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Honorverse: Manticore Ascendant #4
A Call to Insurrection
Yesterday, the Star Kingdom of Manticore was a small, unimportant interstellar backwater. A quiet little star nation, only recently recovered from the devastating blow of the Plague Years. More affluent than some, perhaps, but with little to attract trade or interstellar commerce, it had little need for a navy . . . and even less interest in paying for one.
But Manticore has now become a target. The Star Kingdom isn't certain who is attacking it, or why, or what its mysterious foe can possibly want, but Queen Elizabeth I knows she has to find out. And she knows that whatever some of her subjects think, Manticore does need a navy. And it needs allies, friends like the dynamic Republic of Haven and the Andermani Empire. It needs their trade . . . and to learn from their more experienced and powerful navies.
It is the job of officers like Travis Long and his wife, Lisa, to acquire that experience. Of utterly inexperienced diplomats like Travis's brother Gavin, Earl Winterfall, to build those alliances.
They have been sent to the powerful Andermani Empire to do just that, for the Imperial Navy is one of the most potent and experienced fleets in the galaxy. But the Andermani have problems of their own. Their Emperor's death is the trigger for insurrection, and now that powerful and experienced navy is locked in civil war.
The Manticoran visitors find themselves squarely in the path of the storm, and before Travis, Lisa, and Gavin can accomplish anything else, they first have to survive.
But Manticore has now become a target. The Star Kingdom isn't certain who is attacking it, or why, or what its mysterious foe can possibly want, but Queen Elizabeth I knows she has to find out. And she knows that whatever some of her subjects think, Manticore does need a navy. And it needs allies, friends like the dynamic Republic of Haven and the Andermani Empire. It needs their trade . . . and to learn from their more experienced and powerful navies.
It is the job of officers like Travis Long and his wife, Lisa, to acquire that experience. Of utterly inexperienced diplomats like Travis's brother Gavin, Earl Winterfall, to build those alliances.
They have been sent to the powerful Andermani Empire to do just that, for the Imperial Navy is one of the most potent and experienced fleets in the galaxy. But the Andermani have problems of their own. Their Emperor's death is the trigger for insurrection, and now that powerful and experienced navy is locked in civil war.
The Manticoran visitors find themselves squarely in the path of the storm, and before Travis, Lisa, and Gavin can accomplish anything else, they first have to survive.
480 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2022
172 people are currently reading
766 people want to read
About the author
David Weber
323 books4,534 followersDavid 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 whose alliterated name is an homage to C.S. Forester's character Horatio Hornblower and her last name from a fleet doctor in Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander . Her story, together with the "Honorverse" she inhabits, has been developed through 16 novels and six shared-universe anthologies, as of spring 2013 (other works are in production). In 2008, he donated his archive to the department of Rare Books and Special Collections at Northern Illinois University.
Many of his books are available online, either in their entirety as part of the Baen Free Library or, in the case of more recent books, in the form of sample chapters (typically the first 25-33% of the work).
http://us.macmillan.com/author/davidw...
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 whose alliterated name is an homage to C.S. Forester's character Horatio Hornblower and her last name from a fleet doctor in Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander . Her story, together with the "Honorverse" she inhabits, has been developed through 16 novels and six shared-universe anthologies, as of spring 2013 (other works are in production). In 2008, he donated his archive to the department of Rare Books and Special Collections at Northern Illinois University.
Many of his books are available online, either in their entirety as part of the Baen Free Library or, in the case of more recent books, in the form of sample chapters (typically the first 25-33% of the work).
http://us.macmillan.com/author/davidw...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
July 28, 2023
Excellent last (?) book in this series. Very well done SiFi and a joy to read. Recommended
February 22, 2022
This is the fourth book in "The Manticore Ascendant" series. It is by David Weber, Timothy Zahn, and Thomas Pope. This series just keeps getting better and better. It reminds me very much of the first several Honor Harrington books before that series got tied down with so much back story and endless details. This book actually has two separate but intriguing storylines.
In the first storyline Travis Long and his new wife, Lisa Donnelly Long, leave Manticore shortly after their wedding along with Travis's half-brother, Gavin, Lord Winterfall. They have been invited by Emperor Gustav Anderman to meet him in his capital, New Berlin on the planet Potsdam. Upon arrival, their troubles begin with the announcement of Gustav's death. They soon learn that although Gustav's son Andrew is the expected heir to the throne his rein is being contested by a half-sister who is willing to use any means including mutiny and military might, to gain the throne. They will soon find themselves embroiled in a battle that will endanger their very lives.
The second storyline is about a very unorthodox murder investigation. A high-ranking member of Parliament, Duke Serisburg, and his family have been killed in an aircar crash. It has been ruled an accident but some believe that it was a case of cold-blooded murder. A supposedly disgraced agent from SIS, named Chomps, is secretly put on the case. Chomp’s investigation is unauthorized, off the books, and probably illegal, but he will go to any lengths to find the truth no matter where or to who it might lead.
This book is another great read in this series. I rarely give a book 5 Stars but this one richly deserved it!
In the first storyline Travis Long and his new wife, Lisa Donnelly Long, leave Manticore shortly after their wedding along with Travis's half-brother, Gavin, Lord Winterfall. They have been invited by Emperor Gustav Anderman to meet him in his capital, New Berlin on the planet Potsdam. Upon arrival, their troubles begin with the announcement of Gustav's death. They soon learn that although Gustav's son Andrew is the expected heir to the throne his rein is being contested by a half-sister who is willing to use any means including mutiny and military might, to gain the throne. They will soon find themselves embroiled in a battle that will endanger their very lives.
The second storyline is about a very unorthodox murder investigation. A high-ranking member of Parliament, Duke Serisburg, and his family have been killed in an aircar crash. It has been ruled an accident but some believe that it was a case of cold-blooded murder. A supposedly disgraced agent from SIS, named Chomps, is secretly put on the case. Chomp’s investigation is unauthorized, off the books, and probably illegal, but he will go to any lengths to find the truth no matter where or to who it might lead.
This book is another great read in this series. I rarely give a book 5 Stars but this one richly deserved it!
February 17, 2022
David Weber and his collaborators Timothy Zahn and Thomas Pope continue the Manticore Ascendant prequel series to the Honor Harrington series. I found this one quite satisfying not only for the space battles, which Weber & co. do so well, but also for the spy vs spy machinations of a shadowy group trying to manipulate Manticore to get their as yet undiscovered wormhole junction.
Then on top of this, you have favorite characters like Travis Long and his brother Lord Gavin. Add in colorful depictions of the Anderman empire and Gustav Anderman and his son Andrew and you have quite a smorgasbord.
This is required reading for fans of military scifi and David Weber.
Then on top of this, you have favorite characters like Travis Long and his brother Lord Gavin. Add in colorful depictions of the Anderman empire and Gustav Anderman and his son Andrew and you have quite a smorgasbord.
This is required reading for fans of military scifi and David Weber.
February 10, 2022
I nearly didn’t bother starting this book, the previous book was just about OK but it’s been nearly four years and I could hardly remember what had happened it was so long ago. My problem is that when David Weber produces a ‘good’ story I really enjoy them and would hate to miss out, even though what you might get has become pretty much a lottery.
Having looked back at ’A Call to Vengeance’ I had a vague memory that it was building towards an interesting conclusion, so here I am.
