For Captain Honor Harrington, it's sometimes hard to know who the enemy really is. Offered a chance to reclaim her career as an officer of the Royal Manticoran Navy, she is given command of a 'squadron' of jury-rigged merchantmen with crew drawn from the dregs of her service, and ordered to somehow stop the pirates who have taken advantage of the Havenite War to plunder the Star Kingdom's commerce. But the pirates are not all they seem - and neither are some of her 'friends'. For Honor has been carefully chosen for her mission - by two implacable and powerful enemies. The way they see it, either she stops the raiders or the raiders kill her - either way, they win. About the AuthorDavid Weber is one of the top science fiction writers of the 1990s whose acclaimed Honor Harrington series has gained him a devoted and dedicated readership. His many other books include the epic fantasies Oath of Swords and The War God's Own (also Baen). ReviewsIn this military space opera, the sixth in the Honor Harrington series, the heroine combat commander fights space pirates. Recommended for sf collections. Packing enough punch to blast a starship to smithereens, the first hardcover in Weber's Honor Harrington series (Field of Dishonor, etc.) includes such an abundance of tactical and political maneuvering that only fierce fans of military SF are likely to remain enthralled. Honor, the finest and most daring admiral in the Royal Manticoran Navy, had been forcibly retired for political reasons. Now, though, with space pirates dogging and destroying merchant freighters, the Navy calls her back into action. Along with her telepathic tree-cat, Nimitz, Honor boards the Wayfarer, a starship crammed with weapons, young, untried officers and a most motley crew. Honor must not only battle pirates but also keep the bullies on the crew from gnawing away at the morale, and the lives, of her newbie officers. The technical detail and lengthy battle scenes may try some readers' patience. Still, Weber peoples his ships with fine, brave youngsters, adding depth to what is otherwise a high-gloss space opera. (June) |