snazel's review against another edition
4.0
The prose style is CLASSIC infodump, but I liked the characters (especially Climbs Quickly's clan and POV), and the adventure was fun.
Would Read Author Again.
Would Read Author Again.
westcoastchelle's review against another edition
5.0
It was a struggle at first, only because it was such a shift from the Honorverse which I have been reading for months now. But I settled into it soon and fell in love.
I'll be honest, I love the treecats more than the people, but I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes next.
I'll be honest, I love the treecats more than the people, but I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes next.
cornflower's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
beth_dawkins's review against another edition
3.0
Stephanie Harrington moved out to the frontier plant Sphinx. She isn’t happy to be there since her parents keep her home bound for the most part, and she doesn’t get along with most the kids her age. Her mother gives her a mystery to keep her occupied. Celery keeps getting stolen out of gardens. This leads Stephanie to discover a sentient race she calls treecats. When Climbs Quickly is accidentally spotted by Stephanie he feels her ‘mind glow.’ He actually kind of falls into it bonding the two of them.
This is a YA science fiction that reminds me a lot of Lackey’s Valdemar stories, and Fuzzy Nation. It takes place in Weber’s Honorverse. The story is broken into two sections. The first, Unexpected Meetings tells the story of when Stephanie and Climbs Quickly meet, and how he comes to live with her. The second, With Friends like These is a story about someone coming to exploit and steal some of the treecats.
I really enjoyed the first story, which I have heard was published before, but I haven’t looked up where, or anything like that. The treecats are telepathic and empathic. Emotions lead the way to how Stephanie communicates with Climbs Quickly. The treecats call the humans two-legs, and stay hidden from sight, but the celery stalk the humans grow helps their mind glows (how telepathic they are). Climbs Quickly tries to steal some of the Harrington’s celery. Stephanie catches him. That is when they bond. He can feel wherever she is. Stephanie in turn can feel the same. She hang-glides out toward his location when bad weather knocks her towards the ground. Stephanie ends up hurt, trapped in the wilderness. The bond between two-leg and treecat is tested when a predator comes around.
The buildup in the first story is fantastic, but all of that disappears when the second half starts. Instead of continuing the story it starts as if it were its own self-contained story. It even takes place a year or two later. I think it hinders the book as a whole. The second part starts out very slow with a ton of backstory that is told to the reader. We are told a fantastic backstory for another character who bonded with a treecat. I am hoping this story has appeared somewhere before, because if not, it is just a load of telling that bogs the story down right in the middle of the book. The story itself does pick up in the last 100 pages when something actually starts to happen. There is also a fair about of politics which I didn’t mind, but I have seen it done well, and this doesn’t add to the story one way or another. It becomes repetitive, and hard to slog through.
While I am sure that many people who follow the Honorverse may really enjoy this, I don’t think it is going to pick up many Young Adult readers. I think compiling two stories into one book hurt the story far more than helped it. While I really enjoyed the first part of the novel, the second one took a long time to grow legs of its own, and by the time it did, I didn’t care for it as much. On the other hand Stephanie is a bright young girl that is fun to read, as is Climbs Quickly, who can sometimes turn into a third parent for her. I don’t know if I will be getting the next in the series, I may have to wait until some reviews for it pop out.
This is a YA science fiction that reminds me a lot of Lackey’s Valdemar stories, and Fuzzy Nation. It takes place in Weber’s Honorverse. The story is broken into two sections. The first, Unexpected Meetings tells the story of when Stephanie and Climbs Quickly meet, and how he comes to live with her. The second, With Friends like These is a story about someone coming to exploit and steal some of the treecats.
I really enjoyed the first story, which I have heard was published before, but I haven’t looked up where, or anything like that. The treecats are telepathic and empathic. Emotions lead the way to how Stephanie communicates with Climbs Quickly. The treecats call the humans two-legs, and stay hidden from sight, but the celery stalk the humans grow helps their mind glows (how telepathic they are). Climbs Quickly tries to steal some of the Harrington’s celery. Stephanie catches him. That is when they bond. He can feel wherever she is. Stephanie in turn can feel the same. She hang-glides out toward his location when bad weather knocks her towards the ground. Stephanie ends up hurt, trapped in the wilderness. The bond between two-leg and treecat is tested when a predator comes around.
The buildup in the first story is fantastic, but all of that disappears when the second half starts. Instead of continuing the story it starts as if it were its own self-contained story. It even takes place a year or two later. I think it hinders the book as a whole. The second part starts out very slow with a ton of backstory that is told to the reader. We are told a fantastic backstory for another character who bonded with a treecat. I am hoping this story has appeared somewhere before, because if not, it is just a load of telling that bogs the story down right in the middle of the book. The story itself does pick up in the last 100 pages when something actually starts to happen. There is also a fair about of politics which I didn’t mind, but I have seen it done well, and this doesn’t add to the story one way or another. It becomes repetitive, and hard to slog through.
