The Honor Of The Queen (Honor Harrington Series) by David Weber

Mar 16, 2011

Mike (the Paladin) rated it

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Shelves: science-fiction

First let me congratulate David Weber. I don't know what his own religious convictions (if any) are but he's done something (for me) very welcome here. He's written a book about a civilization of religious fanatics without leaving the feeling that anyone who is religious or holds religious convictions is either crazy or dangerous. That's more rare than you might might realize if it doesn't effect you. I'm a Christian and in spite of the fact that it's hard to remember the last big Baptist bombin...moreFirst let me congratulate David Weber. I don't know what his own religious convictions (if any) are but he's done something (for me) very welcome here. He's written a book about a civilization of religious fanatics without leaving the feeling that anyone who is religious or holds religious convictions is either crazy or dangerous. That's more rare than you might might realize if it doesn't effect you. I'm a Christian and in spite of the fact that it's hard to remember the last big Baptist bombing or Methodist terror attack it seems that every time religious fanatics come up in a book recently Christians come off looking pretty bad. I mean I can see why. With well known threatening figures out there like Billy Graham and Mother Teressa it's no wonder.

Anyway, that aside, the book itself is good and for me comes just short of the 5 star rating...close, oh so close, but I think that I found the ones I have given 5 stars either more enjoyable or in some way more moving. Still if we had that half star we're always talking about, this would get 4.5.

Honor back in action after the events of her Command at Basilisk Station. Confronting prejudice in a society where women are still chattel she gets to change attitudes of an entire civilization, or at least try to.

In the line of duty this time Honor will face physical danger, bigotry, covert killers and worst of all...a cowardly bureaucrat. Horrors.

If you've read other of my reviews you know that I like protagonists who are frankly good guys (of "guy" is used in the generic sense here with no gender inferred) who understand honor (small h), honesty, duty, courage (saddling up anyway even when you're scared to death). Heroes and heroines who struggle not to compromise with evil who understand that the strong interpose themselves between danger and the weak. So I'm a sucker for Honor Harrington. So far so good. I am enjoying the series.

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Almost my favorite scene in this book (if not my favorite) was when Honor slapped the bureaucrat (and of course with her strength the "slap" floors and bloodies him). And I really think Weber might have considered letting Honor keep her eye patch instead of giving her a bionic eye in the next book. Oh well, to stereotypical I suppose. :)
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Mar 21, 2008

Tina rated it

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Shelves: sff-science-fiction

This is the second book on the Honor Harrington series.

After the events from Basilisk Station, the Manticorans realize that war with the Peeps (The People's Republic if Haven) is an inevitability. They decided to seek a strategic alliance. The queen sends a envoy of ships and diplomats to the small planet Grayson to seek their alliance and to help them out with a problem they are having with a sister planet of their own. Honor and her crew are along for the ride.

There ...moreThis is the second book on the Honor Harrington series.

After the events from Basilisk Station, the Manticorans realize that war with the Peeps (The People's Republic if Haven) is an inevitability. They decided to seek a strategic alliance. The queen sends a envoy of ships and diplomats to the small planet Grayson to seek their alliance and to help them out with a problem they are having with a sister planet of their own. Honor and her crew are along for the ride.

There is a slight problem. Grayson is a cultural backwater. They are a male dominated planet where polygamy is the norm and women do not have rank or rights. Needless to say things get interesting when they get a load of Honor Harrington.

This book is an excellent follow-up to the also great first book of the series, On Basilisk Station. This is our first introduction to the Graysons, a people who will become very important in the course of this series and to Honor. But this first introduction is a rocky one. The Graysons are absolutely reactionary to the presence of women serving not only in the armed forces but also as officers, commanders or in an capacity of leadership, really. Manticore is a monarchy that is headed by a Queen and there is total equality of the sexes there. So the cultural clash Weber sets up winds through the entire book and sets the stage for the later books where one person, Honor, can start to widen the horizons of an entire people.

In the meantime, what is supposed to be a diplomatic mission, quickly goes south. The situation with the Grayson fanatical sister planet (and they are fanatics, the floor rolling, foam-at-the-mouth, bat-shit crazy type) turns deadly as they seek to conquer Grayson both from without (using ships supplied to them by the Peeps) and from within as a Grayson traitor seeks to overthrow the government.

Honor spends much of the book meekly and quietly in the background, not wanting to jeopardize the diplomatic mission because her presence there is so distasteful to the Graysons. But once the situation goes critical Honor steps up and heads start to roll.

