four of the remaining Japanese carriers.These two battles effectively stopped the Japanese advance.

This book is recommended for all Weber & White fans and anyone who enjoys tales of spatial battles with a touch of political intrigue.

-Arthur W. Jordin ... Read more

Product Description
Ms. Midshipwoman Harrington" by David Weber: Before she saved the galaxy, she was "Ms. Midshipwoman Harrington," and then an encounter with "pirates" who were more than they seemed began Honor Harrington's Brilliant Career. Choosing Sides by David Drake: Lieutenant Huber stepped off the starship into an ambush - but Slammers aren't supposed to get ambushed. Huber can save his career if he survives a suiclde mission. The Island by Eric Flint: Think General Belisarius was tough? Meet the wife of one of his officers. She is determined to reach her wounded husband - going over the broken bodies of the enemy if necessary. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

All three popularnew science fiction writers
David Weber's Honor Harrington series is based on a future in which
an very English like "Kingdom" has been established in space
with battleships and cruisers and space battles with a Democratic rival
state.
Eric Flint's is novelette is about an alternative future in which the Roman Empire survives into the 1800's and in which again they are very English,
oh, rather.
David Drakes's Hammer's Slammers is another war based series about armor
and mercenary contract war soldiers.
Of the three stories I liked only one, but they are all well written
and seem to be popular.

Not Free SF Reader
A collection of novellas related to ongoing series, Honor Harrington, Belisarius and Hammer's Slammers.Never read any of the Belisarius work, seems interesting enough - something to do with aliens or future people providing advanced tech to ancient times - the General appears to have artillery and telegraph communications for example.

The first two are quite good, with Weber's rookie Harrington tale the pick, but I am still not much a fan of the Slammers it seems.

Warmasters : Ms Midshipwoman Harrington - David Weber
Warmasters : Islands - Eric Flint
Warmasters : Choosing Sides - David Drake


Tactically reduced.

4 out of 5


Wifely tour of duty instructions.

4 out of 5


Political payback Slam.

3 out of 5

Good stories all, but...
I haven't read Weber's Harrington series to know, but other reviewers have said that the Weber contribution is from elsewhere.So are the other two - the Drake story comes from "Paying The Piper" (which is good in itself, but I don't need a separate chapter) and the Flint one is found as part of "The Dance of Time" (ditto on good but don't need 2).I was a bit disappointed that Amazon doesn't state that with better clarity.

A great military sci-fi anthology
If military sci-fi is your thing, or if you want to find out if you even like military sci-fi, then The Warmasters by David Webster, Eric Flint, and David Drake is the perfect book for you.The three authors are all masters at their craft and each has a different genre and style.
The first book in this compilation is Ms. Midshipwoman Harrington by David Weber.This book is basically the navy in space, and it describes the beginning of the famous admiral Honor Harrington while she is just a simple Midshipwoman of her first military voyage.
After this is Islands by Eric Flint.It takes place during an alternate version of Earth where the Roman Empire hasn't fallen and an ongoing war is in progress in the time period of about the Imperial Age.The wife of a famous officer serving under the great General Belisarius wants to see her husband, and she goes thru the war torn Roman Empire, becoming famous in her own way getting there.
Choosing Sides by David Drake is a more conventional military Sci-fi about Hammers Slammers, an elite mercenary regiment that uses specialized hover tanks.This book continues into more of a political war when the main character is blamed for his squad's misconduct.
Overall this book is a great value, and is definitely worth buying if you have any interest in military sci-fi.The three different genres are all very different types of stories and they all make a good read.

Really, really good military science fiction
Three novellas from three of the best military science fiction authors currently publishing stories!I'd give it four stars except for the fact that David Weber's story - about Honor Harrington's middy cruise was published somewhere else (my apologies for not being able to cite it directly, but I know that I've read the story already).

Quick review of each - David Weber's story was excellent.I've been an Honor fan for a number of years and this story doesn't disappoint.In all honesty, it doesn't add too much to Honor's character either, but it's still enjoyable.If nothing else, it's interesting to see Honor with some self-doubt and a lack of tactical genius (not that she's making mistakes left and right, but she's being trained by the Captain and Tactics Officer and they know things/tricks that she doesn't).

Eric Flint - Another series that I really love.I've read reviews that the Belisarius series is predictable with characters all possessing the same dry sense of humor, but it is just so much fun to read!This short story represents a bit of a departure, as we get a completely new character Calopodius's wife (Calopodius the young officer blinded in one of the most recent full lenght novels).No nerve-wracking moments in this story, but some really nice development of two characters.If you're the emotional type you may even find a tear in your eye during some of the story (not me of course, I'm saying if you were the emotional type you might!)

Finally, there's David Drake's short story from his Hammer's Slammers series.I actually don't read this series so I had very low expectations of this story and almost skipped it (but I was still on the plane with an hour left in my flight so..)Skipping it would have been a mistake.Another well written story with interesting albeit very different characters from the other two authors.

Overall, this is a great set of short stories and novellas.They're not integral to any of the on-going series's, but they are well written and well worth your time reading them. ... Read more

Product Description
This fast-paced sequel to "March Upcountry" continues the odyssey of men and women caught in a struggle for survival and determined to maintain their courage and humour in the face of overwhelming odds. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (47)

PRINCE ROGER SERIES AUDIOBOOK REVIEW
I only listen to audiobooks and this is a review of all four books in the Prince Roger Series.

Authors: David Weber & Jon Ringo. From Amazon Reviews: "Science fiction icon David Weber (the Honor Harrington series) teams up with Airborne-soldier-turned-author John Ringo (A Hymn Before Battle) in their novels about Prince Roger Ramius Sergei Chiang Alexander MacClintock, Heir Tertiary to the Throne of Man".

The 4 books (as of now) are: March Upcountry, March to the Sea, March to the Stars, We Few.

READER OF ALL BOOKS: STEFAN RUDNICKI (AAA+ reader - my first experience with him was in Ender's Game".)

After finishing this series I must say that it is a story RIPE for a continuation!!!! AND I REALLY hope they do.This is a "too good to miss story". Well, assuming you like military futuristic fantasy (Ender's Game anyone? ... this is just as captivating). This series was my first contact with either of these authors - both of which seem to have their own following.IMHO, this is just about as good as storytelling gets, with a AAA+ reader to make it come alive.

You'll laugh (there is a lot of humor in these stories mixed in with the battles and personal stories ("de pocking ting don't work" LOL) and you'll cry (at the heroic deaths of Roger's hard-won but faithful followers - almost ALL of Bronze Battalion of the Empress's Own Marine bodyguards(particularly of Captain Armand Panar), and just as much the Mardukan heros who end up dieing for Roger in the final battle of the story, ... and in so many battles before... Rastar in particular...

...and then there is Costas (Roger's Valet, and absolute friend who'd followed him almost all of his life) - finally eaten by a "damncroc" on Marduk while fetching Roger water. Then there are the unforgettable Mardukan animals, which both: hone Roger's inate skills as predators against him on Marduk; but also become his closest friends (Dogzard and Paddy who saved Roger's neck SO MANY times in the numerous battles and personal confrontations both on Marduk and on Earth.

Then, there is the underlying story of Roger's Mother, the Empress, ... SO miserably used and abused, FINALLY saved by Roger and his colorful mixed army of humans and extraterrestials.

OH, and don't forget the romantic drivel so well mixed in ... Nimochete Despreau in particular - who started out refusing to marry Roger if he became Emperor - (which everyone knew he would eventually) and ofcourse ends up with Roger anyway -.

There are just too many fascinating and well told character stories in this story to mention or describe them all ... and like I said, this series is RIPE for continuation of "Roger the Emperor" ... going after the surviving bad guys at the end of the series.

What happens with Roger's poor abused but still regal Mother, who turned over the crown of the "house of man" to Roger at the end of the story?

What happens with Roger and Nimochete (who must produce an heir to the throne - well, I can imagine where that would go)?

What happens with the newly elevated Mardukans who followed Roger to Earth on his wild quest?

What happens to Marduk itself? Now infested with Roger loving royal followers ... and where... Roger had claimed he would rule one day in peace with Nimochete.

Hmmm.... sounds ripe for more story to me. And I'm looking forward to it if it comes, IF it is as good as these that's as good as they'll need to be for me.


The characters in this story are superbly developed even though the story moves along quickly, and while the story line may be somewhat predictable (Roger's going to win in the end) getting there is a MARVELOUS journey through a truly captivating but brutal world. Just like our own eh?

Marines on a Hostile Planet
March to the Sea is the second installment in a tetralogy. Prince Roger Ramius Sergei Alexander Chiang MacClintock is the tertiary heir to the throne held by his mother the Empress.He's growing up to become a fine warrior.Shipwrecked on Marduk, a violent planet of sentient, but primitive creatures and even more violent native predators, he and his Marine bodyguards must negotiate hazardous terrain, towns and political upheaval in order to cross the planet.More importantly, he must gain the respect of men and women who once despised him.

[the following text is the same for my reviews of all 4 books in the series.]

First the good points - It's a fast-paced and exciting military science fiction story which takes the reader from danger to danger quickly.The plot moves along and these two writers know how to spin an interesting story.I give kudos to them for hooking me and making me read to the end and want to pick up the next two books in the series.

Now the bad.This book is set hundreds of years in the future, yet all the sayings, quotes, poems, and songs come from our recent military history.Everything out of the mouths of the troops was a cliche that I've heard hundreds of times.Can't these two writers create a new lexicon for a future military?Can't they replace the worn metaphors with something creative and cool for a future society?Wouldn't there have been another poet that Marines love to replace Rudyard Kipling?

