Honor Among Enemies (Honor Harrington, #6)

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Honor Among Enemies (Honor Harrington #6)

by David Weber

4.14 · rating details · 2,630 ratings · 62 reviews

Honor has been offered a chance to return to active duty in the Royal Manticoran Navy The catch is that she must stop pirate raiders with jury-rigged spaceships crewed by the dregs of the service.

Mass Market Paperback, 544 pages

Published June 1st 1997 by Baen (first published 1996)

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May 22, 2011

Mike (the Paladin) rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

I came very close for a while to dropping the score for this book even lower. I've enjoyed the series to this point but here..it became a bit of a strain to stay with it for a while.

In my own opinion, you could pretty much skip the first third of this book, and miss little or nothing of value to the story. Rehashing and retelling, unneeded details that I suppose some relish. (After all, soap operas have thrived for generations now on details of private lives about this outrageous.) I...moreI came very close for a while to dropping the score for this book even lower. I've enjoyed the series to this point but here..it became a bit of a strain to stay with it for a while.

In my own opinion, you could pretty much skip the first third of this book, and miss little or nothing of value to the story. Rehashing and retelling, unneeded details that I suppose some relish. (After all, soap operas have thrived for generations now on details of private lives about this outrageous.) I got very tired of the history of planet systems telling of their colonization from pre-light speed ship Earth on to the present. The story of how a population descended from predominately Chinese ancestors ended up ruled by Bavarian style monarchs...the details of why their light ships work (and retelling me how they work every freaking time you speak of ships going somewhere.) And Oh yes, let's not forget the "love lives" of Tree Cats!

To make matters worse...well, some people have applied a certain name to the Honor Harrington character I've refused to use. She came close but up till now never crossed the line... Well at least for a while in this book I was convinced that her full name might be Honor "Mary Sue" Harrington... Yes our hero. She never met a task she couldn't accomplish, a skill she couldn't master and everyone who meets her either becomes a "worshiper" (the author even used the phrase "idolatry") or her sworn bitter enemy..and sometimes bitter enemies are CONVERTED to admirers! Shall I go on? It seems the Admiralty can now tell when a Jr. Officer has served under Honor. They all idolize her soooooo much that they begin to model their careers after her.

In short there is a huge, "OH GOOD GRIEF" factor here for a while.

Thankfully somewhere between a third and half way through the book seems to shake itself, look around, blush, and turn back into a competent military science fiction/science fantasy read. I did enjoy the book (partly), and thanks to that recovery will probably move on with the series...hoping against hope that we don't have to go through all and into all the hero worship at the beginning of the next volume.

In this one Honor is called back to the Manticarin Navy...as a captain rather than the Admiral she is on Grayson. Her enemies are still around (the ones she hasn't killed that is) and they think getting her back and sending her out on a converted cargo ship to hunt down "space pirates" might be a great way to get her killed... Yah right. The Manticarin Admiralty however think this may be a great way just to get "Super Woman" back in their Space Navy.

Really... I mean I like military science fiction, but I have yet to read a good book (or for that matter see a good movie) about "space pirates". Everybody always seems to think it sounds like a good idea, it should be "cool". BUT it never seems to work out that way. I don't think it worked out really great here either.

However, once we get back into space and the plot actually starts to shape up (we get a little more than the standard "space pirate" story)the book is readable and fairly enjoyable. So, from "ugh" to "not bad". I'll give 3 stars to this space opera for the last third or so. (less)

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Jun 23, 2008

Guy rated it

Shelves: science-fiction-and-fantasy

I should probably give this one five stars too since it is still better than the vast majority of science fiction books that I have read. However, since it is a little weaker than the other books in the series so far, I'll dock it a star pour encourager les autres.

It reads a little like an intermezzo between the first half of the series, which took Honor (the main character) from a relative unknown to fame and fortune then exile. This book brings her back from exile and sets her up...more

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Jul 13, 2010

Allan rated it

Honor Among Enemies, is the sixth book in the Honor Harrington series. I almost want to call this book On Basilisk Station part 2 because there are a lot of parallels to be drawn between the two books, I will get into that later. In this book Honor is offered a new command in her native Manticore Navy. Currently, she is a full admiral in the Grayson navy, in fact she is its second ranking officer. The new command she is offered in the Manticoran navy is vastly inferior, she is to command a squad...moreHonor Among Enemies, is the sixth book in the Honor Harrington series. I almost want to call this book On Basilisk Station part 2 because there are a lot of parallels to be drawn between the two books, I will get into that later. In this book Honor is offered a new command in her native Manticore Navy. Currently, she is a full admiral in the Grayson navy, in fact she is its second ranking officer. The new command she is offered in the Manticoran navy is vastly inferior, she is to command a squadron of armed merchant ships, not even real warships!