I really struggled to get to grips with the story, especially as the prologue was no help at all. With such a long gap, this is one of the few occasions when a short synopsis would have been useful.
Eventually the book started to make sense, but it didn’t seem to be going anywhere. The author snuck in a murder mystery that was mildly interesting, but didn’t really move the story forward.
As for the Andermani side of the story, I’m afraid I found it a bit tedious and I found the German names and words didn’t help the flow of the story and even became irritating at times.
There is a long build up to the big battle near the end of the book, but I really didn’t care for the Andermani and wasn’t really interested in how the battle turned out.
I had hoped this book would move Manticore’s story on a bit, but it really doesn’t and I’m not sure I can wait another four years for this ‘epic’ to finally get some where. If possible I would have given 2.5 stars.
Having looked back at ’A Call to Vengeance’ I had a vague memory that it was building towards an interesting conclusion, so here I am.
I really struggled to get to grips with the story, especially as the prologue was no help at all. With such a long gap, this is one of the few occasions when a short synopsis would have been useful.
Eventually the book started to make sense, but it didn’t seem to be going anywhere. The author snuck in a murder mystery that was mildly interesting, but didn’t really move the story forward.
As for the Andermani side of the story, I’m afraid I found it a bit tedious and I found the German names and words didn’t help the flow of the story and even became irritating at times.
There is a long build up to the big battle near the end of the book, but I really didn’t care for the Andermani and wasn’t really interested in how the battle turned out.
I had hoped this book would move Manticore’s story on a bit, but it really doesn’t and I’m not sure I can wait another four years for this ‘epic’ to finally get some where. If possible I would have given 2.5 stars.
April 29, 2022
Another solid series entry, they just come far apart enough (probably for the authors to get together) that it's hard to remember where things left off. Not too much of a problem since you know where things are headed at the end - a big old space battle.
December 22, 2021
[17 Dec 2021]
Pretty good military sci-fi adventure. It would have been better if it hadn't been so long since I read the preceding installments. There were a lot of back references that I didn't get even though I have read the previous books. Also, there were two almost totally unrelated plot lines. Both were enjoyable enough, but I felt a bit annoyed. Were both plot lines necessary? If so, I missed it. I feel like I need to reread the whole series now, just to appreciate this book. But one thing is pretty clear: this is not the last of the series.
Pretty good military sci-fi adventure. It would have been better if it hadn't been so long since I read the preceding installments. There were a lot of back references that I didn't get even though I have read the previous books. Also, there were two almost totally unrelated plot lines. Both were enjoyable enough, but I felt a bit annoyed. Were both plot lines necessary? If so, I missed it. I feel like I need to reread the whole series now, just to appreciate this book. But one thing is pretty clear: this is not the last of the series.
October 28, 2021
A solid book that while not as good as A Call to Vengeance is way better than the first two novels in the series; there is not much advancement of the main story but there are a lot of seeds planted for future books, not least the first inkling of the Junction for the Queen, the establishment of a sort of alliance (an even more in a sense) with the Andermanni empire and a murder mystery on Manticore itself that may be tied with the main storyline; and of course there are (proper) space battles, intrigue and new not quite romance, while the ending is excellent and promises a lot for the next installment.
On the downside, I found the attempted humanization of the main (hands-on) villain not that convincing but will see how this will play out in the later volumes (after all he must appear somehow although the action moves away from the Manticore, Axelrod storyline).
Overall a very good installment that doesn't quite reach the heights of A Call to Vengeance, in a way understandably so, as the main action moves to the Andermanni Empire while the political maneuverings are for now on hold with the (at least temporary) defeat of Breakwater in that volume, while the murder mystery's big picture was kind of obvious once we knew it was actually a murder mystery so the twist at the end there wasn't surprising, but the seeds planted here should flourish in the next book
On the downside, I found the attempted humanization of the main (hands-on) villain not that convincing but will see how this will play out in the later volumes (after all he must appear somehow although the action moves away from the Manticore, Axelrod storyline).
Overall a very good installment that doesn't quite reach the heights of A Call to Vengeance, in a way understandably so, as the main action moves to the Andermanni Empire while the political maneuverings are for now on hold with the (at least temporary) defeat of Breakwater in that volume, while the murder mystery's big picture was kind of obvious once we knew it was actually a murder mystery so the twist at the end there wasn't surprising, but the seeds planted here should flourish in the next book
February 13, 2023
Fourth in the Manticore Ascendant series within the Honorverse and revolving around Manticore. The focus is on Travis, Lisa, and Gavin's interactions with the Andermani as well as Chomps' investigation on-planet. It's been a year since the battle against the Volsungs in
A Call to Vengeance
, 3.
If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of the Honorverse books on my website.
My Take
A Call to Insurrection is a tale of greed and murder with a lot of under-the-table dealing. It's full of betrayals, subterfuge, assassinations, battles, physics, tactics, political maneuvering, and forensic work dedicated to solving a murder mystery leavened with personal lives that revolve around family, children, and at least one pair of lovers. It's also poor Travis not being able to keep those secrets that secret.
It's a three-way of the newlyweds Travis and Lisa off on a mission instead of their honeymoon and yet with an opportunity to bond with Gavin, his remote half-brother. There's insight into the mission delegates, the consideration and bravery of the Manticorans in support of the Andermani as well as the excuses for going to war.
Unfortunately, I can see why the Andermani incorporate citizens of "conquered" planets into their navy, and yet they really should've been a little more cautious. The exciting bit is this is Manticore's first step into shipbuilding. Okay, so it's a dip of the toe into the pond, but it's a start.
I do feel for Catt Quint. She's heading downhill fast, and she's worried about her people. Surprisingly, she and her people are one of the few honorable mercenary groups.
It's fascinating to get more of the background history (and honor) of the Andermani, as there isn't much about them in the Honor Harrington series. They're quirky mix of Chinese and German with even quirkier name combinations. They all speak German, and they too are an honorable people. They are also feared throughout the universe. NO ONE wants to offend them. Andrew has sone wise remarks at the end. As for how quickly the Manticorans learned German, I am impressed!
It's also been an eye opening series of events with the Andermani efficiency and advanced equipment continuing to astound the Manticorans. Thank god Breakwater is gone, Manticore may have a chance!
Political maneuvering and appearances are universal through time and space. Sadly for Chomps, it'll affect his future. He is having a hard time getting along in Serisburg Duchy. That man is just too curious for words and isn't too concerned with whom he might tick off.
Hmm, most everyone in the galaxy fears the Andermani Empire, but once Anderman and his people rescued the people of Kuan Yin, their empire only expanded when others attacked them. That the Andermani are an honorable people is evident in the clash between Andrew and his navy. You know they are concerned about their rep when they ask for Manticoran observers for the upcoming battle.
More conflict is the uncertainty of the Andermanis as to Andrew's ability to govern. For an intelligent woman, Hansen is an idiot. In Serisburg, Vespoli is another with no loyalty.
Travis is still struggling with his unsocial "abilities", but his time in the Navy and with Lisa are helping to advance his character arc. The Royal Manticoran Navy is also advancing its character arc. And it's making me crazy to finish this (currently) last book in Manticore Ascendant and dive into On Basilisk Station , 1.
Yeah, Weber and company do get quite technical, and I find it fascinating how they figure these things out. I'm buying it 'cause I haven't a clue if it's accurate or not.
