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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good space opera/military adventure, July 7, 2004
The second book about Captain Honor Harrington follows the same model as its predecessor, "On Basilisk Station": Honor Harrington receives an assignment from the Kingdom of Manticore around a planet where the enemy Republic of Haven has political interests. Intrigue with natives and battles both on ground in the space follow, with Honor proving her command mettle in massive ship-to-ship duels written in precise and exciting language with extreme attention to technical details. If you liked "On Basilisk Station," you'll find more of the same enjoyment here.This time, Honor heads to the planet of Grayson to oversee a strategically important treaty. There's a serious problem, however: Grayson was founded by religious fundamentalists who see women as inferior, and getting the people of the planet to trust her or take her seriously is difficult. Meanwhile, Grayson faces a war with a splinter faction that moved to another planet and is even more radical and dangerous -- and they are negotiating with the Republic of Haven and have secret plans to use Haven's technology to assist their dreams of conquering Grayson. The ship battles are again excellent, and there are more of them than in the previous book. The best action scenes, however, are some great ground duels and marine battles -- author David Weber does a fine job keep the action varied. He also does good work with the conflict between Honor and the prejudiced people of Grayson, showing how they can overcome their bigotry. Weber adds many shades of gray to people we might accept as irredeemable when we first meet them. This dramatic conflict helps to flesh out what is otherwise a straightforward military science-fiction/space opera. Good fun.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
EXCELLENT!, May 12, 1999
I was pleasantly surprised that the second book in this series was better than the first (which was awesome). The character development of Honor Harrington in the book is solid and deep. Action packed, good story. I passed this and other Honor Harrington books because of the female lead character. I made a BIG MISTAKE. The is one of the best sci-fi book I have read in a LONG time. Honor Harrington makes other space heros (Cpt. Kirk and company) look like whimps! But read On Basilisk Station first.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
tremendously exciting, with plenty of surprises, January 31, 2001
It's fair to call this (the second in the series) a very pivotal book, because the main character's entire future is completely transformed by its events. While the books are designed to stand alone well enough, the only way to understand some of the key relationships is to read them in sequence.Religious and gender issues come to the forefront here, with Honor experiencing attitudes almost unheard of in her homeland. This is the only part of the book that is questionable in its consistency: Honor's emotional reaction to the situation is a little too emotional for someone supposedly raised in such an egalitarian society. Even allowing for a couple of very bad experiences in her career, and that words can hurt some people more than pulser fire, I can't see a character as strong as Honor taking her ball and going away--even briefly--just because the nasty sexists are rude to her. She's too strong a woman for that. However, that said, the remainder of the personal interaction picture in the book is creative, sensible and richly interesting. Weber is not afraid to have permanent consequences to characters and no one's future and health, not even Honor's, are certain. Although Weber takes an awkward turn once in awhile, this is still some of the most engrossing space opera out there--especially in terms of a well-developed heroine who enjoys a growing position of authority and respect. This series will be of special interest to persons of the Christian faith; while the opening pages of this book make you think that you're on the way down the path of stereotyping, as the portrait of Grayson develops, even someone of entirely different beliefs (such as myself) comes to respect and like a lot about Graysons and their faith. Good stuff.
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