War of Honor
Encyclopedia
War of Honor is a science fiction novel by David Weber
, his tenth Honor Harrington
novel. It was first published in 2002.
and Haven
, but there is still no formal peace treaty. Even though neither side wishes to resume fighting, political circumstances in both nations threaten to plunge them into war.
On Manticore, the administration of Prime Minister High Ridge
focuses on strengthening its political position. They are determined to remain at least technically at war with Haven - peace would terminate the special war taxes they are diverting from the Royal Manticoran Navy's budget for their welfare programs and vote-buying schemes, and would end their ability to postpone elections in which they expect to lose their fragile majority. Manticore's allies, most notably Grayson and Erewhon, are infuriated with the new government's carelessness and outright rudeness in foreign affairs. From their seats in the House of Lords, Honor Harrington and Hamish Alexander
voice their opposition to the High Ridge Administration's policies, and the government takes actions to discredit the war heroes.
Haven struggles to rebuild after the fall of the People's Republic. President Pritchart
's administration faces increasing pressure from certain political factions that demand the Republic to be more assertive in its negotiations with the Star Kingdom. Admiral Thomas Theisman
has to restore the Havenite Navy's morale and fighting capabilities after the long war with Manticore and a protracted campaign to conquer the remnants of the old People's Republic.
The Andermani Empire
has adopted a confrontational stance with Manticore over the chaos-ridden Silesian Confederacy
, and Honor Harrington is sent to the planet Sidemore, located near Silesian space, with a task force. She is ordered to go to Silesia at the behest of the Royal Navy's new management, who wishes to get her out of the political arena. The intention is to keep a close eye on the Andermani and their activities, and the risk of war between Manticore and the Empire is steadily rising.
Tensions also rise between Haven and Manticore. A new terminus of the Manticore Wormhole Junction has been discovered, and several worlds located near the new terminus request annexation into Manticore, triggering fears amongst the Havenites that Manticore is going to go on an expansionist rampage. The Manticoran government's ineptness and the schemes of some members of the Havenite government compounds an already unstable scenario, and President Pritchart orders the Havenite Navy to launch "Operation Thunderbolt": the resumption of combat operations against Manticore.
War breaks out again. In a series of coordinated attacks the Havenites succeed in conquering every system the Manticorans took out from them (except San Martin, which is recognized as a part of the Star Kingdom) and in devastating a critical Manticoran shipyard. Even Honor's fleet is attacked, despite the long distance between Haven and Sidemore, but, reinforced by the Protector's Own division of the Grayson Navy, she succeeds in defeating the Havenite forces. The High Ridge administration falls, and a new government takes over in the Star Kingdom, composed of the remnants of the earlier Cromarty government.
Now Haven is almost the technological equal of Manticore and its fleet of modern warships is many times larger than the Manticoran navy. Erewhon has broken out of the Manticoran Alliance and has sided with Haven, handing them many of the latest technological developments of the Star Kingdom. The Havenites have the initiative and the Star Kingdom is shocked. However, the Andermani Empire joins the Manticoran side in the new war.
, in what is an example of Tuckerization
.
David Weber
David Mark Weber is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Weber and his wife Sharon live in Greenville, South Carolina with their three children and "a passel of dogs"....
, his tenth Honor Harrington
Honor Harrington
Honor Stephanie Alexander-Harrington is a fictional character, the heroine of a series of military science fiction books set in the "Honorverse", written by David Weber and published by Baen Books....
novel. It was first published in 2002.
Plot summary
Five years have passed since a truce was reached between ManticoreStar Kingdom of Manticore
The Star Kingdom of Manticore , frequently referred to as Manticore or the Star Kingdom, is a fictional star-nation in the Honorverse series of military science fiction novels and short stories by David Weber and others, published by Baen Books.- Depiction :The Star Kingdom was founded in the...
and Haven
People's Republic of Haven
The Republic of Haven is a fictional star-nation in the Honorverse, the background setting for a series of novels and short stories in the military science fiction genre, written by David Weber and others and published by Baen Books....
, but there is still no formal peace treaty. Even though neither side wishes to resume fighting, political circumstances in both nations threaten to plunge them into war.
