Customer Reviews

Crown Of Slaves

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Okay, admitting my bias - I really enjoy the Honor Harrington series and eagerly purchased each new volume as it comes out. I recognize that the most recent installments are a little slower and that overall the books tend to follow similar patterns, but even when you've been on the roller coaster before, it sure is fun each time you ride it.

So back to this book, as it indicates on the dust jacket and cover this is a new series in the Honor Universe and make no mistake with the exception of a 7 to 8 page cameo with Honor she is not in this book at all. My first inclination was to pass this book over and you may think the same thing, but that would be a real mistake.

Many of the characters that have been introduced in the 4 volumes of short stories are featured in this current story. Anton Zwilicki and his adopted daughter Barry are main characters as is Princess Ruth. Victor who has been featured in two short stories also plays a central role. If you read the 4 books of short stories, you already know that these are interesting and fun characters in their own right with unique strengths and weaknesses.

I liked this book first because of the aforementioned characters. They were great. You cared about them and rooted them on as the story progressed. You could also see them develop and change during the course of the story (okay, so some of the development was pretty predictable and telegraphed).

Second, the story presents a little different view of Manticore and Haven. Many of the characters from Manticore are still stand up people, but Manticore is not painted as the perfect Kingdom as it has in past books (with the exception of the final Honor book). Likewise Haven is not portrayed as the source of all evil. Its more realistic when the People's Republic and Star Kingdom are presented less black and white.

Finally, we get to see the Solarian league and we get the strong hint that they will be figuring strongly in the subsequent books in this series.

I'm not a big believer in giving a synopsis of the novel in a review, but I will say that the story takes place on Erewhon and involves much more cloak and dagger action as opposed to the large scale ship battles featured in many of Honor's books.

Lots of other story lines and loose ends are left open for future novels so I'm sure we'll be seeing plenty more of these characters.

In summation, there's very little Honor, but the writing is just as good, the characters are just as enjoyable, and its just as much a pleasure to read.

This novel, set in the Honor Harrington universe, is a winner! More intrigue than space opera, this is not a book for the techno-lovers who eat up Weber's 10 page descriptions of ships and weapons. This collaboration of Flint and Webber gets on with the real business of a novel, the story...which is ultimately about people not machinery. I heard more of Flint's voice in the dialogue than I did Weber - which I feel is all to the good but I think the story line and some character development is more Weber than Flint. Whatever! It's a good book, with a great plot, characters and dialogue. The Victor Cachet character lives and breathes as only Honor has in previous books. I am giving this book four stars and not five for two reasons. The question of governing a new world has an unlikely solution - the authors try for justification but I couldn't buy it. Secondly, the back story can only be found in a number of short stories from different volumes of short stories set in the HH universe. Unlike the HH novels, I don't have all the short stories and I felt I was missing something. I will say that I gulped down this one so quickly that I was forced to re-read it immediately just to do it justice. I don't do this very often. I am really looking forward to the sequel(s).

Crown of Slaves (2003) is the first novel in a new series set in the Honor Harrington universe. This novel is a sequel to From the Highlands in Changer of Worlds, in which Helen Zilwicki is kidnapped in Chicago by Scrags -- genetic supermen -- in the employ of Manpower, but Captain Anton Zilwicki of the Royal Manticoran Navy, gets her back with help from Victor Cachat of Haven State Security, Colonel Kevin Usher of the Haven Marines, and Jeremy X of the Audubon Ballroom. Helen also brings out two local youngster, Lars and Berry, who have helped her escape from her captors and Anton adopts them after returning home.

In this novel, many years later, Hieronymus Stein, head of the Renaissance Association, has been assassinated and rumors link Manpower to the incident. Queen Elizabeth of Manticore decides to send Princess Ruth Winton, adopted daughter of her brother, Michael, to Erewhon to attend the memorial gathering in an unofficial way. The Queen requests that Anton Zilwicki and Berry accompany her. Since Ruth has ambitions to be the family spymaster, Anton also agrees to teach her tradecraft during the trip.

