# Convince me to read the Honor Harrington novels. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 19, 2010, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-read-the-honor-harrington-novels/561257 "2010-11-19T19:50:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-read-the-honor-harrington-novels/561257/21 "2010-11-19T21:42:56Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > No, the slight was not reading my whole post and assuming I was talking about the movie, not the book. > > And now, for making me explain this, I will add extra vengeance, and a 23.5% increase in devastation. The subtly, unfortunately, was already maxed out. First, you mean _subtlety_. Second, as that statement can only be taken as a threat, I have taken the precaution of releasing – Well, never mind. I shouldn’t tip my hand and you’ll figure out what is attacking you all by your lonesome. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-read-the-honor-harrington-novels/561257/22 "2010-11-19T22:43:18Z")
I agree with most of what people have said - there’s some silliness, they’re definitely pulp novels, etc. But I like 'em, although I haven’t read the most recent few. Actually I’ve been reading them again lately, since now I have a Kindle and can get them as e-books. The paperback editions are _awful._ Generally I hate all this military tactical crap, but Weber does a great job of keeping you located in a complicated space battle so that you can follow the action while simultaneously keeping the tension on. It’s not easy to do and he’s IMHO the best at it (not just in space battles, either.) Forester and O’Brian also had this skill, of course. The ships and the battles make _sense_, and the technology all follows its own rules. Read the first one. It isn’t too long. If you don’t like it, you won’t like the others. If you do like it, hey. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-read-the-honor-harrington-novels/561257/23 "2010-11-19T23:42:24Z")
> [@Strassia](#): > > Starting with the second book there is also a pattern of having to keep reaching for new technical marvels to keep things going, but it makes sense in the context of the first real war between major navies in centuries. It’s not just that; technological advancement in the Honorverse has in general been at a near plateau for centuries - rather like it was for much of human history actually - but now they are entering a new period of rapid technological advancement. And Manticore for cultural and astrographic reasons (plus the wars, naturally) is the center of that new resurgence. A hundred years ago I think they would simply have been screwed; they wouldn’t have been at the forefront of a technological renaissance because there wasn’t one in the cards, and that means they’d have been swarmed under. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-read-the-honor-harrington-novels/561257/24 "2010-11-20T00:20:18Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I already know that. I don’t do ebooks, though. There is a sacred story that explains why. Because I believe you to be tolerant of other faiths, I’ll point out for the benefit of the other readers in this thread that you can actually download the entire Honor Harrington series, along with many other Baen series, here: [http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/](http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/) . Note that this is expressly _not_ piracy - the disclaimer at the bottom of the webpage goes into this in some detail, but this quote makes the point pretty succinctly: > [@](#): > > Baen knows all about this site, to the point where the publisher has my phone number and she’s not afraid to use it. This is one of the many reasons that Jim Baen was viewed as a truly remarkable and decent guy in his industry. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-read-the-honor-harrington-novels/561257/25 "2010-11-20T00:34:28Z")
The first few are available from Baen themselves for free, and after that for five bucks a pop. Quite reasonable. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-read-the-honor-harrington-novels/561257/26 "2010-11-20T00:47:50Z")
> [@Strassia](#): > > But, if you are like my mother, and don’t care about how the missiles/ship engines/etc. work, what their limits are and how that effects tactical choices, these books are not for you. I disagree with this. I don’t care about that stuff. I find detailed battle descriptions boring. I don’t like space opera. And I don’t care enough to really follow the political wrangling. I like the books anyway. They’re just plain fun. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-read-the-honor-harrington-novels/561257/27 "2010-11-20T00:48:23Z")
> [@Strassia](#): > > But, if you are like my mother, and don’t care about how the missiles/ship engines/etc. work, what their limits are and how that effects tactical choices, these books are not for you. And in that case, read the Vorkosigan novels by Lois McMaster Bujold instead. Space opera without the heavy equipment infodump. Well, except for the novel Komarr, where they have several irritated engineers instead of mad scientists. ---
**Author:** ![Omi\_no\_Kami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a88e4f/32.png) [@Omi\_no\_Kami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omi_no_Kami)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-read-the-honor-harrington-novels/561257/28 "2010-11-20T00:53:13Z")
I thought the sci-fi was reasonably interesting to read about, and when it was good, the political stuff was a whole lot of fun. Honor was awesome in the early books, and still fairly interesting in the later ones. Nimitz, of course, is the true unsung hero. Here’s my problem: I get the feeling that Webber gets bored easily, because as the books go on Honor becomes less and less of a focus, and it seems like every book ends up going on long, looooong spiraling tangents about intergalactic politics and characters I don’t really care about when they could be focusing on Nimitz taking command of the battlefleet the treecats have built behind everyone’s backs. Or at least on Honor killing something. Anyway, I would actually recommend _Crown of Slaves_: it’s a collaboration between Webber and Flint set in the same universe, and I actually feel that together they kept each other in check and made something far superior to most of the original Honor series. The first 50 pages are a little slow-going, but once it picks up some steam it’s one heck of an amusing read. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-read-the-honor-harrington-novels/561257/29 "2010-11-20T00:56:06Z")
They’re good. He’s good. [The free David Weber books in the Baen Free Library.](http://www.webscription.net/s-108-david-weber.aspx?CategoryFilterID=1&ManufacturerFilterID=0&) ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-read-the-honor-harrington-novels/561257/30 "2010-11-20T01:34:04Z")
It’s kind of like fanfic, though. I mean, a little bit. The angsty, Mary Sue torture-fic I used to read about _Weiss Kreuz._ ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-read-the-honor-harrington-novels/561257/31 "2010-11-20T06:58:35Z")
> [@Simplicit](#): > > Don’t read them. I took this advice about halfway through the first one I tried. Too bad – I really wanted to like the books. So I guess that’s my advice: try it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-read-the-honor-harrington-novels/561257.md?page=1)