The Service of the Sword – David Weber (and friends) [Honorverse]
Title: The Service of the Sword
Series: Honor Harrington
Author: Jane Lindskold, Timothy Zahn, John Ringo, Victor Mitchell, Eric Flint, David Weber
Genre: Science Fiction, Military Science Fiction
Wow.
That’s all I have to say. I’ve enjoyed every one of the short story compilations for the David Weber’s Honorverse, but usually there was a story which I didn’t care as much for or could have done without. Not so much in this book. I enjoyed everyone, and could barely put it down as I devoured the last three. And each story gets better than the last.
It starts off with “Promised Land” by Jane Lindskold, which centers around two characters. First, Michael Winton, the brother of the queen of Manticore who is trying to prove himself in the military on his own merits, and secondly on Judith, who was captured as a child by pirates and forced into a marriage with an older man when she came of age – and she wants to escape. I was already intrigued by the character of Michael Winton, and Lindskold does an excellent job of crafting and pacing the story. You know the paths of the two characters will cross, you just are not quite sure how it all is going to play out – which Lindskold does excellently.
The second story, “With One Stone,” is written by Timothy Zahn, whom I think has never written anything bad. Honor Harrington plays a secondary role in this story, while the primary character is Rafe Cardones. The story takes place after On Basilisk Station, so if you’ve read that book, this is a neat follow-up story. All, in all, it builds to a neat little climax.
It’s been a long time since I laughed as hard as I did reading “A Ship Named Francis,” by John Ringo and Victor Mitchell. So often the ships and captains of the Manticorans (as well as their allies) are depicted in quite complimentary terms. But everyone knows not every ship is perfect, right? And there’s got to be a ship where just about every element of “not perfect” come together, right? Well, in this case, there is. It’s hard to explain, but I can remember vividly laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes and couldn’t even read the words on the page.
“Let’s Go to Prague” (John Ringo) has this spy-noir feel to it. I really enjoyed the story and was slightly disappointed when it was over – I felt like I’d been cheated out of more. It centers around two non-conventional spys (in enemy territory) who decide to go on vacation (in a better locale, albeit still in enemy territory). They stumble upon the defection of an admiral which has just gone south and end up on the run for their lives.
The last two stories were my favorites among many enjoyable stories. “Fanatic,” by Eric Flint, is a masterful follow-up to “From the Highlands” (also by Eric Flint) from the compilation Changer of Worlds. Victor Cachat was a primary character in that story and he plays an almost primary character in this one. If you have read or are planning on reading Crown of Slaves and Torch of Freedom then you really should read first “From the Highlands” and then this story, “Fanatic.” Flint manages an almost breath-taking pace throughout, and the ending is really a masterful turn of phrase and concept – it kept me chuckling to myself for hours afterwards.
The final story is the title story, “The Service of the Sword,” by David Weber. A classic Weber tale. It centers around Abigail Hearns, who is also a significant character in Shadow of Saganami and Storm from the Shadows, and it takes place shortly before those two storylines. Basically Abigail is the first female from the planet Grayson to enter into naval training with the RMN (Royal Manticoran Navy. She’s on her middy cruise and gets quite the baptism by fire. I couldn’t stop reading – it was fantastic! Makes me want Weber’s next book in the series all the more.
In conclusion, if you enjoy the Honor Harrington series, of all the short story compilations Weber has put together for the Honorverse, this is one I would highly recommend. If you don’t know anything (or don’t care) about the Honorverse or Honor Harrington but you still love a good sci-fi tale, you’ll still greatly enjoy this collection.
Worldview: secular
Recommended age: I would suggest High School age, primarily due to the more detailed violence, though there are some more sexually mature scenarios, none of them get close to being explicit or inappropriate