As a subterfuge to increase Ruth's safety, she and Berry undergo nanotech surgery to trade identities. For additional security, Anton and the girls travel to Erewhon on the Pottawatomie Creek, an armed frigate, which is crewed mostly by Audubon Ballroom "terrorists" being trained by Anton in naval tactics and shiphandling.

Haven also sends unofficial observers to the gathering, Kevin Usher's wife Virginia and Victor Cachat, posing as an unfaithful wife and her boy-toy. They have instructions to encourage Erewhon to change their allegiance from Manticore to Haven. While at the reception, Naomi Imbesi attempts to seduce Victor on orders from her uncle, Walter Imbesi, currently leader of the opposition in Erewhon, and of course Ginny Usher helps cover the rendezvous.

The Solar League Navy also has a delegation attending the gathering. Captain Luiz Rozsak is leading a black operation on Erewhon against his nominal superior, Ingemar Cassetti. They are also tracking a group of Masadan and Scrag terrorists employed by Manpower. The SLN has its own unit of Scrag women commanded by Marine Lieutenant Thandi Palane; these "Amazons" have a grudge against the Manpower Scrags, many of whom are former boyfriends.

When the Masadans and their Scrag converts attempt to kidnap Princess Ruth, they fall in a trap set by Victor Cachat and trigger a joint operation by Erewhonese, Havenites, Manticorans, Solar Leaguers, and the Audubon Ballroom against Manpower. Berry gets to play princess for a little longer while the real princess is conniving with the spooks and troops. However, Professor W.E.B. Du Havel has conceived of another role for Berry.

This novel is tour de force of major proportions, an almost pure wish fulfillment fantasy, a chain of events that could only happen in an illogical and chaotic universe. Well, stranger things have happened, but it is hard to think of anything as convoluted and one-sided as this caper. Pity the poor Masadan/Scrag terrorists, not to mention the Manpower slavers, for they are steamrollered. Great fun! Totally ridiculous, but also totally enjoyable!

Highly recommended for Weber and Flint fans and anyone else who enjoys special ops, political intrigue, and justice served in huge helpings.

-Arthur W. Jordin

David Weber and Eric Flint have wrought yet another thrilling installment of the "Honorverse", which can be seen as a prequel to "War of Honor", setting the stage for Erewhon's defection from the Manticoran Alliance to the Republic of Haven. It is being advertised as the start of yet another series set in the Honorverse. Havenite secret agent Victor Cachat arrives on Erewhon to cultivate possible ties between it and the Republic of Haven, as the Erewhonese reconsider their relationship with Manticore, angered by the indifference shown them by Prime Minister Baron High Ridge's government. Hoping to bring Erewhon back into the fold, a Manticoran delegation led by Princess Ruth Winton, the Queen's adopted niece, former RMN captain Anton Zilwicki - who may be Manticore's best secret agent - and his daughter Berry, arrives for the state funeral of an important Solarian League politician. And a Manticoran heavy cruiser commanded by High Ridge's cousin, Captain Michael Oversteegen (His second appearance in the saga, about a year after the events of "Service of the Sword", a recent novella written by Weber.), is sent to "show the flag" in the Erewhon system. All of these Manticorans are soon drawn in Cachat's Machiavellian scheme to create a planet ruled by ex-slaves, a brand-new star nation devoted to ending slavery, along with, Thandi Palance, a dedicated Solarian Marine lieutenant who is as ruthless as Cachat. There are exciting battles aboard space stations featuring Masadan fanatics, members of the ex-slave terrorist organization Audubon Ballroom, and Mesan slavers. This is yet another splendid installment in the Honorverse, showing political brinksmanship involving Haven, Manticore, Erewhon, Mesa, and the Solarian League. Indeed, this book shows the importance of both Erewhon and the Solarian League as key star nations and empires within the Honorverse.

Arthur Jordin's synopsis of "Crown of Slaves" is spot-on. However, all the characters and groups and kingdoms and planets he names make me want to echo the intro to an old daytime comedy soap opera from the 1970s: "Confused? You won't be, after watching this episode of 'Soap.' "

What I like about this novel is the much-needed break from the career of Honor Harrington. The "Honorverse" has steadily become richer with development, and Honor's perspective, as wide-ranging as it is, simply isn't sufficient to do justice to the rest of the emerging story lines. Hence, the spin-off.

