This note contains spoilers for the book.

A collection of stories in the Honor Harrington universe, one by David Weber, the rest by other established authors. I think this is the fourth such collection.

And at least the third Baen book that I've been spared buying the hardcover of because of their electronic book program. One of them, War of Honor (#3), was particularly worth not paying for.

I don't plan to make this a habit, but I seem to want to go over each story individually on this book, so I will. It's great to have no rules, nobody to be responsible to!

While I'm putting links to my booknotes on the other authors, this entry won't be indexed under them in other contexts, I'm afraid. It's all a hack, not an actual system, and that level of complexity is beyond it.

Promised Land

By Jane Lindskold.

A Masadan woman (that's even more unfortunate than being a Grayson woman) is involved in a revolt and escape from the husbands who treat them like slaves. Killing a certain number in the process, and who can blame them? (Not more than necessary, actually.)

With One Stone

By Timothy Zahn.

Cardones gets pulled out from under Harrington (in the TO, I mean) and cruises Silesia looking for a raider with strange capabilities -- which turns out to be a Solarian con-man trying to land a big contract with the Peeps. Honor herself is on stage quite a bit, too.

A Ship Named Francis

By John Ringo and Victor Mitchell.

In my opinion, one of the weaker stories. About a ship of incompetents. Maintained by the Grayson navy, because they can't quite afford to get rid of them. I don't believe it; I don't believe the high officers from Grayson illustrated in the series would behave this way.

Let's Go To Prague

By John Ringo.

An interesting romp, some top agents go to a Peep planet on vacation and get involved in something important, and pull it off with help they don't fully understand until later.

Again, the justification seems weak to me. I don't really believe in them going there for a vacation, and I for sure don't believe in their being let off so easily if they did.

Fanatic

By Eric Flint.

One of the three winners in this volume, I think, along with the Lindskold and the coming Weber.

This one takes place within the Peep forces, around the time of the Theisman coup. The action is motivated by a very dutiful Special Investigator (I find myself reading "Imperial Auditor" here) who comes out to this sector that the navy and political commisars have actually been making work.

It even manages to come to a pretty nice ending.

The Service of the Sword

By David Weber.

This is the story of the Midshipwoman cruise of the first female Grayson cadet sent to Saganami island for training. Who happens to be Steadholder Owens daughter.

It's rather nice. Of course she gets in trouble, and actually has to do important stuff, and does it rather well. She even leaves a large trail of enemy and friendly casualties behind her, following in the footsteps of the other famous woman in the Royal Navy that Grayson can claim. (That's Honor Harrington, for those not following the series; why would you be reading this if you aren't a fan of it?)