Speaking of Cliches, every character was one - the tried and true marine sergeant, gruff and tough, but with a heart of gold - The commander who spouts philosophy while ordering a slaughter - the spoiled kid, born with a silver spoon who becomes an honorable man under combat duress.It's all here and it's all predictable.Don't Ringo and Weber's readers want to experience something new or are they all Corps veterans reliving a collective past rosier and more ideal than the reality?

Also, the authors' politics are front and center.I disagree with their assertions and it was starky annoying.

Still, decent reading if you can get past the negatives.

- CV Rick, April 2008

4 star novel, acceptable sequel with comments below
This novel is a decent sequel to March Upcountry, with more cases of inventing ancient weaponry to fight hordes of generally stupid barbarians and traitorous monarchs.(the one semi-competent barbarian general was unable to actually do what he wanted and later removed).

From writing style I suspect this book was mostly if not completely written by John Ringo.Many parts read VERY similarly to his other works I have read, including the posleen series and the council war series.Lectures on ancient military and industrial practices, techniques, etc are one aspect that is very familiar, and the characters of Pohner and Roger are very similar to his later Edmund (charles) talbot and Herzer from the council wars series.Battle scenes against hordes of poorly led barbarians are similar enough to posleen battle scenes to give me flashbacks to those novels as well.

As is noted elsewhere, the aliens in this novel are for all practical purposes human in character and behavior.He might as well have written a novel with the marines marooned on a human planet which had regressed to bronze-age tech.

In the end, if a series dealing with a technologically advanced group's need to re-invent some primitive military technologies in a primitive enviroment while being led by extremely competent leaders against usually incompetent or horde-like enemies is your thing, this is a very good example of it.

I do feel like this is something I have already read by John Ringo.

Too Many Similar Characters
I liked March Upcountry, the first in this series by Mr. Weber, but I found myself having trouble concentrating on March to the Sea, book two, mostly because the cast has grown to about 30+ characters and the multiple POV switching began to drive me a bit nutty. It would be one thing if these characters were different, but I found the aliens and their culture to be too human, and to find the alien characters almost virtually interchangeable.

I liked Prince Roj, Portena and some of the other characters, but they seem to take a back seat to some minor characters in this book. Perhaps this book would be better with a few hundred pages edited out?

Good, but not great. 3 stars.

Great books with one caveat
I've read quite a bit of Ringo recently, and thoroughly enjoyed his books...

but!

If I see either of the words "abattoir" or "actinic" one more time, I'm going to beat the man to death with a thesaurus!

John.You're a professional author. I think your plots, backgrounds, characters, etc, etc, are great... but PLEASE come up with some new way of describing things.Perhaps even a kind of battle other than "hordes of dumb bad guys and their occasional clever leader being messily killed by high-tech death", so those situations don't come up (again) to be described in the first place.

Having said that, March To the Sea has presented fewer opportunities for those two Dreaded Words to be used, and a second author to moderate their use that much more.

Where the combat of first book of the series (March Upcountry) was universaily between the humans and an overwhealming number of locals (who were slaughtered en mass), March To The Sea shows Roger & Co working with, arming, and training The Locals.Roger also progress up the military ranks.In March Upcountry, Roger grows from a (skilled, pampered, bratty) civy to a reasonably competent junior officer.Here, we see him becoming more of a general, heading up both his own force of Marine bodyguards and an expanding force of Mardukans.

Roger's going to have to lead an entire continent against that distant star port if this sort of progression is to continue. ;)

We're also seeing a slow shift in odds.It won't shock me to find that "march to the stars" ends in a horde of friendly Mardukans throwing themselves at Vastly Outnumbered Baddies, and being mowed down by plasma fire.More "actinic-fire spawned abattoirs".Whee. ;)

We're also priviy to the on-going Forbidden Fruit relationship between Roger and one of his female Marine bodygaurds (whose name escapes me at the moment), some of which is deeply amusing. ... Read more

Product Description
The dangerous and multifaceted world of Honor Harrington-starship captain, admiral, and interstellar heroine-comes to life in a collection of short fiction that includes 'Ms. Midshipwoman Harrington', 'Changer of Worlds', 'From the Highlands', and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Fantastic series
I like the series so much that I am going back to re-purchase them in hardcover!

Three out of Four to read
I am a huge Honor fan. I love the books and so does my husband. He read these before I did and suggested reading this book of short stories before reading War of Honor. According to him, From the Highlands is necessary to fully understand War of Honor. Other than that, I loved Changer of Worlds for a look though the eyes of the 'cats and Midshipwoman Harrington to get the full flavor of her relationship with Elvis Santino. I do not recommend reading Nightfall. I don't feel like it adds to the understanding of the characters or the series. It's like watching the extended scenes at the end of a DVD and thinking "Oh, yeah, glad they cut that out."

Amazon made a mistake
This book published by Baen Books is listed under its title elsewhere on Amazon.It is available both as Hardcover and Mass Market Paperback.
Do not understand the confusion.

Changer of Worlds (Worlds of Honor, Number 3)
I liked the book the different short stories were fun to read.The books in this series add a nice depth to the main story that David Weber writes about Honor Harrington.I recommend reading the books in the World of Honor series.

Volume Three of Weber's Worlds of Honor
Changer of Worlds is Volume Three of Worlds of Honor series featuring short stories set in the universe of Weber's Honor Harrington series.This volume opens with Ms. Midshipwoman Harrington, a short novel about Honor's probationary voyage as a midshipwoman.Midshipwoman Harrington finds herself facing Silesian pirates and a superior officer hellbent on destroying her.Weber's story Changer of Worlds is largely about treecats Nimitz and Samantha, with Honor putting in a cameo.Eric Flint checks in with From the Highlands (the only story in this volume not written by Weber.This story is of Anton Zilwicki, a Manticoran captain whose daughter is kidnapped and his efforts to rescue her.This is my favorite story in this whole volume.Changer of Worlds closes with Weber's Nightfall, about the internal struggle within the Havenite power structure during the last days of the Rob S. Pierre government depicting a battle of wills between Pierre and Admiral Esther McQueen.Altogether, Changer of Worlds is another fine volume of stories set within the Honorverse, deepening the reader's understanding of the universe of Weber's HH series, and I look forward to reading Volume Four: The Service of the Sword. ... Read more

Product Description
No one wanted another war. Thomas Theisman didn't. Baron High Ridge didn't. His Imperial Majesty Gustav didn't. Honor Harrington didn't. The Andermani Emperor has plans for Silesia. And the Prime Minister of Manticore is happy with the war he has. Unfortunately, what they want doesn't matter.Amazon.com Review
David Weber's Honor Harrington series continues in this 10th novel, which picks up the action several years after the previous volume, Ashes of Victory. With a ceasefire in place with the Peeps, the new government of the Star Kingdom ignores the wishes of Queen Elizabeth and then threatens the very fabric of the Manticore Alliance against the People's Republic of Haven.We find Honor in the role of a senior political advisor, performing with her usual flair and élan.

With War of Honor coming in at over 800 pages, Weber has room to expand subplots and secondary characters and bring to the reader a feeling of depth and completeness seldom seen in science fiction novels. Favorite characters from past stories return, many of them growing in stature from unimportant secondary characters to major players in the "Honorverse." Weber serves up trouble in Silesia, the excitement of a new wormhole junction, scheming in Manticorian politics, strange events deep in Peep territory, and plenty of exploding spaceships--and, as publisher Jim Baen says, "We like exploding spaceships." --Ron Peterson ... Read more

Customer Reviews (180)

Better than Ashes, and there was much rejoicing!
War of Honor isn't David Weber's latest by any means, but it is to me, who just started the series earlier this year. This, the tenth book in the ongoing thread, isn't quite the perfect storm we got in Ashes of Victory, but is nevertheless chock full of everything short of Haven's total subjugation, and is a much stronger novel.

What does that mean? Well, Nimitz and Samantha freely use sign language to communicate with practically everyone, and on at least one occasion concerning Hamish's wife Emily, this is especially important. Why? Because Samantha has bonded with our good Earl White Haven! This happens early enough in the novel that I don't consider it a spoiler, but it also happens after High Ridge and his disreputable new cabinet launch a smear campaign implying that Honor and Hamish are lovers. Hamish himself has been benched as no longer necessary, since the current government considers the war over, ignoring the animosity between him and the new Lord of Admirality.

Then of course Eloise Pritchart and Thomas Theisman have teamed up spectacularly to turn around Haven's government. Reinstating the old constitution, even removing the 'People' from the Republic of Haven. If only Senator Jason Giancola, a previous member of the government who held together the economy, wasn't actively sabotaging peace talks to further his own career. This is important because Haven has finally developed and mass-produced a fleet of warships that end Manticore's dominance of the stars, especially since Janacek and his ilk have systematically dismantled the navy to free funding for their own self-serving projects.

Secondary to these primary events, the Andermani are actively pursuing Silesian territory, putting them in a direct antagonistic stance with Manticore. Presumably this is merely due to the past war with Haven reducing policing of pirates, so they're simply securing territory, but it almost becomes a full-scale conflict if not for the reassignment of Admiral von Sternhafen with the more sympathetic Admiral Rabenstrange. Even that is almost derailed by political posturing to avoid losing face, a recurring theme witnessed throughout the novel.

