In March 2000, David Weber penned another Honor Harrington novel, this time putting Honor to the side to focus on the war and a coup that will have repercussions of the entire war. Synopsis: REPORTS OF MY DEATH HAVE BEEN GREATLY EXAGGERATED . . . The People's Republic of Haven made a tiny mistake when it announced the execution of Honor Harrington. It seemed safe enough. After all, they knew she was already dead. Unfortunately, they were wrong. Now Honor has escaped from the prison planet called Hell and returned to the Manticoran Alliance with a few friends. Almost half a million of them, to be precise . . . including some who know what really happened when the Committee of Public Safety seized power in the PRH. Honor's return from the dead comes at a critical time, providing a huge, much-needed lift for the Allies' morale, for the war is rapidly entering a decisive phase. Both sides believe that victory lie within their grasp at last, but dangers no one could foresee await them both. New weapons, new strategies, new tactics, spies, diplomacy, and assassination . . . All are coming into deadly focus, and Honor Harrington, the woman the newsies call "the Salamander," once more finds herself at the heart of them all. But this time, the furnace may be too furious for even a salamander to survive.
The novel opens with Honor Harrington in the galley of ENS Farnese's boat bay, musing on the escape from Hell. Hamis Alexander, on GNS Benjamin the Great's pinnace, boards Farnese and welcomes Honor home. He updates her on the situation in the Star Empire while taking her back to Grayson via Manticore in the GSN Honor Harrington. On Grayson, High Admrial Wesley Matthews and Protector Benjamin Mayhew IX greet Honor and Nimitz. Her father, mother and Samantha are there and Honor and Nimitz realize that his "transmitter" isn't working properly thanks to the State Security goons who clubbed him back on Enki (Honor Harrington: In Enemy Hands). On Haven, in the capital city Noveaux Paris, Secretary of War Ester McQueen, Chairman Robert S. Pierre, and Oscar Sanit-Just learn about Honor's survival from Hell and the war effort. Captain Michelle "Mike" Henke escorts Honor to Queen Elizabeth III. The Queen foists the title of duchess on Honor and a duchy in the Westmount Crown Reserve on Gryphon because she refused to take the Parliamentary Medal of Valor. The PMV is instead given to Horace Harkness.
Admiral Thomas Caparelli tells Honor that she'll be the commandant of Saganami and head the Advanced Tactical Course as well as help the new income of Grayson students mold with the Manticoran students; she's also been promoted to the full rank of Admiral. Saint-Just voices his concern about McQueen to Pierre. Honor asks disgraced Commander Andrea Jaruwalski to help her make changes to the outdated bits of Tactical Training just to poke Santino in the eye even though he's died because of his incompetence. Queen Elizabeth III learns that the Republic of San Martin of Trevor's Star want annexation with the Star Empire of Manticore because their Senate voted and approved it in a closed session in less than two weeks after Jesus Ramirez let slip a casual remark that he agreed with it. Allison Harrington tells Honor that she may have come up with a way for Nimitz to communicate with treecats again: sign language. It'll give them a way to talk with each other and with humans. Honor convinces Dr. Adelina Arif to help her, especially after Nimitz demonstrates that he does understand what Honor's saying by nodding his head. Honor hosts a diner with Rear Admiral of the Red Jackson Kriangsak, Andrea, Mike, and six other officers and nineteen midshipmen, including Abigail Hearns from Grayson, to help the midshipmen further learn more about tactics. The war goes on.
Saint-Just reminds Pierre that McQueen can't be trusted. McQueen, meanwhile, makes preparations to launch Operation Bagration. Saint-Just has Thomas Theisman recalled from the front to lead the Havenite home fleet. At a party, Honor and Nimitz and Samantha (but mostly the treecats) sign to Elizabeth and her treecat Ariel, wanting to teach them to communicate. Arriving at Haven, Theisman and Denis LePic learn that Pierre is dead and McQueen's coup failed; Saint-Just is now the chairman and lets Theisman have control of the home fleet with LePic remaining his commissioner. Theisman informs Saint-Just that it would be unwise to execute Lester Tourville and Javier Giscard now as he's rebuilding the navy's trust in the chairman. Benjamin Mayhew invites Elizabeth to a formal head-of-state meeting on Grayson. During that, the Havenites attack and kill Allen Sumervale, Duke of Cromarty, and his people because Honor can only stop one missile and saved Elizabeth and Benjamin. Baron High Ridge and the senior leaders of the Opposition Party refuse to back Elizabeth because they finally see a way to undermine her authority and government and wrest power away from the Crown and Loyalists. Saint-Just moves to have Tourville and Giscard executed while faking to want peace with the Star Empire of Manticore. Theisman launches his coup and kills Saint-Just.