Crew members, captains, and more all have their own thoughts and emotions and actions with the authors using third person global subjective point-of-view if only so all these perspectives can all be heard from. it certainly shows the scene and ramps up the tension.
The authors throw an interesting twist in towards the end with Llyn and his interaction with Amos and his interest in Catt. I'm looking forward to Manticore Ascendant 5!
As for the series drama of that space anomaly, well I'm darned curious as to how that works out!
The Story
Someone has issues on how Gustav is growing his empire, and they're willing to back Tomlinson on getting their world back . . . under-the-table. The deal these unknown others offer is irresistible . . . and plays right into their hands for the desired chaos to cover up their plans for Manticore.
It's all about politics for Chomps when he's fired from the SIS. No, it's not fair, and yet when he discovers is far more than fair when he uncovers an insidious plot.
The Characters
For a complete list of characters, visit my review on my website.
The Star Kingdom of Manticore
Elizabeth II is queen and has just had a baby. Her security people include Sergeant Adler. Dr Tolochko is a young scientist with a radical theory. Harwich, is the prime minister. Dapplelake, is the defense minister. Admiral Carlton Locatelli. Gavin Vellacott, Baron Winterfall, (and Travis' half-brother) is new minister for the Foreign Office.
Olga Strait, Baroness Crystal Pine is the new Secretary of Industry. Countess Greatgap replaces Earl Breakwater.
Captain Trina Clegg is the commander of the Casey . Captain Hari Marcello is the commander of HMS Damocles. Commander Lisa Donnelly, the XO on the Donnelly, is engaged to Lieutenant Commander Travis Long.
Serisburg Duchy had . . .
. . . been Duke Serisburg's until he died. Benjamin had been his youngest son. Ralph and Eileen Lassaline run a country inn, Three Corners. Deputy Terry Lassaline is their daughter. Laura Vespoli is the sheriff. Thom Devereux had been the duke's mechanic.
Senior Chief Charles "Chomps" Townsend is actually with Delphi as an agent in the new Special Intelligence Service headed up by Lady Calvingdell. Fiona Taylor is the secretary/gatekeeper. ONI has been the old hide-bound intelligence service headed up by Admiral Barnam Knox.
Andermani Empire is . . .
. . . ruled by Emperor Gustav Anderman who rescued the citizens of Kuan Yin. Potsdam is the capital. I think it's a planet as they mention that Zizhulin is the capital city.
Andrew is Gustav's heir. Baronesse Marija Shoneoa had started out as Andrew's nursemaid, then guardian and companion, and now one of his most trusted advisors.Fräulein Liang Ying Yue is Andrew's fiancée. Major Basle Strossmeyer is the third shift commander of the Totenkopf Hussars who appears to be in charge of Manticoran security.
Kapitänin der Sterne Yasmin Sternberger is the flag captain of the Friedrich der Grosse . Carrino is the chief engineer who escorts Travis all over the ship. Unterberger, the assistant tactical officer, will be Lisa's guide.
Admiral Gotthold Riefenstahl, Graf von Basaltberg, is in charge of a diplomatic mission to Manticore.
The initial fleet dispatched to Tomlinson includes the SMS Preussen, a battleship under the authority of Flotillenadmiral von Jachman and captained by Kapitänin der Sterne Florence Hansen. Her crew includes Simon Bajer, who is the Assistant Tactical Officer. Major Kau-jung Kleinberg is the commander of the Raumbattalion , a battle squadron aboard the Preussen.
The second fleet is christened Gerechtigkeitsgeschwader , Justice Squadron, with Fregattenkapitän Guiying Schlamme as Bsaltberg's staff tactical officer. Kapitänin der Sterne Jijun Kranz is his chief of staff. There are a slew of other ships in the fleet.
Major Chien-Lu Zhou, a.k.a. Captain Charles Kane, had commanded the Hamann in A Call to Vengeance . The Hausorden von Anderman is an award for civilian bravery and merit. The Order von Tischendorg is an award for military bravery. The Sternekrieg is Gustav's treatise on warfare and philosophy.
Admiral Cutler Gensonne, the leader of the Volsung Mercenaries in A Call to Arms and A Call to Vengeance .
Tomlinson System is . . .
. . . in the Preston Star System, which is on the edge of the Core worlds. Hereditary President-in-Exile Trudy McIntyre and Chief Director Lucretia Tomlinson for the Preston, Fagnelli, and Tomlinson transstellar corporation fill two of the three positions.
Unrest is boiling up, giving rise to the Free Tomlinson Front, a.k.a. the Freets. The surprising Periwinkle is transporting illegal weapons.
Axelrod is . . .
. . . a powerful, greedy transstellar corporation with a very bad reputation. Its black operatives include Freya Bryce, who's setting up the Tomlinson end of things (her ship had been the Docent with, I think, Sandor as captain), and Jeremiah Llyn, a.k.a. Smiley, whose ship's captain is Rhamas. (We've met Llyn in A Call to Arms , 2, and A Call to Vengeance .)
The Quintessence Mercenaries
Commodore Catt Quint leads her people, who are based on Kenichi. Amos is her personal steward. Retribution will become Quint's new flagship and will include Lieutenant Arnold Bax on loan from the Vorpal Blade Mercenaries.
The Solarian League is the biggest boy in the universe; it's our current earth. Dzung has a sleazy bar where Georgio is the bartender. Cormorant is a planet that salvages ships. The ABC Alliance of Angelique, Babel, and Cantiz accused Anderman of aggression. The Deneb Agreement states the rules of war, including how mercenaries are treated.
The Cover and Title
The cover is dark with its extremely deep blue background of space, stars lightening its depth. At the top are the authors' names in white outlined in red. Below that is a pale-blue outlined blue banner with the overall series info in the same white with red outline. Below that is the title superimposed on a spaceship of deep gray with missile blasts of orange and gray smoke and a ring of blue lights. That tail end looks rather like an electrical plug. The title itself is an embossed gold gradient with a firm black outline that is further outlined in blue. An info blurb in white is just below the title on the right. This particular series info repeats the blue below left of the ship with a testimonial in white centered across the bottom.
The title is about a woman's greed and a people's fear and desire for power in A Call to Insurrection.
If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of the Honorverse books on my website.
My Take
A Call to Insurrection is a tale of greed and murder with a lot of under-the-table dealing. It's full of betrayals, subterfuge, assassinations, battles, physics, tactics, political maneuvering, and forensic work dedicated to solving a murder mystery leavened with personal lives that revolve around family, children, and at least one pair of lovers. It's also poor Travis not being able to keep those secrets that secret.
It's a three-way of the newlyweds Travis and Lisa off on a mission instead of their honeymoon and yet with an opportunity to bond with Gavin, his remote half-brother. There's insight into the mission delegates, the consideration and bravery of the Manticorans in support of the Andermani as well as the excuses for going to war.
Unfortunately, I can see why the Andermani incorporate citizens of "conquered" planets into their navy, and yet they really should've been a little more cautious. The exciting bit is this is Manticore's first step into shipbuilding. Okay, so it's a dip of the toe into the pond, but it's a start.
I do feel for Catt Quint. She's heading downhill fast, and she's worried about her people. Surprisingly, she and her people are one of the few honorable mercenary groups.
It's fascinating to get more of the background history (and honor) of the Andermani, as there isn't much about them in the Honor Harrington series. They're quirky mix of Chinese and German with even quirkier name combinations. They all speak German, and they too are an honorable people. They are also feared throughout the universe. NO ONE wants to offend them. Andrew has sone wise remarks at the end. As for how quickly the Manticorans learned German, I am impressed!
