David Webbers "Honor Harrington" by Calhoun

OTHER SCIENCE FICTION SERIES

David Webbers "Honor Harrington"

POSTED BY: CALHOUN
UPDATED: Thursday, July 1, 2004 03:09
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VIEWED: 4356
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Tuesday, June 29, 2004 11:59 AM

I'm interested to hear from the readers among you who have read "The Honor Harrington Series".

Its my very favourite book series of recent times.

The spaceship physics and battles are so well described/explained/crafted that it all felt so real and believable.

I for one thoroughly enjoyed.

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Tuesday, June 29, 2004 1:38 PM

SOUPCATCHER

I'm a big fan of this series. I initially got clued in to David Weber through his collaboration with Eric Flint on the 1632 universe (which is another series that I really really enjoy - but that would be another thread because that clued me in to David Drake and the Belisarius series, then the Hammer's Slammers series

). Over several months I whipped through all the books - including the short story compilations - and I'm eagerly anticipating the November release of the newest entry (titled "The Shadow of Saganami"). I agree with you that Weber's handling of fleet-to-fleet action is one of the strengths of the series. The way he walks you through Honor Harrington's career - from single ship actions to small squadron engagements all the way up to multi-fleet havoc - as she earns more and more experience and rises in rank to Admiral in two different fleets is fantastic. I especially like how he focuses on the different responsibilities that she has as her rank changes. That and how he doesn't pull any punches with the lives of her subordinates/peers/friends.

So, shorter answer: I like

.

I shaved off my beard for you, devil woman!

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Tuesday, June 29, 2004 1:52 PM

HAUFEL

I've also very much enjoyed this series. And the Horatio Hornblower (C. S. Forester) series it intentionally mirrors. I like how he took on the challenge of translating two dimensional sea battles into three dimensional space battles.

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Tuesday, June 29, 2004 2:07 PM

SOUPCATCHER

I wondered if David Weber had set out to update the Horatio Hornblower series but having never read that set of books I only had my suspicions based on third and fourth hand references.

I shaved off my beard for you, devil woman!

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Tuesday, June 29, 2004 2:51 PM

CAPTAINHARBATKIN

Quote:
Originally posted by SoupCatcher:
I wondered if David Weber had set out to update the Horatio Hornblower series but having never read that set of books I only had my suspicions based on third and fourth hand references.

I hear people say that, but while I enjoy the Hornblower novels and have read them all a dozen times, it's all I can do to read Honor Harrington once. To paraphrase Lyndon Johnson: "I could stomach Honor Harrington just fine, if didn't know the difference between chicken salad and chicken

."

A shame, really, I like his other stuff...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...they'll rape us to death, eat our flesh, and sew our skins into their clothing -
and if we're very, very lucky, they'll do it in that order.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Tuesday, June 29, 2004 4:20 PM

KNIBBLET

I've read them all - I bought them all and sent them to my older sister for Christmas this year. I'm going to buy the collection for myself one day.

My husband knows that if I ever leave him for a fictional woman, she'll be Honor Harrington.

Nimitz the Tree Cat RULES!!!! Bleeek

"Just keep walkin, preacher man."

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Tuesday, June 29, 2004 5:38 PM

CPTBUCK25

I'm a very large fan. I've been trying to track down the Hornblower books for a while now; ever since I got into the Harrington books, really. They also got me interested in the Master and Commander books by O'Brian. All of them are wonderful and enjoyable reads.

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Tuesday, June 29, 2004 7:17 PM

SOUPCATCHER

I'm with you on the fictional crush, Knibblet. I'm buying extra copies for my niece as I can't think of a better role model for her. Just waiting a couple of years.

Think of all the unintentional pressure Nimitz and Samantha have put on their kids. Huge shoes to fill.

Bleek.

I shaved off my beard for you, devil woman!

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Tuesday, June 29, 2004 8:29 PM

CALHOUN

So there are a few of us into these books. Good.

Wondering why CaptHarbatkin didnt like? not enough pictures perhaps.

Hows about when Honor duels with the professional duelist/hitman.. way cool.

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Wednesday, June 30, 2004 2:25 AM

CAPTAINHARBATKIN

Quote:
Originally posted by Calhoun:
So there are a few of us into these books. Good.

Wondering why CaptHarbatkin didnt like? not enough pictures perhaps.

Hows about when Honor duels with the professional duelist/hitman.. way cool.

Yeah, it's the pictures. Which, by the by, in the US editions, at least, are by N. C. Wyeth. Most likely you've never heard of him, but perhaps Mommy will explain who he was for you?

Hornblower's attraction is that he THINKS, about himself, what he is doing and why, and we see the internal dialog, the self-doubt and self-examination, the recognition of his own baser motives, the compromises with duty and honor that he chooses to make, the contrast between who he KNOWS himself to be and the better people he PERCEIVES others to be.