It's this last element that's most maddening. I'm glossing over a lot of the intrigue and maneuvering, because there's just so much of it. Unlike the issues I had with Ashes of Victory, there's very little elucidation wasted on various tangents, but that's only because everyone and his treecat has a finger in the pie. It seems as if each individual in High Ridge's government has mutually opposing goals, yet their tacit involvement in his power-grab creates a daytime soap-opera in space. Seriously, I re-read the cover to see if I'd inadvertently obtained an adaptation of All My Children. This has always been a part of the Honorverse, yet never so hilariously evident. I wanted to slap almost everyone in the book pretty much constantly.

Sadly, this could be a relevant observation of politics on Weber's part. Everyone has an agenda; everyone works to his or her own end; even mutually beneficial plans are often derailed by perceived necessity. And that is the true calamity here: these cartoonish self-serving idiots could be any existing government. Yell at the book all you want, they remain catastrophically stupid until finally and inevitably ousted by yet more backstabbing and intrigue. Things look good at the end of the novel, but we all know that can change in the space of a few pages. Now I need to go back and peruse the anthologies, since they apparently contain significant developments relevant to subsequent entries. Hopefully they're slightly less political; I need a rest.

The Honorverse expands.
First off, I know many were annoyed by this book. It was long, too long (well it was big), not enough action (it did center around politics) and it didn't have enough Honor. Well...Yes the book was long, but Weber is trying to expand the universe he has created, flesh out the stories and leave room for possible future twists. That, in my opinion, is good. True, it did have alot of politics, but this was more of a situation building book than a book devoted to an already ongoing conflict. And, in my opinion, the politics were interesting and very well done. Having the war start as almost a conspiracy (won't spoil it more than that) on the hands of a rather dis-honest individual was a somewhat unique plotline and one that I thought was well played. The addition of the Andermani as major players was refreshing. I really like the character of Chien Lu, the Emperors, cousin I think he was? His character is one I would love to see again in a broader role as well as the Andermani in general. And as for enough Honor...
Let me say that this particular series is my favorite science fiction series BECAUSE of Honor Harrington. She is a fantastic character. You almost have to fall in love with her while reading the books. (Who doesn't love Asian girls...okay, half Asian girls? ;D ) She is a military genius, a quick wit and a truly caring woman, how could you not at least admire her? That being said, I love the fact that Weber has opened up the books to more of the side characters. Especially the Haven characters; Thomas Theisman (My other favorite character), Eloise Pritchart, Javier Giscard, Lester Tourville and Shannon Foraker. We also see alot more of the Queen of Manticore (an interesting character really, at first I thought she was superfluous, now she's grown on me) and more of White Haven (who was already a fairly large character anyway). All of that being said, I think it's about time that the story was fleshed out more as well. When I first started reading this series (back when Honor Among Enemies was the new release) I loved the books...but craved more. I wanted more depth, a larger tapestry. Oh I loved the books, but it wasn't until Flag in Exile that really started being absorbed by the universe Weber had created. And quite frankly, the early books were way too one sided. The Peoples Republic of Haven was seemingly a paper tiger, the Star Kingdom could practically sneeze and force a sector wide surrender for crying out loud! But with the ascent of Esther McQueen and the book Echoes of Honor; that changed. (what can I say, I'm a secret Peep admirer)
War of Honor ends with the Star Kingdom on the ropes, yes, Haven and Manticore are back at war...but it's a diplomatic disaster of epic proportions that was manufactured to happen. And the New Republican fleet is better and badder, making for a much more interesting read. The Andermani are a huge presence in the book (finally) and it seems as though the Solarian League is finally getting drawn in as well. I haven't yet read At All Costs (just finished this one before work today) but I am very much looking forward to it.
Thank you David Weber for creating such a great universe and for tweaking it in a new and (I think) better way. I sincerely hope that there are several more books in the series...just don't pull a Robert Jordan. (By shuffling off this mortal coil I mean...this series can drag on for a while and I'd still read.)

slooooow and painful
Clearly the worst of the entire series, ham-fisted, slow paced and incredibly predictable.

a brief synopsis: The jerks have come to political power, now let's try to stay awake through 800 pages while said jerks screw everything up, crap we are running out of pages, Ok Honor time to save the day.

Have you ever been sitting at a restaurant and had your meal ruined because you are forced to over hear the most inane trivial conversation that is emanating from the people at the table next to you? Reading this book is like that except worse.

Such a waste of time
Imagine 'Star Wars' being eight hours long, and beginning with a five hour Senate meeting that shows everything. EVERYTHING--the delegates shaving, driving to the building, parking, sitting down, getting their pens out, everything.Around the fifth hour a delegate from the Emperor drops by to announce the Senate is dissolved and, oh, by the way, something unpleasant seems to have happened to Alderaan off-camera.

That's what reading this book is like.

I'm on page 714 and it looks like some action is about to start. PAGE 714.

What's especially frustrating is that Weber's utterly forgotten about the "Hell's Gate" series in favor of writing something like this.

skim skim skim
I wanted to review War of Honor just to make sure there are more 1-star ratings than 5-star.What was a tendency has become a very bad habit. No action is taken without an essay. No plot is plotted without excruciating discourse. Where is the Editor? This could have been a good short book. D.W. has to know what 60% of his readers think of this growing habit of his and I have to respect his determination not to pander to that shallow majority of readers who want conciseness, lucidity, and action. ... Read more

Product Description
A mammoth volume (over 250,000 words) of the many facets of one of science fiction’s most popular talents. Here are treecats, starships, dragons, alternate history, self-aware Bolo supertanks, wizards, sailing ships, ironclads—and, of course, Weber’s fantastically popular starship commander, Honor Harrington. For nearly two decades, David Weber has been taking enthralled readers to destinations strange and fantastical, from his best-selling Honor Harrington novels and short stories to the heroic fantasy of Bahzell of the Hrandai, and the shared universe stories set in worlds of his own creation, and those of others, such as Eric Flint’s best-selling Ring of Fire series, the popular Bolo series of Keith Laumer and more.

            Visit 17th-century Magdeburg for the creation of the United States Navy a hundred and fifty years early, and go with John Paul Jones as he wins the Revolutionary War—For George III. Fight dragons and demons with U.S. Marines in a most unexpected campaign, find out how humans and treecats first met and share Honor Harrington’s very first battle. But once you step into the worlds of Weber, you may not want to go home again.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Buddybooknut
This is a collection of short stories from various other books and stories by David Weber or in collaboration with other sci fi writers.If you are reading a particular series this is not the book for you BUT if you are looking for an overview of his works then this will give you a taste of his writing style and range.

A taste of Weber
I've been reading SciFi for ~55 years now and have had many favorite authors over the years.David Weber is my favorite SciFi author of all time, and as any SciFi fan knows, there are a LOT of authors to choose from.I can't remember an author with greater breadth; nor can I remember one with greater depth.

Nothing new but the introduction
I bought this book and feel very cheated since absolutely nothing is new except the introduction (and the copyright page).Some of my favorite stories by him are in here, but it's not very obvious that all of them are repeats.

Buy it for Honor and Read the Rest as a Bonus
The Honor Harrington prequel was very enjoyable and many of the other stories were as well.I'm going to take a chance buying some of Weber's other book series now that I've gotten a taste of them.

Love David and Honor.....wish for more
I was pleased when I bought this because the title page has a David Weber signature.I have been reading Honor Harrington since the beginning.I was dissappointed to find that this book is another anthology of stories.Most of them are not from the Honorverse.Most of them are previously published as well.I am halfway through and have already read all of those stories from previous purchases. ... Read more

Product Description
Introducing Commander Honor Harrington, here is a major new series from a major new author. The Basilisk System was a place to sweep incompetents, fools, and failures under the rug . . . or to punish officers with enemies in high places. Commander Honor Harrington has enemies, and she's about to make more of them--because the people out to get her have made one mistake: They've made her mad.Amazon.com Review
On Basilisk Station (or "HH1" as it's known to thefaithful) is the first installment in David Weber's cult hit HonorHarrington series, which has charmed the socks off schoolgirls andsailors alike. Honor--the heroine of this fast-paced, addictive spaceopera--is a polished, plucky bulldog of a naval officer, part HoratioHornblower, part Miles Vorkosigan, part Captain Janeway, and with arazor-clawed telepathic cat thrown over her shoulder for goodmeasure.

The series' kickoff puts a giddy Commander Harrington atthe helm of her first serious starship, the HMS Fearless. But herexcitement quickly fades--political maneuvering by top brass in theManticoran navy has left her light cruiser outfitted with a half-bakedexperimental weapons system. Against all odds (just the way Honorlikes it), she still manages a clever coup in tactical war games, afeat that earns her accolades--and enemies. The politicians she'soffended banish her to a galactic backwater, Basilisk Station. Butthat outpost soon proves to be a powder keg, and it's up to Harringtonand the Fearless crew to thwart the aggressive plans of the HavenRepublic. A perfect mix of military SF and high adventure--if youenjoy your tour, re-up with HH2, The Honor of theQueen. --Paul Hughes ... Read more

Customer Reviews (166)

A Weak Start
This was the first of David Weber's books that I'd read, and I certainly hope it's just the weakest of the bunch. To boil things down, the general plot-line is decent: the broad strokes of action I felt were believable. The collective actions of characters I thought were believable.

Where's the problem?

