More Fascinating Side Stories of the Honorverse
What Price Victory? by David Weber
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Yet again, we get a feast of events that previously been "far trees," only glimpsed through other events.
We have a story of the early days of the Andermani Empire. Was the original Gustav Anderman delusional, was he the victim of one or another bit of biological tinkering that fell under ban after the Final War, or was he truly the reincarnation of the Prussian King? One thing's for certain -- a great deal of crookedness can be hidden under an argument that a person needs to be evaluated mentally.
We have a murder mystery that Stephanie Harrington and her boyfriend must solve, with the help of their treecats -- but they can't let on about the input of these very special para-felines.
We have a story of the mess in the Silesian Confederacy, from the POV of the Havenites right after they restored their old Republic and aren't the Peeps any more.
And we have two stories that follow on from stories in the previous volume of anthologies.
One continues the story of the Bedlam family, part of Grayson's underclass. In the previous story, we saw the young woman who was trying to make a good life for herself in the Grayson Navy. In this one, we see her black sheep brother who was thrust into the role of Head of Household far too early. Although sad at times, it ends with hope of a happy ending.
The second continues the story of Honor Harrington's parents, now married -- but still getting static from her family. Although Alfred comes from yeoman stock (Stephanie Harrington's knighthood being pretty much the only distinction in their family tree), Allison comes from the elite of Beowulfan society, and her mother had Expectations for her. But Allison is a stubborn woman, and if anything, her PTSD is making her more determined to chart her own course with the man who saved her life.
In all it's a fascinating collection.
View all my reviews