Here we are, already discussing the fourth Honorverse anthology entitled The Service of the Sword. This collection of six short stories written by six authors was originally published in April 2003 by Baen. While we’ll call them “short” stories, two of them are novella-length (or arguably longer), so if you haven’t read this collection yet, be aware that a couple of these stories are lengthy. The book is long, and since we’re talking about six stories, this summary is longer than usual too.
The first story in this anthology is Promised Land by Jane Lindskold, an author we’re already familiar with. This key story within the Honorverse introduces us to the Grayson character trapped on Masada named Judith. Along with several other ladies, she’s a part of a separatist group seeking to escape their oppressive culture. As they execute their plan they come into contact with Michael Winton, Crown Prince and Midshipman, on his “Snotty” cruise onboard the HMS Intransigent. The ship is on an official visit to Masada and takes place back when Manticore was weighing the pros and cons to an alliance with either Grayson or Masada. The events in this story helped inform Manticore’s decision, especially as Michael, and the crew he’s a member of, ultimately come to the aid of Judith and her friends. The story’s important because we’ll see more of Judith in the future.
Your hosts all gave this one a “thumbs-up”.
Next came the story With One Stone by Timothy Zahn. We join our favorite heroine Honor Harrington, now a captain in the RMN, and the captain of the Heavy Cruiser HMS Fearless very shortly after the events in On Basilisk Station. The story returns us to her work to address the problem of apparent piracy as ships are being attached in Silesian space. Another old “friend,” Sonja Hemphill is also involved in the effort since it seems some sort of advanced weapon is being used in these attacks. Due to apparent similarities to Hemphill’s past project called a “grav lance,” she and the Office of Naval Intelligence are also involved. We watch events unfold that ultimately expose the real power behind the attacks with this new weapon: the People’s Republic of Haven. We also get to see a young Rafe Cardones continue his early growth as a Naval officer as he’s detailed away from Honor’s crew and onto another vessel conducting intelligence operations related to the same problem.
This one received three more “thumbs-up” from your hosts!
The third story is A Ship Named Francis, written by John Ringo and Victor Mitchell. Our authors took a very different approach to the Honorverse in that it was essentially an outlandish story that brought a bit of comic relief to what has really been what we’ll call serious story telling so far. In this short story, we follow the adventures of a medic (Sick Bay Attendant) Sean Tyler and see the adventures onboard the Grayson Space Navy’s Heavy Cruiser, Francis Mueller. Nothing is quite right about this crew. Antics and follies occur as we’re introduced to a whole host of unbelievable and larger than life characters who do their best to do everything badly. You may or may not be amused, but regardless you’ll go on an adventure with this story!
Your hosts represented all the possible votes on this one, with a thumbs up, a neutral vote and a thumbs down. (Be sure to let us know what you think after you read it.)
The next story was Let’s Go to Prague, by John Ringo. This one is a solo effort by Mr. Ringo, who co-authored the previous story. While this one has comedic moments and whit, with some similarities in the writing style and “feel”, this is truly its own story and not just more zany adventures in the spirit of the last one. Here we join two Manticoran intelligence officers — Mullins and Gonzalves — who decide to remain under cover and visit the plant Prague (a part of Haven’s domain) for vacation. Why? We learn as we watch their planning unfold, Prague has the best beer! (So why not?) The story is corny on the surface, but there’s actually a more serious story unfolding as well. Our main characters encounter a woman named Rachel who turns out to be a former lover of Mullins, and who is an agent under the control of Manticore’s Office of Naval Intelligence. She, with the assistance of Mullins and Gonzalves, works to bring in a defecting Peep admiral named Mládek. All of this unfolds right as Honor Harrington resurfaces after her escape from Hades.
Three more “thumbs-up” for this story.
The fifth story, written by the amazing Eric Flint, is called Fanatic. It’s essentially a direct sequel to the previous short story From the Highlands (found in the previous anthology we discussed entitled “Changer of Worlds”).
The events in this one take place just before and right through when Oscar Saint-Just is killed. The main character is Victor Cachat, but we see a strong accompanying cast of characters like Kevin and Virginia Usher. We thought Victor was a bad person before, but now he seems to be truly evil in this story that focuses on his work in the La Martine Sector as a Special Investigator working directly for Saint Just. He’s investigating the assassination of the local People’s Commissioner and dealing with what may be the consequences there of the failed coup attempt by McQueen on Haven. Perhaps it’s housekeeping, reinforcing standards, or an attempt to reassert control where there’s fear it might slip away. Regardless, Cachat is brutal, not having to follow the normal rules imposed on law enforcement and others.
Of note: Eric Flint is the creator of the character Victor Cachat. Your hosts are fans of Eric and appreciate the real depth of the character he created in Victor. He’s absolutely a believable and terrifying bad guy.
Your hosts gave this story three “thumbs-up”.
The sixth and final story is the “title track” from this anthology: The Service of the Sword, written by the creator of the Honorverse, Mr. David Weber.
As with the first story in this anthology, we’re joining another Academy “middy” on a “Snotty cruise.” This time we’re riding along with Midshipwoman Abigail Hearns on the HMS Gauntlet, under the command of Captain Michael Oversteegen. We watch as Abigail wrestles with her own cultural, mental and emotional baggage, primarily anchored to two pieces of critical information: she’s the first Grayson-born female officer in the Grayson Space Navy, and she’s considered Honor Harrington’s protégé. Regardless of how much truth is contained in those perceptions (hers and the crew’s), we watch a quietly tense but routine cruise quickly get ugly when Gauntlet and her crew find themselves in extremis as they discover Manpower, Inc. is using the system they’re visiting as a staging area for illegal activities. Abigail, in command of a detail off the ship when things get violent, is told to take cover on the nearby planet Refuge. When her party is discovered and ends up in direct contact with the enemy. Her actions and decisions in this situation of unanticipated combat command let us, in fact, see shades of a young Honor Harrington! Abigail, like so many other characters introduced or featured in the anthologies, will no doubt appear again in other parts of the Honorverse.
Your hosts gave this final story three hearty “thumbs-up” as well.
Overall, we rated the “The Service of the Sword” with a 5, a 4 and another 4, for an overall rating of 4.33.
Next up: we’re diving into the first of four novels in the Honorverse associated series Crown of Slaves, called “Crown of Slaves”. This is our first step into one of the “sidequels”, related series, spin-offs, or whatever you’d prefer to call these sets of books. Please keep in mind, none of these related sets of novels should be considered anything less than canon. They’re critical to the storyline and therefore are a part of the larger main series of novels.
Also, for those just joining us, we’re reading the books in the Honorverse in order of publication based on our understanding that these stories were written and published this way on purpose. (Confirmed by the author himself!)
As always, please keep those likes and comments coming. If you’re enjoying this podcast, be sure to tell a friend. Remember, two of your hosts are new readers, so new readers are just as welcome as those of you who are recent or long-time fans.
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!