The details. Honor Harrington, titular character of the series, definitely has the most depth, but it's not because she's a well-worked character, at least in this book. It's because she's a two-and-a-half-dimensional character surrounded by one-dimensional characters. Her executive officer Alistair McKeon spends two-thirds of the book moping about how much he wanted her job and how jealous he is about her being better than him (apparently Weber just telling us that she was top of her academy class and rated brilliant in fleet exercises wasn't enough to drive home the point), and how much he wishes he could've had her job. He gets over that before the end, but by that point I'd stopped giving his character credit.

What else? One of the major antagonists is Klaus Hauptman. He starts given a decent description as a 'cultivated, self-controlled man'. For a mob leader this makes sense, but as soon as the telling stops and the showing starts, it breaks apart. Within three paragraphs of his conversation with Harrington, he jumps out of his seat and starts raging like a toddler in a temper tantrum. A great deal of David Weber's characters have this tendency of showing the depth of a sheet of tissue paper - even Harrington, if less frequently than others. Granted, a few of them get better before the end of the book, but I shouldn't have to wait until the first novel is over BEFORE people start becoming interesting.

Other issues include his tendency to data dump: there are a few very slow spots heavy in technobabble. It describes a detail that is semi-relevant to the immediate plot (like the wormholes around Basilisk), but he could've easily left those mentions at brief notes without bogging down the story. The politicians are also nearly universally depicted as either irredeemable morons or one-dimensionally bright and well-meaning people that for some reason have been holding the Idiot Ball up until their scene comes around, and tend to take it again after their cameo appearance is over. If the conflict of politics had been depicted more as several people trying to do the right thing but in conflicting ways it might've made sense, rather than the majority very obviously being depicted as all but depraved. There are also a couple of scenes that are virtually wholly irrelevant to the story - Summervale makes just enough of an appearance to laugh maniacally, and then never shows up again.

If David Weber had applied more subtlety then both the characters and the more intricate moments of plot would've definitely been very interesting. Unfortunately, we get none of those and the book has a very dry sense in general, with technobabble adding a dense tangential sense when a contiguous narrative would've served interest better.

If I read it twice it's a great book to me.
If you're reading this review you're probably interested in science fiction, space opera, military SF, strong women protagonists, self-reliance, royalty, odd pets - or some combination of the above.

I can't equal the reviews some very erudite people have written here, nor recap the novel (or the entire Honorverse series, as it's been called), but I will try to explain how Mr. Weber's series meets my personal criteria for sheer enjoyment.

1. Could I immerse myself in the book, seeing it as a series of mental images rather than just a sequence of words on a page? Check!

2. Did I get involved enough in the story to take ignore occasional unimportant activities like cleaning or writing bills until I reached the end. Hmmm - another check.

3. Most importantly, did I come back and re-read the book? Just because I enjoyed being around the characters and locations? Yep.

Taste is difficult to quantify, and I'm sure that mine is not yours. However, I'm on my third re-reading of the series, and for what that's worth, I can't make any higher recommendation.

Try Basilisk Station. I think you'll like it enough to read other books in the series. Even if you don't read the others, the Honorverse is worth visiting at least once.

Great book and even better audio CD
Outstanding book.This type of space opera set in the future with it's military twist is great.

Books of uncommon enjoyment
A book worth waiting for...I have been eagerly awaiting the filling in of gaps in my Honor Harrington collection.This book was just as wonder full as the others.To promote David Weber's books I have been donating new copies of his works to the local library.They are seldom on the shelves. I really enjoyed reading this book and finding new people to introduce his works to.I hope you enjoy this as much as Nobles County, MN fans do.

Not the Pulp Junk I Expected
Though it almost lost me in the prologue, David Weber has created a universe of characters I now consider one of my favorites.

The prologue is rough. The People's Republic of Haven is having economic problems, you see, so of course the only solution to this is... war? Thankfully, Mr. Weber handles this gracefully so it doesn't seem as if a cavalcade of cartoonish villains are rubbing their hands with anticipation at the prospect while laughing maniacally. Instead of an outright attack on Manticore, they opt for wrestling away a strategic wormhole instead, due to the control of shipping lanes it brings.

Honor Harrington is herself a compelling character. She has a very unique pet 'cat, is early enough in her career that she constantly questions her own motivations and decisions, and as necessary, has the deck stack firmly against her. The last provides most of the plot momentum; she must overcome bureaucratic posturing, lack of supplies and Navy Intelligence, outright undermining of her efforts to clean up Basilisk Station, and her own lack of experience. She's clearly the skilled underdog we're meant to support, and it actually pays off.

While there's a lot of military and space jargon, it's not so heavy as to be distracting. David is no Alastair Reynolds here; the reading is much lighter, more of a detective story with a sci-fi tint. That said, I didn't expect much from an introduction to a 10-book series, mostly because that's the first indicator of pulp fiction. Yet something about the mix of characters, setting, and plot managed to snag me. I plan on reading at least a couple more to determine the likelihood the recipe will go stale. ... Read more

Product Description
Captain Maneka Trevor was the sole human survivor of the Dinochrome Brigade's 39th Battalion . . . but she hadn't wanted to be one. The Bolo known as "Lazarus" -- Unit 28/G-179-LAZ -- was the 39th's sole surviving Bolo . . . but he hadn't been hers. The doctors and the Bolo techs have put them both back together again, yet there are wounds no doctor or technician can heal. And now Maneka and Lazarus must serve together once again, in a war whose stakes are

literally the survival or extermination of the human race. They are all that stand between a desperate, secret colony of humanity and destruction: a Bolo commander torn by survivor's guilt and a Bolo whose very existence reminds her of all she has lost. The odds against them are heavy, the stakes are huge, and surrender is not an option. The Dinochrome Brigade is used to that, but can Maneka and Lazarus survive their own shared past to defend the present? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Great Story
I really liked the book.David Weber always writes a great story.Must have in your Weber collection.

Disappointing
Their were some things I really liked with this book and then there were other things that had me shaking my head over. To be fair I'll start with the what was good with the book.

The Good: The handling of the Melconian soldiers were really good, So good in fact I almost considered cheering for them. The battle scenes were also very good and held me in suspense over how the battle would play out.

The Bad: All of theHuman male characters were made 2 dimensional card board cut outs. The Captain was made out to seem like some moon eyed, falling head over heels officer type that has to wait for the Female Lead to make all the moves. While the Colonial Governor was made out to be a typical rule bound bureaucrat that cares more for rules and regulations than anything else, that's it for the significant male characters. Thefemale characters were shown to be tougher, smarter, clever and more level headed than there male counterparts. And oh boy there were a lot of them, four significantfemale characters total . Amongst these female characters one a Plant Manager decided to fight back while the male workers were trying to escape she devised in ingenious way to get rid of the boarders and help safeguard the colony manufacturing capability. Then there were a female Marine Colonel who lead the defense of the colonyduring the ground war. The Commander of the Fleet that died close to the beginning of the book who saved the colony from destruction by sacrificing herself and here crew. Than finally the female lead who single handedly planned the planetary defense by her lonesome, outthought and outfought a veteranMelconian General and fought the entire battle in her bikini. In short their was far to much emphasis on a feminist viewpoint not enough time (or effort) into making mature and believable characters.

The Ugly: The twist in this book mainly, I mean come on! It's on the dang cover on the book! Not only is it clichéd but obvious! I could almost forgive the feminist viewpoint but this just made me shake my head in silence and place the book on my bookcasenever to read again. If Weber is to be the new author of Boloverse he's going to have to clean up his act.

Another Satisfying Ride by a master of the courageous heart
David Weber has a true gift for lifting up the heart in the midst of deep pain. His ability to help us see through the eyes of both sides of the conflict make his worlds come alive. In this extension of Keith Laumer's Bolo world I felt like I was on a roller coaster and when it was done I wanted to ride again. He once told me that he gives parts of his stories to his wife to read, and if she doesn't cry, he rewrites them again. I cried, yet I also wanted to cheer. Exactly what I wish I saw more of in our common life together on this planet. If you need a reminder of why we should struggle for honor and courage, then try this book, a continuation of one of the short stories in his book, Bolo. But you don't have to have read it, you will get enough of the back story. I highly recomend David Weber's book "Old Soldiers", partly for its craft and partially because it gave me a gift of seeing the world as precious again.

David Weber keeps the Bolo tradition alive
David Weber writes another wonderful installment in the Bolo universe.Unlike most Bolo books, which are usually several short stories, this is one long novel.Capt Trevor, of the Dinochrome Brigade, checks in off of convalescent leave after being severely wounded on Chartres.Indeed, she is the only human survivor of her battalion.She is teamed with Lazarus, the only surviving Bolo from that battle, on a special mission that could be humanity's only hope for survival.This book is full of gripping science fiction combat, and the characters are developed especially well.Plus, there is a pretty good surprise ending.All in all, Bolo fans will NOT be disappointed!

Fast-paced military fantasy.
David Weber's OLD SOLDIERS tells of one Captain Trevor, the sole survivors of a battle - and a Bolo companion who also has survived the destruction of his own unit. The doctors have put them both back together - yet healing remains, and the two must serve again, together, against impossible odds in this fast-paced military fantasy. ... Read more

Product Description
Bahzell Bahnakson of the Horse Stealer hradani never wanted to be a champion of Tomanak the War God. Unfortunately, the War God had insisted, and Bahzell's own sense of duty hadn't let him say no. Which was how he found himself in the Empire of the Axe, regarded with suspicion and fear, preparing for a journey across 300 leagues of bitter winter snow to face a Dark God who has threatened to destroy all hradani. But one thing Bahzell has learned: a champion of Tomanak does what needs doing. And the people in his way had better move.Amazon.com Review
David Weber is best known for his Honor Harrington series ofscience fiction books, but with Oath of Swords he begana lighthearted fantasy saga centered around Bahzell Bahnakson. Bahzell isthe reluctant champion of the War God Tomanak (a.k.a. the Sword of Light,the God of Justice, and Captain-General of the Gods of Light) and a memberof the Horse Stealer clan hradani. Being a hradani puts Bahzell on a rungof the social ladder somewhere south of deplorable and just west ofoffensive, making him an unlikely champion for any god, much less Tomanak.