It's also been an eye opening series of events with the Andermani efficiency and advanced equipment continuing to astound the Manticorans. Thank god Breakwater is gone, Manticore may have a chance!
Political maneuvering and appearances are universal through time and space. Sadly for Chomps, it'll affect his future. He is having a hard time getting along in Serisburg Duchy. That man is just too curious for words and isn't too concerned with whom he might tick off.
Hmm, most everyone in the galaxy fears the Andermani Empire, but once Anderman and his people rescued the people of Kuan Yin, their empire only expanded when others attacked them. That the Andermani are an honorable people is evident in the clash between Andrew and his navy. You know they are concerned about their rep when they ask for Manticoran observers for the upcoming battle.
More conflict is the uncertainty of the Andermanis as to Andrew's ability to govern. For an intelligent woman, Hansen is an idiot. In Serisburg, Vespoli is another with no loyalty.
Travis is still struggling with his unsocial "abilities", but his time in the Navy and with Lisa are helping to advance his character arc. The Royal Manticoran Navy is also advancing its character arc. And it's making me crazy to finish this (currently) last book in Manticore Ascendant and dive into On Basilisk Station , 1.
Yeah, Weber and company do get quite technical, and I find it fascinating how they figure these things out. I'm buying it 'cause I haven't a clue if it's accurate or not.
Crew members, captains, and more all have their own thoughts and emotions and actions with the authors using third person global subjective point-of-view if only so all these perspectives can all be heard from. it certainly shows the scene and ramps up the tension.
The authors throw an interesting twist in towards the end with Llyn and his interaction with Amos and his interest in Catt. I'm looking forward to Manticore Ascendant 5!
As for the series drama of that space anomaly, well I'm darned curious as to how that works out!
The Story
Someone has issues on how Gustav is growing his empire, and they're willing to back Tomlinson on getting their world back . . . under-the-table. The deal these unknown others offer is irresistible . . . and plays right into their hands for the desired chaos to cover up their plans for Manticore.
It's all about politics for Chomps when he's fired from the SIS. No, it's not fair, and yet when he discovers is far more than fair when he uncovers an insidious plot.
The Characters
For a complete list of characters, visit my review on my website.
The Star Kingdom of Manticore
Elizabeth II is queen and has just had a baby. Her security people include Sergeant Adler. Dr Tolochko is a young scientist with a radical theory. Harwich, is the prime minister. Dapplelake, is the defense minister. Admiral Carlton Locatelli. Gavin Vellacott, Baron Winterfall, (and Travis' half-brother) is new minister for the Foreign Office.
Olga Strait, Baroness Crystal Pine is the new Secretary of Industry. Countess Greatgap replaces Earl Breakwater.
Captain Trina Clegg is the commander of the Casey . Captain Hari Marcello is the commander of HMS Damocles. Commander Lisa Donnelly, the XO on the Donnelly, is engaged to Lieutenant Commander Travis Long.
Serisburg Duchy had . . .
. . . been Duke Serisburg's until he died. Benjamin had been his youngest son. Ralph and Eileen Lassaline run a country inn, Three Corners. Deputy Terry Lassaline is their daughter. Laura Vespoli is the sheriff. Thom Devereux had been the duke's mechanic.
Senior Chief Charles "Chomps" Townsend is actually with Delphi as an agent in the new Special Intelligence Service headed up by Lady Calvingdell. Fiona Taylor is the secretary/gatekeeper. ONI has been the old hide-bound intelligence service headed up by Admiral Barnam Knox.
Andermani Empire is . . .
. . . ruled by Emperor Gustav Anderman who rescued the citizens of Kuan Yin. Potsdam is the capital. I think it's a planet as they mention that Zizhulin is the capital city.
Andrew is Gustav's heir. Baronesse Marija Shoneoa had started out as Andrew's nursemaid, then guardian and companion, and now one of his most trusted advisors.Fräulein Liang Ying Yue is Andrew's fiancée. Major Basle Strossmeyer is the third shift commander of the Totenkopf Hussars who appears to be in charge of Manticoran security.
Kapitänin der Sterne Yasmin Sternberger is the flag captain of the Friedrich der Grosse . Carrino is the chief engineer who escorts Travis all over the ship. Unterberger, the assistant tactical officer, will be Lisa's guide.
Admiral Gotthold Riefenstahl, Graf von Basaltberg, is in charge of a diplomatic mission to Manticore.
The initial fleet dispatched to Tomlinson includes the SMS Preussen, a battleship under the authority of Flotillenadmiral von Jachman and captained by Kapitänin der Sterne Florence Hansen. Her crew includes Simon Bajer, who is the Assistant Tactical Officer. Major Kau-jung Kleinberg is the commander of the Raumbattalion , a battle squadron aboard the Preussen.
The second fleet is christened Gerechtigkeitsgeschwader , Justice Squadron, with Fregattenkapitän Guiying Schlamme as Bsaltberg's staff tactical officer. Kapitänin der Sterne Jijun Kranz is his chief of staff. There are a slew of other ships in the fleet.
Major Chien-Lu Zhou, a.k.a. Captain Charles Kane, had commanded the Hamann in A Call to Vengeance . The Hausorden von Anderman is an award for civilian bravery and merit. The Order von Tischendorg is an award for military bravery. The Sternekrieg is Gustav's treatise on warfare and philosophy.
Admiral Cutler Gensonne, the leader of the Volsung Mercenaries in A Call to Arms and A Call to Vengeance .
Tomlinson System is . . .
. . . in the Preston Star System, which is on the edge of the Core worlds. Hereditary President-in-Exile Trudy McIntyre and Chief Director Lucretia Tomlinson for the Preston, Fagnelli, and Tomlinson transstellar corporation fill two of the three positions.
Unrest is boiling up, giving rise to the Free Tomlinson Front, a.k.a. the Freets. The surprising Periwinkle is transporting illegal weapons.
Axelrod is . . .
. . . a powerful, greedy transstellar corporation with a very bad reputation. Its black operatives include Freya Bryce, who's setting up the Tomlinson end of things (her ship had been the Docent with, I think, Sandor as captain), and Jeremiah Llyn, a.k.a. Smiley, whose ship's captain is Rhamas. (We've met Llyn in A Call to Arms , 2, and A Call to Vengeance .)
The Quintessence Mercenaries
Commodore Catt Quint leads her people, who are based on Kenichi. Amos is her personal steward. Retribution will become Quint's new flagship and will include Lieutenant Arnold Bax on loan from the Vorpal Blade Mercenaries.
The Solarian League is the biggest boy in the universe; it's our current earth. Dzung has a sleazy bar where Georgio is the bartender. Cormorant is a planet that salvages ships. The ABC Alliance of Angelique, Babel, and Cantiz accused Anderman of aggression. The Deneb Agreement states the rules of war, including how mercenaries are treated.
The Cover and Title
The cover is dark with its extremely deep blue background of space, stars lightening its depth. At the top are the authors' names in white outlined in red. Below that is a pale-blue outlined blue banner with the overall series info in the same white with red outline. Below that is the title superimposed on a spaceship of deep gray with missile blasts of orange and gray smoke and a ring of blue lights. That tail end looks rather like an electrical plug. The title itself is an embossed gold gradient with a firm black outline that is further outlined in blue. An info blurb in white is just below the title on the right. This particular series info repeats the blue below left of the ship with a testimonial in white centered across the bottom.