David Weber has a fine sense of how to craft a confrontation on paper. It could be as small as just two people trading barbs or as large as a full out military battle. This book is peppered with such gems. There are several great scenes: 1) When Honor beats the living crap out the of arrogant diplomat who is totally clueless as to how dangerous their situation has gotten, 2)When she foils the attempted coup at the palace and 3) The entire sequence of events when Honor goes to Blackbird Station and discovers how the prisoners of war had been mistreated.

And then there is what I like to call "the final Battle." Almost every Honor Harrington book has this decisive, mother of all space battles. It usually involves Honor being a tactical genius (tactics is her specialty) and lots of explosions, humongous body counts, terrific descriptions of missile blasts and destruction. But aside from that what makes these scenes so awesome are the character reactions to what they are doing. He puts you in the head of not only Honor, but her crew and the opposing crew. You "hear" what they are thinking, how they rise to their tasks, their frantic efforts to do the job they were trained for, their understanding that they might die if they don't, their glee when they hit upon a great solution, their despair when they realize someone has died. And then there is that moment.... In every battle scene there is the pivotal moment he describes when the one side realizes they just did the one thing that made them win, and the other side realizes they are about to die. It is knee thumping exciting stuff.(less)

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Feb 03, 2009

Jeffrey rated it

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Shelves: military, library-copy, science-fiction, space-opera

I started this series upon the recommendation of a friend, and I can't thank that friend enough for that recommendation. This series definitely establishes a standard for military space-opera, and unlike so many others that I have read in the past this series really does feel like something other than military fiction.

This book took some work for me to get into, but at some point I found myself simply devouring the pages, unable to read fast enough to match my hunger for more. And t...more

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Dec 09, 2010

John rated it

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Shelves: sf, nautical

Wow, what a ripper! I had really enjoyed the first one in this series (On Basilisk Station), but this one really gives this idea its lead. I admit, I have a weakness for naval adventure series (Hornblower, Aubrey/Maturin, etc.), so that may cloud my judgment a bit, but this was thoroughly gripping. In case you don't know, Weber has managed to design a plausible set of space-faring propulsion and weapons systems that allow him to plot out and describe space battles in the same way as 18-century n...more

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Aug 17, 2010

Darrell rated it

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This is the follow-up to Weber's excellent book: On Basilisk Station.

This is a great read in a similar vein to the first book. If you liked the first one, you'll like this one. We get more depth into Honor Harrington's character, and even into Nimitz. Honor has a bigger, better ship, and she's sent on yet another difficult mission.

The reason I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 is the religious themes in the book. Both The Peoples' Republic of Haven and Manticore are ...more

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Jul 13, 2010

Allan rated it

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The Honor of the Queen is the second installment of the Honor Harrington series, by David Weber. In this book, Honor is a newly promoted Naval captain commanding her first heavy cruiser which is a far cry from the gutted light cruiser from the first book. Her new ship may be much more powerful than her last, but her main challenge in this book is diplomacy, not space combat.

She is tasked to lead a squadron of cruisers to escort a royal ambassador to the planet Grayson to try and convin...moreThe Honor of the Queen is the second installment of the Honor Harrington series, by David Weber. In this book, Honor is a newly promoted Naval captain commanding her first heavy cruiser which is a far cry from the gutted light cruiser from the first book. Her new ship may be much more powerful than her last, but her main challenge in this book is diplomacy, not space combat.

She is tasked to lead a squadron of cruisers to escort a royal ambassador to the planet Grayson to try and convince them to join into the newly forming anti-Haven alliance that Manticore is building to stem the tide of the the expansion of Haven. Grayson lies directly in the path between the two larger political entities so their cooperation is of great strategic importance to Manticore.

Honor Harrington is a very capable, if not brilliant, strategist and tactician and is an experience martial artist. She is capable of handling any foe, but she is not the most diplomatic person. She does not like diplomacy, nor does she understand it, but for this mission it is vital. There is one other problem though, the Grayson culture is dominated by males. Women are not allowed to vote, own property, etc, so the fact that Honor is a woman confuses and scares the Graysons, and presents and obstacle for her to overcome.

This is probably my favorite book of the entire Honor Harrington series. Grayson becomes a very important aspect of the entire series after this book, and the introduction of them in The Honor of the Queen is outstanding. Weber portrays the Grayson people not as monsters, but as people who question their beliefs and strive to survive what life throws at them. There are some very powerful and emotional scenes in this book that help set the tone of how ugly war can be and how horrible people can act towards each other.

Some of the memorable characters from On Basilisk Station make appearances in this book and have their characters flushed out a bit more. Many of then appear as prominent figures throughout the series and Weber does a fantastic job of making them feel alive and more than just 2D characters on the page.

