westcoastchelle's review against another edition
3.0
I'm so glad that storyline is done.
Pavel Young got far too much time for an entitled little shit. David Webber is capable of so much better writing. I recognize this book series is older, so I'm giving it a little more credit than I would something written recently.
But uuugh. I am loving it, but I also rushed through this book because I was so over the plotline. Looking forward to more of the series without that rapist prick.
Pavel Young got far too much time for an entitled little shit. David Webber is capable of so much better writing. I recognize this book series is older, so I'm giving it a little more credit than I would something written recently.
But uuugh. I am loving it, but I also rushed through this book because I was so over the plotline. Looking forward to more of the series without that rapist prick.
pjonsson's review against another edition
2.0
Given the title and the short description this is really not a surprise but I did not like this book in the Harrington series. I mostly read this one since I didn't want to skip a book in the series.
The entire book revolves around political bullshit and vendettas. It's more or less all planet-bound. No ship action at all. The only positive part is that the bratty coward of a ship captain (those who read it knows who I mean) finally bites the dust at the end.
I will not give it a one-star since that's what I reserve to the crappiest of the crappy ones and there's nothing "technically" wrong with the book but it's not at all my cup of tea.
The entire book revolves around political bullshit and vendettas. It's more or less all planet-bound. No ship action at all. The only positive part is that the bratty coward of a ship captain (those who read it knows who I mean) finally bites the dust at the end.
I will not give it a one-star since that's what I reserve to the crappiest of the crappy ones and there's nothing "technically" wrong with the book but it's not at all my cup of tea.
sarahlouisereads's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
bory's review against another edition
3.0
This is a smaller, more intimate story than the first three installments.
Where, oh where, did my space military power fantasy disappear to? On Basilisk Station and The Honor of the Queen both had excellent, detailed, intense space battles. Torpedoes, lasers, shields, explosions, tactics, the works. Those, without a doubt, were the best parts about the novels. The Short Victorious War had a space battle, a rather underwhelming one, and most of the action happened off page. With Field of Dishonor we don't event get to see a single torpedo being fired, to my immeasurable disappointment.
Rather, we get to spend more time with Honor as a character, which is both a good thing, because she was rather underdeveloped in the first two installment in the series, and bad thing because she is very much a Mary Sue. I like her for what she is, the best at everything (on a side note, remember when she was bad at mathematics? the author doesn't, because this one, singular flaw of hers hasn't been mentioned in three books) but she really does work best when she's in the captain's chair and her ship's exploding around her. Dealing with romance and politics... eh? Can't say her romance worked for me to begin with. Bland, good guy love interest was bland.
At least Pavel Young has been dealt with. I'd like to say that he was a compelling villain, but I'm just glad I don't have to read chapters from his perspective anymore.
Anyway, despite my disappoint at the lack of action, these books are very readable, so I'm planning on sticking with them.
Where, oh where, did my space military power fantasy disappear to? On Basilisk Station and The Honor of the Queen both had excellent, detailed, intense space battles. Torpedoes, lasers, shields, explosions, tactics, the works. Those, without a doubt, were the best parts about the novels. The Short Victorious War had a space battle, a rather underwhelming one, and most of the action happened off page. With Field of Dishonor we don't event get to see a single torpedo being fired, to my immeasurable disappointment.
Rather, we get to spend more time with Honor as a character, which is both a good thing, because she was rather underdeveloped in the first two installment in the series, and bad thing because she is very much a Mary Sue. I like her for what she is, the best at everything (on a side note, remember when she was bad at mathematics? the author doesn't, because this one, singular flaw of hers hasn't been mentioned in three books) but she really does work best when she's in the captain's chair and her ship's exploding around her. Dealing with romance and politics... eh? Can't say her romance worked for me to begin with. Bland, good guy love interest was bland.
At least Pavel Young has been dealt with. I'd like to say that he was a compelling villain, but I'm just glad I don't have to read chapters from his perspective anymore.
Anyway, despite my disappoint at the lack of action, these books are very readable, so I'm planning on sticking with them.
elisenic's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
ginger_d's review against another edition
Re-reading one of my favorites from the Honor Harrington series. :-)
travelgirlut's review against another edition
3.0
Too much politics and not enough space battles. In fact, there were exactly zero space battles. This book was all about the aftermath of what happened at Hancock. Lots of politicians, courts, legal maneuvering, etc. I was expecting it to be VERY dry, but it picked up a little towards the end with some unexpected drama that made it worth reading, but it is definitely the slowest and weakest in the series thus far.
dorinlazar's review against another edition
3.0
The militaristic space opera returns; this time Honor's ship is due some repairs (funny enough, she ruins a ship in each of her campaigns, but not in this one), so she takes a bit of time to enjoy her life. Or something on that line. Without pushing spoilers, this book becomes a bit soapy, as while she's visiting Grayson to take over her role as steadholder things happen back in Manticore. The field of dishonor named in the title refers to the dueling field, and it's kind of strange to see the whole justification for people shooting themselves with bullets in space era unfold.