The title is about a woman's greed and a people's fear and desire for power in A Call to Insurrection.
February 7, 2023
I really enjoyed listening to this book. Most everything was summed up nicely, but I was a bit disappointed with some aspects. Some things were left open, and that was hard to swallow knowing this is (currently?) the last book in the series. But all-in-all, an excellent read and great culmination to the series. I do highly recommend not only this book, but the whole series. So far, any book in the Honorverse is awesome.
June 3, 2023
Three authors, delays and all that for little more than a filler of a book, though at least nowhere as horrendous as the mainline Honorverse or Safehold have gotten of late. With all due respect for his previous work aside, at this point I'm starting to get a serious Game of Thrones vibe (series or books) out of David Weber's books that seem to exist only to spend 500-1000 pages punting the plot progression towards a followup book, that (more likely than not) won't resolve anything, nor move along the narrative in a way that keeps one still interested going forward. Honestly, at this point it'd seem that everything past "At All Costs" (wow, I didn't realize it's been more than 15 years since we got that one) is little more than a scramble to keep this story universe going, with more care given to a balooning word count than to the story being told.
As for "A Call to Insurrection", a non spoiler(ish):
Pros:
+Somewhat less plodding than the mainline books, though the book drags on even at 480 Kindle pages
+There's more to the book than the now customary "resetting the board pieces" books we've come to expect from the author
+Didn't have a monumentally silly "Suddenly DRACULA!" ending like another of DW's books
Cons:
-the bulk of the book is little more than a side quest and one that has (given the fact that the book is a prequel) limitted results in the grand scheme of things that's literally handwaved away by inserting a "few would know, but at least the RIGHT few" moment at the end so it doesn't stick out too much if one bothers to re-read "Honor Among Enemies" and "War Of Honor" that no one brings up how connected the Andermani and Manticorans have been before
-then there's another significant chunk of the book that's little more than a poorly shoehorned in detective story, with almost zero bearing on the main story (outside of some of the secondary characters' dating prospects)
As for "A Call to Insurrection", a non spoiler(ish):
Pros:
+Somewhat less plodding than the mainline books, though the book drags on even at 480 Kindle pages
+There's more to the book than the now customary "resetting the board pieces" books we've come to expect from the author
+Didn't have a monumentally silly "Suddenly DRACULA!" ending like another of DW's books
Cons:
-the bulk of the book is little more than a side quest and one that has (given the fact that the book is a prequel) limitted results in the grand scheme of things that's literally handwaved away by inserting a "few would know, but at least the RIGHT few" moment at the end so it doesn't stick out too much if one bothers to re-read "Honor Among Enemies" and "War Of Honor" that no one brings up how connected the Andermani and Manticorans have been before
-then there's another significant chunk of the book that's little more than a poorly shoehorned in detective story, with almost zero bearing on the main story (outside of some of the secondary characters' dating prospects)
April 24, 2022
It has been quite some time since I read something from David Weber so it was with some pleasure that I dug into this, the latest, book in the Manticore Ascendant series.
One thing you can be sure of when you dig into a book by David Weber, whether there are additional authors mentioned on the book or not, is that you are starting to read a book that is well written with a story that has quite some work behind it.
This book is no exception to that.
Another things that, unfortunately, you can suspect when you start one of David Weber’s books is that there are going to be a lot of dialog, lot of story building and between a fair amount and a lot of politics, machinations and plotting going on.
This is generally the part of David Weber’s books that I do not like and is pretty much the only reason this book doesn’t get five stars from me. Actually at 30% of the book I made a note that, so far, it was only bla bla, politics and more bla bla. Well written bla bla but still… bla bla.
Luckily the book took off from there. Still rather slowly but it took off.
This book is a continuation of the previous book in the Manticore Ascendant series. Normally I am not too keen on prequels and this book series is indeed a prequel to the Honor Harrington series. But I have to say that it is quite interesting to read about the humble beginnings of the Manticore Kingdom.
There are really two stories in this book. One a detective story weeding out some scheming, murderous lowlife within Manticore itself and the main story. The one where a unknown entity, that, unlike Manticore, is fully aware about the presence of the very important wormhole junction within the kingdom, is continuing to plot against Manticore and now against the Andermani empire as well.
Of course and to my great enjoyment, said plotting results in some decent fleet action in classical David Weber style.
Overall I very much liked the characters in the book. Many of them, like Travis, Lisa etc. are of course taken over from the previous book. But I really came to like the Andermani Admiral as well as their new Emperor as well.
The Andermani empire is mostly based on German, old Preussian, culture and one thing that I liked about this book is that, while a lot of authors are sprinkling German-sounding “words” around without having a f… clue what they are doing, David Weber and his co-authors are actually getting it right. Nor are they concocting bullshit words and names that may be grammatically more or less correct but also totally ludicrous.
The book did advance the main story arc, that is the ascendance of the Manticore kingdom, although in rather small steps. As I wrote in my review of the previous book, I really hope that the story, at some point, advances to where Manticore discovers their hidden “goldmine” and starts to take advantage of it.
Bottom line, a very good book and if you are more into politics and machinations than me, you will probably find it a five star book.
One thing you can be sure of when you dig into a book by David Weber, whether there are additional authors mentioned on the book or not, is that you are starting to read a book that is well written with a story that has quite some work behind it.
This book is no exception to that.
Another things that, unfortunately, you can suspect when you start one of David Weber’s books is that there are going to be a lot of dialog, lot of story building and between a fair amount and a lot of politics, machinations and plotting going on.
This is generally the part of David Weber’s books that I do not like and is pretty much the only reason this book doesn’t get five stars from me. Actually at 30% of the book I made a note that, so far, it was only bla bla, politics and more bla bla. Well written bla bla but still… bla bla.
Luckily the book took off from there. Still rather slowly but it took off.
This book is a continuation of the previous book in the Manticore Ascendant series. Normally I am not too keen on prequels and this book series is indeed a prequel to the Honor Harrington series. But I have to say that it is quite interesting to read about the humble beginnings of the Manticore Kingdom.
There are really two stories in this book. One a detective story weeding out some scheming, murderous lowlife within Manticore itself and the main story. The one where a unknown entity, that, unlike Manticore, is fully aware about the presence of the very important wormhole junction within the kingdom, is continuing to plot against Manticore and now against the Andermani empire as well.
Of course and to my great enjoyment, said plotting results in some decent fleet action in classical David Weber style.
Overall I very much liked the characters in the book. Many of them, like Travis, Lisa etc. are of course taken over from the previous book. But I really came to like the Andermani Admiral as well as their new Emperor as well.
The Andermani empire is mostly based on German, old Preussian, culture and one thing that I liked about this book is that, while a lot of authors are sprinkling German-sounding “words” around without having a f… clue what they are doing, David Weber and his co-authors are actually getting it right. Nor are they concocting bullshit words and names that may be grammatically more or less correct but also totally ludicrous.
The book did advance the main story arc, that is the ascendance of the Manticore kingdom, although in rather small steps. As I wrote in my review of the previous book, I really hope that the story, at some point, advances to where Manticore discovers their hidden “goldmine” and starts to take advantage of it.
Bottom line, a very good book and if you are more into politics and machinations than me, you will probably find it a five star book.
