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Honorverse: Manticore Ascendant #3
A Call to Vengeance
Book three in the nationally best-selling Manticore Ascendant series, a prequel series to David Weber's multiple New York Times best-selling Honor Harrington series. Sequel to A Call to Duty and A Call to Arms.
After the disastrous attack on the Manticoran home system by forces unknown, the Royal Manticoran Navy stands on the brink of collapse. A shadowy enemy with the resources to hurl warships across hundreds of light years seeks to conquer the Star Kingdom for reasons unknown, while forces from within Manticore’s own government seek to discredit and weaken the Navy for reasons very much known: their own political gain.
It’s up to officers like Travis Long and Lisa Donnelly to defend the Star Kingdom and the Royal Manticoran Navy from these threats, but the challenge is greater than any they have faced before. Weakened but not defeated, the mercenary forces and their mysterious employer could return at any time, and the anti-Navy faction within Parliament is growing. The situation becomes even more dire when fresh tragedy strikes the Star Kingdom.
While the House of Winton faces their enemies at home, Travis, Lisa, and the other officers of the Royal Manticoran Navy must reunite with old friends and join new allies to hunt down and eliminate the forces arrayed against them in a galaxy-spanning conspiracy.
Manticore has learned that the universe is not a safe place, but the Star Kingdom’s enemies are about to learn it's dangerous to mess with the Manticore!
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
With over eight million copies of his books in print and thirty titles on the New York Times bestseller list, David Weber is the science fiction publishing phenomenon of the new millennium. In the hugely popular Honor Harrington series, the spirit of C.S. Forester’s Horatio Hornblower and Patrick O’Brian’s Master and Commander lives on—into the galactic future. Books in the Honor Harrington and Honorverse series have appeared on fourteen best-seller lists, including those of The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and USA Today. While Weber is best known for his spirited, modern-minded space operas, he is also the creator of the Oath of Swords fantasy series and the Dahak saga. Weber has also engaged in a steady stream of bestselling collaborations including his Starfire series with Steve White, which produced the New York Times bestseller The Shiva Option among others. Weber’s collaboration with alternate history master Eric Flint led to the bestselling 1634: The Baltic War, and his planetary adventure novels with military science fiction ace and multiple national best-seller John Ringo includes the blockbusters March to the Stars and We Few. Weber’s collaboration with Linda Evans and Joelle Presby produced the bestselling Multiverse series. David Weber makes his home in South Carolina with his wife and children.
Timothy Zahn is a Hugo award winner and author of the #1 New York Times best seller Heir to the Empire. Born in Chicago, Zahn earned a B.S. in physics from Michigan State University and an M.S. in physics from the University of Illinois. He sold his first story to Analog magazine in 1978 and immediately attracted attention as a new writer of science fiction based on real, cutting-edge science. Other Zahn works include the Conqueror and Dragonback series. His books for Baen include his popular Cobra SF adventure series, with latest entry Cobra Traitor, and now the Manticore Ascendant series, cowritten with David Weber and Thomas Pope.
Thomas Pope is a founder of BuNine, a collection of professionals assisting David Weber in defining and documenting the Honorverse.
After the disastrous attack on the Manticoran home system by forces unknown, the Royal Manticoran Navy stands on the brink of collapse. A shadowy enemy with the resources to hurl warships across hundreds of light years seeks to conquer the Star Kingdom for reasons unknown, while forces from within Manticore’s own government seek to discredit and weaken the Navy for reasons very much known: their own political gain.
It’s up to officers like Travis Long and Lisa Donnelly to defend the Star Kingdom and the Royal Manticoran Navy from these threats, but the challenge is greater than any they have faced before. Weakened but not defeated, the mercenary forces and their mysterious employer could return at any time, and the anti-Navy faction within Parliament is growing. The situation becomes even more dire when fresh tragedy strikes the Star Kingdom.
While the House of Winton faces their enemies at home, Travis, Lisa, and the other officers of the Royal Manticoran Navy must reunite with old friends and join new allies to hunt down and eliminate the forces arrayed against them in a galaxy-spanning conspiracy.
Manticore has learned that the universe is not a safe place, but the Star Kingdom’s enemies are about to learn it's dangerous to mess with the Manticore!
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
With over eight million copies of his books in print and thirty titles on the New York Times bestseller list, David Weber is the science fiction publishing phenomenon of the new millennium. In the hugely popular Honor Harrington series, the spirit of C.S. Forester’s Horatio Hornblower and Patrick O’Brian’s Master and Commander lives on—into the galactic future. Books in the Honor Harrington and Honorverse series have appeared on fourteen best-seller lists, including those of The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and USA Today. While Weber is best known for his spirited, modern-minded space operas, he is also the creator of the Oath of Swords fantasy series and the Dahak saga. Weber has also engaged in a steady stream of bestselling collaborations including his Starfire series with Steve White, which produced the New York Times bestseller The Shiva Option among others. Weber’s collaboration with alternate history master Eric Flint led to the bestselling 1634: The Baltic War, and his planetary adventure novels with military science fiction ace and multiple national best-seller John Ringo includes the blockbusters March to the Stars and We Few. Weber’s collaboration with Linda Evans and Joelle Presby produced the bestselling Multiverse series. David Weber makes his home in South Carolina with his wife and children.
Timothy Zahn is a Hugo award winner and author of the #1 New York Times best seller Heir to the Empire. Born in Chicago, Zahn earned a B.S. in physics from Michigan State University and an M.S. in physics from the University of Illinois. He sold his first story to Analog magazine in 1978 and immediately attracted attention as a new writer of science fiction based on real, cutting-edge science. Other Zahn works include the Conqueror and Dragonback series. His books for Baen include his popular Cobra SF adventure series, with latest entry Cobra Traitor, and now the Manticore Ascendant series, cowritten with David Weber and Thomas Pope.
Thomas Pope is a founder of BuNine, a collection of professionals assisting David Weber in defining and documenting the Honorverse.
607 pages, ebook
First published March 6, 2018
206 people are currently reading
1182 people want to read
About the author
David Weber
322 books4,539 followersDavid Mark Weber is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1952.
Many of his stories have military, particularly naval, themes, and fit into the military science fiction genre. He frequently places female leading characters in what have been traditionally male roles.
One of his most popular and enduring characters is Honor Harrington whose alliterated name is an homage to C.S. Forester's character Horatio Hornblower and her last name from a fleet doctor in Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander . Her story, together with the "Honorverse" she inhabits, has been developed through 16 novels and six shared-universe anthologies, as of spring 2013 (other works are in production). In 2008, he donated his archive to the department of Rare Books and Special Collections at Northern Illinois University.
Many of his books are available online, either in their entirety as part of the Baen Free Library or, in the case of more recent books, in the form of sample chapters (typically the first 25-33% of the work).
http://us.macmillan.com/author/davidw...
Many of his stories have military, particularly naval, themes, and fit into the military science fiction genre. He frequently places female leading characters in what have been traditionally male roles.