For introducing strong and engaging characters as well as strong emotional scenes The Honor of the Queen receives a prestigious 10 on the It's Geektime d10 of approval.(less)

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Jul 08, 2010

Chuck rated it

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Good military SF/Hard SF. Honor Harrington, and her ship, is sent to Grayson as part of the Manticorian Navy's attempt to turn back the tide of the People's Republic of Haven (PRH), a sort of pseudo Soviet space empire that is gobbling up solar systems at an alarming rate. Grayson, fiercely independent and populated by a very traditional people who remain patriarchal (probably decended from 20th century Mormons from Utah) and don't like outsiders. However, they do not want to be eaten up by t...more

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Jun 18, 2010

Erica Anderson rated it

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Shelves: science-fiction, 2010-reads

I’ve recently become a fan of David Weber’s Honor Harrington series. If you like military science fiction, than give Weber’s series a try. Start with On Basilisk Station, though, not Honor of the Queen, which is the second book. Honestly, I liked Basilisk better than the second installment, but there’s still not much to complain about—perhaps a bit too much description of interception speeds and missile arrays, but overall, the book is a page-turner.

The plot revolves around the core...more

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May 31, 2010

Annette rated it

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Shelves: sci-fi

Second in the Honor Harrington series, but ended up being the first I read. Events from the first book are alluded to, but not critical to following the action. In a nutshell, Honor is commanding a task force that is to make a treaty with a strategically placed, yet long isolated, planet that just happens to be settled by highly patriarchal practitioners of a seriously degraded Christianity. They are locked in a centuries old cold-war with their even more fanatical brothers on a nearby planet - ...moreSecond in the Honor Harrington series, but ended up being the first I read. Events from the first book are alluded to, but not critical to following the action. In a nutshell, Honor is commanding a task force that is to make a treaty with a strategically placed, yet long isolated, planet that just happens to be settled by highly patriarchal practitioners of a seriously degraded Christianity. They are locked in a centuries old cold-war with their even more fanatical brothers on a nearby planet - which, of course, is being courted by Manticore's enemy Haven. Honor is given her very first taste of sexism and doesn't much care for it.
The treatment of this conflict could have been Much worse. While it is a bit heavy handed at times (especially given that Honor's Manticoran military magically functions without a trace of sexism or sexual tension despite near-equal numbers of each gender), Weber actually allows some of the characters on the less-fanatical planet to become a little more than stereotypes: the history of the planet is explained, and the causes behind the formation of the polygamist culture are examined without the result being fully justified. Open-minded leaders are located, etc, etc. The Havenites (essentially socialist enemies of Manticore) are also given a little grey both in motivation and behavior. Of course the more-fanatical Luddite enemies (who have ripped the NT out of their Bibles for some reason) are pretty simple stereotypes, but one can't have everything...
Anyway, the military action is fairly interesting. The primary question is whether a technologically and training-superior force can triumph against one with considerably more hardware and firepower, especially when that one has the advantage of being the aggressor and has the element of surprise. Since Honor belongs to the former force, one can guess the answer, but how it plays out is reasonably compelling.
We also get to see a little more of Nimitz and his capabilities. Again, the character-development lags behind the rest of the elements, but it's not awful. Three stars as for the first installment. Think I'll go read the third book now...(less)

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Jan 02, 2012

Monique rated it

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Overall, I had the same impression of this book that I did of the first, On Basilisk Station. The book starts slowly, with lots of dialog-based "as you know, Bob" info-dumping, and I struggle to keep reading and wonder why everyone thinks this series is so great. Then about 1/3 of the way in, suddenly I find that I can't put the book down. I'm flipping through pages as fast as I can to see what happens next. It's weird, because futuristic - or even modern-day - battle scenes usuall...more

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Sep 08, 2011

Kathi rated it

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Shelves: science-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 30, 2008

Kyle rated it

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The second book in a series is always more important than the first. It's quite easy to write a standalone SF novel and have it be good and fresh. It's much more difficult to maintain that after the first story. this installment has given me a bit of confidence that there's a consistently enjoyable (not to mention prolific) SF series that interests me. That should satisfy me for years to come. like most such series, it'll probably never get 5 Goodreads stars from me, but that's not the poin...moreThe second book in a series is always more important than the first. It's quite easy to write a standalone SF novel and have it be good and fresh. It's much more difficult to maintain that after the first story. this installment has given me a bit of confidence that there's a consistently enjoyable (not to mention prolific) SF series that interests me. That should satisfy me for years to come. like most such series, it'll probably never get 5 Goodreads stars from me, but that's not the point. Good Space Opera is like watching television- it's fun, entertaining, and occasionally deep, but not expected to be consistently profound (that's why I also read non-fiction).

I do have a few quibbles about this book and its series.