January 4, 2023
This is the fourth book in the Manticore Ascendant series. It takes place in the early years on Manticore when they have just come through the plague years and are trying to build relationships with their interstellar neighbors. They have also attracted an enemy who has made numerous attempts to destabilize and conquer Manticore.
Travis Long and his new wife Lisa have been sent to the Andermani Empire at the request of Emperor Gustav. Travis is hoping to absorb some of the Andermni's military knowledge to bring home to Manticore's fledgling Navy.
Also on the trip is Travis's brother Gavin who is Earl Winterfall and a new member of Manticore's government. Though inexperienced, he has been sent to try to forge trade agreements with the Andermani.
Left at home is Chomps who has run afoul of Navy Intelligence and has been sent to the countryside until things cool down. However, he quickly gets involved in solving the murder of the local duke and all of his family. He thinks the determination that it was an accident caused by a drunken duke is very suspicious.
Travis and Gavin also soon find out that their trips are much more complicated than they had thought. Emperor Gustav has died and things in the Andermani Empire are a little unsettled as the new 23-year-old emperor is trying to consolidate his position. Gavin stumbles upon conspirators who have a different candidate in mind for emperor.
And Travis and Lisa find themselves about a fleet sent to put down an insurrection as the would-be emperor has joined forces with a world that wants out of Andermani control. There are lots of space battles in this section of the story.
And weaving through all the different plot threads are the machinations of a shadow corporation whose aim is to conquer Manticore without sending in a fleet this time since it didn't work at all well when they last tried it.
I enjoyed this story very much. I like the characters and find the world building very entertaining. Eric Michael Summerer did an excellent job with the different voices and accents.
Travis Long and his new wife Lisa have been sent to the Andermani Empire at the request of Emperor Gustav. Travis is hoping to absorb some of the Andermni's military knowledge to bring home to Manticore's fledgling Navy.
Also on the trip is Travis's brother Gavin who is Earl Winterfall and a new member of Manticore's government. Though inexperienced, he has been sent to try to forge trade agreements with the Andermani.
Left at home is Chomps who has run afoul of Navy Intelligence and has been sent to the countryside until things cool down. However, he quickly gets involved in solving the murder of the local duke and all of his family. He thinks the determination that it was an accident caused by a drunken duke is very suspicious.
Travis and Gavin also soon find out that their trips are much more complicated than they had thought. Emperor Gustav has died and things in the Andermani Empire are a little unsettled as the new 23-year-old emperor is trying to consolidate his position. Gavin stumbles upon conspirators who have a different candidate in mind for emperor.
And Travis and Lisa find themselves about a fleet sent to put down an insurrection as the would-be emperor has joined forces with a world that wants out of Andermani control. There are lots of space battles in this section of the story.
And weaving through all the different plot threads are the machinations of a shadow corporation whose aim is to conquer Manticore without sending in a fleet this time since it didn't work at all well when they last tried it.
I enjoyed this story very much. I like the characters and find the world building very entertaining. Eric Michael Summerer did an excellent job with the different voices and accents.
September 1, 2023
Enjoyable 4th volume in this series, but I was a little surprised where the focus went on it. I thought for sure that things would be centered more directly on Manticore, and this book is much more involved with the Andermani than I really expected.
That said, this reads a lot like a classic Harrington book in that it has a big time fleet conflict, a junior officer or two playing key roles, some good mentorship from a senior officer and lots of skullduggery from the evil forces trying to manipulate events for their own greedy ends.
In this case, it's manipulation designed to take control of Manticore before anyone else finds out about the wormhole nexus that a power corporation has discovered...but so have the Manticore government. And neither knows that the other knows the truth so you have fights brewing where no one knows the real reasons behind them except for the puppetmasters at Axelrod.
There's a subplot involving the death of a Manticore noble that's interesting enough, but also feels a little irrelevant to the whole proceedings. I assume it's going to connect up more later, but considering how much space it took up, it might have been better served to tie in more directly.
I am enjoying this series in ways I hadn't expected. Maybe it's Zahn's influence, maybe it's the total lack of Honor Harrington (who had become rather insufferable and frankly not terribly interesting any longer) that's helping hold my attention. And it's set early enough in Manticore history that there are still a lot of ways this could turn out without knowing exactly how it will end. Add in some interesting characters and it's generally pretty fun. Weber could take some lessons from what's working in this series if he intends to keep doing more stories in Honor's time.
That said, this reads a lot like a classic Harrington book in that it has a big time fleet conflict, a junior officer or two playing key roles, some good mentorship from a senior officer and lots of skullduggery from the evil forces trying to manipulate events for their own greedy ends.
In this case, it's manipulation designed to take control of Manticore before anyone else finds out about the wormhole nexus that a power corporation has discovered...but so have the Manticore government. And neither knows that the other knows the truth so you have fights brewing where no one knows the real reasons behind them except for the puppetmasters at Axelrod.
There's a subplot involving the death of a Manticore noble that's interesting enough, but also feels a little irrelevant to the whole proceedings. I assume it's going to connect up more later, but considering how much space it took up, it might have been better served to tie in more directly.
I am enjoying this series in ways I hadn't expected. Maybe it's Zahn's influence, maybe it's the total lack of Honor Harrington (who had become rather insufferable and frankly not terribly interesting any longer) that's helping hold my attention. And it's set early enough in Manticore history that there are still a lot of ways this could turn out without knowing exactly how it will end. Add in some interesting characters and it's generally pretty fun. Weber could take some lessons from what's working in this series if he intends to keep doing more stories in Honor's time.
May 3, 2022
I'm giving this four stars because while it was a very enjoyable read, it didn't really do much to advance the plot or really change the characters by anything really impactful.
Sure, you could argue that seeing more plots by the bad guys sets up next piece of action, but I could contend that none of this stuff needed to happen in this way, at best we watched a training montage for the villain.
So that's the bad stuff what about the good?
Well we have a fun jaunt to a nearby galaxy, where some bad people are doing some things and some good people are going to stop them, and we also get a look behind the scenes at a foreign power's dirty laundry. I would rate this section of the story to be 3/5 as well - enjoyed the story, didn't care about the on-station events, but at least Lyn was somewhat interesting, even if a romantic dirty ops officer is fairly ridiculous.
I also enjoyed Travis's brother having his own mystery to solve. If anything the non-travis stuff was more interesting than the Travis stuff. 4/5
Chomps busting down doors and taking names and getting shot a bunch of times was probably the best thing happening in this book, It was a fun little mystery and I greatly enjoyed having a break from the tedium that was people on a ship talking about people on another ship. 5/5.
Elizabeth being pregnant and figuring things out was fairly boring, but hey, we're on our way to a wormhole, so that's at least fun going somewhere. 1/5
Sure, you could argue that seeing more plots by the bad guys sets up next piece of action, but I could contend that none of this stuff needed to happen in this way, at best we watched a training montage for the villain.
So that's the bad stuff what about the good?
Well we have a fun jaunt to a nearby galaxy, where some bad people are doing some things and some good people are going to stop them, and we also get a look behind the scenes at a foreign power's dirty laundry. I would rate this section of the story to be 3/5 as well - enjoyed the story, didn't care about the on-station events, but at least Lyn was somewhat interesting, even if a romantic dirty ops officer is fairly ridiculous.