Although this relationship can be trying at the best of times, it'sstretched perilously thin in The War God's Own, where Bahzell iscalled upon by Tomanak to fight the minions of Sharna, the Dark God.Thisis a fun, swashbuckling story that moves along nicely, managing to be bothentertaining and unassuming at the same time. --Craig Engler ... Read more

Customer Reviews (27)

the war gods own
ordered in paper back could not reAD IT DUE TO SMALL LETTERS SO HAD TO ORDER IN HARD BACK WISH THERE HAD BEEN A WAY to know that before i started to read it.i had to stop and wait on the hardback before i know if anygood or not

Time Passer
A good time passer, like rewatching a well known movie, because it is fun even if you know how it is going to go.If you like the genre and the author you will like the book.

An Excellent Military Fantasy
David Weber has a talent for writing military fiction. This is true of his grand works of space opera and, in this book, he proves it is true of fantasy as well. Some of his works seem like primers in grand strategy or in tactics but this is not one of those works. Its just a great military fantasy.

Fantasy implies that there will be magic involved and there is but it is understated. So too are there elves, dwarves, Halflings and the like. There is also a new race, that of the protagonist, which seems at odds with just about everyone else. They can be thought of as oversize barbarians who scare everyone. That is why it is so surprising when the war god of this creation picks him to be his champion. Nobody trusts him including the military order dedicated to the service of this god.

The war god has bigger plans and wants to stop a plot of the darker gods from gaining too much power. The champion wants to protect his people and do as the god bids.

It's a well crafted story but, most important, it is fun to read.

Tomanoak is Back!
WOW! If you love Lord of the Rings or similar you will love this book. Tomanoak is back! And he's directing Bahzell everywhere he doen't want to go. From a school for the Nights of the Order to a massive cave systme of the dwarfs. if you like long, lengthly and detailed sagas you will adore this book. Just be thankful they don't print the lyrics for Bahzell the Bloody Handed!

PLEASE SIR, MAY I HAVE SOME MORE?
With his military sf getting, frankly, too commercial, it was great to see Weber return to Bahzel and Brandark.This book once again reminded me of why I started reading this author in the first place.Forget Honor Harrington!Bahzel is just such a great character!This book just makes you want to read it all in on sitting, which is the highest praise a book can earn, isn't it?I have read both books so many times now that I've needed to replace one of them.It is great to pick up a book and ENJOY it without worrying about complex plot twists or bad guys coming out of left field.If there isn't a third book in the works... ... Read more

Product Description
Proclaimed a dead woman by the People's Republic of Haven, Honor Harrington has escaped her prison with half a million others and will tip the balance in favor of the Allies.Amazon.com Review
"Why in Christ's name can the woman never bring a ship back intact?" muses Hamish Alexander at the triumphant return of Honor Harrington in Ashes of Victory, the apparent resurrection of a woman he'd seen executed by the Peeps some two years earlier. Yep, she's back: minus a left arm and an eye, minus a few inches of hair, and more than a little banged up in the process, the indestructible, ever-resilient Honor is back from the dead--and she's got some 400,000 liberated POWs from Hades in tow for good measure.

Picking up where Echoes of Honor left off, the ecstatic reunion that begins Ashes proves short-lived as Honor once again lives up to her nickname of "The Salamander," always ending up where the fire's hottest. In the longest book of this naval space-opera series, David Weber plunges his beloved heroine (now an admiral!) into a thick tangle of political plots, as she takes on a more mature, behind-the-scenes role than in previous books. But don't fret: there's still some good action as HH prevents an assassination attempt and Manticore and its allies test-drive their new weaponry. And quite a few characters get what's coming to them too, including a few who drop like picked-off Peeps. All in all, yet another worthy installment in the series--check out On Basilisk Station first if you're new to HH. --Paul Hughes ... Read more

Customer Reviews (176)

ashes of victory
I bought this book used and it stated that was in good condition, but when I stated reading it, it feel apart at the binding and pages came out.I feel this was not in the condition that it was reported, this book was in poor condition.I recommed this book for the reading, but the seller should have been more clearer about the books condition, it was not good it was poor.

Could have been a much stronger novel
I think I've just given up and decided to attempt and catch up with David Weber's Honor Harrington series. All the way up. That means I'm currently working on Ashes of Victory, and it's impossible not to notice the books are getting longer as the series rolls on.

And in this case, it's not just longer in page-length, but in exposition, political maneuvering, and copious droning. Compared to Echoes of Honor, this is almost an unremitting snooze-fest. Echos is one of the most action-packed of the series, so holding every book up to that standard would be immensely unfair, yet writing this a few days after finishing the book, I'm having trouble remembering what actually transpired. It's like my eyes glazed over and refused to transmit the words to my balking cerebral cortex.

Yet it didn't have to be this way! This is the long-awaited novel where everything hits the fan. Saint-Just decides to move on his perception of McQueen's ambition; Haven enters yet another series of regime-swapping antics; Manticore finally launches an offensive against Haven using all the nifty new weapons they've developed; Honor hires a linguist to teach the treecats sign language for God's sake. That's not even mentioning everyone coming to terms with Honor's return, the repair of her face, and replacement of the arm she lost in In Enemy Hands. There is a ridiculous amount of material, but it all gets lost in the too-long pacing and tooth-grindingly glacial setup for each minuscule maneuver and implied, contextually-important discussion.

This is the first time I've mentally implored for an edited copy of a book, not because of syntactical errors, but due to the sheer amount of unnecessary brain vomit it contains. This is not due to Weber painstakingly describing a room, ship, or battle in exacting detail, but because every single thought and loosely-related tangent of even minor characters is explored like an architectural dig. Pages and pages are devoted to introducing a character, the context of their presence, what they ate for lunch last Tuesday, and what the implications may be for Manticore. I've noticed this about Weber occasionally, but this time he was in rare form, and looking back on the previous novels, I have to wonder what changed.

Since I've read a bit of War of Honor already, I can safely say he cut back drastically on irrelevant details, so I'll call this novel a fluke. It's still good, just a huge departure from the quality of previous entries.

Awful !!!
This is without a doubt the worst book David Weber has ever written.I thought the previous books in the series were great, and luckily, the remaining books in the series are also good.But this one was a real stinker.The entire first 250 pages of the book is about lavishing Honor with praise and rewards.Each time, she is "so surprised", finds it embarassing, and claims she doesn't deserve it.This goes on for chapter after chapter - first on Grayson then on Manitcore.There is also chapter after chapter of "witty banter" between characters that is anything but witty.It is just silly and ponderous.If you are reading the entire series, there are enough important events in this book that you'll need to read it, but be prepared to either be bored to tears throught much of the book or be ready to skim through large sections of it.

The Queen in this book fails Honor an the readers
I liked the action sequences in this book but the problem that I found with it is that after the prime minister's death, the Queen was not able to finish the war against PN properly.This Queen should have gone against the Constitution and removed the traitorous government of High Ridge before it was even formed.A constitutional crisis might have been a problem, but would it have been the same problem as Haven presented when the war restarted?I think not.The problem with this book is that while Honor herself (and some others) is a great character, the government failed the RMN and its people in ways, that should have forced either Queen or the RMN admirals to go against the government's desire to allow Haven to rebuild its war machine.

It would have been a 100 times better book if either Hamish or Honor herself took over the RMN fleet and finished Haven off without the government's approval.It would have even been better if at least Honor with the Grason's Navy continued the war against Haven without the RMN.What was described in this book is an atrocity of unbelievable proportions.In fact right after the last chapter I decided that in the next book I will cheer for Haven and its PN (and Theisman in particular.)

Screw Honor and her Queen.

David Weber - A Science Fiction Master
Go to Baen Free Library. If you haven't read everything he's written, at least give it a try..... ... Read more

Product Description
The "bugs" have overrun planet after planet and they regard all sentient species as convenient protein sources. The Grand Alliance of Humans has been driven to the wall. When the only possible outcomes are victory or racial extermination, only one option is acceptable - The Shiva Option. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (62)

The Battle Fleets of Alliance Strike Back
The arachnoids, "Bugs", have swarmed from victory to victory in this galactic level war. Every planet they have conquered have been turned into protein sources; livestock to use for consumption. The Humans and allies can't comprehend the mindset of the Bugs which exhibit indifference toward losses in battles. Introspection was not something they are capable of; neither is terror, hate or despair in situations where the Bugs are outnumbered by the Alliance. They are motivated only by a cold imperative; to expand. The grand alliance of Humans, Orions, Opiuchi and Gorm united, are about to take any measures against Bugs. And no option is exempt. A radical extermination under General Directive 18 was reactivated; Let the Hindu God, Shiva, bring the wrath to the Bugs; through hands of the Alliance.

