Book Review: Honor Harrington: In Enemy Hands SPOILERS!

In 1997, David Weber returned with another thrilling novel set in his Honorverse. This time, Honor's captured by the enemy and her only hope of rescue lies in a dicey bit of betrayal from a friend and that not all Peeps are evil. Synopsis: Honor Harrington's career has its ups and downs. She's survived ship-to-ship battles, assassins, political vendettas, and duels. She's been shot at, shot down, and just plain shot, had starships blown out from under her, and made personal enemies who will stop at nothing to ruin her, and somehow she's survived it all. But this time she's really in trouble. The People's Republic of Haven has finally found an admiral who can win battles, and Honor's orders take her straight into an ambush. Outnumbered, outgunned, and unable to run, she has just two options: see the people under her command die in a hopeless, futile battle... or surrender them-and herself-to the People's Republic of Haven. There can only be one choice, and at least the People's Navy promises to treat their prisoners honorably. But the Navy is overruled by the political authorities, and Honor finds herself bound for a prison planet aptly named "Hell" ... and her scheduled execution. Put into solitary confinement, separated from her officers and her treecat Nimitz, and subjected to systematic humiliation by her jailers, Honor's future has become both bleak and short. Yet bad as things look, they're about to get worse ... for the People's Republic of Haven.

The novel opens with Cordelia Ransom arguing with Oscar Saint-Just and Rob Pierre about letting Esther McQueen have a seat on the Committee. Honor Harrington, accompanied by her armsmen and part of Nimitz's clan, land on Grayson and later talk shop with Hamish Alexander. Citizen Admiral Thomas Theisman, Citizen Commander Warner Caslet, and Commissioner Denis LePic also talk shop on the borders of the Haven Republic. Honor, on board HMS Prince Adrien--with Alistair McKeon--head out to protect cargo ships going to the Adler system. Ester McQueen begins  to settle into her role and use it as a way to pull a coup. Meanwhile, Citizen Rear Admiral Lester Tourville plans to take the fight to the Adler system. Cordellia Ransom arrives at Barnett system to oversee Theisman and tells him she plans to dispense with the Deneb Accords--something Theisman happens to value. At Clairmont, Vice Admiral of the Red Dame Madeleine Sorbanne received word that Tourville's taken Adler and nothing can save Honor's two ships. At Adler, and after a short fight, Honor orders McKeon to surrender.

Tourville dispatches a message to Theisman, unaware that Ransom is there. Theisman, Caslet, LePic, and Ransom arrive to take Honor prisoner and have her killed to some trumped up charges for the incident at Basilisk (HH1:OBS). Ransom orders Nimitz killed but Citizen Lieutenant Shannon Foraker lies  by saying that if Nimitz dies, then so does honor which Dr. Fritz Montoya corroborates. It's a lie that everyone but Ransom and her goons knows is a lie. Ransom takes the senior officers and Honor, with Caslet to the Cerberus system to execute Honor. Faking to switch sides, Senior Chief Petty Officer Horace Harkness sabotages Ransom's ship and rescues the officers and Caslet and Honor. During the fight to escape, armsman Jamie Candless sacrifices himself to ensure Honor gerts away. Harkness, as they flee in a damaged pinnace, has a second pinnace bring up its impeller wedge in the hangar, which destroys Ransom's ship and Ransom. Tourville, on his own ship, erases the records of what happened, stating that Honor deserved better than to be disintegrated in Ransom's ship. In the epilogue, Honor, with destroyed implants and missing an arm, wakes up on Hades with Harkness, Tremaine, McKeon, Caslet, Fritz, Nimitz, LaFollet and a few dozen others, saying that the Peeps are outnumbered here.

All in all, a very decent novel with enough action and world-building to satisfy any number of sci-fi lovers. Weber continues to show his masterful characterizations with any character no matter how great of small. A wonderful addition to the Honorverse. 

Upcoming book reviews

Okay, sorry, but that last list I made was way too long with too many books. From here on out, I'm just sticking with the series I've started.

Confirmed:
Honor Harrington (from In Enemy Hands on up, including the Saganami duology and Torch Slaves duology) by David Weber with Eric Flint [This will take a while to do, so bear with me]
The Old Republic: Annihilation by Drew Karpyshyn [It comes out soon, that's all I know]
Halo: The Thursday War by Karen Traviss [haven't visited Barnes and Noble yet this month]
Halo: Cryptum by Greg Bear [I will get around to it in about three weeks or so]
Halo: Primordium by Greg Bear [when my library gets it]

Star Wars X-Wing series (from Wedge's Gamble on up) by Michael A. Stackpole and Aaron Allston [can do from home, but they're all in different boxes, so please be patient. I'm also loaning them to a friend, so it will take a while]

Possibilities:
The Vorkosigan Saga (from Brothers In Arms upward) by Lois McMaster Bujold. Was going to do this, but the local library no longer has Brothers or Mirror Dance or Memory.
The Wess'har series by Karen Traviss
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (broken into two parts) by JRR Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (broken into two parts) by JRR Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (broken into two parts) by JRR Tolkien

I will try and post regularly on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the future, but if Life takes a different turn, then I may be forced to change the posting schedule. I'll let you all know in advance if I can.

