I can’t remember what prompted me to read David Weber’s 1993 novel. It was likely on a “Best Science Fiction” list somewhere.
Honor Harrington just got her first captaincy, but some petty politicking has her and her ship, The Fearless, overseeing Basilisk Station, the worst assignment in the Queen’s Navy. But when Honor insists on taking her post seriously, she uncovers a plot that could bring Manticore to its knees.
Weber’s novel primarily deals with the challenges of leadership, and the story really cooks when it focuses on the agility with which Honor handles critical relationships and builds trust and respect among her crew. Weber has also done an impressive bit of world-building, though sometimes the pace slows when he discurses into technical geekery that might have been explained in a line or two.
However, the real, complex characters kept me flipping pages, and Weber also provides us with one of the most white-knuckle space battles you’re ever likely to come across.
p.j. taegel 