Of course she accepts, mostly to get back into Manticoran uniform and to start her rehabilitation. This post was mostly offered as a political move. The opposition to the current government suggested her for this post, partly in fact because it is so dangerous that she has a good chance of not surviving it. But, even they realize how effective of a combat commander she is. The starkingdom is losing more and more merchant ships in the wild Silesian sector, and something must be done.

There is not as much politics in this book as there was in the previous books, which is a nice refresher. We are also introduced to the Andermani empire as well as one of their highest ranking admirals. The book also spends a large amount of time in the perspective of some Havenite officers (some we saw in Flag in Exile) and we see that they are normal people and overall quite decent.

Seeing the Havenite officers as real people and not monsters is quite important at this part of the storyline. They just went through a major coup and the new regime seems obsessed with killing its own people to keep them in line. In the previous book that is mostly what we hear about, the excessive in-fighting and killing and the reign of terror. Seeing that Haven still has good people in it helps us realize that this war isn't the Good vs Evil fight it was first seen as.

There are a number of parallels to draw between 'Honor Among Enemies,' and 'On Basilisk Station,' the first book in the series. The ships Honor is given to command are similar in that they are both armed in ways that break from the traditional warship model. In the first book, she was given a light cruiser with vastly underpowered armaments to prove a point. In this book, her merchant cruiser is not a real warship, and as such is not expected to stand up to more than one or two warships. However, its unconventional weapons are very powerful and mark a new direction in Manticore's ship technology. Also, her main task is not to provide wartime support but to act as a policewoman. In Basilisk Station she was to act as customs patrol for the Basilisk system. In this book she is to help protect merchantmen from pirates. In both, she uncovers plots by Haven while doing her police duties and stops them cold, thus sparking some diplomatic sanctions against Haven that go on behind the scenes.

Overall, this is a great addition to the Honor Harrington series. It is full of action, both space combat and hand to hand combat. The Havenite point of view is valuable to help put some of the series into perspective and is wonderfully portrayed. Some future story threads have their beginnings in this book too so it is a very important piece of the entire puzzle. It's Geektime gives Honor Among Enemies a prestigious 10 on the d10 of enjoyment.(less)

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Jan 22, 2012

Chris rated it

Shelves: 2012, sci-fi, cats

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

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Apr 19, 2010

Shaun Thomas rated it

I promised myself that Honor Among Enemies would be my last David Weber for a while, but I've already started In Enemy Hands. Ah well.

This particular entry is pretty tame so far as the Honor Harrington Mythos is concerned. In order to get back into the good graces of the Manticoran military and political complex, Honor is given the task of ridding the Silesian Confederacy area of the pirates menacing their merchant and freight liners. Her task force consists of four converted and hea...moreI promised myself that Honor Among Enemies would be my last David Weber for a while, but I've already started In Enemy Hands. Ah well.

This particular entry is pretty tame so far as the Honor Harrington Mythos is concerned. In order to get back into the good graces of the Manticoran military and political complex, Honor is given the task of ridding the Silesian Confederacy area of the pirates menacing their merchant and freight liners. Her task force consists of four converted and heavily armed merchant freighters to ask as lures, while Klaus Hauptman and Reginald Houseman both expect her to fail. Rich and powerful adversaries notwithstanding, the idea that sacrificing thousands of people simply to dispose of Honor is clearly abhorrent even to Hauptman, yet at least he stands to gain something if she succeeds.

And while the pirates and even Haven make things difficult, and while there are the usual politics I've come to expect in the Harrington books, nothing really leapt out at me as surprising. The real groundbreaking elements here come from a Havenite captain who risked his commission to rescue a Manticoran freighter from pirates, and contributed significantly to Honors own efforts to eradicate them. I believe the point here is that Haven isn't all bad, and that there are enough opposing factions in Haven's own structure that their true downfall will come from within.

This appears supported from the prologue of In Enemy Hands, so I'll consider this another transition novel. The situation required honor to undergo some kind of testing, and while not entirely idle, Haven couldn't come on too strongly either in Harrington's weakened standing. This book is a minor skirmish in the grand scheme, but sets things up nicely for other implications and machinations to roll over the characters I've come to enjoy following.

There is a minor subplot that involves a character being transformed from a relatively skittish techie to a fighting machine at the intervention of a few marines due to an especially subversive bully brought in by the mad scramble for personnel to crew Honor's new ships. This resolved well, but I think David took the easy way out at the end, making it essentially impossible for these characters to cause trouble later in the series, so I wonder about the point of it all. It's obvious Ginger Lewis and Aubrey Wanderman are going to be recurring characters, but the complete destruction of their enemies was a little heavy-handed, permanent, and unnecessary.