While I am sure that many people who follow the Honorverse may really enjoy this, I don’t think it is going to pick up many Young Adult readers. I think compiling two stories into one book hurt the story far more than helped it. While I really enjoyed the first part of the novel, the second one took a long time to grow legs of its own, and by the time it did, I didn’t care for it as much. On the other hand Stephanie is a bright young girl that is fun to read, as is Climbs Quickly, who can sometimes turn into a third parent for her. I don’t know if I will be getting the next in the series, I may have to wait until some reviews for it pop out.
czarmorte's review against another edition
1.0
My biggest problem with this book is how much arrogance the main character has. It has such a fake feel to the characters. I liked the idea of discovering an alien, sentient species that is so much smaller than us. I kept on reading mainly because I bought the book and wanted to finish it before selling it back to the bookstore.
solaniisrex's review against another edition
4.0
When I first picked this book up I knew it was related to the Honor Harrington series by David Weber, but did not realise it was a prequel set hundreds of years before the others. That's okay, though. It just means I didn't have to worry about missing out on much since I haven't read any of the others.
As the book goes, it tells the story of a young Stephanie Harrington, a recent arrival on a colony planet named Sphinx. This girl ends up accidentally making first contact with a species of cat-like people that are native to the world. The first half of the book is telling the story of how she met and became friends with a Tree-cat named Lionheart. The second half involves scientists coming to study the Tree-cats, as well as one person with a more sinister motivation towards them.
I found the book to be quite enjoyable, well-written, and a great introduction to what I'm sure will be a wonderful universe. I'll be picking up the next one soon enough.
As the book goes, it tells the story of a young Stephanie Harrington, a recent arrival on a colony planet named Sphinx. This girl ends up accidentally making first contact with a species of cat-like people that are native to the world. The first half of the book is telling the story of how she met and became friends with a Tree-cat named Lionheart. The second half involves scientists coming to study the Tree-cats, as well as one person with a more sinister motivation towards them.
I found the book to be quite enjoyable, well-written, and a great introduction to what I'm sure will be a wonderful universe. I'll be picking up the next one soon enough.
hoppy500's review against another edition
3.0
A Beautiful Friendship by David Weber
A Beautiful Friendship is a revision and expansion of a novella published in 1998. It is a work of young adult fiction by an author who usually specializes in more mature military science fiction.
The Manticore star system has only been colonized by humans for a short time, and twelve-year-old Stephanie Harrington has moved there with her parents. The planet Sphinx has seasons lasting several terrestrial years, high gravity, a coldish climate, unfamiliar flora and fauna, and few human settlers.
Stephanie's parents forbid her to explore the bush on her own, since dangerous creatures roam the areas unfrequented by humans. But precocious Stephanie is determined to investigate a mystery that piques her curiosity, and this leads her to discover a hitherto unknown sentient species. The first treecat Stephanie meets forges an empathic bond with her, and this semi-telepathic link is what drives many of the plot elements as the novel progresses.
Of course, the discovery of a tool-using sentient species on Sphinx threatens certain business interests and investments. In addition, a greedy pet dealer arrives from outside the Manticore system because he sees the potential for huge profits from the capture and sale of treecats.
A Beautiful Friendship is a competently written and readable book, but I fear some of the young adults it is aimed at would not appreciate all of the lengthy conversations and infodumps which the reader has to plow through. The impression left in my mind is of a book which has a couple of very engaging high points separated by much more tedious sections. The best part is undoubtedly Stephanie's second meeting with the treecat Climbs Quickly (Lionheart), at which their friendship is cemented in a dramatic and moving way. The description of treecat culture and society is also very imaginative. I found the defeat of the unscrupulous dealer in the final part entertaining but somewhat cliched and predictable. Overall, A Beautiful Friendship was enjoyable and memorable, but not to the point that I feel compelled to go on to read the sequels.
A Beautiful Friendship is a revision and expansion of a novella published in 1998. It is a work of young adult fiction by an author who usually specializes in more mature military science fiction.
The Manticore star system has only been colonized by humans for a short time, and twelve-year-old Stephanie Harrington has moved there with her parents. The planet Sphinx has seasons lasting several terrestrial years, high gravity, a coldish climate, unfamiliar flora and fauna, and few human settlers.
Stephanie's parents forbid her to explore the bush on her own, since dangerous creatures roam the areas unfrequented by humans. But precocious Stephanie is determined to investigate a mystery that piques her curiosity, and this leads her to discover a hitherto unknown sentient species. The first treecat Stephanie meets forges an empathic bond with her, and this semi-telepathic link is what drives many of the plot elements as the novel progresses.
Of course, the discovery of a tool-using sentient species on Sphinx threatens certain business interests and investments. In addition, a greedy pet dealer arrives from outside the Manticore system because he sees the potential for huge profits from the capture and sale of treecats.
A Beautiful Friendship is a competently written and readable book, but I fear some of the young adults it is aimed at would not appreciate all of the lengthy conversations and infodumps which the reader has to plow through. The impression left in my mind is of a book which has a couple of very engaging high points separated by much more tedious sections. The best part is undoubtedly Stephanie's second meeting with the treecat Climbs Quickly (Lionheart), at which their friendship is cemented in a dramatic and moving way. The description of treecat culture and society is also very imaginative. I found the defeat of the unscrupulous dealer in the final part entertaining but somewhat cliched and predictable. Overall, A Beautiful Friendship was enjoyable and memorable, but not to the point that I feel compelled to go on to read the sequels.
spiremetro_books's review against another edition
4.0
A well-done tale about a girl and her connection to a sentient pet.
If you're a fan of Hank's Green books you may enjoy this tale.
If you're a fan of Hank's Green books you may enjoy this tale.
spulsipher's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this up for a quick read. It's two stories in one. The first was exactly what I was looking for - a quick, interesting sci-fi story. The second half suffered from too much dialogue and info-dumping.