Unfortunately, the romance that builds up between Paul and Honor doesn't feel quite credible; I think it's the kind of thing that David Weber is not very good at. On the up-side there's no more info-dump; perhaps because all the info was dumped in the previous books.
All in all the experience is enjoyable while the arcs of the characters are less enjoyable. There is drama and irreversible damage done to characters, and it is a bit bold, to be perfectly honest.
Unfortunately, the romance that builds up between Paul and Honor doesn't feel quite credible; I think it's the kind of thing that David Weber is not very good at. On the up-side there's no more info-dump; perhaps because all the info was dumped in the previous books.
All in all the experience is enjoyable while the arcs of the characters are less enjoyable. There is drama and irreversible damage done to characters, and it is a bit bold, to be perfectly honest.
katmarhan's review against another edition
4.0
No space battles, but that doesn't mean there aren't conflicts galore. This is, so far, my favorite of the Honor Harrington books that I've read. Several places I found myself tearing up...lots more emotional depth in this story than the first three in the series.
I will enjoy getting to know the head of Honor's Grayson bodyguard better--he's smart, stubborn, and good at his job!
I hope it's not too long before Honor finds someone to love. She's a more fully realized character when she has someone besides Nimitz to love.
Pavel Young's brother may or may not carry on a vendetta against Honor, but it will not have the layers of hate and humiliation that the feud between Pavel Young And Honor had, and that's good. Time for the series to move beyond that relationship.
Can't quite bring myself to give the book as 5 star rating. As much as I like her, Honor is still, and probably always will be, just a little too perfect
I will enjoy getting to know the head of Honor's Grayson bodyguard better--he's smart, stubborn, and good at his job!
I hope it's not too long before Honor finds someone to love. She's a more fully realized character when she has someone besides Nimitz to love.
Pavel Young's brother may or may not carry on a vendetta against Honor, but it will not have the layers of hate and humiliation that the feud between Pavel Young And Honor had, and that's good. Time for the series to move beyond that relationship.
Can't quite bring myself to give the book as 5 star rating. As much as I like her, Honor is still, and probably always will be, just a little too perfect
edb14's review against another edition
4.0
Oh no. Something terrible has happened. I have lost my objectivity for this series.
I am gleefully working my way through the 5th of these novels even as I write this and I know that I am reading them too quickly to really evaluate them. I can distantly recognize that this novel is more of the same as previous installments, with Honor growing more perfect and Mary-Sue-esque with every novel, and yet I cannot stop. I have the vague suspicion that I will soon grow tired of them and that when I re-read this series I will get tired of the repetition much faster, but at the moment, I am happily devouring this flavor-of-the-month book series that I am perfectly in the mood for.
I wrote in my review of the third novel that the story would have worked better if it had focused on Honor going through a different type of conflict than one space battle after another, and happily Weber took my advice that I wrote twenty years after his book was published and set it in the midst of a divisive court martial. Honor is unwillingly drawn into ruthless politics as factions warring for power in the equivalent of Parliament use her and her mortal enemy as figureheads for their political agenda. Each side is manipulating information and public opinion in order to force Parliament/the queen to do what they want, and Honor is unable to use her previous experience as a naval officer to help her in this new and murky world. Though her allies in the command structure of the navy are still firmly on her side, they are generally unable to help her in the political storm that is brewing, and I am impressed with how Weber is able to make her fall from grace seem natural and even inevitable. Previously, it did not seem to matter how many questionable decisions Honor made since she had friends in high places willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and justify any mistakes by dwelling with fervor on her devotion to duty in difficult circumstances. Unless Weber decided to kill off Honor, her rise through the ranks seemed inevitable given the support structure that she had throughout the navy. With this installment, however, Weber realistically chipped away at her supporters and created a different kind of tension over Honor’s future.
However, I have enough rationality left to be guiltily aware that if you hated the previous books then you will also hate this one. Much of the page length is taken up with Weber waxing expansive on his own worldbuilding, including the details on all engineering, religious, and political matters that he has worked out on his own. It is a type of telling-not-showing, though it is not the worst I’ve seen, and the majority of the rest of the novel is people being impressed by Honor. Once again, people underestimate her or doubt her integrity, and then the reader is treated to one of her loyal supporters lecturing another character on what a great person she is. Even if a group has legitimate reasons to be concerned with her past choices, they still end up with grudging respect or outright admiration because she is just so dang charismatic and impressive apparently. Yup, it is my kind of trash and I have a weakness for it, but I can totally understand if the style got on people’s nerves.