This is the a war of righteousness and of survival. The leaders of the Navy, from all races, take their turn to engage in battles that take enormous proportions. The massiveness of the encounters is duly met from the prose of the story. The ruins of destruction can be felt from the emotions of the leaders. The fortunate event for the humans is the war is that Bugs had also other other enemy which forced them to fight two fronts. The pace of the book is quite overwhelming -- although the upcoming battles can be seen in beforehand -- but the story keeps reader on toes to see what "twist" this battle has in its sleeves. The warp point fortresses and tactics that spew AMBAMs, AFHAWKs, FRAMs, SMBHAWKs, SRHAWKs, RDs whet appetite of any military lingo enthusiast. The Naval maneuvering of massive battle fleets with cruisers, monitors, superdreadnoughs that energize blasts in head-on colliding armadas, is well scripted and feel real.

Four (4) stars. Written in 2002, this is the ending of the Starfire series ("The Stars at War"). At a phenomenal 750 pages, the detailed battle tactics and count of losses, logistics of the Warp points and defence postures express total military might with confidence. The characters of the commanders of the fleets are quite well fleshed out as we see them struggling with the decisions and implications of the losses. The species are varied enough to make them unique to each other. It's luring to tell oneself while reading, "okay, this battle is over, the next is coming - it can't be that interesting", and in a way that's true. The battles grow in size like snowballs, but in the same time somehow the writing keeps them fresh; there is always a new angle, that make them feel unique; the continuation must be seen where it leads. It's amazing how the writer keeps up the thrill all along; almost all the way to the end. To tell this story however would not have required the hefty page count; a 500 would have been enough. The best parts are the bits and pieces that present the thoughts of the battle strategy of the Bugs in between the events; a very good innovation.

Could have used more action instead of battle reports
I know this book could have been half the size.It's too bad because I anticipated much more in terms of action.I would have liked to have read more about the fighters in battle. Like Starship Troopers, the bugs and their habitat could have more of a background story.Instead we get a lot of battle reports and behind the scenes detail that do not make for an exciting story.It was a letdown for me because I have read both authors work.The Honor series by Weber and the prequels for this series were far more involving.When reading a book of this size, the reader expects more in terms of adventure and action.I just wish the cover image matched the excitment in the book.

nothing original here--well almost
the monsters here are a race of giant spiders (called bugs)--who cannot communicate with other races and are hard wired to conquer any that they encounter--then they use the conquered remnant populations of the planets they conquer as a food source--breeding them on "ranches". They have no art, aesthetics or emotions.I find the entire concept to be patently ridiculous.

It's thinly disguised political commentary, manipulated by braindead libertarians--creating a universe that is black and white--how convenient for the this political mindset.The lefties in this universe have to be dissuaded from empathizing with these monsters.It's so outrageous!

The most interesting passages of this book are printed in italics and seem to emanate from the governing intelligences of the bugs--cause otherwise the book is dull retelling of most wars--where the winning side has a substantial technological and manufacturing base advantage.

Excellent ending....
I've been a great fan of David Webers books many years now. The most famous "Honor Harrington" series is truly great to read.
I found this book without actually looking for it. And by the look of it seemed interesting. So I got this one and the one before it (which is part one out of a two part series) which is called "In death ground". This book ends the story but you should really read the former one first to get all the needed backstory and a proper beginning.
There is a lot of charachters. Some deeper compared to others. Also a great deal of space battles. Epic ones to be honest. The basic conflict is about two VERY different ways of life. Two extremly different kind of life: ours and our allies and the "Arachnids" who sees us as simpy food. This time EVERYTHING is on the line and loosing the war simply is NOT an option!

Good not great
Let me start of by saying I am a huge David Weber fan.I have read nearly all of his books from the Harrington series to the Dahak series and the rest of the novels in this series.The Shiva option is not as enjoyable as all of his other books I have read.The battles are repetitive.The warp junctions seem confusing even with the guides.There is a little innovation in the beginning, but them it seems to just repeat itself through the middle 300 pages.Good book NOT his usual great. ... Read more

Product Description
Historians have paid little attention to the lives and contributions of children who took part in westward expansion. In this major study of American childhood, now available again in paperback, Elliott West explores how children helped shape--and in turn were shaped by--the frontier experience. Frontier children's first vivid perceptions of the new country, when deepened by their work, play, and exploration, forged a stronger bond with their surroundings than that of their elders. Through diaries, journals, letters, novels, and oral and written reminiscences, West has reconstructed the lives of the children who grew to become the first truly Western generation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The western frontier through children's eyes
Elliott West has written a highly entertaining book packed with historical information about children's development in the American Far West.West chronicles how children had a different perspective about the West than their parents, how children's contributions allowed for the settling of the region, and how children were shaped by the West in ways that their parents, grounded in traditions from Back East or Europe, never achieved.

Chapters cover children's "First Impressions", their lives "At Home", "Child's Work" and "Child's Play', "Growing Up", "Family and Community", "A Great School House", "Suffer the Children", and "Children and the Frontier."In each, West gives extensive examples and quotations from primary sources left by children to illustrate his points.In "A Great School House," for example, the author describes the creation of educational facilities in the West to show how hungry western pioneers, both adults and children, were for this formal learning.

The conclusion, "Children and the Frontier", summarizes many of West's previous themes and makes broader conclusions about the children's experiences.Unlike parents, sons and daughters were bred for western conditions, whether raising livestock, planting crops, or prospecting for minerals.Their lives reflect the influence of the West on the new generation, as well as showing how the older influences of American life (home, culture, music, education, games) endured.

All in all, I would heartily recommend the book to anyone interested in the western frontier experience, as an antidote to the men-laden images of many western accounts. ... Read more

Product Description
Imperial Intelligence couldn't find them, the Imperial Fleet couldn't catch them, and local defenses couldn't stop them. It seemed the planet-wrecking pirates were invincible. But they made a big mistake when they raided ex-commando leader Alicia DeVries' quiet home work, tortured and murdered her family, and then left her for dead. Alicia decided to turn ?pirate? herself, and stole a cutting-edge AI ship from the Empire to start her vendetta. Her fellow veterans think she's gone crazy, the Imperial Fleet has shoot-on-sight orders. And of course the pirates want her dead, too. But Alicia DeVries has two allies nobody knows about, allies as implacable as she is: a self-aware computer, and a creature from the mists of Old Earth's most ancient legends. And this trio of furies won't rest until vengeance is served. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (56)

A Tad Redundant
Weber had already written a very good book in Path of the Fury - we didn't really need this one too.As you read it, you realize the most compelling writing was from the first iteration.

Three 'women', two bodies, one mission. The A Team has nothing on this!
This is two books - the story of a younger Alicia DeVries in the first, and a slightly retouched 'Path of the Fury' in the second. I certainly hope there's a third one day. Now, if you haven't read Path already, forget it - this book (In Fury Born) is what you want to read. If you have read Path, and don't mind reading prequels, feel free to read the first half of this book. The second half only has a few changes - notably, a quite nice one in the last two pages.

The story itself is fantastic. Kickass female hero, lots of action, and (in the second half) superb 'sisters' - one mechanical, one divine. The banter between the three is decent, even good at times, but the development of one of them near the end took me by surprise, big time. Actually, the whole ending took me by surprise.

The biggest problem with this book is that a sequel hasn't been announced yet. Weber has set up characters who have more psychological depth than he has the ability to deal with, but that won't stop him from doing a more than adequate job if he ever does write a sequel.

Good story, very "hard military" sci-fi
If you're into hard military sci-fi, then this is your book. The story revolves around Alicia DeVries, and really makes her a believable almost super-human character. Weber has created an richly drawn universe, and the reader will be drawn in immediately.It is non-stop action for 838 pages, and each military scenario is tense, exciting and heart pounding.

I would have given this 4 stars, except the detailed military maneuver and strategy descriptions get redundant after the 3rd or 4th time. I love sci-fi, and can tolerate hard military sci-fi -- so this book overall is a very good read. It's clear that this is a combination of two (or even 3 books), so it was nice to read it all in one shot.

If another book comes out in this series, I would check it out.

This was Wonderful Space Opera
This had everything, from the best space opera ever, to incredible mythology.What else could you ask for?

Didn't realize it was an expansion of "Path of the Fury"
I'm a big fan of David Weber, so when I saw two books about Fury I thought one was a sequel to the other and bought them both."In Fury Born" arrived first and after reading the info realized that it was an expanded re-write of "Path of the Fury".I enjoyed the book, and when I finished it, I dove right into "Path of the Fury".The extra detail and character build up add a lot to the story, and I would highly recomend "In Fury Born".If you don't have as much time read "Path of the Fury". ... Read more

Product Description
For Colin MacIntyre, it began with a routine training flight over the moon. For Dahak, a self-aware Imperial battleship, it began millennia ago, standing guard against an unknown enemy which once devastated the galaxy-and now has returned. So Dahak grabbed MacIntyre's ship and informed him that he was drafted to be its new captain and lead the fight against the ancient enemy.

MacIntyre had doubts that he could handle the job, but Dahak had definitely picked the right man. Before it was all over, MacIntyre would:

" Defeat a cadre of mutineers, formerly part of Dahak's crew, kept alive through untold generations by alien technology, who have been secretly manipulating life on earth for thousands of years . . .

" Mobilize the planet into a fighting force that might have a slender chance of stopping the ancient alien menace from eradicating all intelligent life in its path . . .

" And resurrect the ancient galactic empire, which had fallen into chaos and barbarism, with himself as Emperor-which meant that he immediately became the target of a plot to assassinate him, and strand his son and daughter on a planet where their chances of surviving in a superstitious pre-tech society would be zero for the average human . . .