Functionally, "Crown of Slaves" does two things.

First: It sets in place another strategically vital setting for the ongoing battle between Haven and Manticore. This is the wormhole junction that eventually becomes the property of the Audubon Ballroom's quasi-terrorist society of freed genetic slaves. An ideal spot from which the Ballroom can expand it's anti-slavery operations in both Havenite and Manticoran space, this junction is so positioned that it will also inevitably become a place over which Haven and Manticore will HAVE to fight ... or compromise. In both struggles, Erewhon is caught firmly in the middle.

Second: Erewhon suddenly becomes a real society with its own history. Think of a sort of Italianate, patronage-driven and family-governed Switzerland founded by mob money launderers with a sense of humor -- enough so to name their capital city Maytag! We now get to see contrasts and interplay among yet more political systems: (a) the Manticore parliamentary/constitutional monarchy; (b) the Havenite People's Republic welfare state attempting to return to its long-forgotten roots as a republic; (c) the purely militaristic hereditary dictatorship of the Andermani empire; (c) the theocratic, feudal, honor-driven (pardon the pun) state of Grayson; (d) the endless chaos of greed and disorder and bad government that is the confederacy of Silesia; (e) the end-stage capitalism and rule of money in the Earth-based Sol Federation -- and now, two new spanners in the works: (f) the Erewhon system of leading families and patronage, very Roman in its origins but with dynamics that make me think of numbered bank accounts and Swiss neutrality amid a Europe at war, with Switzerland the inevitable base of espionage for all sides; and (g) the newly emerging state founded by ex-slave, anti-slavery terrorists and several "cargos" of genetically engineered human beings freed from captivity who are not necessarily terrorists at all. The latter is starting out as a nominal constitutional monarchy, but it will (I predict) end up as something else entirely, something more personal and consensual and relational. That will be interesting to watch, because I suspect it will propose a new and useful role for monarchs in a constitutionally governed republic. If it works at all.

Another side of this book that I appreciate is the further development of the character of Victor Cachat, Havenite spymaster under Kevin Usher. Finally, we get an explanation of his motivations that makes sense -- and the use of sexuality as a tool of characterization is insightful. It's rather dramatic, of course, as it must be to compete with the rest of this space opera, but it's also the only possible way that Weber and Flint could make Cachat fully human. A spy with a steady girlfriend? No James Bond womanizer, Victor Cachat has become something altogether more interesting.

There's much more to be said -- but it's better to read the book. Make sure you've read the entire Honor Harrington series first, and definitely read all four "Worlds of Honor" short story collections, since that's where most of the important new ideas first show up before they wend their way into the novels. Then read "Crown of Slaves" last. You'll love it.

The universe in which Crown of Slaves is set is as epic and complex as any ever created for fiction. So far more than a dozen novels and short stories have been wrung out of it with no sign of slowing down. Fans will certainly hope the franchise keeps going. The fact that the founding character Honor Harrington has only a cameo role in Chapter 40 should not stop any fan of the series from thoroughly enjoying this story.

Almost all the characters are flat out fun and the immersion in both global and galactic politics really works to make the story interesting. The action centers mostly on two young women: Berry, the adopted daughter of a superspy and Ruth, a princess of the Kingdom of Manticore are sent on a quasi-diplomatic mission with Berry impersonating Ruth and vice versa under the supervision of Berry?s father. The place they are going to is a star system?s whose leader was assassinated and whose alliance with Manticore is shaky. Another superspy who works for Manticore?s enemy is there, along with an ambitious naval officer from the Solarian league. To add to the fun a cadre of terrorist religious fanatics have designs on the princess and there are ex-slaves that are active in revolt.

In short, a lot is going on. Yet none of it is too hard to follow, particularly if you are up to date on the Honor Harrington series. The authors are clearly as much interested in pontificating on political philosophy as space-opera action, which puts this on quite a few levels above something like the Star Wars potboilers. They are clearly knowledgeable, which helps, but I can see why some readers find it ?talky.?