First- the Havenites. The nominal adversaries of the protagonists are supposed to be this socialist state relying on expansion to continue deficit-funded dole programs. The only interaction we have with them is from members of their Navy and Intelligence service, and these characters are just too alike their Manticorian (good-guy) counterparts. While it might be a bit over the top to go completely soviet navy style with political officers and Lenin rooms, Havenite officers behave, talk and think too like their adversaries- there's no differing style. All too many of them are critical of their government and fleet command, too (something of which zampolit Putin would not approve).

Second, I'm worried that there's a formula at work here, which will make me a more critical reader of future installments- Haven covets a neutral, backwards system. Harrington sent in to represent Manticore's interests, susses haven's plans just as they are activated. Climax is a prusuit and battle between Harrington and a larger but qualitatively inferior ship, ending in a destroyed enemy ship and Harrington's ship being mauled. Weber writes well, and there's enough detail to keep these battles very interesting, but similarities between the plots of the first two novels in the series concern me.

Third- There's no going back now, and I understand that there's some fiction about Harringtons's earlier service, but I fear that our main character is too high up and in command of too new and modern a ship to best make use of Weber's skills at writing about "make-do" situations. The plot managed to divide Harrington's squadron at critical moments, but how hard are things going to be when she commands a fleet of battlecruisers- there'll be nothing but huge space battles then, with little room for characterization or intrigue.

I'll have to read the remainder of the series to see if those concerns play themselves out. Still, an enjoyable read set in a rich, detailed and mostly convincing setting.(less)

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Jan 29, 2012

Jen rated it

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Shelves: adventure, read-in-2012, science-fiction, war, animal-kinship, space-opera, mystery, went-river-tam-on-those-jerks

I liked this book much better this time around than I did the first time I read it. I guess I got to thinking more about the religions this book portrays. It shows that just because a group of people are religious, it doesn't mean they are bad people.

On one hand we have the Graysons, who kept hold of their strong faith and worked hard in order to survive on a planet that is basically killing them. They are a bit backwards technology-wise, and obviously their religion decrees that wom...more

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May 27, 2011

Ed rated it

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This was my first foray into the Honor Harrington series. I got this one instead of the first in the series (On Basilisk Station) because it was the one available to me more easily.

HOTQ is a book about a young Captain in the employ of the navy of the "Star Kingdom of Manticore" (SKM). Manticore is ruled by a queen and seems to be set up in a more or less standard constitutional monarchy. (Why is it that the more libertarian writers like Niven, Weber, Pournelle and frankly t...moreThis was my first foray into the Honor Harrington series. I got this one instead of the first in the series (On Basilisk Station) because it was the one available to me more easily.

HOTQ is a book about a young Captain in the employ of the navy of the "Star Kingdom of Manticore" (SKM). Manticore is ruled by a queen and seems to be set up in a more or less standard constitutional monarchy. (Why is it that the more libertarian writers like Niven, Weber, Pournelle and frankly the vast majority of Baen's stable seem to lean heavily toward monarchy?)

SKM is attempting to form a treaty with a planet (Grayson) in a star system strategically located between SKM and their main enemy the People's Republic of Haven (PRH) AKA "peeps" or "Havenites". As you might have guessed from the name they are (gasp) Socialists and are therefore made out of suck. On several occasions we are shown how awful socialism is under the PRH, especially when juxtaposed with the joys of living under a monarch(?). As a humorous aside, the capital of the PRH is "Nouveau Paris".

Anyway,Cpt. Harrington is charged with leading the military aspect of the mission to Grayson. The only issue is that Grayson is a planet which was founded by fundamentalist Christians who were so fundamentalist that they rejected the new testament and lived by the laws of the old testament. I had heard that people like this were called "Jews" but apparently not in the David Weber universe. Because of their fundamentalism, the Grayson folks were highly sexist, with gender roles very tightly circumscribed. Women, as one could imagine, were definitely not to serve in the military. Harrington of course is a woman, which lead, inexorably, to all types of nonsense that no military would ever accept from it's officers .

If you thought Grayson was bad, there is another habitable planet in the system (might have been a moon, I don't recall now.) Masada. Masada is so fundamentalist that it makes Grayson look like a bunch of Berkeley hippies smoking weed at a My Morning Jacket concert. Masada has been at war with Grayson in the past and has sworn to destroy them all. It is not known if they laughed evilly and stroked a cat while they made this pledge.

I don't want to get much more into the plot of the book at this point because spoilers abound. The Graysons and the SKM end up getting into it with the Graysons which were surreptitiously supported by the PRH and it all comes to a head.