Fortunately for the galaxy, Colin MacIntyre and his heirs have never even heard of average, and anyone, human or alien, who got in their way was going to be very, very sorry. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (39)

Its an epic and reads like one
The premise is great and the first 1/3 of the book gets your attention. Then, I think it gets a bit bogged down in the details. I read often, and this is one that you probably read a little, put it down, then come back a few days later to pick it back up. In fact, I'm still not finished. Not because I am a slow reader, far from it. Its just that the character development may be a bit too unnecessarily complex.

These three books make a great SciFi read
When Colin MacIntyre passes the dark side of the moon while doing a ground scanning test for scientists on earth the last thing he expects is find out that the moon his hollow and then he gets dragged into it by a tractor beam. Colin is about to find out that what he thought he knew about earth's history is completely wrong, and that the events that took place on the moon 50,000 years ago still can affect everyone on earth today when he meets Dahak the self aware computer who runs "the moon" and discovers a threat that could destroy all life on earth.

This book consists of three novels: Mutineer's Moon, the Armageddon inheritance and Heirs of Empire.All three books are an entertaining and action packed read and a real space opera in the best sense.I have to say that at the end of these books I was sorry to realise that no more had been published with these characters.If you like space battles, lost empires and advanced technology then these books are for you and are a great introduction to the author David Weber

Grand Old Space Opry
Mr. Weber certainly churns out a lot of books, but this volume (contains three sequential novels) grabbed me with its ideas and grand scale.Although a little shaky in a few items of science (how do you put a spaceship into a geosynchronous orbit over Buenos Aires, or maybe it was Rio?)(with the "technology" in the book it would be easy, but it would have to be a powered orbit)(I tend to quibble) these novels are a fine read.Calling this "Space Opry" may sound like a complaint, but it is truly an accolade.The comparison to an updated "Doc" Smith epic is apt, and also a complement.As an aside I would praise "Doc" for foreseeing the singularity (or Black Hole)(he called it a "black sun") in his 1929 novel, "The Skylark of Space".Mr. Weber may not be so prescient, but his ideas and their exposition are great fun.Don't miss these novels, conveniently packaged in one volume.

Beware, this isn't a new book.
I was pretty disappointed when I purchased this book because I thought it was the next book in the series.Instead it is just a compilation of the previous 3 books one after another.

Fun but feels like an outline
While I couldn't put it down - I feel like I just finished a LONG outline. Great concepts throughout, makes me want to get out the telescope and look at the moon again and say "what if".
Weber's style reminds me of WEB Griffin or Beowulf - each chapter peeking in on an hour in the action, spread over months or years, villains or heros dispatched with alacrity and gore.This could have been a framework for a whole series of books in the hands of another author, perhaps delving deeper into the characters and the worlds.But I certainly appreciate the classic scifi visions. ... Read more

Product Description
On the planet Grayson to participate in diplomatic talks between the Kingdom of Manticore and the Republic of Haven, Honor Harrington discovers that she is stuck on a fiercely patriarchal, misogynist planet. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (64)

note
loved the book the only problem was a lttle to much tacno babble main i have no clue what how the ship ran but other than that loved the way the book flowed warning warning do not read past this post some of the folks ya get to like in the book died i understand about death in war just a warning

Weber Continues to Impress with Harrington
Like On Basilisk Station before it, David Weber has produced a very engaging piece of fiction I thoroughly enjoyed. I'd also like to point out that Baen's free library has made me a customer. Having read these two books has inspired me to finish the series, which currently stands at ten entries.

Since the series is based on her, the reader must know that Honor Harrington will survive any inevitable conflict, but the question is the degree of her triumph. While this does mark the series as pulp of a sort, and something of a potential soap opera, Mr. Weber isn't being excessively overt just yet in this second entry. This time, Honor heads a squadron in her shiny new Star Knight class heavy cruiser, to secure a treaty with Grayson, a moderate settlement of fairly religious zealots. But there was a schism in the past, and even more devout crazies were expelled before a civil war could annihilate everyone.

Grayson citizens believe women are second-class citizens, cause of the first and second Fall of Man, so the fact Honor is a woman captain is an anathema to them. The conflict here is several levels deep, as Haven is obviously involved with the deposed faction in order to secure its own interests in the system. Against prejudice, Haven, and a particularly incompetent political envoy, Honor is expected to rise above.

The only real problem I have is that the series is named after her, so predictably, she'll come out on top. What fun would it be if she didn't? But in this case, it's not the conclusion but the path that's important. It's fairly obvious after this excursion David will need to up the ante, and that doesn't bode well for our poor captain. But I still look forward to reading the third book in the series.

How she became Lady Dame Honor Harrington
Grayson, a patriarchal sexually discriminating cultural backwater, discovered only 200 years ago by their neighbors, is a christian world. A biblical world, whose doctrines have led to polygamy and women having no rank or political rights. Honor Harrington arrives with the diplomatic mission of The Royal Manticoran Navy to make them an ally, a buffer, against the People's Republic -- The peeps. But Grayson has its own civil war emerging with the citizens of Masada; a near planet where long ago banished fanatics plot to blow up the entire planet of Grayson to God's glory. In secrecy the Peeps have armored the Masada with a superior battleruiser which more than doubles everything the Royal Navy brought with them. Things start to escalate and enemy is sneaking everywhere. How will Harrington succeed to orchestrate the defence of the Grayson when their admirals won't even consider women worth shaking hands?

The strategic alliance part of the story starts nicely and the cultural clash with the Grayson, while quite stereotypical and non-creative, is nicely told. The problems with dealing with feminine authority are nuanced with the diplomat characters and in Grayson military. Harrington struggling to deal with her emotions are reflected in conversations with her officers. The female lead, the likable heroine, suffers somewhat from certain stiffness and predictability, loosing control in contrast to intelligent responses. She is black and white and with Nimitz (Harrington's telepathic treecat) they can singlehandedly take out a crew of assassins. The scenes in space offer lot of technical details, show engaging naval battle tactics and tight maneuvering.

Three (3) stars. Written in 1993 this is the 2nd book in Weber's Honorverse. Almost surprisingly the best part of the book is the first third where the diplomatic issues are being scened and fleshed out in tingling conversations. The build of suspense starts leveling at 2/3 of the book when Harrington is unleashed to do her honor to the Queen to fight against overpowered adversary. Luckily the bad guys are a little more varied than what one might expect, some even decent. But very little more is revealed from the Peeps or the Masadans. The overwhelming glory that awaits for Harrington at the end is understandable from a sequel point of view but for this book, the ending is too tidy, too glorious. An undeniable embodiment of military science fiction, but a little too much sugar on a cake.

Big Honorverse fan!
Of course this is one of my favorite Honor books.Also, this is my first audiobook.I thought I'd choose something I knew I'd like anyway for a road trip.It worked like a charm and kept me entertained and awake on the road for sure.A few things bothered me about pronounciation or emphasis in the reading, but overall it was great and I will certainly do it again soon!

In Many Ways Better than the First Book
After reading this book's predecessor, On Basilisk Station, I eagerly tore into The Honor of the Queen, anticipating a tight plot, intriguing characters, and well written, explosive action.David Weber did not disappoint.This book was just as captivating as the one came before it, if not moreso.This review contains spoilers.

The overall idea of the novel is intriguing.I, for one, was interested to see how Honor Harrington, a naval officer accustomed to a world where sexual discrimination is but a memory of the past, would fare on a planet where women have no rights.Having a rather feminist mindset myself, the issue struck me as interesting and, at times, really made my blood boil, so I felt as though I could relate to Honor on some level.The author handled the concept surprisingly well, as most male authors seem to be unable to fully grasp the emotions and the seriousness that comes with a topic such as this (no offense male authors).That alone would have been enough for our heroine to handle.But, of course, things are never quite that easy for Honor.

The Peoples' Republic of Haven entering into the fray was, well, pretty much expected.At this point, even after reading just this book and the previous one, it can be expected that Manticore and Haven will always find some way to be at odds with each other until a full blown war breaks out.Regardless, it added a sense of urgency to the book, which became even more dire and even chaotic when the Masadans rebelled against the Peeps.

The characterisation of Honor Harrington was spot on.She's a very likable heroine, but isn't without her faults.In fact, I believe that's one of the things I enjoyed about this book so much.We finally get to see Honor get pushed over the edge.She's usually so calm and collected, fully capable of holding herself in check and never allowing her anger to really show beneath her cool surface.To see her lose control for a moment and release her anger on someone who could, potentially, ruin her career was a bit refreshing.To me, it shows that she isn't impervious to mistakes and that she is, in fact, human.She was intriguing in the previous book and just got better in this one.She seemed a little more three dimensional here than she did before...perhaps that was because she had to deal with a lot more (the death of her mentor, trying to seal an alliance with a planet that despises her for her gender and position of power, trying to protect said planet from their enemies and Manticore's enemies, her acquired injury, her own inner and emotional turmoils, and being the best Captain she can be while still upholding the Queen's honour).Yet, she still manages to keep everything together to save the day (at risk of destroying her ship and crew) and seal the alliance.

As before, Nimitz proved to be an asset to the story.Though he may not have been a bit part of the overall plot, he is an enjoyable character and his interactions with Honor and others are often entertaining to read about.I would like to see him play a bigger role in future books, as he (as a character and a member of a very gifted species) seems to have a lot to offer.