Hornblower has been selling continuously for 70 years, so obviously Honor Harrington MUST be a superior read...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...they'll rape us to death, eat our flesh, and sew our skins into their
clothing - and if we're very, very lucky, they'll do it in that order.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Wednesday, June 30, 2004 4:34 AM

BARNSTORMER

Over a year ago (I think) someone started a thread on scifi books that everyone liked. I found that I had a similiar like for about 60% of the books listed by other members.

Another 10% of those mentioned I was'nt to Jazzed about.

I've slowly been trying out the other 30% that were listed (If they sounded even remotely interesting that is). Honor Harrington was the second or third of this group that I tried, and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed every last one of them.

So a belated thanks to the person who started that original thread, and whoever it was that answered the question with Honor Harrington.

Am I a Lion?... No, I think I'ma tellin' the truth.

BarnStormer

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Wednesday, June 30, 2004 5:01 AM

KNIBBLET

The comments are becoming catty. Let's reserve catty commentary for the 'Frisky Feline' threads.

"Just keep walkin, preacher man."

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Wednesday, June 30, 2004 11:56 AM

CALHOUN

Quote:
CaptainHarbatkin wrote:
Wednesday, June 30, 2004 02:25
Quote:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Calhoun:
So there are a few of us into these books. Good.

Wondering why CaptHarbatkin didnt like? not enough pictures perhaps.

Hows about when Honor duels with the professional duelist/hitman.. way cool.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yeah, it's the pictures. Which, by the by, in the US editions, at least, are by N. C. Wyeth. Most likely you've never heard of him, but perhaps Mommy will explain who he was for you?

Hornblower's attraction is that he THINKS, about himself, what he is doing and why, and we see the internal dialog, the self-doubt and self-examination, the recognition of his own baser motives, the compromises with duty and honor that he chooses to make, the contrast between who he KNOWS himself to be and the better people he PERCEIVES others to be.

Hornblower has been selling continuously for 70 years, so obviously Honor Harrington MUST be a superior read...

Hehe, sorry to get you all riled up there Captainharbatkin.

I never even mentioned Hornblower so I dont know why you're getting all defensive comparing the two.

I presume you watch and enjoy Firefly so you cant be all bad.

P.S. My mommy told me to not pay attention to the mean boy.

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Wednesday, June 30, 2004 1:00 PM

CAPTAINHARBATKIN

Quote:
Originally posted by Calhoun:.
P.S. My mommy told me to not pay attention to the mean boy.

And my mommy told me not to be cruel to the twerp that picked his nose and ate the boogers...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...they'll rape us to death, eat our flesh, and sew our skins into their
clothing - and if we're very, very lucky, they'll do it in that order.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Wednesday, June 30, 2004 1:17 PM

EMBASSY

I'm actually IN one of the Honor Harrington books. In the most recent one, I get introduced in Chapter 20. I wanted to be a Manty but Weber made me a Peep, probably because I suggested casting an Honor Harrington movie with muppets. Still, although I was promised a glorious death, it hasn't happened yet.

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Wednesday, June 30, 2004 4:08 PM

DBELL46

Quote:
Originally posted by Calhoun:
Hows about when Honor duels with the professional duelist/hitman.. way cool.

I started a thread awhile ago that suggested River had the same ability Honor displayed in that duel,
absolute position, and that her skill with fire arms wasn't because of anything the academy had done to
her, but was due to the gifts she inherited with her hyper-intelligence syndrome.

As I recall, the only person who seemed to get what I was driving at was a fan of the Honor Harrington
series.

****************************************************
If history is remarkably clear on one point,
it's that people don't learn from history.
****************************************************

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Wednesday, June 30, 2004 4:29 PM

WOODY1123

Cptn, I suppose that every piece of music that's been influenced by The Beatles automatically sucks just because it wasn't written by Lennon & McCartney.
I think Hornblower was correctly referenced as an influence. Besides science fiction has been borrowing from classic liturature for as long as it's been around...
And any modern fiction that can get readers interested in the classics *rocks* as far as I'm concerned.
And hey,
We should all pay more attention to our mommies.

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Thursday, July 1, 2004 12:35 AM

CALHOUN

Quote:
Woody1123 wrote:
Wednesday, June 30, 2004 16:29

We should all pay more attention to our mommies.

Now dont get me wrong I love my mommy... but she is old and senile.. so how much attention should I pay?

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Thursday, July 1, 2004 3:09 AM

HONORBOUND

Quote:
Originally posted by dbell46:
Quote:
Originally posted by Calhoun:
Hows about when Honor duels with the professional duelist/hitman.. way cool.

I started a thread awhile ago that suggested River had the same ability Honor displayed in that duel,
absolute position, and that her skill with fire arms wasn't because of anything the academy had done to
her, but was due to the gifts she inherited with her hyper-intelligence syndrome.

As I recall, the only person who seemed to get what I was driving at was a fan of the Honor Harrington
series.

****************************************************
If history is remarkably clear on one point,
it's that people don't learn from history.
****************************************************

That would be me. And as you can see by my screenname, I'm a fan. So is my husband. We've also managed to hook quite a few friends and family.

A kind word turneth away wrath, but not as well as superior firepower

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