One of his most popular and enduring characters is Honor Harrington whose alliterated name is an homage to C.S. Forester's character Horatio Hornblower and her last name from a fleet doctor in Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander . Her story, together with the "Honorverse" she inhabits, has been developed through 16 novels and six shared-universe anthologies, as of spring 2013 (other works are in production). In 2008, he donated his archive to the department of Rare Books and Special Collections at Northern Illinois University.
Many of his books are available online, either in their entirety as part of the Baen Free Library or, in the case of more recent books, in the form of sample chapters (typically the first 25-33% of the work).
http://us.macmillan.com/author/davidw...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 159 reviews
June 21, 2023
Excellent SiFi series. I am enjoying this prequel series alot and it's making me really look forward to getting to the main series of book. Great Read. Very recommended
May 5, 2025
A solid end to a very solid space opera trilogy. The vengeance in the title is multi-faceted and wraps up a lot of storylines. Continues the prior tale, so not a stand-alone book.
January 13, 2019
This is book three in The Manticore Ascendant Series. In this story we are following the naval career of Lieutenant Travis Uriah Long and the beginning of the reign of Elizabeth II in 1544 PD. There has been a disastrous attack on the Manticoran Home System and the Royal Manticoran Navy stands at the brink of collapse. Weber provides the history of the House of Winton in this book. Weber reveals the politics that is going on, both civilian and navy, as well as the space battles.
This book is well written. This is in many ways a typical Weber story with a bit more talk than needed. There is action and suspense along with a great space battle. Weber is a terrific storyteller. I am looking forward to book four.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is sixteen hours and forty-six minutes. Eric Michael Summerer does an excellent job narrating the book. Summerer is a voice-over artist and audiobook narrator. He has won the Audie Award and many Earphone Awards for his narration.
This book is well written. This is in many ways a typical Weber story with a bit more talk than needed. There is action and suspense along with a great space battle. Weber is a terrific storyteller. I am looking forward to book four.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is sixteen hours and forty-six minutes. Eric Michael Summerer does an excellent job narrating the book. Summerer is a voice-over artist and audiobook narrator. He has won the Audie Award and many Earphone Awards for his narration.
January 30, 2018
Third in the prequel series to the Honor Harrington saga. Manticore is a young kingdom, still forming traditions in government and navy. It has been targeted by a corporation that wants control of the newly discovered wormhole to Manticorean space--which Manticore doesn't know about yet. New threats, new explorations, and new alliances follow two waves of invasion, in an exciting adventure.
I was hoping that this would be the final book in a trilogy, but it's still very open-ended. While I will be happy to read more about Travis Long and the others, I wish that Weber could resolve a series for once.
I was hoping that this would be the final book in a trilogy, but it's still very open-ended. While I will be happy to read more about Travis Long and the others, I wish that Weber could resolve a series for once.
May 17, 2018
In many ways this is a typical David Weber book, there is a great story, but it is just too long winded. To be fair, it is better than some of the recent Honor Harrington books, but I just wish he would get to the point.
The book develops slowly as several different storylines gradually evolve, the problems is that nothing really happens until right at the end of the book.
Unfortunately, the end of the story was a bit of an anticlimax. There were a couple of potential battles that were really non-events, the plot involving the ‘evil mastermind’ made very little sense and although the political machinations surrounding Queen Elizabeth came to a conclusion, it wasn’t very satisfying.
I will read the next book because I’m ‘hooked’ on the basic story, but sometimes I wish I wasn’t.
The book develops slowly as several different storylines gradually evolve, the problems is that nothing really happens until right at the end of the book.
Unfortunately, the end of the story was a bit of an anticlimax. There were a couple of potential battles that were really non-events, the plot involving the ‘evil mastermind’ made very little sense and although the political machinations surrounding Queen Elizabeth came to a conclusion, it wasn’t very satisfying.
I will read the next book because I’m ‘hooked’ on the basic story, but sometimes I wish I wasn’t.
March 9, 2018
Third and last in the Manticore Ascendant science fiction military soap opera series, a prequel in the Honorverse, revolving around the kingdom of Manticore, as we follow the career of Lieutenant Travis Uriah Long, and introducing us to the start of Elizabeth II’s reign in 1544 PD.
My Take
Underhanded greed is what it’s all about. On both sides. What can I say, politics are involved. It does help that Weber/Zahn use third person omniscient point-of-view, and we know the thoughts and feelings of a number of characters from the self-righteous to the greedy to the patriotic.
It's full of politicos with their pet projects and egos that need stroking — all the brouhaha over separate training facilities!? Why not have one facility that trains everybody? They’ll all be operating on ships. And at least half of them don’t really care about the nation they’re supposed to be representing. Then there are the bad guys with their lack of morals and greedy desires.
Sigh, it’s hard not to reflect on the original Honor Harrington stories and the fab equipment they have and compare it to the junk this under-equipped navy has in these early days. I do look forward to reading about Elizabeth’s changes.
There is a lot of bluffing going on with plenty of tension. Weber/Zahn make good use of the better ships of the navies surrounding them to point up how bad off the Royal Manticoran Navy is as well as demonstrating the changes Manticore is likely to make in future.
There’s definitely too much telling going on, and I wish Weber/Zahn had made Travis’ social ineptness more obvious along with his need for structure and discipline. His interaction with Lisa could have used more tension, although I guess Weber/Zahn figured they had enough tension going on. There could have been so much more, though, if Weber/Zahn had shown us how bad Mantie equipment was instead of merely telling us.
Weber/Zahn have made a try at giving us some backstory on the more obvious characters such as Clegg’s father and the pressure he was putting on her; Travis’ cold mother; and, how the Manticoran constitution evolved and why (that bit about oligarchies and marrying a commoner was quite inspired).
I hate Llyn. Well, okay, I’m supposed to hate him. And I really want the cocky bugger to get his comeuppance!
There were some tie-ups and revelations at the end — Weber/Zahn had been quite secretive about those seven names and purposely confusing. It's that space-high cliffhanger that really makes me nuts. And scoff at the idea that this is the end.
The Story
After the disastrous attack on the Manticoran home system by forces unknown, the Royal Manticoran Navy stands on the brink of collapse. A shadowy enemy with the resources to hurl warships across hundreds of light years seeks to conquer the Star Kingdom for reasons unknown, while forces from within Manticore’s own government seek to discredit and weaken the Navy for reasons very much known: their own political gain.
It’s up to officers like Travis Long and Lisa Donnelly to defend the Star Kingdom and the Royal Manticoran Navy from these threats, but the challenge is greater than any they have faced before. Weakened but not defeated, the mercenary forces and their mysterious employer could return at any time, and the anti-Navy faction within Parliament is growing. The situation becomes even more dire when fresh tragedy strikes the Star Kingdom.
While the House of Winton faces their enemies at home, Travis, Lisa, and the other officers of the Royal Manticoran Navy must reunite with old friends and join new allies to hunt down and eliminate the forces arrayed against them in a galaxy-spanning conspiracy.
Manticore has learned that the universe is not a safe place, but the Star Kingdom’s enemies are about to learn a lesson of their own!
The Characters
It's truncated with the full list on my blog.
