The Honor of the Queen: Honor Harrington, Book 2

The Honor of the Queen(Honor Harrington) by David WeberOnce more I'm reading the next Honor Harrington novel to try to understand why I like them so much. One might ask why( I'm doing this) and this came about because in trying to read the newest of the series I found myself making constant starts and stops and wondering what has changed. Obviously the most changed factor would seem to be me. (Since some of these books are twenty years old it is that long ago that I first read them.)I really love this book the first three times I read it and I still do but this time I tried to pay particular attention to why. And I discovered first that the style of writing is one that I would describe for myself as a reader as the writing that reads like a bad LP plays on a player. There are passages that are like a scratch on a record and you suddenly find yourself at the bottom of the page wondering how you managed to skip those last three paragraphs. I realize that in the best description I can give I have been scanning large portions of this book to get to the parts I like.This in fact is caused by the massive walls of techo-babel that seem so important to the tactics of battle that will play out later. It's quite interesting because it does add some element of depth to that part of the story and it suddenly made me realize that the main character in this story often seems to be the techno-babel. That's not necessarily a bad thing but it can be annoying to some readers. There is still a lot of world building going on here and David has a lot to tell us about this new system where Grayson is. There is a lot of political and religious background that goes into the telling of this story. In fact it all might be considered Techno-Politico-Religio-babel. That's a trifecta destined to either awe or bore.What I love about these novels is the character of Honor Harrington. She's one of the best female protagonists in this type of science fiction and yet she is in some ways the worst. I say this because David Weber seems to have difficulty in directly accessing the true emotions of Honor Harrington. I believe that its an effort to make her some uber war strategist that might impair this process. Most, not all, of her emotions are throttled until something within the context of her general macho nature goes beyond the pale. Let's translate that to the type of character Clint Eastwood plays so well. The kind that shows few emotions until he's pushed beyond some limit. That means most of the time we see Honor as a dispassionate soldier. Oh sure she has her opinions of politics and other such things but they are all driven and focused into her military career. This is probably quite accurate for what David is going for here, but it creates that sort on one dimensional character that people can't peer around without loosing sight of since the other side of the page is blank.What David does do is give insight into much of Honor's character through how other characters see her. The problem with that is is that it's no holds barred in the field because it ranges from everyone from close friend to worst foe. Mostly this ends up creating caricature's of these other characters who are being judged by how they perceive the protagonist and that perception is colored by the reader's own opinion of what Honor is (as they see her). The largest window into Honor is in chapter Twenty Six and her reaction to the way the prisoners of war were treated. Unfortunately the focus on the treatment of the women in particular causes the rest to pale, but the overall reaction in Honor is again a good indication of what this woman soldier is all about. Sad to say that's a small portion of this long book.The interesting part of all of this one dimensional nature of Honor is that in a way David Weber is leaving it open for the reader to fill in a lot of the blanks based on the information and misinformation traveling through the thoughts of others. This is actually normally a good trick in writing-not telling the reader everything and letting them think for themselves. It obviously works quite well here because more people like these books than those who don't. The caveat here is that those who don't can't grasp the fundamental to why they don't like it other than that the characters are all flat.David has an interesting opinion and take on the directions that politics, religion, and technology might shape the future and unfortunately the reader gets a lot of this in long bouts of telling that leave little to the imagination though sometime it left me scratching my head. The biggest stumbling block for Honor this time might be this sexist thing with the Graysons and its in Chapter Twenty that we see Honor putting the nails to that coffin by her selfless act (which she later tries to minimize by stating she was only protecting herself.)And just like many of those protagonists of the great movies everyone around Honor gets killed and injured while she walks away with all the guilt and the rewards. Once again the most heroic people are those who have cleaved to this their leader and have marched off to their deaths in defense of honor and country (world).This is a great read for SFF fans who like a lot of techno-babel and somewhat authentic sounding space battles and strategy.Once again I loved this story, but I'm not sure if I see the same Honor Harrington that David wrote about by the time I reach the end, and I don't think that that is such a bad thing.J.L. Dobias