I also enjoyed Travis's brother having his own mystery to solve. If anything the non-travis stuff was more interesting than the Travis stuff. 4/5
Chomps busting down doors and taking names and getting shot a bunch of times was probably the best thing happening in this book, It was a fun little mystery and I greatly enjoyed having a break from the tedium that was people on a ship talking about people on another ship. 5/5.
Elizabeth being pregnant and figuring things out was fairly boring, but hey, we're on our way to a wormhole, so that's at least fun going somewhere. 1/5
August 24, 2023
BLUF:
Boring book. Skip it. Read Ember War by Richard Fox or Lost Fleet by Jack Campbell instead.
REVIEW:
I believe all David Weber series suffer from the same flaw, that being the longer the series goes on, the less action there is and the more filler is added. This series started pretty good but by this book a large percentage of the book is spent on uninteresting side quests (a boring police investigation and an obvious political plot) that do not add to the main story. When the final climactic battle happened I thought I missed a chapter as it is over so quickly. The antagonist, whose initial reveal I appreciated, performed so poorly in the final battle (considering the antagonists experience) that I mistakenly thought I had once again missed something. It reminds me greatly of the Honor Harrington series (which I dropped after book 8) as the books became unbearably long and boring, the villains became cartoons, and the heroes were overpowered supermen.
I am done reading novels by David Weber. He wrote some books I truly enjoyed and highly recommend (Starfire series, Dahak series) and I thank him and his fellow writers for them. But from what I can tell he has not improved as a writer. I would recommend Ember War by Richard Fox or Lost Fleet by Jack Campbell instead.
Boring book. Skip it. Read Ember War by Richard Fox or Lost Fleet by Jack Campbell instead.
REVIEW:
I believe all David Weber series suffer from the same flaw, that being the longer the series goes on, the less action there is and the more filler is added. This series started pretty good but by this book a large percentage of the book is spent on uninteresting side quests (a boring police investigation and an obvious political plot) that do not add to the main story. When the final climactic battle happened I thought I missed a chapter as it is over so quickly. The antagonist, whose initial reveal I appreciated, performed so poorly in the final battle (considering the antagonists experience) that I mistakenly thought I had once again missed something. It reminds me greatly of the Honor Harrington series (which I dropped after book 8) as the books became unbearably long and boring, the villains became cartoons, and the heroes were overpowered supermen.
I am done reading novels by David Weber. He wrote some books I truly enjoyed and highly recommend (Starfire series, Dahak series) and I thank him and his fellow writers for them. But from what I can tell he has not improved as a writer. I would recommend Ember War by Richard Fox or Lost Fleet by Jack Campbell instead.
July 14, 2023
David Weber and Timothy Zahn are two of my favorite authors. They are the best I've read at story telling. I was delighted to see them form a collaboration for this series. They added a third member to the collaboration, Thomas Pope. That may have been a mistake. My understanding is that he is in charge of the details. Unfortunately he's had too much influence. Too much detail that I'm sure was accurate, but did nothing for the story. Like many others I first grew tired of and then frustrated with and then annoyed with all the German names and titles. Another instance of over use of accuracy/detail.
However, The actual story is really good. The series is about the beginnings of the Star Kingdom of Manticore and not any particular character, as prominent as they may be. It is a solid and helpful premise-backstory for everything that follows in the Honor Harrington series. I like all the characters, both good and bad. The villains are characters you respect even like. The premise is all too real. It is that of a much too large and powerful corporation being so greedy it is willing to do anything, kill anyone, even destroy then take over planets to obtain and control a valuable asset that Manticore doesn't even know they have, but is beginning to suspect.
In spite of the over use of detail it is an excellent read.
However, The actual story is really good. The series is about the beginnings of the Star Kingdom of Manticore and not any particular character, as prominent as they may be. It is a solid and helpful premise-backstory for everything that follows in the Honor Harrington series. I like all the characters, both good and bad. The villains are characters you respect even like. The premise is all too real. It is that of a much too large and powerful corporation being so greedy it is willing to do anything, kill anyone, even destroy then take over planets to obtain and control a valuable asset that Manticore doesn't even know they have, but is beginning to suspect.
In spite of the over use of detail it is an excellent read.
October 23, 2024
This book has two different, and currently unrelated plots. (I suspect these will turn out to be related in a future volume, but there is almost no support for that here.) Each of the plots would make for an entertaining story, but switching from one to another just interrupts story flow without adding anything to the reading experience.
Very little of the story here advances the story of Manticore advancing from a parochial nation toward the kingdom that exists at the start of "On Basilisk Station". The primary plot is almost entirely about the Andermani Empire during a succession crisis, while the secondary plot is straight detective investigation. And the instigation of the detective plot is rather ham-handed.
The relationship between Travis and his brother develops some, and there is some growth of Travis's character, but there is almost no change to the Kingdom's circumstances here.
This is notably weaker than any of the previous books in the series. If you are already committed to the story of the series, this will probably not end that commitment, but by itself, this is rather pedestrian.
Very little of the story here advances the story of Manticore advancing from a parochial nation toward the kingdom that exists at the start of "On Basilisk Station". The primary plot is almost entirely about the Andermani Empire during a succession crisis, while the secondary plot is straight detective investigation. And the instigation of the detective plot is rather ham-handed.
The relationship between Travis and his brother develops some, and there is some growth of Travis's character, but there is almost no change to the Kingdom's circumstances here.
This is notably weaker than any of the previous books in the series. If you are already committed to the story of the series, this will probably not end that commitment, but by itself, this is rather pedestrian.
February 16, 2022
Honeymoon to War
Travis Long and his wife, Lisa Donnelly Long, leave Manticore shortly after their wedding with the invitation from Emperor Gustav Anderman to meet him in his capitol, New Berlin on the planet Potsdam. Traveling with Manticore's diplomatic delegation headed by Travis' half brother, Gavin, Lord Winterfall. Problems begin with Gustav's death. With the addition of a lingering member of a failed coup eighteen years earlier, the revelation of Gustav's illegitimate daughter, and the machinations from Llyn and other Axelrod operatives, Travis and Lisa become embroiled in the battle against insurrection and civil war in the Anderman Empire. Meanwhile back on Manticore, Chomps is fired from his position at SIS and sent into virtual exile. While there, he begins to investigate the death of Duke Serisburg. Chomp’s investigation is unauthorized, off the books, and probably illegal. His findings may lead to serious problems for him. I recommend this book with all the plot twists and turns for which David Weber is famous.
Travis Long and his wife, Lisa Donnelly Long, leave Manticore shortly after their wedding with the invitation from Emperor Gustav Anderman to meet him in his capitol, New Berlin on the planet Potsdam. Traveling with Manticore's diplomatic delegation headed by Travis' half brother, Gavin, Lord Winterfall. Problems begin with Gustav's death. With the addition of a lingering member of a failed coup eighteen years earlier, the revelation of Gustav's illegitimate daughter, and the machinations from Llyn and other Axelrod operatives, Travis and Lisa become embroiled in the battle against insurrection and civil war in the Anderman Empire. Meanwhile back on Manticore, Chomps is fired from his position at SIS and sent into virtual exile. While there, he begins to investigate the death of Duke Serisburg. Chomp’s investigation is unauthorized, off the books, and probably illegal. His findings may lead to serious problems for him. I recommend this book with all the plot twists and turns for which David Weber is famous.