The socially awkward Lieutenant Travis Uriah Long is a stickler for the regs AND a brilliant tactician aboard the HMS Casey. Melisande Vellacott Long is Travis and Gavin’s mother who is more concerned about her dogs than Travis. Miggles is one of her dogs.
Travis is friendly with Lieutenant Commander Lisa Donnelly who will become tactical officer aboard Damocles. Petty Officer Charles “Chomps” Townsend has a grudge against Travis and is in MPRS at the start of this story.
Manticore is…
…a tiny kingdom far from the Solarian League (what we think of as Earth). Landing City is the capital. King Edward is the son of the former King Michael who abdicated four years ago. Queen Consort Cynthia is Edward’s wife. They had two children: Crown Prince Richard and the wild Princess Sophie. Elizabeth Winton-De Quieroz is Edward’s half-sister and a widow. Her beloved husband, Carmichael, was killed in a hunting accident four years ago. Mary is Elizabeth’s mother and Michael’s second wife.
Aegis Force had...
...to be restructured. Janus Force had been destroyed.
HMS Casey is…
…captained by Commodore Rudolph Heissman; he’s replaced by Clegg for the Silesian Confederacy mission. Commander Alfred Woodburn is tactical officer and promoted to XO. Commander Beloka, the original XO, will be stuck at the Academy. Lieutenant Commander Jeffrey Norris is in engineering. Lieutenant Sulini Hara and Chief Hira are on the com. Lukanov is the astrogator. Lieutenant Kojong Ip is the ATO. Heinrich Hauptman, assistant manager to Countess Barbara Acton who owns a shipbuilding company, joins the ship's company.
HMS Damocles is…
…sent to Haven and captained by Captain Hari Marcello; Commander Susan Shiflett is the executive officer; Chief Wrenner; Commander Papadakis is the engineer; Chief Ulvestad and Lieutenant Vespasiano Guiccardini share the com. Spacer 2/c Huvoski is part of the crew. Spacer Third Class Belgrand had been caught in a blast. Lieutenant Commander Wanda Ravel is the new Tactical Officer. Lisa will be its new XO for the trip to Haven.
HMS Vanguard is…
…a battlecruiser, which is captained at the start by Captain Trina Clegg (she’s terrible with people), and serving as Rear Admiral Kyle Eigen’s flagship. The not particularly ept Commander Bertinelli, the ship’s XO, had hoped to become captain. Lieutenant McKenzie. Lieutenant Messner is on the com.
Perseus, a heavy cruiser, is commanded by Captain Pierre Conroy; Eriyne, a destroyer captained by Timberlake; Gryphon, a cruiser; and, Bellerophon, a cruiser, which is under Captain Stillman.
Red Force is…
…charged with protecting the planet Gryphon. HMS Victory is the flagship for Admiral Thomas Flannery. Captain Adelaide Meyers is Flannery’s flag captain. RMS Hyderabad is registered to a Samuel Tilliotson and chartered as a Navy transport with Captain Estelle O’Higgins in command. Lieutenant Slocum is one of her officers.
Admiral Carlton Locatelli’s flagship is Invincible; he’s also on Excellent. First Lord of the Admiralty Admiral (ret) Thomas P. Cazenestro is an advisor to King Edward. Admiral Dembinski is in charge of BuPers, the place careers go to die. Orpheus is a space station at which the navy’s ships dock. Commandant Allen Innes is in charge of the MPARS Academy. Two corvettes will be left behind as the System Reserve Force: Aries and Taurus on which Lieutenant Brian O’Higgins (Estelle’s son) is tactical officer. Petty Officer Jasmine Falcone is but one fatality. Commander/Captain Vincent Carpenter is the master chief. Captains Hardasy and Kostava are mentioned. Captain Allegra Metzger had been Travis’ XO on Guardian during the Secour Incident. The incompetent Karina Alexander, Admiral White Haven, has the HMS Nike as her flagship with Captain Ermolai Beckett in command.
The King’s Own security force includes…
…the obsessive Sergeant Robert Herzog, Major Blackburn, Major B.A. Felton, PFC Patricia Gauzweiller, Sergeant Sara Felton (B.A. is one of her cousins) and PFC Bridget Keating are two of the divers, Major Fergueson, and Colonel Petrov Jackson who is their leader. Adler and Penescu are Elizabeth’s bodyguards.
Archbishop Wallace Bradford is the archbishop of Landing; Rabbi Malcham Saltzman, Imam Acharya Hu-Jiang, and Guru Bagaskro Shrivastava are the other acknowledged spiritual leaders of Manticore. The new monarch will be crowned in the Catholic Landing Cathedral, a.k.a., King Michael’s Cathedral, that was built sixteen years ago. David will be the baby. Martine seems to be Elizabeth’s secretary. Lieutenant David Bozwell commands the CGC Jackstraw; it and Argus are patrolling the waters. The Sphinxian Sergeant Brian VanHoose is a big crewmember of the Jackstraw. The Happily Ever is a party boat owned by Basil Moore which is ordered off the water.
Prime Minister Davis Harper, Duke of Burgundy, is on the monarch’s side. Louisa Geary is his personal secretary. Minister of Defense James Mantegna, Earl Dapplelake, has Secretary of Bioscience Lisa Tufele, Baroness Coldwater, and Shipyard Supervisor John Garner, Baron Low Delhi, as allies.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Anderson L’Estrange, Earl Breakwater, schemes and manipulates to gather any and all glory to his pet project, the Manticoran Patrol and Rescue Service (MPRS). Gavin Vellacott, Baron Winterfall, is Breakwater’s aide (and Travis’ estranged half-brother). Breakwater’s secretary is Angela and his allies include First Lord of Law Deborah Scannabechhi, Duchess New Bern; Director of Belt Mining Carolynne Jhomper; Maria Stahlberg, Baroness Castle Rock; Ross Macinroy, Earl Chillon; and, Yvonne Rowlandson, Baroness Tweenriver.
Secretary of Industry Julian Mulholland, Baron Harwich, and Foreign Secretary Susan Tarleton are generally neutral. Adelaide Summervale, Duchess of Cromarty, and Kenneth Pavón, Speaker of the House of Commons, play a part in the coronation. Joshua Miller, a farmer from Friedman’s Valley, sits in the House of Commons as does the domineering Jacques Corlain, Placido Amadeo, and Sarah Tonquis of White Sand.
Special Intelligence Service (SIS) is…
…a newly formed spy agency intended to supplement the hidebound ONI. Clara Sumner, Countess Calvingdell, is its head and a former Minister of Defense who wants to rename it Delphi. Flora Taylor is the Gatekeeper.
The Samantha is the royal ship. Peter Young is the eldest son of Hardian Young, Earl North Hollow.