For this reader a few problems did manifest. Much in the plot depends on the ability of the Berry character (aged only 17) being able to form deep bonds with other characters very quickly. This charm seems a little forced, and is used over and over again to form the basis of alliances that otherwise wouldn?t exist. Overall, the two girls are just too savvy ? at one point mixing it up in lethal action with space marines and at other times ?oh no my dad is going to kill me!? mode when they realize he will find out what they?ve been up to. Of course that?s fun too.

All of it is fun. Go get it.

This book is set in the same Universe and timeframe as David Weber's "Honor Harrington" novels, sometimes nicknamed the "Honorverse." The events take place at approximately the same time as the early chapters of "War of Honor."

If you have not read any of the other books in the series: this novel is set in space and is the story of how men and women from several planets who are actually at war with one another collaborate against an unholy alliance of terrorist religious extremists, and corrupt corporations profiteering from a vile form of slavery and who are rich enough to buy governments.

If you are familiar with the rest of the series, be aware that this books has several differences from them.

With the most recent group of short stories and novels in the "Honorverse" Weber and his collaborators seem to be establishing three groups of characters and storylines, which they are all linked in a reasonably consistent manner into one history.

There is the main sequence featuring Honor Harrington herself, in which the most recent novels are "War of Honor" and "At All Costs." There is a "next generation" sequence featuring some younger officers in the Grayson and Manticoran navies such as Helen Zilwicki and Abigail Hearns. The first book in that series is "The Shadow of Saganami" which is set about a year after "Crown of Slaves."

And there is a series of spy stories, in which "Crown of Slaves" is the first full length novel. Honor Harrington does get a cameo part in the book, but the central figures are Anton Zilwicki, his adopted daughter Berry, Princess Ruth Winton, and the Havenite agent Victor Chachat.

The first main difference between "Crown of Slaves" and most of the other books in the Honorverse is that the main enemy is the genetic slavers, the companies who traffic in slaves (particularly Manpower) and the government officials they have bought.

Agents from Manticore and Grayson are practically allied with agents from Haven against the slavers, despite the fact that their countries have fought a long and bitter war. This novel falls within a period of ceasefire between Haven and Manticore but they have never signed a formal peace treaty are are still legally at war. Despite this, Manticorans such as Anton Zilwicki can and do make common cause with Victor Cachet, the star agent of Haven's Federal Intelligence Service, against the slavers.

The second main difference is that the book is about espionage, political manouvering, counter-terrorism and revolt rather than space battles. The only Manticoran naval officer who gets to fight a space battle is Captain Oversteegen, who despite being a cousin of the Manticoran Prime Minister, Baron High Ridge, definately has a mind of his own.

This is a well-written story, with a lot of exitement, a rather convoluted but clever plot, and interesting heroes and heroines, although the "bad guys" are so awful that they are sometimes a little hard to believe.

If you read the other "Honorverse" books purely for the space battles, leave this one alone. But if you like the intrigue and the characters, you'll very probably enjoy this book.

If you have not read any of the Honorverse books, but like stories of
intrigue and revolt in the far future - think Aeon Flux but slightly more cerebral and plausible - you may well enjoy it.

I really like the Honor Harrington stories, and decided to read this book to fill in some background for other recent books in the series. The book did this, and was an interesting read, even if the storyline was a bit more far-fetched than I'm used to in this series. It's more of a spy thriller than a military science fiction work. The funeral of an assasinated leader brings agents of various political entities into contact, and eventually the main characters find themselves working together against genetic slavery.

I have to mention that there is a dark side to this story, where questionable decisions are made by some of the protagonists in the interest of pursuing a long term greater good.

This book had great potential to leave me wanting more. Some of the characters seemed interesting, and the frequently positive interaction between citizens/agents of the Star Kingdom of Manticore and the Republic of Haven, two star nations that are normally enemies, was a nice change of pace. Usually when such interactions have occurred in the Honor Harrington series, it has been in the framework of Havenites acting against their totalitarian leaders, but this time it was a little different. The book had the usual array of passages, sometimes a little lengthy, explaining some political or historical or technological concept. Some folks don't like this, but I often find interesting.