On Manticore, the administration of Prime Minister High Ridge
Michael Janvier
Michael Janvier, most commonly referred to by his nobiliary title of Baron High Ridge, is a fictional character in the Honorverse, a series of military science fiction novels written by David Weber....
focuses on strengthening its political position. They are determined to remain at least technically at war with Haven - peace would terminate the special war taxes they are diverting from the Royal Manticoran Navy's budget for their welfare programs and vote-buying schemes, and would end their ability to postpone elections in which they expect to lose their fragile majority. Manticore's allies, most notably Grayson and Erewhon, are infuriated with the new government's carelessness and outright rudeness in foreign affairs. From their seats in the House of Lords, Honor Harrington and Hamish Alexander
Hamish Alexander
Admiral of the Green Hamish Alexander-Harrington, Thirteenth Earl of White Haven, is a fictional character in the Honorverse, a series of military science fiction novels written by David Weber....
voice their opposition to the High Ridge Administration's policies, and the government takes actions to discredit the war heroes.
Haven struggles to rebuild after the fall of the People's Republic. President Pritchart
Eloise Pritchart
Eloise Pritchart is a fictional character in the Honorverse, a series of military science fiction novels written by David Weber. She was introduced in the series' sixth novel, Honor Among Enemies as a People's Commissioner assigned to watch over a leading Havenite admiral.A native of the People's...
's administration faces increasing pressure from certain political factions that demand the Republic to be more assertive in its negotiations with the Star Kingdom. Admiral Thomas Theisman
Thomas Theisman
Admiral Thomas Edward Theisman is a fictional character in the Honorverse, a series of military science fiction novels written by David Weber...
has to restore the Havenite Navy's morale and fighting capabilities after the long war with Manticore and a protracted campaign to conquer the remnants of the old People's Republic.
The Andermani Empire
Andermani Empire
The Anderman Empire is a fictional star-nation in the Honorverse, the background setting for a series of novels and short stories in the military science fiction genre, written by David Weber and others and published by Baen Books.- Overview :...
has adopted a confrontational stance with Manticore over the chaos-ridden Silesian Confederacy
Silesian Confederacy
The Silesian Confederacy is a fictional star-nation in the Honorverse, the background setting for a series of novels and short stories in the military science fiction genre, written by David Weber and others and published by Baen Books.- History :...
, and Honor Harrington is sent to the planet Sidemore, located near Silesian space, with a task force. She is ordered to go to Silesia at the behest of the Royal Navy's new management, who wishes to get her out of the political arena. The intention is to keep a close eye on the Andermani and their activities, and the risk of war between Manticore and the Empire is steadily rising.
Tensions also rise between Haven and Manticore. A new terminus of the Manticore Wormhole Junction has been discovered, and several worlds located near the new terminus request annexation into Manticore, triggering fears amongst the Havenites that Manticore is going to go on an expansionist rampage. The Manticoran government's ineptness and the schemes of some members of the Havenite government compounds an already unstable scenario, and President Pritchart orders the Havenite Navy to launch "Operation Thunderbolt": the resumption of combat operations against Manticore.
War breaks out again. In a series of coordinated attacks the Havenites succeed in conquering every system the Manticorans took out from them (except San Martin, which is recognized as a part of the Star Kingdom) and in devastating a critical Manticoran shipyard. Even Honor's fleet is attacked, despite the long distance between Haven and Sidemore, but, reinforced by the Protector's Own division of the Grayson Navy, she succeeds in defeating the Havenite forces. The High Ridge administration falls, and a new government takes over in the Star Kingdom, composed of the remnants of the earlier Cromarty government.
Now Haven is almost the technological equal of Manticore and its fleet of modern warships is many times larger than the Manticoran navy. Erewhon has broken out of the Manticoran Alliance and has sided with Haven, handing them many of the latest technological developments of the Star Kingdom. The Havenites have the initiative and the Star Kingdom is shocked. However, the Andermani Empire joins the Manticoran side in the new war.
Trivia
A character in this book is named after a real person, Jordin KareJordin Kare
Jordin Kare is a physicist and aerospace engineer known for his research on laser propulsion. In particular, he was responsible for Mockingbird, a conceptual design for an extremely small reusable launch vehicle, and was involved in the Clementine lunar mapping mission.Kare is also known as...
, in what is an example of Tuckerization
Tuckerization
Tuckerization is the act of using a person's name in an original story as an in-joke. The term is derived from Wilson Tucker, a pioneering American science fiction writer and fanzine editor, who made a practice of using his friends' names for minor characters in his stories...
.
External links
- An excerpt of War of Honor is available for download or reading online at the Baen Free LibraryBaen Free LibraryThe Baen Free Library is a digital library of the science fiction and fantasy publishing house Baen Books where 112 full books can be downloaded free in a number of formats, without copy protection...
here. The whole novel can be found here.