All in all, a great novel that details heroes on both sides of the war and adds much needed depth into the political parties and structures of the Star Empire of Manticore. This is also the first time that Nimitz and Samantha communicate to the main cast (on the Manticoran/Grayson side, anyway). This book is the last appearance of Oscar Saint-Just, Rob Pierre, Ester McQueen and the Cromarty government, State Security, and the Committee of Public Safety. Great characterization, fantastic descriptions and details. This is a book that's hard to put down.
The novel opens with Honor Harrington in the galley of ENS Farnese's boat bay, musing on the escape from Hell. Hamis Alexander, on GNS Benjamin the Great's pinnace, boards Farnese and welcomes Honor home. He updates her on the situation in the Star Empire while taking her back to Grayson via Manticore in the GSN Honor Harrington. On Grayson, High Admrial Wesley Matthews and Protector Benjamin Mayhew IX greet Honor and Nimitz. Her father, mother and Samantha are there and Honor and Nimitz realize that his "transmitter" isn't working properly thanks to the State Security goons who clubbed him back on Enki (Honor Harrington: In Enemy Hands). On Haven, in the capital city Noveaux Paris, Secretary of War Ester McQueen, Chairman Robert S. Pierre, and Oscar Sanit-Just learn about Honor's survival from Hell and the war effort. Captain Michelle "Mike" Henke escorts Honor to Queen Elizabeth III. The Queen foists the title of duchess on Honor and a duchy in the Westmount Crown Reserve on Gryphon because she refused to take the Parliamentary Medal of Valor. The PMV is instead given to Horace Harkness.
Admiral Thomas Caparelli tells Honor that she'll be the commandant of Saganami and head the Advanced Tactical Course as well as help the new income of Grayson students mold with the Manticoran students; she's also been promoted to the full rank of Admiral. Saint-Just voices his concern about McQueen to Pierre. Honor asks disgraced Commander Andrea Jaruwalski to help her make changes to the outdated bits of Tactical Training just to poke Santino in the eye even though he's died because of his incompetence. Queen Elizabeth III learns that the Republic of San Martin of Trevor's Star want annexation with the Star Empire of Manticore because their Senate voted and approved it in a closed session in less than two weeks after Jesus Ramirez let slip a casual remark that he agreed with it. Allison Harrington tells Honor that she may have come up with a way for Nimitz to communicate with treecats again: sign language. It'll give them a way to talk with each other and with humans. Honor convinces Dr. Adelina Arif to help her, especially after Nimitz demonstrates that he does understand what Honor's saying by nodding his head. Honor hosts a diner with Rear Admiral of the Red Jackson Kriangsak, Andrea, Mike, and six other officers and nineteen midshipmen, including Abigail Hearns from Grayson, to help the midshipmen further learn more about tactics. The war goes on.
Saint-Just reminds Pierre that McQueen can't be trusted. McQueen, meanwhile, makes preparations to launch Operation Bagration. Saint-Just has Thomas Theisman recalled from the front to lead the Havenite home fleet. At a party, Honor and Nimitz and Samantha (but mostly the treecats) sign to Elizabeth and her treecat Ariel, wanting to teach them to communicate. Arriving at Haven, Theisman and Denis LePic learn that Pierre is dead and McQueen's coup failed; Saint-Just is now the chairman and lets Theisman have control of the home fleet with LePic remaining his commissioner. Theisman informs Saint-Just that it would be unwise to execute Lester Tourville and Javier Giscard now as he's rebuilding the navy's trust in the chairman. Benjamin Mayhew invites Elizabeth to a formal head-of-state meeting on Grayson. During that, the Havenites attack and kill Allen Sumervale, Duke of Cromarty, and his people because Honor can only stop one missile and saved Elizabeth and Benjamin. Baron High Ridge and the senior leaders of the Opposition Party refuse to back Elizabeth because they finally see a way to undermine her authority and government and wrest power away from the Crown and Loyalists. Saint-Just moves to have Tourville and Giscard executed while faking to want peace with the Star Empire of Manticore. Theisman launches his coup and kills Saint-Just.
All in all, a great novel that details heroes on both sides of the war and adds much needed depth into the political parties and structures of the Star Empire of Manticore. This is also the first time that Nimitz and Samantha communicate to the main cast (on the Manticoran/Grayson side, anyway). This book is the last appearance of Oscar Saint-Just, Rob Pierre, Ester McQueen and the Cromarty government, State Security, and the Committee of Public Safety. Great characterization, fantastic descriptions and details. This is a book that's hard to put down.