This was a difficult book to read in some ways as it has themes of religious intolerance. I know the worst of it comes from the "bad guys," but it was difficult to read some of the male characters' hatred of a woman who doesn't conform to what they expect: staying secluded and serving the husband. The aftermath of rape was also hard to read.That written, there is much to admire in the book. Honor Harrington is more than competent, the good guys can learn, and it is a cracking good military SF story. I think the parts that got to me got to me because it is so well-written. I cared about the characters and I wanted the good guys to win.This needs to be read in series order, after On Basilisk Station. If you liked that book, go ahead and get this one. Military science fiction fans, if you don't have this series, you should!+++Somehow Flag in Exile has become linked to The Honor of the Queen. Above is a review of that book. This is for Flag in Exile.This book spoke to me, somewhere deep. I fell in love with the Graysons, at least the ones on the side of good. I think the theme for the Graysons is this quotation: Nor do we always remember how limited our perceptions are compared to His, and that He, unlike us, sees to the hearts of all people and knows His own, however strange and different they may appear to us.I also felt that Honor was far more human in this book. I got to see her emotions and her drive make her be the best Steadholder she could be. Her caring for all the people under her command, be it civilian or military shines through.I will issue a tissue warning. To say more would be a spoiler. I did have a gut-felt moment of exultation when Honor dealt justice in the Protector's name.If you like military science fiction or just well-written, page-turning science fiction with a dose of political machinations, then this book is for you. I would strongly suggest starting at the beginning of the series.

This was such a fun read! Honor Harrington is the classic hero/captain. She's always challenged, but rises above it. There aren't a lot of deep character sketches or drawn out motivations, to interfere with the story. There's just enough to get a feel of the characters, and understand their role. This is not a slight. It's a fast moving story with lots of good action. Too much happens. It would just slow the pace of the read, and ruin the sense of urgency. This is a well written novel. It's fun, the protagonist is likeable, and it's full of great moments. You'll love it!

Had read the first in the series from Webers "Honorverse" and it, like this one, start off slowly laying the character development groundwork. Always building toward the dramatic and exciting crescendo climax. It really built on the events of the previous book. When you finish it you'll need the next one in the series and have no fear, there are plenty of them! Enjoyed it immensely.

I read the first edition of this book many years ago and it is still my favorite. Honor Herrington is the hero I wish had existed when I was a girl.

One of the best books I have read in a long time.This book touches on a number of dark topics and I would be remiss not to put a warning on my review that wasn't included in the bookTW: misogyny, religion, SAThe biggest improvement over the last book is the inclusion of section breaks! I was able to finally follow the story without getting confused a couple times every chapter.What I'm enjoying most about this series is that we get to see both sides of the conflict. I've read a number of books in the past where it focuses solely on one side, leaving the other as an unknown. While I do like that as it adds a sense of mystery, this is a good change up.The battle scenes were well described.Honor Harrington is probably one of the best written characters I've seen since taking up this hobby, I can't believe it's taken me this long to find this series

I am riding the soap opera wave that is the Honor Harrington wave and having a great time of it. Not quite sure how she is surviving all the carnage bestowed on her by her enemies but am delighted to continue the saga in the next episode.

With the arrival of Honor Harrington to the planet of Grayson, the Harrington books show once more the problems of politics and the military getting too much involved with each other, and the troubles of external relationships with a wholly different culture, particularly when an external threat may not be enough to put people together. It also pays attention to the small details, such as how a planet's atmosphere and environment (Grayson's, in this case) can completely affect a culture's making. And, of course, the fighting, in which the writer does not hesitate to get characters killed to demonstrate the horrors of war and that no one is safe in them, not even Honor - she manages to make it out alive, but there are still heavy injuries to take care of."The Honor of the Queen" is a great continuation to "On Basilisk Station", and it is highly recommended for people who like space stories and war stories.

I've heard so much about this series for years and have meant to pick it up for ages. It really is excellent military space opera - terrific for a fan of Tom Clancy or Hornblower, but who fancies a bit of lasers and spaceships to add flavour.Having blasted through the first book, I was thrilled to find the second on special offer on Kindle, and I snatched it up. It's a really terrific second step that expands on the arching theme whilst tackling some really challenging issues relevant to our modern world. Although the ending is a little pat ("all things can be resolved if only reasonable people talk reasonably"), the danger and threat of the military space conflict is intense and compelling and although Honor's life is clearly not at risk (she's the hero, after all), Weber's unflinching style puts everything else - including her mental, emotional and physical well-being - on the block.Not a book for the faint-hearted, but fantastic space opera.

Bien que le personnage central, un officier supérieur féminin, soit intéressant et la mise en situation - la confrontation avec une civilisation humaine patriarcale très misogyne qu'elle est sensée protéger d'une invasion - propre à générer des conflits ayant un potentiel certain, le roman ne dépasse pas la Military SF habituelle. Tout est trop prévisible, les personnages restent prisonniers des conventions habituelles du genre et en particulier des récits militaires made in USA. La guerre froide transposée telle quelle dans l'espace, avec des héros bien américains, défendant des valeurs bien américaines. Dommage, car le personnage central est bien développé et méritait mieux que les simples poncifs habituels du genre.