August 12, 2022
I think I might give this a 3.5, As I’ve mentioned before. The war/battle sequences are not really my thing, and this novel had a lot of them. However, there was ample family and friendship relationships involved, along with a healthy heaping of cunning, betrayal, and skullduggery. Oh, yeah—a sizable dose of romance.
Chomp is told he has lost his position in the top secret bureau, and he wants s supposed to go out and do heavy labor at a ranch. However, it happens to be near the suspicious “ accident” that killed Royalty. Travis and his new wife are involved in working with the Andermanian Empire.
If you enjoy solving mysteries and complicated assassination attempts, this novel will keep you intrigued.
Chomp is told he has lost his position in the top secret bureau, and he wants s supposed to go out and do heavy labor at a ranch. However, it happens to be near the suspicious “ accident” that killed Royalty. Travis and his new wife are involved in working with the Andermanian Empire.
If you enjoy solving mysteries and complicated assassination attempts, this novel will keep you intrigued.
March 6, 2022
At some point this series is going to have to move towards the conclusion that's been promised since the first book. That point is not now, and ultimately if feels like this entire book was unnecessary. Axelrod lifts the number of gambits it feels like running simultaneously, a number of characters are introduced and feel unlikely to been seen again, international relationships are established with what looks like being useful as future one-liners to explain how wormhole termini ownership ended up so nicely favouring Manticore. But if you skipped this one, I feel pretty confident you would still understand the next one.
April 26, 2022
Another good book in the Manticore Ascendant series.
This book is actually two stories interleaved. The main story follows Travis, his brother Gavin (Lord Winterfall), and Lisa on their visit to the Andermani Empire. There, trouble and danger are brewing on multiple levels -- military and political.
Meanwhile, back in Manticore, special operative Chomps finds himself busy dealing with a perplexing murder mystery.
The two stories come together at the end -- sort of. The only real connection between the two stories is that the problems are being fostered by Manticore's mystery antagonist.
3.5 stars rounded up.
This book is actually two stories interleaved. The main story follows Travis, his brother Gavin (Lord Winterfall), and Lisa on their visit to the Andermani Empire. There, trouble and danger are brewing on multiple levels -- military and political.
Meanwhile, back in Manticore, special operative Chomps finds himself busy dealing with a perplexing murder mystery.
The two stories come together at the end -- sort of. The only real connection between the two stories is that the problems are being fostered by Manticore's mystery antagonist.
3.5 stars rounded up.
November 12, 2022
Another strong entry in the Manticore Ascendant series. This entry however, did suffer from a far more diffused plot, being shorter than previous entries, and a lack of focus. While the action was fast paced and ever well delivered, the necessary background and character depth did suffer slightly. The villains lacked appropriate build up, and the whole story was slightly all over. However, this was well made up for by a deeper exploration of the House of Anderman which we had only seen tantalizing glimpses of before, superb action ending the story, and some fun surprises which will hopefully carry over to the next installment!
April 17, 2022
Manticore is not the only kingdom (system) under threat by Manpower. The Republic of Haven, the Republic of Silesia and the Andermani Empire are all part of the 'long game' being orchestrated by Manpower thru the Axelrod Group fronting entity. But in a four year span all the plans fall apart. And now Manticore has anew ally in the Andermani and is gaining tech support and military experience. Still the long range goal is there and this series lays the history leading up to the Harrington years of Manticore's supremacy.
August 10, 2022
David Weber does it again!
A Call to Insurrection, volume 4 in David Weber’s Manticore Ascendant series is a solid and entertaining addition to the series. The story moves at a steady pace as the main characters are involved in 2 separate subplots. One involves Chomps solving a murder of a Manticorian Lord and Travis Long (with brother and wife in tow) helping to put down an insurrection among the Andermani. Plenty of Weber’s typical action scenes and a great space battle conclusion. Hope you enjoy the story!
A Call to Insurrection, volume 4 in David Weber’s Manticore Ascendant series is a solid and entertaining addition to the series. The story moves at a steady pace as the main characters are involved in 2 separate subplots. One involves Chomps solving a murder of a Manticorian Lord and Travis Long (with brother and wife in tow) helping to put down an insurrection among the Andermani. Plenty of Weber’s typical action scenes and a great space battle conclusion. Hope you enjoy the story!
December 12, 2023
Manicure Ascendent Series (4 books)
The really good feeling about the Honorverse I have found since I read the first book that was published is that every book I read in the series was good. Real good. This series met that expectation. I read all four in about a week (retired and a fast reader.) Read this series and enjoy. And if this series is the first Honorverse series books you have read, I envy you. There are many, many hours of adventure in your future.
And don't forget the cats.
The really good feeling about the Honorverse I have found since I read the first book that was published is that every book I read in the series was good. Real good. This series met that expectation. I read all four in about a week (retired and a fast reader.) Read this series and enjoy. And if this series is the first Honorverse series books you have read, I envy you. There are many, many hours of adventure in your future.
And don't forget the cats.
October 25, 2024
A good read but you don't hardly see our main character Travis Long. You do learn more about his wife and his brother and the Andermani Empire. My high school German helped me a bit on this one. There are actually three exciting action stories amongst the politics. Chomps gets into an adventure. Tarvis, brother, Winterfell participates in an adventure and of course there is a mighty space battle. This novel reveals much about the origins of the Andermani Empire, Elizabeth II's reign (not the recently deceased Queen of England) and the development of the Manatcorian Navy.
February 12, 2022
This is less a story about the birth of the "Star Kingdom of Manticore" and more a story about the trouble experienced by their interstellar neighbor "The Andermani Empire".
The threads that tie this novel to it's the previous in the series are the nefarious actors from the Axelrod Corporation lurking in the background.
I found the narrative muddy, and in fact pretty boring. Not sure if I'll return to the Manticore Ascendant series of books.
The threads that tie this novel to it's the previous in the series are the nefarious actors from the Axelrod Corporation lurking in the background.
I found the narrative muddy, and in fact pretty boring. Not sure if I'll return to the Manticore Ascendant series of books.
March 20, 2022
I really hope that they continue with these novels for at least a few more books. They are of the same good reading of any in the Honorverse, and I found it rather entertaining to see how they contribute to the body of work.
Travis continues to learn from not only just his required duties but also has been careful to observe what works & what needs improvement in turning Manticore into having a capable Navy. Chomps discovers that he has bitten into something bigger than anyone realized.
Travis continues to learn from not only just his required duties but also has been careful to observe what works & what needs improvement in turning Manticore into having a capable Navy. Chomps discovers that he has bitten into something bigger than anyone realized.
March 29, 2022
An enjoyable book, but an interesting direction to take the series in. This series is all about how Manticore got to be the power that it is in the Honorverse, so it seemed like focusing most of the book on the Andermani Empire was a detour. I thought it had a good balance of court intrigue and space action, but just some odd narrative decisions. Why have Chomps go off to play CSI for an entire book? I look forward to seeing how this is all used in the next book.
February 13, 2024
whole series was great
Store was well written, and interesting. The only dislike was all the long German names.
Unfortunately, I don’t speak German, and not pronounce most of the German names and ranks, but other than that the store was very good. I love the whole series and couldn’t stop reading any of them until it was all finished.
My only regret is there not any more books in the series?
Store was well written, and interesting. The only dislike was all the long German names.
Unfortunately, I don’t speak German, and not pronounce most of the German names and ranks, but other than that the store was very good. I love the whole series and couldn’t stop reading any of them until it was all finished.
My only regret is there not any more books in the series?
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