I am of two minds when it comes to this book. I was very impressed with the battle and action scenes (very well done with a slight tendency to pull something out of their ass at the last minute.),the intricate plotting,and the fully developed world i which the story takes place. The characters, unfortunately, were wooden and quite unbelievable. I also was not too impressed with Cpt. Harrington's Ninja cat or whatever the hell that was. The entire time I was reading in absolute disbelief. Nothing could have taken me out of the book more than this.

All in all, despite the goofy parts listed above, I thought this was an average book. There were many good points and many bad points but it was essentially an enjoyable read. An easy 3 stars. I will probably be willing to try the next book in the series at some point.

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Dec 08, 2010

Troy G rated it

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Shelves: reviewed

I like David Weber. His Starfire Novels are some of the best books I've ever read. This book doesn't measure up.

The Mantra of David Weber in this book is "But she's a WOMAN!" He is so obsessed with the gender of the main protagonist that everything else in the book is compromised. There is a good story being told, but that story is compromised at every turn by an obsession with Honor Harrington's lack of a penis, and attempting to make that a story point.

...more

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Mar 15, 2010

Shaun Thomas rated it

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Recommends it for: anyone

Recommended to Shaun by: Jeff Cousens

Like On Basilisk Station before it, David Weber has produced a very engaging piece of fiction I thoroughly enjoyed. I'd also like to point out that Baen's free library has made me a customer. Having read these two books has inspired me to finish the series, which currently stands at ten entries.

Since the series is based on her, the reader must know that Honor Harrington will survive any inevitable conflict, but the question is the degree of her triumph. While this does mark the serie...more

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May 19, 2011

Timothy rated it

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Shelves: read-reviewed-in-2011

Honor Harrington is back, and this time, the stakes are higher, and much more personal. In *The Honor of the Queen*, Honor Harrington is assigned to escort a diplomatic envoy to a backward colony only recently discovered a few hundred years before.

This means that the colony had left "Old Earth" over a millennium previously. They are the off-shoot of a cult that took to the stars to escape technology. Though they are not necessarily amenable to Harrington and her crew, they...moreHonor Harrington is back, and this time, the stakes are higher, and much more personal. In *The Honor of the Queen*, Honor Harrington is assigned to escort a diplomatic envoy to a backward colony only recently discovered a few hundred years before.

This means that the colony had left "Old Earth" over a millennium previously. They are the off-shoot of a cult that took to the stars to escape technology. Though they are not necessarily amenable to Harrington and her crew, they are vastly better than their neighbors. The neighbors are an offshoot of the original cult that were expelled from the cult's planet, Grayson, and settled on the nearby world of Masada.

The People's Republic of Haven, who tried to take over a space terminal at Basilisk in the first book as a preparation for invading Manticore (Honor's home star system) are also back. They are ready to ally themselves with the lunatic Masadans in order to gain a foothold in the Grayson system. In effect, the book is about a Cold War-esque struggle between Haven and the Star Kingdom of Manticore.

Given the somewhat backward views on women, Honor takes her ship to do a supply run and leaves a back-up force behind. She thinks this is the best way for the opponents of the Grayson/Manticoran alliance not to use her as an issue to derail the treaty. In her absence, the Haven/Masadan alliance strikes, and the results are devastating losses to both Manticoran and Grayson navies and facilities.

Once Honor comes back to the system, she finds that she is outgunned due to the Masadans having control of a Haven warship that can easily destroy her small escort fleet. If help doesn't arrive in time, she, her fleet, and everyone on Grayson, will all die.

This might seem a rehash of the first book, and iin some ways, it was. The plot line was similar, yet it was unique enough with some twists and turns to not seem like a complete plot re-tread. Really the amount of thought put into the cultures of Grayson and Masada, and Weber's worldbuilding continue to impress me.

The pros of the book also include the respect for religion. Some would think from my description that the author trashes religion, but he does not. This is an in-space version of the difference between, say, Western Christianity and radical Islam/a Koreshian Doomsday cult. Clearly not all religion is evil. Christianity is widely practiced in the novels timeframe, and not trashed. The religious backdrop was a plot element, not commentary.

The other good parts are the same as in the first book. Realism, respect for the enlisted/NCO's, and so forth. However, there were two major problems with the book.

The first one is that the plot is still undeniably a recycled plot from the first book with a few changes, and I wanted to see some originality. The great narrative made some difference to help me enjoy the story, but not enough.

The second issue I have with this is that the character of Captain Honor Harrington is just too perfect. This is not my bias against officers (even fictional ones) speaking, but my bias as a reader. The way that every other character gushes over Harrington (even many of the bad guys, for goodness sake!) just seemed to out of place. It's like she is the best naval officer in the whole history of man. It just pulled me out of the narrative, as I wanted a main character that is believable, not the infinitely, absurdly best ever. I want a protagonist, in other words, not a Canon Sue. I fear that Harrington is headed that way, and it isn't good.