But that's hardly a reason for worry. It's been a good series so far, and it has kept me reading.(less)

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Mar 02, 2009

Kyle rated it

I'm impressed that Weber has been able to to new and inventive things with his character without her simply going straight up in rank, but engage in individual actions in unique places.

There was an interesting element in this book, Honor's chip having a less than stellar and in some cases uncooperative crew, that I'd have loved to see Weber have explored more- it's easy to write about your perfect character and her perfectly trained people, but this has more texture to it (the O'Bri...more

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Jan 30, 2012

Lindsey rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks, science-fiction

Honor takes on pirates with an under-strength squadron as a means of rehabilitating her political standing in the Star Kingdom. This is the last of the main Honorverse books to not be centered around the main fighting with Haven.

Honor herself is, as always, a little too perfect to be believable but if you're this far in the series, you know what to expect. Weber further populates this installment with new and old interesting side characters (Foraker, Caslet, Harkness, MacBride, etc...more

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Aug 22, 2010

Chuck rated it

63 out of 100 for 2010 . . .

This is David Weber at his best. The last novel in the series in which Honor appears as a starship captain rather than as an admiral, it finds her "banished" to the Silesean system, chasing pirates. Because her planet, Manticore, remains locked in war with the People's Republic of Haven, the Manticorean Navy cannot spare 'real' war ships to combat the pirates, who are disrupting shipping enough to economically hurt the Manticorean war effort. ...more

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Aug 28, 2011

Marcus rated it

Pretty much more of the same as in previous Harrington books, although this time Harrington herself isn't as prominent as in previous books. Instead, much of the story focuses on different members of her crew. Unfortunately, storyline concerning those people is very stereotypical and quite predictable. The most interesting part of this book is, as often is the case with books by David Weber, the military action. In this case Weber is clearly inspired by German comersial sea raiding strategy of ...more

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May 01, 2011

Janne Järvinen rated it

Shelves: scifi

The weakest entry in the series so far, maybe partly because of my own sequel fatigue.

It's a lot of the same as the previous books in the series, a little too much, already. But still great, on a raw kicks scale. That's why I have to keep my ratings for the series going on at four stars, even though this one felt a lot like a three star book at times.

A high point is the way it juggles multiple story lines on multiple levels, even more so than previous books in the series....more

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Dec 21, 2008

Zachary rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

Finally we find Honor Harrington back on track in the RMN (Royal Manticoran Navy), but the politics which had originally pushed her away, have manipulated her return to be a mission which could be the end of her. She's leading a quartet of Q-ships into the Solarian League to try and clean up some of the shipping lanes. The ships are over-gunned, but virtually armor-less.

Things would be fine, for her ships would out-gun any pirates she might come across - but not any really military-...more

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Feb 09, 2012

Scott Vout rated it

Shelves: books-of-2012

The next in the ongoing series.

I would have rated this a 3.5 but good ole Goodreads doesn't play that game.

Again Honor faces off against more enemies then God and wins the day.
Nice to see Nimitz get a girlfriend/wife.

The best part of this book for me was, just when you thought it was all wrapped up
there was another 60 or so pages to go. Nice.

If you enjoyed the first 5 you will enjoy this one.

Solid characters continue though ...more

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Aug 13, 2008

Eric rated it

Recommends it for: military SF fans, Hornblower fans

Recommended to Eric by: brian fennell

Shelves: ebooks, kindle, military

Book 6 in the Honor Harrington series was as enjoyable as its predecessors. In typical David Weber fashion,multiple viewpoints and subplots (protagonist and antagonistic alike) are woven through the narrative. Weber continues to improve his ability to make his characters complex, and to toy with likable antagonists and unlikeable allies for the protagonists.

Politics plays a large role in the storyline of Honor Among Enemies, and seems to foreshadow a time when Honor will no longer ...more

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Jan 10, 2011

Grinning rated it

While I quite enjoyed the story, I found myself starting to skim when the author went on at length about laws of physics he's already been over extensively in previous books. I would chalk this up to me remembering more than your average reader than necessarily an editing failure or something; there is, after all, a trend to make all novels in a series capable of standing alone (it should be noted that I do not approve of this trend).

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Feb 05, 2012

William Barnes rated it

I agree with almost everyone on the faults of this book and series. Honor is too perfect. Weber predictably kills everyone. And yet...