Unfortunately, other elements in the book distracted me from enjoying it fully.

The writing seemed aimed at a less mature, more shallow reader base, and the book periodically came across as more of a soap box for the writer than a story. "Sex sells" was a major consideration in the writing, and at times I got the strong impression that I was reading a post-adolescent's fantasy. Weber usually exhibits quite a bit more class when dealing with a wide spectrum of character traits and political or religious outlooks. Is this a case of the co-author's writing style? In any case, the drivel ruined the story.

Too bad about that, because even though its resolution was a bit of a stretch, this story had potential to leave me waiting for a follow up with almost as much anticipation as the next Honor Harrington book.

I don't know how Eric Flint and David Weber collaborated on this work, but I'd guess that Weber outlined the story and Flint detailed it, put it to words, and supplied new characters as necessary, while Weber wrote scenes involving long-term series characters (such as Honor Harrington, Queen Elizabeth, Anton Zilwicki, etc.). This would get the story written without distracting Weber too much from work on other books. If this was the case, 90% of this book is Flint's work.

My advice to David Weber would be, if this is an example of a co-author doing most of the writing, to find another partner for the next major non-Honor Honorverse story, preferrably one who can write something in better taste. If this is mainly Weber's work, then he needs to get back to his style of the past. He has gained a considerable fan base through good story telling aimed at mature readers, with at least semi-thoughtful treatment when dealing with moral and relationship issues across a variety of societal and cultural situations. Crown of Slaves was a departure from this.

I'm glad I checked this one out from the library rather than spending money on it.

Crown of Slaves, co-written by David Weber and Eric Flint, is the first spinoff novel in Weber's Honor Harrington universe. Weber and Flint have delivered some solid space opera, a complex and exciting adventure in the tradtion of Weber's Honor Harrington series. Relations between the Star Kingdom of Manticore and Erewhon have become increasingly strained largely due to the ineptitude of the High Ridge administration. As the stage is set for Erewhon to defect from the Manticoran Alliance, Victor Cachat, a Havenite agent, journeys to Erewhon in hope of forging ties which will bring the Erewhonese into an allilance with the Republic of Haven. But rather than give up hope in regard to Erewhon, the Star Kingdom sends a delegation led by Princess Ruth Winton, the adopted niece of Queen Elizabeth III, along with former RMN Captain Anton Zilwicki along with his daughter Berry to Erewhon to attend the state funeral of a political leaser who has just been assassinated. What unfolds from here is an excellent cloak & dagger spy story with lots of action. Crown of Slaves is a great spinoff story in Weber's Honorverse, and I look forward to more Honorverse novels, both in the HH series as well as with spinoff novels/siereis such as Crown of Slaves and The Shadow of Saganami.

The cover says this is the beginning of a New Series in the Honor Harrington universe. This may be true, but it is somewhat hard to tell who the star of the series will be from this book. There are a large number of characters, both new and old, and visits to a couple of new planets, including Erewhon.

This takes place during the events of War of Honor, but at the other end of the Galaxy. Ruth Winton, Queen Elizabeth's niece, wants to start her service to Manticore. But not in the military or church, as is usual, but in Intelligence. So the Queen calls in the best person available to start her training, Captain Anton Zilwicki. She then sends them, along with Zilwicki's daughter Beth, off to Erewhon as her personal mission to a Erewhon for a funeral. At the same time, the Republic of Haven has sent Victor Cachat and Virginia Usher to the same funeral. Add in the intrigues of an ambitious Solarian governor, the Audubon Ballroom, the rather peculiar policitcal setup of Erewhon, and some Masadan holdouts that have too much time and too little brains, and the result is a large and complicated mess.

There are visits with old friends, and the tieing up of loose ends from the last last Honor collection, Service To The Sword. In fact, if you have not read that, you do not want to read this yet. There are just too many characters and situations dependant on those stories.

All in all, a pleasant experience. There was a lot of setup here, so later books will probably be better, but it is still a good read. And it will have a large affect on events in the later Honor books.