Here we are, kicking off the discussion of the fourth book in the Honor Harrington main series. Let’s continue our journey into the Honorverse!
“Field of Dishonor” is 416 pages of pure military adventure. It was published by Baen Books in late 1994. Events in this book take place shortly after the events in the previous novel. This book is reportedly the only one in the original 14-book series that doesn’t contain any combat in space. Don’t be discouraged though; the story is full and satisfying.
The phrase “field of dishonor” appears once, in Chapter 13. This is when Pavel Young, Earl of North Hollow, is sentenced after his court martial, stripped of his commission, the symbols of his military status and authority, and must leave the proceedings in dishonor.
In this story, we see a dramatic growth in Honor Harrington after the People’s Republic of Haven’s sneak attack on the Start Kingdom fails. The “Peeps” are now distracted by what amounts to a hostile, authoritarian revolution; giving Manticore the time to deal with government problems of its own.
With the conclusion of combat in the previous novel, Honor returns home victorious and hailed a hero. Pavel Young faces a military court on five criminal counts, two of which carry a sentence of death: his cowardice and fleeing in the face of the enemy. The story isn’t without a good bit of tension and drama, but for those who have been following the saga, there’s significant closure.
As with previous novels, we’ve learned that David Weber doesn’t try to make complex things simple for the sake of readers. Instead, he uses the story to educate the reader about the complexities of life. Here Weber brings great depth and explanation to military tactics, operations, military life, and especially command. He addresses politics as they’re tied to the trial of Pavel Young, not only a Navy officer, but also a member of nobility holding the title of lord. He explores the intersection of those two worlds and the subordination of the military to civilian authority and control. In the end, Weber shows us just how complex and messy the concept and principle of honor can be: easy to define but not easy to live out in the real world. Through Honor Harrington, we see that doing what’s right (related to justice in this case) often results in undesirable consequences.
Pavel Young is spared the death sentence but is stripped of his commission and all respect and honor associated with his military service. He is disgraced as the consequence of his own dishonorable actions. Still, he refuses to accept that the results are due to his own deeds. Instead, he blames Honor Harrington and he seeks revenge by killing the man she loves to cause her pain, then killing her.
He hires an assassin who kills Paul Tankersly by taunting him into a duel. The assassin is a professional dualist, who has no problem ending Paul’s life. What the assassin didn’t expect: Honor is honorable and lives by this virtue. She finds him and publicly names him as Paul’s killer, obligating him to defend his own “honor”. In his arrogance, he sees the stage set to put finish the contract for Pavel Young and makes the challenge. Honor kills him, then announces openly that she seeks justice and is coming for Pavel Young as the one who hired the assassin. Young hides from Honor.
Until now, Honor had never formally taken her seat in the House of Lords. She uses this as an excuse to appear before the assembled Lords, including Young who had been in hiding. She openly confronts Young and demands justice, challenging him to a duel. He’s terrified but sees no other option than to accept. The day arrives, and Pavel Young’s cowardice is on display for all to see. The duel is heavily covered by the press. With the world watching, Young acts dishonorably again. This time when he turns early and shoots Honor in the back. Wounded, she returns fire and kills the coward Pavel Young.
Justice is legally served. Even so, the political ramifications are heavy and Honor, who was warned, is expelled from the House of Lords, stripped of her military command, and placed on half-pay. She is effectively involuntarily retired from active service. As a result, she decides to return to Greyson to assume her responsibilities as a new Steadholder.
One final note. While there’s been incredible action, excitement, and a lot of depth to the universe David Weber is creating, the series does not shy away from taking a darker tone than one might expect. There’s nothing pollyannaish in this book or the story so far. Weber pulls this off masterfully, ensuring the reader isn’t brought down. Instead, there are lessons to learn through these amazing characters that might very well help readers through real problems in their own lives.
We rated “Field of Dishonor” with a 5, a 5, and a 4.5 (out of 5), for an overall rating of 4.83 from your hosts. (We’re still not settled on a rating scale. Toss us your thoughts!)
Next up: “Flag in Exile”. As always, we look forward to having you join in the conversation and the adventure!
You can find us, and all our episodes at http://honorverse.net, and email us at honorverse@tpenetwork.com. We look forward to hearing from you.
Now, let’s be about it!