I really enjoyed this book. I'm a bit of a sucker for all the duty and honor stuff, I guess. So many reviewers lament Honor's one dimensional character, but the flawed hero is so overdone. I find the simplicity of the characters' personalities to be refreshing.

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Jul 23, 2010

Annette rated it

Shelves: sci-fi

This series is really growing on me. I'll repeat my minor complaint that Honor is a wee bit too much of a superhero, and nearly all of the books start pretty slow 'cause he does so much political set-up. But the action is always good, and the situations are thought provoking. This entry had especially good minor character development, not only on protagonists but also several "Peeps."

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Jan 16, 2012

Kathi rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

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

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Jun 20, 2009

Kristen rated it

When I was a little girl I watched The Great Escape with my dad and I thought it was brilliant. But THIS is the real deal. P.O. Harkness comes into his own and Haven has no idea what it's facing. Another round of air punching and - Take that you... you... crummy person, you! (well alright my language isn't THAT clean, but you get the meaning).

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Aug 16, 2011

Ava Scott rated it

Shelves: female-protagonist

If anything, Weber proves himself masterful in subtly tying together dozens of tiny plotlines to finish with an unmistakable bang. I really appreciated the two major other insights he gives in this particular novel, from Aubrey's character as one who serves Honor not as an officer, and of the Peep perspective, and humanizing the enemy.

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Sep 09, 2010

Kathy Davie rated it

Christ, I kept trying to go to sleep and Honor kept waking me up...I just could not put the book down and got to sleep...finally...about 5am. Man, Weber is GOOD. He pulls you into the action and you can't help but identify with all the characters.

Military sci-fi at its best. And, if you like the technical stuff, this is it.

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Aug 10, 2010

Donna rated it

Shelves: read-in-2010, sci-fi-and-fantasy

This is the sixth in the series. I really am liking this series and I thought this was even better than most of the others I've read. This one has Honor chasing pirates and crossing paths with the Peeps. I liked the interplay between Honor and the enemy captains and the exploration of the concept of honor. The book was certainly aptly titled.

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Aug 01, 2011

M rated it

Honor Harrington has been dismissed after her duel - and gets placed back into the line fo fire thanks to her new home. More concerned with her crewmates and their relations to "the Old Lady," it feels more like a filler book from Weber than a true adventure of Harrington.

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Jun 23, 2010

Phillip rated it

Shelves: ebooks

After the slog through Honor's personal life in the last two books, this installment returns to straightforward military sci-fi. There are a lot of characters in this book, most of them appearing for their own sake, as far as I can tell. Nonetheless, it's very enjoyable and flows smoothly.

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Apr 06, 2011

Trevor Smith rated it

The universe is as complex as comprehensible. Weber does an excellent job of twisting intermingling motives on opposite sides of a complex social / military struggle while allowing the reader to understand on a personal level.

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Sep 12, 2011

Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

The flip animation art at the corner surprised me. Seems rather un-Baenish; I wonder why it stopped 60 pages before the end. Weber's writing has improved.

From having read later books (but not, apparently, this one) there was one character who I knew might as well be wearing a red shirt as soon as he appeared.

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Apr 26, 2011

Isabelle rated it

Shelves: fantasy-sf, series, kindle

One of my favorites in the series so far. Less political gobbledygook, less of Honor agonizing about her inadequacies, more of Honor kicking some serious butt. Lots of fun.

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Jan 31, 2012

Marty rated it

Not so totally focused on one person, not focused on anybody's insecurities. Very fun I think even in reread.

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Feb 07, 2012

Suzanne rated it

I enjoyed the main story a lot - the building of a cohesive crew, the fight against overwhelming odds, and the humanity and inhumanity shown by both sides in the conflict. However, I must admit I probably lightly skimmed about 1/3 of the book - the long-winded explanations of history, tech, etc. are just not my cup of tea.

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Jul 07, 2011

Frode rated it

More lousy politics put Honor at risk, but she comes through again. Good action and good fun.

· see review

Mar 26, 2011

Andreas rated it

Perhaps my favorite Honor. A great story of redemption.

http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=299

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About David Weber

David Mark Weber is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1952.

Many of his stories have military, particularly naval, themes, and fit into the military science fiction genre. He frequently places female leading characters in what have been traditionally male roles.

One of his most popular and enduring characters is Honor Harrington...more

More about David Weber...

Books by David Weber

On Basilisk Station (Honor Harrington, #1)

The Honor of the Queen (Honor Harrington, #2)

The Short Victorious War (Honor Harrington, #3)

Field of Dishonor (Honor Harrington, #4)

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Honor Among Enemies (Honor Harrington #6)

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