The Republic of Haven is…
…a neighboring star system with whom Manticore is on friendly terms. Their navy is cracking down on pirates. Brigadier Jean Massingill (Alvis is her husband) leads the 303rd Special Commando Assault Force, Expeditionary (SCAFE) with a team that includes Elsie Dorrman, Frijtom, and Sergeant DuMonde. Lieutenant Bastonge, the Team One commander, leads a 40-man platoon; Captain Danzer and Sergeants Gnoli and Cochran are also leaders. Corporal Rushkoff is their best-trained ship tech. The ship they’re using is RHNS Terrier. Ambassador-at-large Louis Joffre is an observer.
Commodore Gustave Charnay had been XO of Saintonge under Commodore Jason Flanders some years ago. Now Charnay will lead them into battle. Intrépide and Courageux are modern destroyers; Jocelyne Pellian and Jean-Claude Courtois are heavy cruisers. Hache de Guerre and Poignard will help with search-and-rescue operations. Admiral Dorvelle’s ships being repaired include Artois, Provence, and Poitu.
Daval Weissman is a representative of the Jerriais Consortium board, a major development group, building shipyards in Bergen. Floyd Koski is the consortium’s manager for Bergen 2. Solway has warehouses with corrupt employees. Greez Paco is a second assistant manager.
Danak is…
…close to the Republic of Haven, but a trading partner and not an ally. Dostoyevsky is the Jerriais operations manager. Charnay pretends to be the Secretary of Industry. Nelson is the president of Danak.
The Anderman Empire was…
…founded by Gustav Anderman, a very successful mercenary commander in the Solarian League. Now he’s emperor. The Hamman is an Andermani freighter and part of the empire’s Merchant Marine. Captain Charles Kane is its commander. Major Chien-lu Zhou is the director of Silesian Operations for Abteilung III (the Andermani Department of Intelligence). And Basaltberg’s son-in-law.
HMS Vergeltung is Admiral Gotthold Riefenstahl’s, Graf von Basaltberg's, flagship; its captain is Luitpold Huschens. The admiral commands the fleet tracking Gensonne. Commander Anholt is the operations officer.
The Axelrod Corporation is…
…a Transstellar corporation who wants the hidden wealth of Manticore. The “ringleader” of the entire operation is Jeremiah Llyn, an Axelrod black ops agent. Haus knows him as Ichabod; he uses a CGI overlay identity as Count Ernst Bloch; and, he’s the hostage, Max Baird. Captain Lionel Katura, a good astrogator, commands Pacemaker. Hester Fife is one of the crew and a mathematical genius with computers. Master Rafe Rowbtham is supposedly a rich Solarian merchant. Shrike is under Captain Vaagen and Banshee is under Captain Rhamas.
The Volsung mercenaries are…
…based on Walther (Governor Bilshing has title to this minor system within the Silesian System) and led by Admiral Cutler Gensonne, a.k.a., Cutler van Tischendorf, Admiral Swenson, Admiral Koenig of the Imperial Andermani Navy, and Tamerlane who tried to conquer Manticore. At the mercenaries' public base, Lieutenant Commander Syncho is their public liaison. The Tarantel is a battlecruiser based at Walther. Lieutenant Wolfgang Moeller is the ATO; Lieutenant Commander Margo Feyman is tactical officer. Leuchtfeuer is down for maintenance. Heliograph and Semaphore are the ready-duty ships. Walther’s Schmiede is an orbiting space station commanded by Captain Soeren/Soren Hauser. Captain Ditmar Stoeffel needs to keep Hauser in line. Commander Eric Becker is in engineering.
Odin, a.k.a., Winterfeldt, is commanded by Captain Sweeney Imbar. The cruisers Mollwitz, Burkersdorf, and Rossbach are the Volsung aliases for Adder, Copperhead captained by von Belling, and Mamba, all Thu’ban class ships. Boyen is the alias for Loki commanded by Captain Harcon Jaeger. Fomalhaut, Aldebaran, and Shirokawa are more of the mercenaries’ ships.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a collage of events within the story in a palette of blues and golds, a thin red outline framing overlapping events. A huge ship hovers over a body of water. A distant view with small boats and explosions in the lower right. In the upper left is Schmiede with the explosive fire of missiles. At the top are the authors' names in white against a black background. Below that is a blue riband scroll with notched ends and a lighter blue outline with the overall series name in white. Below that is an embossed title, old gold outlined in black, shadowed in a pale bluish purple. A star frames the start and end of the first two words in the same colors and style. Centered at the bottom is the information for this series in a complementary light blue.
The title is Manticore’s response to the attack on their system, A Call to Vengeance, to find the truth — and the attackers.
My Take
Underhanded greed is what it’s all about. On both sides. What can I say, politics are involved. It does help that Weber/Zahn use third person omniscient point-of-view, and we know the thoughts and feelings of a number of characters from the self-righteous to the greedy to the patriotic.
It's full of politicos with their pet projects and egos that need stroking — all the brouhaha over separate training facilities!? Why not have one facility that trains everybody? They’ll all be operating on ships. And at least half of them don’t really care about the nation they’re supposed to be representing. Then there are the bad guys with their lack of morals and greedy desires.
Sigh, it’s hard not to reflect on the original Honor Harrington stories and the fab equipment they have and compare it to the junk this under-equipped navy has in these early days. I do look forward to reading about Elizabeth’s changes.
There is a lot of bluffing going on with plenty of tension. Weber/Zahn make good use of the better ships of the navies surrounding them to point up how bad off the Royal Manticoran Navy is as well as demonstrating the changes Manticore is likely to make in future.
There’s definitely too much telling going on, and I wish Weber/Zahn had made Travis’ social ineptness more obvious along with his need for structure and discipline. His interaction with Lisa could have used more tension, although I guess Weber/Zahn figured they had enough tension going on. There could have been so much more, though, if Weber/Zahn had shown us how bad Mantie equipment was instead of merely telling us.
Weber/Zahn have made a try at giving us some backstory on the more obvious characters such as Clegg’s father and the pressure he was putting on her; Travis’ cold mother; and, how the Manticoran constitution evolved and why (that bit about oligarchies and marrying a commoner was quite inspired).
I hate Llyn. Well, okay, I’m supposed to hate him. And I really want the cocky bugger to get his comeuppance!
There were some tie-ups and revelations at the end — Weber/Zahn had been quite secretive about those seven names and purposely confusing. It's that space-high cliffhanger that really makes me nuts. And scoff at the idea that this is the end.
The Story
After the disastrous attack on the Manticoran home system by forces unknown, the Royal Manticoran Navy stands on the brink of collapse. A shadowy enemy with the resources to hurl warships across hundreds of light years seeks to conquer the Star Kingdom for reasons unknown, while forces from within Manticore’s own government seek to discredit and weaken the Navy for reasons very much known: their own political gain.
It’s up to officers like Travis Long and Lisa Donnelly to defend the Star Kingdom and the Royal Manticoran Navy from these threats, but the challenge is greater than any they have faced before. Weakened but not defeated, the mercenary forces and their mysterious employer could return at any time, and the anti-Navy faction within Parliament is growing. The situation becomes even more dire when fresh tragedy strikes the Star Kingdom.
While the House of Winton faces their enemies at home, Travis, Lisa, and the other officers of the Royal Manticoran Navy must reunite with old friends and join new allies to hunt down and eliminate the forces arrayed against them in a galaxy-spanning conspiracy.