Book Review: Honor Harrington: Honor Among Enemies SPOILERS!

In February of 1996, David Weber published a massive 538 page novel about Honor Harrington coming back into the Manticoran Navy via Klaus Hauptman who wants to use this chance to rid himself of both piracy and Honor. Synopsis: For Captain Honor Harrington, it's sometimes hard to know who the enemy really is. Despite political foes, professional jealousies, and the scandal that drove her into exile, she's been offered a chance to reclaim her career as an officer of the Royal Manticoran Navy. But there's a catch. She must assume command of a "squadron" of jury-rigged armed merchantmen with crew drawn from the dregs of her service and somehow stop the pirates who have taken advantage of the Havenite War to plunder the Star Kingdom's commerce. That would be hard enough, but some of the "pirates" aren't exactly what 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 . . . and either way, they win.

The novel opens with Manticoran Captain Harold Sukowski, working for the Hauptman Catrel, making a cargo run in the Silesian Confederacy when a pirate group ambushes and captures him and his crew. In the Star Kingdom of Manticore, Klaus Hauptman demands that something be done. When nothing happens, Hauptman suggests to Reginald Houseman and Erika Dempsey that they petition to bring Honor back to patrol the Confederacy and discover the people behind the pirate attacks. Houseman is against it but is convinced when he realizes that Honor would die fighting the Silesian pirates. On Grayson, Adml. Hamish Alexander (Earl White Haven) brings news to Honor that she's being reactivated in the Royal Manticoran Navy, but still a captain. Honor agrees and during the few months she and hew four Q-ships are in the Silesian Confederacy, pirate activity is reduced. Havenite Citizen Commander Warner Caslet ambushes pirates and recovers Harold and his crew. During another pirate attack, Warner and his crew plus Harold are captured by Honor. From pooled information, Honor learns that the formerly deceased pirate leader, Andre Warnecke, is still alive and has taken over Marsh and she puts an end to his activities and Warnecke. In a vicious duel with a Havenite ship, Hauptman and his daughter, Stacey--both believing Honor's a loose cannon after Basilisk and that she's dead--travel to the Silesian Confederacy to do the task themselves and their ship is wounded. Honor rescues them and transfers her wounded crew to Hauptman's ship.

Hauptman orders Honor to escort his daughter back to Manticore, but Honor refuses as her ship has minimal life support left and that she's going to draw the Havenite ship away, allowing for Hauptman's ship to make repairs. Stacy, seeing what Honor is really like, tells her dad to shut up and be grateful that Honor's willing to die luring the Havenite ship away. Rafael Cardones, Prescott "Scotty" Tremaine, Horace Harkness, and several new characters--Ginger Lewis, Yoshiro Tatsumi, Dr. Angela Ryder, Harold Tschu, and Aubrey Wanderman and several others--stay with Honor and help her lure the Havenite ship away. In that fight, harold is kiled and his treecat Samantha, in a cage with Nimitz, goes into a near catatonic state, despite being pregnant with Nimitz's kittens. Both ships heavily damage one another and end up drifting too close the the Veil. Agreeing that Warfare can support more people and work out who's who's prisoner after a rescue, the Havenites join the Manticorans on their ship. With life support failing, Honor and the Havenite captain try and keep up good spirits. A Manticoran pinnace from Hauptman's ship arrives and they begin transfers back to Hauptman's ship with the Havenites becoming POWs. Hauptman invites Honor to dinner to prove to Stacy that he's apologized to Honor over his behavior here and at Basilisk and offers the use ot the Hauptman Cartel should Honor ever need help again as repayment for the sacrifices she endured on their behalf. In the end, Honor transfers Caslet and his fellow Havenite POWs to the Andermani Empire.

All in all, a well paced, lengthy novel with a big side plot featuring Ginger Lewis, Aubrey Wanderman, Horace Harkness and four technicians who want to desert. Aubrey suffers injuries and harassment by Randy Steilman--the leader of the rogue technicians and a brute--while learning how to defend himself with the aid of Horace Harkness. Ginger is wounded in the process and Aubrey bests Steilman in a fight. Honor puts Steilman and his friends in the stockade; they die during the fight with the Havenites at the end. That subplot is one-third of the novel itself. David Weber shows just why he's the best military sci-fi author out there, surpassing the best of the best with his attention to detail and world-building. A great read for any fan of military science fiction.