Despite these flaws, it was an excellent read, and while I can't recommend it as much as the first one, I do recommend it for a good read. Give it a try, it's a fun book. (less)

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Sep 15, 2011

Kat Hooper rated it

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Though she’s a woman and not a diplomat, Honor Harrington, the highly competent and well-respected Manticoran Navy Captain, has been assigned a diplomatic mission to a planet run by a patriarchal religious cult. Why would the Manticorans send an aggressive woman with no diplomatic skills on this type of mission? There’s only one possible reason: to try to make The Honor of the Queen more interesting...

I wasn’t thrilled with On Basilisk Station, the first book in the Honor Harrington se...moreThough she’s a woman and not a diplomat, Honor Harrington, the highly competent and well-respected Manticoran Navy Captain, has been assigned a diplomatic mission to a planet run by a patriarchal religious cult. Why would the Manticorans send an aggressive woman with no diplomatic skills on this type of mission? There’s only one possible reason: to try to make The Honor of the Queen more interesting...

I wasn’t thrilled with On Basilisk Station, the first book in the Honor Harrington series, because there was too much exposition about military tactics and spaceship dynamics and Honor was too perfect and seemed cold and distant. I decided to read The Honor of the Queen because I already had purchased it in audio and I was hoping Honor would be more relatable as we got to know her better. Actually, she does seem more human, going on an almost murderous rampage at one point and becoming teary-eyed at another. Weber begins to make it clear that Honor has emotions, but we rarely see them and she’s such a Mary Sue that it’s difficult to feel comfortable with her. Even her homicidal rampage was more righteous than reckless.

But my biggest issue with the Honor Harrington series is that the plots so far (I’ve read only the first two books), though exciting at times (e.g., the big space battles at the ends) are constantly being interrupted by dull exposition about base and closing velocities, acceleration rates, missile weights, engagement times, energy ranges, magazine sizes, projected courses, etc.

This material does not have to be dull. As I read, I kept comparing it to Patrick O’Brien’s Aubrey/Maturin (Master and Commander) novels which have analogous plots (just at sea instead of in space). Those books contain a lot of information about warships and naval tactics, but they are immensely entertaining because the protagonists are real people with interests, hobbies, relationships, problems and faults.

To be fair to David Weber, it is certainly possible that my disappointment is partially caused by Allyson Johnson’s narration of the audiobooks. Her voices are pleasant, but she uses little inflection. I downloaded a free print copy of The Honor of the Queen at the Baen Free Library and read several pages that I thought were dull in the audio version. They were better in my head than they were on audio, but I still found myself skimming over some of the exposition (which is difficult to do with an audiobook). I’m not sure that any narrator is skilled enough to make The Honor of the Queen exciting for me or to get me past the glaring problem with the premise of Honor being sent as a diplomat to a misogynist society.

I think I’m finished with Honor Harrington, which is too bad because I spent one of my Audible credits on the third book.(less)

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Feb 04, 2012

James rated it

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Shelves: science-fiction, to-check, 4-stars

A little darker in places than the previous book, On Basilisk Station, this book touches on religious (in)tolerance, sexual discrimination and violence as well as the different moral lines in the sand that individuals and groups will set themselves in an ongoing war. Weber handles the topics well, each group manages to get represented across most of the human spectrum - some good people, some not so good people, some downright fucking nasty people and some people who need a trigger event of some...more

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Jun 02, 2011

Sho rated it

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Shelves: re-read, sci-fi

Once I started to read the series, now I feel obligated to reread the whole series in English.

This book is very important in the series as Honor gets introduced to the Graysons for the first time and vice versa. The way the misogynist society perceives women in military as an abomination and then how they start to grudgingly accept Honor was interesting. On the other side the abuse her crew suffer in the prison camp is just horrible and it almost made me cry listening to it. The na...more

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Aug 28, 2011

Marcus rated it

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In "Honor of the Queen", our protagonist is sent on a very sticky diplomatic mission that quickly changes into a full-fledged military confrontation with Haven Republic (the main baddie power in the series). As in the first book, this is military sci-fi at its best, with grand space battles and a lot of action. What I find a little annoying is the fact that all the good guys are a little too clean-cut and all the bad guys are... well, mostly just "bad guys". I'd like a littl...more

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Sep 19, 2011

Ron rated it

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Shelves: ebook, science-fiction

I love a good space opera. This is a good space opera. Even better than On Basilisk Station. Honor is a little too perfect, but that's typical for the genre.

