REALJimBob

This fifth book felt like a return to to the promise of the early series for [a:David Weber|10517|David Weber|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1227584346p2/10517.jpg]. With her lover murdered in the previous novel, and her own exile from Manticore as a direct response to the resulting duel, [b:Flag in Exile|77738|Flag in Exile (Honor Harrington, #5)|David Weber|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1321561696s/77738.jpg|4360] leaves Honor heartbroken and moping about on her steading on Grayson. With the rising of hostilities between Manticore and Haven, it's only a matter of time before the ships protecting Grayson have to be redeployed. Grayson will no doubt need a new leader for their own fledgling navy to take of the slack.

This novel is the continuation of Honor's Grayson story. The same prejudices are at work as in the previous book. While her own people are behind her, but there are other factions that still see her as a threat to both their religious and their male hegemony. Can she defend the planet from the Havenites, and defend her steading and the political leadership that supports her from an emerging terrorist group? Short answer is no, and that's kinda why it works. Honor can't sort both the 'a' plot and the 'b' plot entirely by herself. She needs help and the two stories sit comfortably alongside each other without feeling like their competing to be the 'a' plot, or overly competing for Honor's attention.

The bad guys still suffer from being a little too shallow – religious and misogynist bigots will do what religious and misogynist bigots do (and pretty much only that). And the supporting good guys are all a little too consistently honourable and upright. Weber isn't big on depth in his supporting characters. Really only Honor herself has any real development or depth lavished upon her. But that doesn't really matter, these are fun military science-fiction stories, and the next one in the series is already added to my to-read list...