Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Honor in Exile, July 14, 2002
David Weber has created Science fiction's equivalent of C.S. Forrestor's Horatio Hornblower saga with his ongoing saga of his heroine, Honor Harrington. With her faithful, and empathic, treecat Nimitz, this series is a true delight. This is swashbuckling, space opera sci-fi at its best, with excellent characters, a vibrant universe, complete with an intriguing socio-political plot which drives the overall plot of the background of this fascinating universe."Flag in Exile" opens with Honor Harrington having returned to Grayson, the patriarchial planet she saved in the 2nd novel in the series, "The Honor of the Queen." As a result of her efforts in that book, she was made Steadholder Harrington, one of the planet's 80 great nobles, with powers within her own domain far greater than any noble from her home system of Manticore. Bearing the weight of the tragedies she sustained in the prior novel, ""Field of Dishonor", Honor is content to recover in private. But Grayson is desperately short on experienced officers, and Captain Honor Harrington, Royal Manticoran Navy, on half-pay from that service due to the political fallout of her quest for justice, is offered the rank of a full admiral in the Grayson Navy. This novel spends time looking into the nature of Grayson politics, and has Honor and her treecat Nimitz dealing with religious zealots who cannot abide by the thought of what Honor, a woman, is doing to their male-dominated traditions. In addition, the Peoples Republic of Haven (Peeps) is attempting a counter-offensive in their war with the Manticoran Alliance. This novel serves to help widen the Honor Harrington Universe with its examination of Grayson politics. Honor and friends must battle terrorists who would slaughter innocents, rampaging sexist bigots, and the ever-present menance of the Peeps. This book contains a brief afterword by the author relating a certain tragic event in this novel with the bombing in Oklahoma City. That afterword, and this book's look at the minds of religious zealots prepared to do anything for their beliefs, remains sadly relevant after the events of 9/11. This is an excellent and enjoyable novel. The entire Honor Harrington series is perhaps the best space opera in the past decade plus.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"...I Drew My Snickersnee...", April 9, 2001
If Manticore's politicians are so short-sighted and bound by personal enmity and cynical politics that they won't let the RMN make use of Hinor's talents and abilities, rest assured that Protector Benjamin and *his* Admiralty are not.The People's Republic of Haven has begun to swing the tide of battle a bit; if not actually in its own favour so far, at least a bit less one-sidedly toward Manticore. While this book certainly has its quota of lasers, grasers and missiles and deadly space warfare, the more important parts are politics on Grayson, the religion-dominated world where Honor has been made the first female Steadholder (roughly a Royal Duke in terms of our own peerages, and very much the great feudal lord that such a title once implied). On half-pay from the Manty Navy, she is invited to join the Grayson one -- as an Admiral. She does, and the usual results of giving Honor Harrington spaceships to play with ensue. (This woman attracts Forlorn Hope Last Stands like Jessica Fletcher atttracts murderers...) Meanwhile, on Grayson, various reactionary elemsnts, offended at the thought of a woman having power, and even more offended that Honor had made no attempt to hide her relationship with her late lover, are trying to stir up bogotry and hatred against her... And some of them are very powerful men, indeed; men who will stop at nothing to discredit her, even if it means the deaths of countless innocents -- possibly even their own people! But what this book is mostly notable for, in my opinion, is that it shows us more of the Grayson State Church of Humanity Unbound, and its God the Tester... And of Reverend Hanks, the physically but spiritually great man who stands at its head; a truly Good Man in the way so few, even religious, are truly Good Men. ((David swears he is *not* based on Archdeacon (later Bishop) Pinckney of the Diocese of Upper South Carolina, who we both had the good fortune of knowing while we were kids and he he was Archdeacon in charge of missions in that diocese, but i cannot imagine any other face or voice for him...)) And there is a terrible crime -- two terrible crimes, actually -- that shake Grayson and its society to their roots. And Honor must stand, literally sword in hand, to being justice to a traitor... Good read. ((In interests of total candour, i am David Weber's elder brother))
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Good Grayson Tale, December 21, 2003
By A Customer
Step by step, Honor Harrington moves up in the world. In the last book, Field of Dischonor, Honor finally defeated her nemesis, Pavel Young (Earl North Hollow), once and for all. Also, Denver Summervale, the mass murderer from the first books, finally bites off more than he can chew.But, alas, though the Queen, Prime Minister, and Naval Brass support Honor privately, politics dictates sending her away to please the opposition in the House of Lords. So, without a command, she goes to Grayson to take an active role in running her steading. Naturally, there are still malcontents like the crazy cleric Marchant and the steadholders Mueller and Burdette who would just love to kill her off and turn back the clock. Then, to top it all off, the Havenites have decided to invade Grayson again. Fortunately, Admiral Matthews and Protector Mayhew decide to give control of their growing fleet to Honor, and the Peeps will never know what hit them... This is a great book, the culmination of all before. With north Hollow out of the way, Honor now takes on Grayson society and struggles to prove that she is not only a hero in war but in peace as well. Honor is good as always, but, like in the last novels, I enjoyed even more reading about her friends and colleagues. In the last book it was the Queen and White Haven as well as Henke, McKeon and crew (especially the security chief). Now the spotlight is also on Clinkscales and Major LaFollet as well as the engineers of the Sky Dome Project, Protector Mayhew and High Admiral Matthews, and Reverend Hanks. It is great when Harrington discovers that her flag captain will be none other than former Peep Captain Alfredo Yu (then also finds out her chief of staff is Mercedes Bingham). All of these characters shine. Mueller, Burdette, and Marchant are just as rotten as Pavel Young ever was, and danger after danger confronts Harrington from the war with Haven to the Sky Dome Project to wrangling with rival steadholders. Of course, Honor will come out on top: it is the journey there that is the most exciting. So read this book...
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