All the right elements, plus conflicted characters on all sides. Just enough techno-babble and hand waving to cover the paucity of real science. Hey, this is science fiction. Not as ridiculous as some more famous series we could mention.

The religious angle was a perfect fit of Honor's particular character.

The en...more

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Aug 14, 2011

Lindsey rated it

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Shelves: favorites, science-fiction, woman-power, ebooks

The second of the Honor Harrington books, which is better contrived than the first. Honor's world starts to open up and (having read the rest of the series) Weber starts laying the groundwork for later revelations and plot lines. The gender discrimination story line is a little overdone for my taste, but knowing that it is important and will be handled more subtly in future installments does make it worth pushing through. Weber's skill at showing the many shades of a single issue (in this cas...more

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Jun 29, 2011

Holly rated it

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Shelves: sci-fi-or-alt-reality

Better than the first one but that's not saying much. Enjoyed the story but the religious fanatics were entirely too one dimensional. Either they were of the "kill all the heathens" variety, or they were of the "I'm gonna be embarrassed by our backward nation while squirming in discomfort about wimmen in uniform" variety. There is NO other kind of religious type in this universe.

I'm also not buying the Evil Peeps (snicker) vs Munificent Manticores hype.

P...more

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Sep 19, 2010

Gerold Whittaker rated it

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Shelves: ebook

The 2nd book in the "Honor Harrington" series: Honor is part of a delegation sent to secure an alliance between Manticore and the Planet Grayson - a Planet in which women have no rights. She and her staff are offended by the men-centric culture, but that only the start of her troubles as Grayson is attacked by it's sister Planet.
There were parts of the book which I felt got bogged down with details but the rest of the book more than compensated.
I read the free e-book versio...more

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Oct 05, 2009

Michael McGreevy rated it

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Recommends it for: Science Fiction Fans

David Weber continues the saga of Honor Harrington in this second book of the series. Honor is a strong female protagonist in two genres that generally don't represent that demographic well (science fiction and military). Weber tackles that issue in particular in this novel, with Honor coming face to face with a society in which women are denied from holding positions of power. I think what has caught me the most about this series is how much real emotion and tension Weber is able to evoke in...more

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Dec 30, 2010

travelgirlut rated it

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Another great space book. Though I do have to say, I think the author kills of far too many people and lets the battles get a little bit too desperate, but I guess that's what makes it good reading. But I hate that I get all invested and interested in characters that end up being blown to smithereens. I could also do with a little less politics and more cool space stuff, but I guess I can always go reread the Lost Fleet series for that. I'm just glad there are lots more books in this series ...more

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Oct 11, 2011

Mark rated it

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Shelves: 2011-read

The Honor of the Queen is the second book by David Weber featuring Honor Harrington, Captain in Her Majesty's Royal Navy of Manticore. The first book, On Basilisk Station, was one I very much enjoyed when I read it a few months ago and with the series running to over a dozen books to date, plus side novels, I was very interested to see where the story would go from the end on that first novel. I've made the mistake in the past of letting more time than optimal pass between series instalments, es...moreThe Honor of the Queen is the second book by David Weber featuring Honor Harrington, Captain in Her Majesty's Royal Navy of Manticore. The first book, On Basilisk Station, was one I very much enjoyed when I read it a few months ago and with the series running to over a dozen books to date, plus side novels, I was very interested to see where the story would go from the end on that first novel. I've made the mistake in the past of letting more time than optimal pass between series instalments, especially those that are already in the shops, and it was not a mistake I planned to do with the Honorverse. Thankfully so too, On Basilisk Station was fresh enough in my mind for me to thoroughly get drawn in with the characters once again!

With her new cruiser, Fearless, Honor Harrington is assigned to a diplomatic mission to Grayson, a planet of strategic importance to both Manticore and the People's Republic of Haven due to its location relative to each of their borders. Grayson and its neighbouring system Masada have a long and tumultuous past, both religious although the latter was so extreme that they were cast out from Grayson, and the wars have been fought ever since with Masada intent on reclaiming what they believe to be their right: the planet Grayson. But the inhabitants of Grayson are no less fierce in their beliefs, mainly that a woman's place is not in public, and especially not in the military. With Honor the leading military officer on this mission the political figures from Manticore have a lot of prejudice to overcome...

After I read On Basilisk Station I thought David Weber had created an excellent setting for a story, it was rich, varied and held a lot of potential. The Honor of the Queen took that initial seed planted in the first book and expanded it greatly, showing just how vast it is and how much more there was to the Kingdom of Manticore and the People's Republic of Haven. Without a doubt the setting is the strongest aspect of The Honor of the Queen simply because of how well Weber has detailed everything within. It's quite outstanding and shows just what can be done with some good world building.