Manticore has learned that the universe is not a safe place, but the Star Kingdom’s enemies are about to learn a lesson of their own!
The Characters
It's truncated with the full list on my blog.
The socially awkward Lieutenant Travis Uriah Long is a stickler for the regs AND a brilliant tactician aboard the HMS Casey. Melisande Vellacott Long is Travis and Gavin’s mother who is more concerned about her dogs than Travis. Miggles is one of her dogs.
Travis is friendly with Lieutenant Commander Lisa Donnelly who will become tactical officer aboard Damocles. Petty Officer Charles “Chomps” Townsend has a grudge against Travis and is in MPRS at the start of this story.
Manticore is…
…a tiny kingdom far from the Solarian League (what we think of as Earth). Landing City is the capital. King Edward is the son of the former King Michael who abdicated four years ago. Queen Consort Cynthia is Edward’s wife. They had two children: Crown Prince Richard and the wild Princess Sophie. Elizabeth Winton-De Quieroz is Edward’s half-sister and a widow. Her beloved husband, Carmichael, was killed in a hunting accident four years ago. Mary is Elizabeth’s mother and Michael’s second wife.
Aegis Force had...
...to be restructured. Janus Force had been destroyed.
HMS Casey is…
…captained by Commodore Rudolph Heissman; he’s replaced by Clegg for the Silesian Confederacy mission. Commander Alfred Woodburn is tactical officer and promoted to XO. Commander Beloka, the original XO, will be stuck at the Academy. Lieutenant Commander Jeffrey Norris is in engineering. Lieutenant Sulini Hara and Chief Hira are on the com. Lukanov is the astrogator. Lieutenant Kojong Ip is the ATO. Heinrich Hauptman, assistant manager to Countess Barbara Acton who owns a shipbuilding company, joins the ship's company.
HMS Damocles is…
…sent to Haven and captained by Captain Hari Marcello; Commander Susan Shiflett is the executive officer; Chief Wrenner; Commander Papadakis is the engineer; Chief Ulvestad and Lieutenant Vespasiano Guiccardini share the com. Spacer 2/c Huvoski is part of the crew. Spacer Third Class Belgrand had been caught in a blast. Lieutenant Commander Wanda Ravel is the new Tactical Officer. Lisa will be its new XO for the trip to Haven.
HMS Vanguard is…
…a battlecruiser, which is captained at the start by Captain Trina Clegg (she’s terrible with people), and serving as Rear Admiral Kyle Eigen’s flagship. The not particularly ept Commander Bertinelli, the ship’s XO, had hoped to become captain. Lieutenant McKenzie. Lieutenant Messner is on the com.
Perseus, a heavy cruiser, is commanded by Captain Pierre Conroy; Eriyne, a destroyer captained by Timberlake; Gryphon, a cruiser; and, Bellerophon, a cruiser, which is under Captain Stillman.
Red Force is…
…charged with protecting the planet Gryphon. HMS Victory is the flagship for Admiral Thomas Flannery. Captain Adelaide Meyers is Flannery’s flag captain. RMS Hyderabad is registered to a Samuel Tilliotson and chartered as a Navy transport with Captain Estelle O’Higgins in command. Lieutenant Slocum is one of her officers.
Admiral Carlton Locatelli’s flagship is Invincible; he’s also on Excellent. First Lord of the Admiralty Admiral (ret) Thomas P. Cazenestro is an advisor to King Edward. Admiral Dembinski is in charge of BuPers, the place careers go to die. Orpheus is a space station at which the navy’s ships dock. Commandant Allen Innes is in charge of the MPARS Academy. Two corvettes will be left behind as the System Reserve Force: Aries and Taurus on which Lieutenant Brian O’Higgins (Estelle’s son) is tactical officer. Petty Officer Jasmine Falcone is but one fatality. Commander/Captain Vincent Carpenter is the master chief. Captains Hardasy and Kostava are mentioned. Captain Allegra Metzger had been Travis’ XO on Guardian during the Secour Incident. The incompetent Karina Alexander, Admiral White Haven, has the HMS Nike as her flagship with Captain Ermolai Beckett in command.
The King’s Own security force includes…
…the obsessive Sergeant Robert Herzog, Major Blackburn, Major B.A. Felton, PFC Patricia Gauzweiller, Sergeant Sara Felton (B.A. is one of her cousins) and PFC Bridget Keating are two of the divers, Major Fergueson, and Colonel Petrov Jackson who is their leader. Adler and Penescu are Elizabeth’s bodyguards.
Archbishop Wallace Bradford is the archbishop of Landing; Rabbi Malcham Saltzman, Imam Acharya Hu-Jiang, and Guru Bagaskro Shrivastava are the other acknowledged spiritual leaders of Manticore. The new monarch will be crowned in the Catholic Landing Cathedral, a.k.a., King Michael’s Cathedral, that was built sixteen years ago. David will be the baby. Martine seems to be Elizabeth’s secretary. Lieutenant David Bozwell commands the CGC Jackstraw; it and Argus are patrolling the waters. The Sphinxian Sergeant Brian VanHoose is a big crewmember of the Jackstraw. The Happily Ever is a party boat owned by Basil Moore which is ordered off the water.
Prime Minister Davis Harper, Duke of Burgundy, is on the monarch’s side. Louisa Geary is his personal secretary. Minister of Defense James Mantegna, Earl Dapplelake, has Secretary of Bioscience Lisa Tufele, Baroness Coldwater, and Shipyard Supervisor John Garner, Baron Low Delhi, as allies.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Anderson L’Estrange, Earl Breakwater, schemes and manipulates to gather any and all glory to his pet project, the Manticoran Patrol and Rescue Service (MPRS). Gavin Vellacott, Baron Winterfall, is Breakwater’s aide (and Travis’ estranged half-brother). Breakwater’s secretary is Angela and his allies include First Lord of Law Deborah Scannabechhi, Duchess New Bern; Director of Belt Mining Carolynne Jhomper; Maria Stahlberg, Baroness Castle Rock; Ross Macinroy, Earl Chillon; and, Yvonne Rowlandson, Baroness Tweenriver.
Secretary of Industry Julian Mulholland, Baron Harwich, and Foreign Secretary Susan Tarleton are generally neutral. Adelaide Summervale, Duchess of Cromarty, and Kenneth Pavón, Speaker of the House of Commons, play a part in the coronation. Joshua Miller, a farmer from Friedman’s Valley, sits in the House of Commons as does the domineering Jacques Corlain, Placido Amadeo, and Sarah Tonquis of White Sand.
Special Intelligence Service (SIS) is…
…a newly formed spy agency intended to supplement the hidebound ONI. Clara Sumner, Countess Calvingdell, is its head and a former Minister of Defense who wants to rename it Delphi. Flora Taylor is the Gatekeeper.
The Samantha is the royal ship. Peter Young is the eldest son of Hardian Young, Earl North Hollow.