One element that I definitely did not enjoy is the plot-crucial component of dueling. I know that many authors think that dueling is inherently dramatic and compelling, but I always find it so stupid. Getting into a fight in a bar and then deciding to settle it as a matter of “honor” with pistols at dawn just seems so soapy and I want to slap everyone involved and tell them to wake up. I’ve seen it used effectively in comedies, but I have never seen it used well when it is milked for drama, and this book is no exception. Yes, Honor’s duels are pretty fun to experience and the politics surrounding her campaign to bring her enemies to justice are the most complex and interesting of the series, but still hinging the plot on a duel makes for a weak fulcrum. We are just too far culturally from the practice to make the drama compelling.
Nevertheless, despite the slight repetitiveness of the series and some of the weaker plot elements of this installment, I enjoyed Weber shaking up the formula a bit and giving our heroine new obstacles to overcome. I am fully on board for the next novel, but I promise to let you know if or when I finally get tired of Honor and her campaign to become the most competent person in the universe.
I am gleefully working my way through the 5th of these novels even as I write this and I know that I am reading them too quickly to really evaluate them. I can distantly recognize that this novel is more of the same as previous installments, with Honor growing more perfect and Mary-Sue-esque with every novel, and yet I cannot stop. I have the vague suspicion that I will soon grow tired of them and that when I re-read this series I will get tired of the repetition much faster, but at the moment, I am happily devouring this flavor-of-the-month book series that I am perfectly in the mood for.
I wrote in my review of the third novel that the story would have worked better if it had focused on Honor going through a different type of conflict than one space battle after another, and happily Weber took my advice that I wrote twenty years after his book was published and set it in the midst of a divisive court martial. Honor is unwillingly drawn into ruthless politics as factions warring for power in the equivalent of Parliament use her and her mortal enemy as figureheads for their political agenda. Each side is manipulating information and public opinion in order to force Parliament/the queen to do what they want, and Honor is unable to use her previous experience as a naval officer to help her in this new and murky world. Though her allies in the command structure of the navy are still firmly on her side, they are generally unable to help her in the political storm that is brewing, and I am impressed with how Weber is able to make her fall from grace seem natural and even inevitable. Previously, it did not seem to matter how many questionable decisions Honor made since she had friends in high places willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and justify any mistakes by dwelling with fervor on her devotion to duty in difficult circumstances. Unless Weber decided to kill off Honor, her rise through the ranks seemed inevitable given the support structure that she had throughout the navy. With this installment, however, Weber realistically chipped away at her supporters and created a different kind of tension over Honor’s future.
However, I have enough rationality left to be guiltily aware that if you hated the previous books then you will also hate this one. Much of the page length is taken up with Weber waxing expansive on his own worldbuilding, including the details on all engineering, religious, and political matters that he has worked out on his own. It is a type of telling-not-showing, though it is not the worst I’ve seen, and the majority of the rest of the novel is people being impressed by Honor. Once again, people underestimate her or doubt her integrity, and then the reader is treated to one of her loyal supporters lecturing another character on what a great person she is. Even if a group has legitimate reasons to be concerned with her past choices, they still end up with grudging respect or outright admiration because she is just so dang charismatic and impressive apparently. Yup, it is my kind of trash and I have a weakness for it, but I can totally understand if the style got on people’s nerves.
One element that I definitely did not enjoy is the plot-crucial component of dueling. I know that many authors think that dueling is inherently dramatic and compelling, but I always find it so stupid. Getting into a fight in a bar and then deciding to settle it as a matter of “honor” with pistols at dawn just seems so soapy and I want to slap everyone involved and tell them to wake up. I’ve seen it used effectively in comedies, but I have never seen it used well when it is milked for drama, and this book is no exception.
Spoiler
Honor’s new-found love Paul is unexpectedly goaded into a duel by a notorious killer who prefers to murder people in legal duels and Paul only realizes who he is going to be fighting after he accepts the challenge. This begs the question: why don’t you just back out of it then? Paul knows this is happening to hurt Honor, the forms of the duel urge reconciliation between parties, and he knows that he didn’t actually offend anyone’s honor in the original fight because it was a setup. So why go through with it? Paul risks his own life, but also Honor’s happiness and career in order to participate in a duel to defend… something. His own principles? The killer’s honor that he supposedly offended? Then he is of course killed in order to bring Honor to her darkest moment in the series so far and it just makes Paul seem reckless and stupid rather than tragic. I think it would have worked better if he was assassinated, but Weber thought a duel was more dramatic so instead we are left with this contrived plot. Then, of course, Honor practices dueling for several days and manages to kill off a professional duelist who has been killing with ruthless efficiency for years because she is amazing at everything.Nevertheless, despite the slight repetitiveness of the series and some of the weaker plot elements of this installment, I enjoyed Weber shaking up the formula a bit and giving our heroine new obstacles to overcome. I am fully on board for the next novel, but I promise to let you know if or when I finally get tired of Honor and her campaign to become the most competent person in the universe.