As promised, here we are, back in the Crown of Slaves series talking about the second book, “Torch of Freedom”, another essential book assisting us in our passage through the Honorverse. As mentioned previously, this is the second of the four novels that comprise the Crown of Slaves series or set of books within the Honorverse, and as with the others in this set, Eric Flint was David Weber’s co-author. The influence of his writing style and perspectives absolutely help us delve into some of the ugly issues associated with the genetic slavery storyline.
This is another in what we’ll call the “stacked” novels, in that we’re still looking at events that occurred around 1921 PD. It’s actually the last one we’ll see as David completes his build-out of this significant turning point in the overarching Honorverse storyline. The layers of events we see added here now span from 1919 through 1922 PD, but they address the events we’re familiar with, now from the perspective of the still-new star kingdom of Torch and the associated sector. A healthy amount of the story leans on the activities of Anton Zilwicki and Victor Cachat as they continue to investigate the mysterious murder attempts on multiple people including Honor Harrington, Queen Barry and others. It’s not exclusively Anton and Victor’s story, but quite a bit of what happens in the novel revolves around this investigative work they’re involved with. We also have a heavy dose of the activities of the Mesan Alignment, and some fuller attention paid to the Detweilers. We may learn more about the Alignment in this novel than in any other so far. Related, there are quite a few moral issues that come to the surface, or certainly come near the surface, that were previously only foreshadowed—most of them directly associated with the connection between the Alignment and the genetic slave trade. But it’s not all about that. We definitely get a lot more of the lives and intentions of Barry, Ruth, the broader leadership of Torch and how they’re doing at finding their place in the greater universe that we call the Honorverse.
Note this book is a bit of a slower read in that there’s a lot going on. You’ll see a lot less combat action and a lot more of the weaving together of multiple storylines as this book (along with the several that preceded it) are turning us in a new direction related to the overarching storyline.
We rated “Torch of Freedom” with a 3, a 3 and a 4 (out of 5), for an overall rating of a 3.33.
As always, thank you for listening and big thanks to those of you who also take the time to like and follow us on social media, to comment on our posts or even reach out through a longer note.
Next time on the Honorverse Today podcast, we’re diving back into the “main sequence” to discuss “Mission of Honor”, the twelfth book in that set. Get ready as we’re back with Admiral Honor Alexander-Harrington as she finds herself serving as a diplomat as Queen’s Elizabeth’s direct representative and plenipotentiary during significant face-to-face negotiations with the President Pritchart and other senior government officials of Haven. You’re not going to want to miss reading and discussing this one. Grab your copy, invite a friend, and join us again next time!
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!