The Republic of Haven is…
…a neighboring star system with whom Manticore is on friendly terms. Their navy is cracking down on pirates. Brigadier Jean Massingill (Alvis is her husband) leads the 303rd Special Commando Assault Force, Expeditionary (SCAFE) with a team that includes Elsie Dorrman, Frijtom, and Sergeant DuMonde. Lieutenant Bastonge, the Team One commander, leads a 40-man platoon; Captain Danzer and Sergeants Gnoli and Cochran are also leaders. Corporal Rushkoff is their best-trained ship tech. The ship they’re using is RHNS Terrier. Ambassador-at-large Louis Joffre is an observer.
Commodore Gustave Charnay had been XO of Saintonge under Commodore Jason Flanders some years ago. Now Charnay will lead them into battle. Intrépide and Courageux are modern destroyers; Jocelyne Pellian and Jean-Claude Courtois are heavy cruisers. Hache de Guerre and Poignard will help with search-and-rescue operations. Admiral Dorvelle’s ships being repaired include Artois, Provence, and Poitu.
Daval Weissman is a representative of the Jerriais Consortium board, a major development group, building shipyards in Bergen. Floyd Koski is the consortium’s manager for Bergen 2. Solway has warehouses with corrupt employees. Greez Paco is a second assistant manager.
Danak is…
…close to the Republic of Haven, but a trading partner and not an ally. Dostoyevsky is the Jerriais operations manager. Charnay pretends to be the Secretary of Industry. Nelson is the president of Danak.
The Anderman Empire was…
…founded by Gustav Anderman, a very successful mercenary commander in the Solarian League. Now he’s emperor. The Hamman is an Andermani freighter and part of the empire’s Merchant Marine. Captain Charles Kane is its commander. Major Chien-lu Zhou is the director of Silesian Operations for Abteilung III (the Andermani Department of Intelligence). And Basaltberg’s son-in-law.
HMS Vergeltung is Admiral Gotthold Riefenstahl’s, Graf von Basaltberg's, flagship; its captain is Luitpold Huschens. The admiral commands the fleet tracking Gensonne. Commander Anholt is the operations officer.
The Axelrod Corporation is…
…a Transstellar corporation who wants the hidden wealth of Manticore. The “ringleader” of the entire operation is Jeremiah Llyn, an Axelrod black ops agent. Haus knows him as Ichabod; he uses a CGI overlay identity as Count Ernst Bloch; and, he’s the hostage, Max Baird. Captain Lionel Katura, a good astrogator, commands Pacemaker. Hester Fife is one of the crew and a mathematical genius with computers. Master Rafe Rowbtham is supposedly a rich Solarian merchant. Shrike is under Captain Vaagen and Banshee is under Captain Rhamas.
The Volsung mercenaries are…
…based on Walther (Governor Bilshing has title to this minor system within the Silesian System) and led by Admiral Cutler Gensonne, a.k.a., Cutler van Tischendorf, Admiral Swenson, Admiral Koenig of the Imperial Andermani Navy, and Tamerlane who tried to conquer Manticore. At the mercenaries' public base, Lieutenant Commander Syncho is their public liaison. The Tarantel is a battlecruiser based at Walther. Lieutenant Wolfgang Moeller is the ATO; Lieutenant Commander Margo Feyman is tactical officer. Leuchtfeuer is down for maintenance. Heliograph and Semaphore are the ready-duty ships. Walther’s Schmiede is an orbiting space station commanded by Captain Soeren/Soren Hauser. Captain Ditmar Stoeffel needs to keep Hauser in line. Commander Eric Becker is in engineering.
Odin, a.k.a., Winterfeldt, is commanded by Captain Sweeney Imbar. The cruisers Mollwitz, Burkersdorf, and Rossbach are the Volsung aliases for Adder, Copperhead captained by von Belling, and Mamba, all Thu’ban class ships. Boyen is the alias for Loki commanded by Captain Harcon Jaeger. Fomalhaut, Aldebaran, and Shirokawa are more of the mercenaries’ ships.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a collage of events within the story in a palette of blues and golds, a thin red outline framing overlapping events. A huge ship hovers over a body of water. A distant view with small boats and explosions in the lower right. In the upper left is Schmiede with the explosive fire of missiles. At the top are the authors' names in white against a black background. Below that is a blue riband scroll with notched ends and a lighter blue outline with the overall series name in white. Below that is an embossed title, old gold outlined in black, shadowed in a pale bluish purple. A star frames the start and end of the first two words in the same colors and style. Centered at the bottom is the information for this series in a complementary light blue.
The title is Manticore’s response to the attack on their system, A Call to Vengeance, to find the truth — and the attackers.
December 25, 2017
Very good read, in a very good series
November 6, 2018
Definitely better than first 2 volumes - here the story should have started imho with the first two volumes compressed into about a half novel; intrigue, action and cool naval battles finally (the battle in Call to Arms wasn't new as it has already been published as a novella)
Restarted my interest in the series (this one I mean, not the hoped-for going forward into the Honorverse beyond the current point) so will get and read the next one asap for once
Restarted my interest in the series (this one I mean, not the hoped-for going forward into the Honorverse beyond the current point) so will get and read the next one asap for once
July 3, 2020
The events in this third entry into the Manticore Ascendant series follow closely on the events of book 2. The Royal Manticoran Navy is trying to pick up the pieces remaining after the battle with pirates was won and the politicians, especially Lord Breakwater, are trying to further reduce the power and influence of the Navy. When a second wave of attack comes just weeks after the first, it is up to the RMN to defend Manticore with a very damaged Navy. Luckily, a bluff suggested by Travis Long manages to send them running for safety.
We, the readers, know why this unknown force wants Manticore, but no one on Manticore does. Since one of the viewpoint characters is Mr. Llyn who is the puppetmaster pulling all these strings to get Manticore for his employers.
Travis is recruited into a new intelligence force that is led by a former cabinet member and is working without the oversight of the Office of Naval Intelligence. His mission is to track down the pirates who attempted to invade Manticore. To do this he is assigned as an officer on the most up-to-date ship in the RMN which has the mission of doing a tour to try to drum up business for a new Manticore shipbuilding operation. One of the first stop connects them with an Andermani "freighter" where they learn that they aren't the only ones on the trail of the pirate. Apparently the Andermani Emperor wants his found and destroyed.
Meanwhile, Travis's girlfriend and fellow RMN officer Lisa Donnelly is part of another mission to Haven to try to track down some parts found in the wreckage after the battle also in hopes of locating the pirate. There Lisa reconnects with a woman who was RMN bur moved to Haven and is now a shining light in their military. Together they are also trying to destroy piracy that affects Haven.
Meanwhile, Mr. Llyn has decided that his hired pirates have outlived their usefulness and know to much about his secret employer and need to be taken off the board. I started to almost feel sorry for Admiral Cutler Gensonne and his mercenary band given that Manticore, Haven, the Andermani and his own employer Llyn were all, individually, working to defeat him.