But world building isn't the be-all-and-end-all of a novel, there has to be substance to the characters and story. Fortunately Weber hits the mark again on both those counts. The story is intricate, detailed and full of surprises, the characters unique, likeable and interesting. So, an all around thumbs up!

One of the main focuses in The Honor of the Queen is the distinct religious views held by both Grayson and Masada. While Honor is only in the Grayson system we do see the fanatical views of the Masadan's through various points of view throughout the story. As for Grayson, it's interesting to see just how varied the response is to Honor, from the leader of Grayson who was educated off-planet and is nowhere near as bad as the rest of the population, to the regular members of the Grayson military and the way they treat all female members of the Manticoran Navy. This leads to some interesting situations, but Weber manages to handle it rather well. When everything finally hits the fan some of the mentalities on show do change, but it's interesting to see how they do so and the effect it has on the planet as a whole. There is also the other side of the coin, the Masadan's. These are people that are so fanatical that nothing stops them doing what they believe to be right, and this results in some emotional and hard-hitting scenes. This whole issue could have been dealt with with a heavy hand, but Weber manages to convey everything well, he makes it relatable from most sides and the advancement of the story is handled well.

As for the characters, we've once again got an excellent lead with Honor Harrington, but also her colleagues and subordinates start to shine through. The people of Grayson are interesting, the Masadan's equally so as the bad guys, but even the officers from the People's Republic of Haven that we meet are not as totally despicable as I was expecting. There's a good range here and all work well together, enough that I found myself being carried along with the story yet again.

It's fair to say that after The Honor of the Queen I'll be picking up the next Honor Harrington book pretty soon. In fact, I plan on getting up to date with the series by the release of A Rising Thunder in March of next year. As you read this I've already finished the third book in the series, so that leaves me with 13 more to read to get up to speed. Very, very doable!(less)

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Apr 04, 2008

Zachary rated it

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Shelves: science-fiction

After Basilisk Station, you might have wondered, but Honor of the Queen confirms that whenever Honor Harrington is assigned some sort of mission she will accomplish at least two things: 1) just about completely destroy whatever ship is under her direct command (not on purpose - it's just an inevitable outcome of being led by her), and 2) she will absolutely devastated her opponents, emerging not unscathed, but completely victorious and more than likely snag a promotion or two in the mix, as well...moreAfter Basilisk Station, you might have wondered, but Honor of the Queen confirms that whenever Honor Harrington is assigned some sort of mission she will accomplish at least two things: 1) just about completely destroy whatever ship is under her direct command (not on purpose - it's just an inevitable outcome of being led by her), and 2) she will absolutely devastated her opponents, emerging not unscathed, but completely victorious and more than likely snag a promotion or two in the mix, as well as the uninhibited gratitude of all around her.

Harrington is being sent with a diplomatic mission to the planet of Grayson - who should know by the fact that Honor is coming that something catastrophic and horrendous is about to happen to their society. Not to mention that the Graysons are pretty close to being religious zealots who have completely denied women in their society any and all rights to women. How long will that last with Honor on the way? Oh, and throw in a mix of even more religious zealots who want to completely wipe out and suppress the Graysons. Any bids on who ends up standing up to them for Grayson?

In Honor of the Queen Webber has once again struck a near perfect balance of relentless action against political intrigue. In a few places it starts to get monotonous, but if you just persevere a little bit more you find the release of the action completely worth the build of the intrigue.

The most wonderful part of the book is another chance to spend more time with Harrington and see her develop more as a leader as well as discovering more depths of her character and passions. And the raw power residing in her person is just incredible. One of my favorite scenes is where she and Nimitz almost singlehandedly take out a crew of assassins.

Contrary to how my first paragraph may have sounded, I do absolutely recommend this book. I highly recommend you read Basilisk Station first - but do yourself a favor and grab as many of these Honor Harrington books as you can and curl up for a looooong time with some incredible writing.(less)

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Dec 27, 2009

Alice rated it

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Re-reading this, as it's been a few years since I spent any time with Honor Harrington. It's just as remembered... the grandiosity of the writing and the epic scale of the battles can be a bit cumbersome, and so i skim through a lot of the technical stuff. Weber's level of detail and investment in the technology of the space navies is probably the greatest of any sci fi author I've ever read, but that's not always a good thing. Still, his characters, though drawn a bit heavy-handedly, are won...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Beyond Reality: THE HONOR OF THE QUEEN - first impressions & roll call (no spoilers)	40	33	Oct 24, 2011 08:41pm
Beyond Reality: THE HONOR OF THE QUEEN - finished reading (spoilers)	38	36	Oct 07, 2011 11:32am

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The Honor Of The Queen (Honor Harrington #2)

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