A review by sjlee
Beginnings by
3.0
Another one of the short story anthologies set in the Honorverse universe. This book is the sixth collection and features the authors David Weber, Charles E. Gannon, Joelle Presby and Timothy Zahn. I enjoyed this "Worlds of Honor" book more than others in the series, however, these books are only only good as the stories within.
'Obligated Service' is probably my favourite story from the collection because it expands the universe and fleshes out how its complications interact with each other. The story follows the life of a young enlisted woman in the Grayson Navy. The young commoner exposes the sexism and classism that troubles Grayson society that Weber has previously minimized.
'By the Book' is very unusual. It takes place centuries before the core stories and reveals some of the politics of Earth in the early exploration period. The story is steeped in politics and offers a criticism of Green/anti-technology. The mystery/conspiracy at the heart of the story helps drive the unfamiliar story.
I didn't care for 'The Best Laid Plans'. The story tells the fateful meeting of Honor Harrington and Nimitz. I've never cared for the stories from the tree-cats perspective and as the series has moved forward I have become annoyed at Honor's Mary-Sue status. She might be the least interesting character in the series by the later books.
'Beauty and the Beast' is really bad. It is the entirely saccharine story of how Alfred and Allison Harrington met. It's over the top and way too long. The problem with prequels/backstory is that they need to show something new. Allison Chou's abduction is meaningless because we know she gets free and is in no real danger. I'd happily recommend skipping this one.
'A Call to Arms' isn't too bad. It's set early in Manticore's history when an early Solarian plot is launched to conquer the kingdom. It probably gets simple pass for having some naval combat and politics in the story.
So as you can see some highs and some lows. Read at your own discretion.
'Obligated Service' is probably my favourite story from the collection because it expands the universe and fleshes out how its complications interact with each other. The story follows the life of a young enlisted woman in the Grayson Navy. The young commoner exposes the sexism and classism that troubles Grayson society that Weber has previously minimized.
'By the Book' is very unusual. It takes place centuries before the core stories and reveals some of the politics of Earth in the early exploration period. The story is steeped in politics and offers a criticism of Green/anti-technology. The mystery/conspiracy at the heart of the story helps drive the unfamiliar story.
I didn't care for 'The Best Laid Plans'. The story tells the fateful meeting of Honor Harrington and Nimitz. I've never cared for the stories from the tree-cats perspective and as the series has moved forward I have become annoyed at Honor's Mary-Sue status. She might be the least interesting character in the series by the later books.
'Beauty and the Beast' is really bad. It is the entirely saccharine story of how Alfred and Allison Harrington met. It's over the top and way too long. The problem with prequels/backstory is that they need to show something new. Allison Chou's abduction is meaningless because we know she gets free and is in no real danger. I'd happily recommend skipping this one.
'A Call to Arms' isn't too bad. It's set early in Manticore's history when an early Solarian plot is launched to conquer the kingdom. It probably gets simple pass for having some naval combat and politics in the story.
So as you can see some highs and some lows. Read at your own discretion.