Back on Manticore, the monarchy changes hands when King Edward and Crown Princess Sophie die in a boating accident and Edward's widowed sister Elizabeth becomes the new queen. Lord Breakwater looks on this as an opportunity to increase his power and prestige as he tries to find a way to influence or control her. The death of the long-standing Prime Minister also helps destabilize things. But Elizabeth isn't a pushover. She is very able to deal with the political maneuvering fomented by Breakwater.
This was another intriguing science fiction space opera about the early days of the Star Kingdom of Manticore. I hope that there are more books planned for this prequel series to the Honor Harrington books.
We, the readers, know why this unknown force wants Manticore, but no one on Manticore does. Since one of the viewpoint characters is Mr. Llyn who is the puppetmaster pulling all these strings to get Manticore for his employers.
Travis is recruited into a new intelligence force that is led by a former cabinet member and is working without the oversight of the Office of Naval Intelligence. His mission is to track down the pirates who attempted to invade Manticore. To do this he is assigned as an officer on the most up-to-date ship in the RMN which has the mission of doing a tour to try to drum up business for a new Manticore shipbuilding operation. One of the first stop connects them with an Andermani "freighter" where they learn that they aren't the only ones on the trail of the pirate. Apparently the Andermani Emperor wants his found and destroyed.
Meanwhile, Travis's girlfriend and fellow RMN officer Lisa Donnelly is part of another mission to Haven to try to track down some parts found in the wreckage after the battle also in hopes of locating the pirate. There Lisa reconnects with a woman who was RMN bur moved to Haven and is now a shining light in their military. Together they are also trying to destroy piracy that affects Haven.
Meanwhile, Mr. Llyn has decided that his hired pirates have outlived their usefulness and know to much about his secret employer and need to be taken off the board. I started to almost feel sorry for Admiral Cutler Gensonne and his mercenary band given that Manticore, Haven, the Andermani and his own employer Llyn were all, individually, working to defeat him.
Back on Manticore, the monarchy changes hands when King Edward and Crown Princess Sophie die in a boating accident and Edward's widowed sister Elizabeth becomes the new queen. Lord Breakwater looks on this as an opportunity to increase his power and prestige as he tries to find a way to influence or control her. The death of the long-standing Prime Minister also helps destabilize things. But Elizabeth isn't a pushover. She is very able to deal with the political maneuvering fomented by Breakwater.
This was another intriguing science fiction space opera about the early days of the Star Kingdom of Manticore. I hope that there are more books planned for this prequel series to the Honor Harrington books.
April 3, 2018
This is what David Weber does best, military space opera. His Honor Harrington series was probably the first real space opera that I read. I liked it greatly and Weber has stayed as one of my favorite authors of military science fiction ever since.
His latest works have frequently suffered from a bit of verbosity overkill and have been dragged down by talk, talk and more talk. This book is not entirely free from this but it is, luckily, not too bad.
As usual with this author the book is very well written with a fairly complex and well thought out plot and plenty of details in both the overall universe and the characters. There is, as always with David Weber, a fair amount of politics, scheming and backstabbing. Despicable characters as well as heroic ones are plentiful and, unfortunately, the despicable ones can be found on Manticore’s home turf as well.
Some times I am tempted to compare David Weber with George R.R. Martin, a science fiction version of Martin so to speak, although Martin is showing even less constraint when it comes to the diabolical plotting and scheming than Weber. Also, David Weber do not kill off one of the favorite characters in every second chapter or so.
On the whole the book is a very enjoyable action/thriller/space opera. Sometimes the lengthy dialogue as well as the politics becomes a bit tedious for this particular reader but it is compensated by Weber’s top notch handling of military tactics and space combat.
I hope that we have more books coming in this series. I would quite like to see one where Manticore finally discovers why they were being attacked in the first place and what a literal gold mine they are sitting on. Of course some beefing up of the Manticore’s military capability and a bit of payback time would be nice to have on the menu as well.
His latest works have frequently suffered from a bit of verbosity overkill and have been dragged down by talk, talk and more talk. This book is not entirely free from this but it is, luckily, not too bad.
As usual with this author the book is very well written with a fairly complex and well thought out plot and plenty of details in both the overall universe and the characters. There is, as always with David Weber, a fair amount of politics, scheming and backstabbing. Despicable characters as well as heroic ones are plentiful and, unfortunately, the despicable ones can be found on Manticore’s home turf as well.
Some times I am tempted to compare David Weber with George R.R. Martin, a science fiction version of Martin so to speak, although Martin is showing even less constraint when it comes to the diabolical plotting and scheming than Weber. Also, David Weber do not kill off one of the favorite characters in every second chapter or so.
On the whole the book is a very enjoyable action/thriller/space opera. Sometimes the lengthy dialogue as well as the politics becomes a bit tedious for this particular reader but it is compensated by Weber’s top notch handling of military tactics and space combat.
I hope that we have more books coming in this series. I would quite like to see one where Manticore finally discovers why they were being attacked in the first place and what a literal gold mine they are sitting on. Of course some beefing up of the Manticore’s military capability and a bit of payback time would be nice to have on the menu as well.
January 8, 2018
Been waiting quite a while for the third book in the Manticore Acsending prequel series to David Weber's Honorverse and was happy to see it up on the Baen Publishing eARC page. Because this is a co-authored series with Timothy Zahn and Thomas Pope is doesn't suffer from the usual Weber bloat. The story picks up a few weeks after the ending of the last book, without the usual lengthy recap, gets going quickly and stays on point until the end. This book wraps up the immediate story of the trilogy, but there is still room for the story to continue as the overall endpoint still has to be reached. Main protagonist Travis Long is still dealing with his personal quirks and family issues that annoy his superiors, but he is well on his way in the fledgling Manticor navy.
I know that this was an advanced reading copy, but I was a bit annoyed to see a 2015 copyright date. Obviously these books have been done for a while and Baen is stretching out their releases due to Messrs Weber & Zahn's busy schedules.
I know that this was an advanced reading copy, but I was a bit annoyed to see a 2015 copyright date. Obviously these books have been done for a while and Baen is stretching out their releases due to Messrs Weber & Zahn's busy schedules.
July 1, 2018
I am quite enjoying this series about the early days of the star kingdom of Manticore. In this story as the title implies, Manticore is out for revenge against those who attacked it. They are also desperately trying to discover why some shadowy entity wants to conqueror the star kingdom -- remote and relatively unimportant as it is.
Travis Long and Lisa Donnelly head out on separate missions to try to achieve those goals. Minor spoilers:
Meanwhile, back in the star kingdom, tension builds as some politicos try to take advantage of young queen Elizabeth. She will need (and find) unexpected allies as she takes over as the new monarch.
(Aside: I think that the addition of Timothy Zahn and Thomas Pope has given Weber back some of his mojo.)
A solid four stars.
Travis Long and Lisa Donnelly head out on separate missions to try to achieve those goals. Minor spoilers:
Meanwhile, back in the star kingdom, tension builds as some politicos try to take advantage of young queen Elizabeth. She will need (and find) unexpected allies as she takes over as the new monarch.
(Aside: I think that the addition of Timothy Zahn and Thomas Pope has given Weber back some of his mojo.)
A solid four stars.