Another thing I really enjoyed about The Honor of the Queen was the varying personalities when it came to some of the more minor characters...especially those who came from Grayson and Haven.The idea that not all bad guys are bad was definitely reinforced here.The characters of Yanakov (Grayson) and Alfredo Yu (Haven) were especially interesting.Both of them were decent people who were doing what they believed was best for their people.Characters like them lesson the whole good guy/bad guy layout many books seem to have.They add a new level to the story and force the reader to look beyond their association with planets and governments and look more at the individuals themselves.

One thing that did become a bit tiresome was how everyone who dislikes Honor is automatically a "bad guy".It just struck me as a bit unrealistic that everyone on the "good side" likes Honor and anyone who doesn't is pegged as a "bad guy".Hopefully that will lessen in future books.

The last hundred pages or so were fast paced and exciting, often keeping me on the edge of my seat.Weber really excels when it comes to writing explosive space battles...even if his tendency to interrupt the flow of the space battle to explain a piece of technology can be, at times, annoying.

The Honor of the Queen can be read as a standalone novel, but is best read after On Basilisk Station.In short, it's a great followup to the first book and, in many ways, is better than the first book.I look forward to reading the next books in the series to see what future adventures await Honor Harrington ... Read more

Product Description
In The War God's Own, Bahzell had managed to stop a war by convincing Baron Tellian, leader of the Sothoii, to "surrender" to him, the War God's champion. Now, he has journeyed to the Sothoii Wind Plain to oversee the parole he granted to Tellian and his men, to represent the Order of Tomanak, the War God, and to be an ambassador for the hradani. What's more, the flying coursers of the Sothoii have accepted Bahzell as a wind rider-the first hradani wind rider in history. And since the wind riders are the elite of the elite among the Sothoii, Bahzell's ascension is as likely to stir resentment as respect. That combination of duties would have been enough to keep anyone busy-even a warrior prince like Bahzell-but additional complications are bubbling under the surface. The goddess Shigu, the Queen of Hell, is sowing dissension among the war maids of the Sothoii. The supporters of the deposed Sothoii noble who started the war are plotting to murder their new leige lord and frame Bahzell for the deed. Of course, those problems are all in a day's work for a champion of the War God. But what is Bahzell going to do about the fact that Baron Tellian's daughter, and heir to the realm, seems to be thinking that he is the only man-or hradani-for her? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (25)

as clunky as a pair of the hero's boots
I know that one of the main premises of this series is that the hradrani are mage/god touched as to make them into super-warriors, and our male lead, Bahzell, is the biggest, "most giftedest" one of all.And this is a fantasy novel.Still, occasional subtlety would have been refreshing.The forshadowing was very heavy-handed (enormous man who has always "secretly" pined for an enormous horse in the land of enormous horses saving said horses from a fate worse than death....hmmmm...what could possibly happen?).

The editing really should have been much tighter.There were a number of loose ends left unresolved from the earlier books, and many more were added with this book.Characters were introduced, then disappeared from the main storyline or were killed, seemingly introduced only so that the author could name those being wiped out.I had to reread portions just to make sure I'd gotten straight who was doing what to whom and where.The maps in the front really weren't much help at all.I kept flipping back to them thinking that locations should be clearly labeled on them, maybe even travel paths, but they weren't.

The cover picture was just wrong.I kept trying to figure out who the grumpy-looking "chick" with her boobs hanging out was supposed to be.See the cover of "The War God's Own" for a much more appropriate representation of what the male and female lead would be wearing, then add a layer of gore and damage, since they had just finished a battle.

A friend loaned me the three books in this series, and they sat for months before I finally decided to read them because the descriptions on the back covers sounded too "over the top".I was pleasantly surprised.The first two books were good enough that I wanted to read the third.This book was okay, and I will read the next one in the series to find out what happens, but I'm really hoping that they will clean the fourth book up before it's published.Maybe they'll even make the cover artist actually read the book, too.

It just ends
It's an excellent book, but it just... ends.There's no wrap up.No satisfying conclusion, nothing.I only hope there are a couple more in the works.

Not your usual run of swords and sorcery book
Most of David Weber's work is military SF, but he has branched out into the swords and sorcery genre with his three books about Bahzell Bahnakson. I don't usually have much time for "Conan" style books even when they're written by authors of the calibre of Roland Green or Harry Turtledove, but these three - Oath of Swords, The War God's own, and Wind-rider's Oath - are something else.

Some of the particular strengths of this series are things which are carried over from Weber's other work - good use of humour, brave but believable heroes and heroines, characters who have to overcome their own prejudices and mostly do so.

One thing which I appreciate about David Weber as an author is that he does not find it necessary to insert a gratuitous love story into every book, even in this genre. Not that his characters are sexless or incapable of love, and there are hints of interplay between characters which may - or may not - develop into romances later in the series, but Weber's characters fall in love when it fits the bigger story canvass and not for the sake of including a romance in every volume in some formulaic pattern.

Perhaps the best feature of the book is that it is not entirely predictable and first impressions are not always right. For example, when one of the central characters meets someone who initially appears to be a bigoted blockhead, there is a roughly 25% chance that he or she really will turn out to be a hopeless case or a bad guy, and a 75% chance that he or she will actually be an honest person who is at least sometimes capable of doing the right thing. Equally some of those who appear at first to be good guys (or girls) turn out to be in the wrong, or even working for the dark Gods.

The storyline is strong, if a little complicated. It is much easier to keep track of what is going on if you had previously read the first two books in the series. One interesting feature is that, during a pause in the middle of the book, Bahzell's patron God gives him an explanation of how free will and destiny could both exist: it is a take on the "many worlds" thesis which I had not previously encountered and for me it was worth reading this book just for that passage.

There are some irritating minor issues in the presentation of the book. It contains two maps, but both of them fail to show most of the main locations in this book. There is a list of mortal characters at the front of the book and a list of Gods (good and evil) at the back. The three most important characters in the book are not included, which is not really a problem, but also excluded from the list are one or two characters from previous books who are repeatedly referred to and I found this rather annoying. In one scene two of the characters discuss someone called Wencit of Rum, and after trying and failing to remember who he is I looked at the index of characters: no mention. Eventually to make sense of the conversation I had to dig up the previous books in the series to remind myself who Wencit is (he is approximately the equivalent of Gandalf or Belgarath).

When I originally wrote this review I said that the point of the cover art, showing the concluding scene of the book, appeared to have been diminished by the unfortunate placement of a bubble with the words "New York Times best seller" which I suspected hid the object which Kaeritha has just thrown in Bahzell's direction. In subsequent printings the offending words have been removed and the item is indeed now visible.

Bottom line: if you liked any of David Weber's other books, read the three Bahzell Bahnakson books and it is unlikely that you will be disappointed. If you like the swords and sorcery genre generally, it is also likely that you will like these three. But if you do read any of these, make sure to read them in the right order, which is Oath of Swords, The War God's own, and Wind-rider's Oath.

Not Weber's Best, but Still Good
I was a bit worried when I opened this book.It had been years since I read the first two in the series, and I didn't have them with me.But the story drew me right in, refreshing my memory of the characters and the world without getting bogged down in summarizing the earlier books.

David Weber does a lot of things well.His battles have a powerful, epic feel, and the action in this book pulls you right along.

At the same time, there's a distinction between being larger than life, and being a bit flat as a character.I don't just mean Bahzell here.All of the heroes are too heroic.Weber spends a great deal of time building up the animosity between the Sothoii and the Hradani, but pretty much ever one of the Sothoii go through the same pattern of initially hating Bahzell, then seeing the error of their ways and humbly apologizing, after which Bahzell so nobly offers his understanding.It's nice that all of the good guys are oh so enlightened, but it started to strain the seams of credibility.

Likewise, the nastiness of the villains started to go a bit overboard when they all started giving off a poisonous, vile green glow.

My last nitpick is that things happen a bit too easily for the champions, at times.Not only are they all marvelous warriors (which makes sense, as they're champions of a war god), but if they're ever in over their heads, the god Tomanak pops in to help them out.They're stronger than their enemies, and Bahzell's god is stronger than everyone else's.Even the green glow of kryptonite--I mean, of evil--isn't enough to defeat these superheroes.They get tired and exhausted, pushing themselves to the brink, but there's rarely a sense that they're in genuine danger.

I admit it: I'm a picky reader, and I have a hard time ignoring flaws like these in a book.In this case, the strengths of the story were more than enough to pull me through.More than anything, Bahzell and his companions are fun.They believe in justice and good and all that noble stuff, but they also have a sense of humor.Even the war god jokes around with his champions sometimes.And while I prefer my stories and characters a bit more complex, there's also something to be said for a good old clash of good vs. evil.

I would definitely recommend starting with the first two books, which I think are stronger.But I don't regret buying this one, either.

Good, But Not Excellent
The first of this series I had the pleasure to read was the middle volume, THE WAR GOD'S OWN. I found it to be well written and interesting and different enough from the run of the mill product to be really of note. After that, I read the first volume and now I have just finished the third. It too is well written but does not have the excitement or the humor of the second. It is about on par with the first volume. This may be disappointing but it should not be. Everything cannot be a masterpiece and even Weber's lesser works are VERY well done.

In this installment, our Hradani champion is called upon to go to the Sothoii Kingdom, the hereditary enemies of his own people. He is called upon to foil yet another plot the a coterie of the gods of darkness and this time it will be more difficult because they are working under false colors. It is also more difficult because the political situation with regard to his race as well as that of his allies is highly complex. The Sothoii love the Coursers and both hate the Hradani. That makes it difficult when the Champion come to save your people is a hated hradani and it gets weirder when the champion gets bonded with a courser. It also makes for a few smiles.

Its not his best work but it is enjoyable.
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