April 27, 2019
Travis Long is back, and I found myself wondering why I had delayed so long (see what I did there?) before reading this latest instalment in the earlier history of the Star Kingdom of Manticore. This is not, perhaps, the most exciting of the Manticore Ascendant books, but it's a thoroughly enjoyable read. One might consider the narrative a little fragmented as it follows three more-or-less separate storylines: Travis himself, Lisa Donnelly, and the royal family. However, it works well.
There are probably things I could criticise on plot and pacing, but David Weber is such a good author that he persuades the reader not to care. You just get so invested in the characters that you get swept along, and any deficiencies get forgotten or ignored. Yes, David Weber is still one of my favourite authors. :-)
There are probably things I could criticise on plot and pacing, but David Weber is such a good author that he persuades the reader not to care. You just get so invested in the characters that you get swept along, and any deficiencies get forgotten or ignored. Yes, David Weber is still one of my favourite authors. :-)
April 28, 2018
Very cool addition to the series
This book gives you a good rollercoaster ride and as it has it's ups and downs and continues the excellent character development from the other books and i really enjoyed the story and can not wait for the next one in the series
This book gives you a good rollercoaster ride and as it has it's ups and downs and continues the excellent character development from the other books and i really enjoyed the story and can not wait for the next one in the series
May 20, 2018
I wasn't as excited about this as other reviewers. The storylines didn't seem to intersect well, and while the battles were conclusive the personal development was largely through telling rather than showing.
August 26, 2018
That was disappointing. It was fine, but definitely didn't continue the trajectory of the first two books. And yes writing to a formula is bad, but writing messy isn't necessarily better. And what's with Travis and Lisa's relationship anyway - as written it doesn't ring true. Too complicated and not believable enough and still a bit too obvious. Not bad, but not as good as I was expecting.
July 25, 2018
This continues to be an excellent series in the Honorverse.
March 3, 2019
Gute, spannende und sehr solide Military SF, der Handlungsbogen aus den Vorgängerbänden wird spannend und schlüssig weitergeführt. Das Buch hat für mich definitiv die 4 Sterne verdient.
April 27, 2019
Its nice finding out what the Star Kingdom of Manticore was like in the early days of the Royal Manticoran Navy.
September 7, 2025
Very good, space spy thriller.
March 24, 2020
More adventure's of Travis Long, in the early days of the Kingdom of Manticore, before the wormhole nexus had been discovered.
January 31, 2023
Book 3 of the series, kept me eagerly listening for the next twist/reveal. Mssrs Weber, Zahn and Pope spin a mesmerizing tale of space-faring naval battles that truly captivate. Along the way there is political intrigue throughout. The tecnichal descriptions will make any sci-fi aficianado giddy with glee.
March 16, 2018
A solid continuation of the "prequel" Series set early in the Kingdom of Manticore's History.
although I must say that Travis Uriah Long has become pretty boring, compared to his first appearances where he was constantly grating against expectations and social mores, meaning I much preferred the Wintons that made it into this novel and a few of the Extra Characters than our "protagonist" that had turned into a pretty Sue-ish character who cannot ever fail or do wrong, except being TOO eager and "honest" for his own good.
also there were at least two chapters where the writing pissed me off, one talking about the legal background of the succession, all but spelling out a pretty extreme view of the similar arguments in connection to the US gun debate and another one about the psychological consequences of the devastating attack on the Manticoran system (PTSD?), also bringing in a bit of musing about how great Catholicism is... PLEASE, we are talking about a future 1000 years from now where mankind has set foot on thousands of planets in other star systems. While i don't doubt that religion WILL find a niche to survive in SOME form... it was too much how it was described here. Basically all of the Weberverse lives deep in the past, from Planetary names ALWAYS referring to Old Earth landmarks and historical events, over the Shipnames more likely to refer to Old earth trivia than to have anything to do with a 1444 year long history POST diaspora! to the names still being used unchanged from an Earth of 2018's perspective. It may be a Pet Peeve, but the more often i see Authors being that lazy or fanserving (HH is after all "military-SF" that means a lot of fans of CURRENT military stories and technology will read it and tickling their fancies with namedropping WILL be something lots of them will love), the more it disturbs me and endangers my ability to suppress my doubts...
But that may also be a sign, that the Editing process has to become a lot more professional and careful in Baen's case, which is supported by a consistent weird formatting of words ending in 's (that get underlined consitently, e.g. Travis's). Letting your authors put the characters directly on a Real World Soapbox is at best unfortunate, at worst harming your products and their future sequels.
bringing me to my last critique... originally Manticore Ascendant was announced as a TRILOGY. This WAS book three. Yet no end is in sight, the whole process basically is in the middle of a struggle between Manticore and Axelrod of Terra's ... not even the Wormhole is yet found by the "owners" of it... Which sounds like we should expect at least two further novels of similar lentgth about the "missing" bits... yet i'm not aware of any such announcement and no notice at the end of the book gives hope it's already scheduled for 19/20 to come out... Which might hint that yet another deadend series like "Star Kingdom" lies before us. Something i loathe. Once such a series has started i can hardly wait to get to know how everything will play out.
That said, the writing is entertaining, the story decently thrilling and quick paced, with two or three nice surprise switches (the list! Nuff said!) and mostly a good mixture between the technical detail heavy structure and a more character based approach, presumably going back to the collaborative nature of the work, so that no part gets TOO overexaggerated and constricting.
although I must say that Travis Uriah Long has become pretty boring, compared to his first appearances where he was constantly grating against expectations and social mores, meaning I much preferred the Wintons that made it into this novel and a few of the Extra Characters than our "protagonist" that had turned into a pretty Sue-ish character who cannot ever fail or do wrong, except being TOO eager and "honest" for his own good.
also there were at least two chapters where the writing pissed me off, one talking about the legal background of the succession, all but spelling out a pretty extreme view of the similar arguments in connection to the US gun debate and another one about the psychological consequences of the devastating attack on the Manticoran system (PTSD?), also bringing in a bit of musing about how great Catholicism is... PLEASE, we are talking about a future 1000 years from now where mankind has set foot on thousands of planets in other star systems. While i don't doubt that religion WILL find a niche to survive in SOME form... it was too much how it was described here. Basically all of the Weberverse lives deep in the past, from Planetary names ALWAYS referring to Old Earth landmarks and historical events, over the Shipnames more likely to refer to Old earth trivia than to have anything to do with a 1444 year long history POST diaspora! to the names still being used unchanged from an Earth of 2018's perspective. It may be a Pet Peeve, but the more often i see Authors being that lazy or fanserving (HH is after all "military-SF" that means a lot of fans of CURRENT military stories and technology will read it and tickling their fancies with namedropping WILL be something lots of them will love), the more it disturbs me and endangers my ability to suppress my doubts...
But that may also be a sign, that the Editing process has to become a lot more professional and careful in Baen's case, which is supported by a consistent weird formatting of words ending in 's (that get underlined consitently, e.g. Travis's). Letting your authors put the characters directly on a Real World Soapbox is at best unfortunate, at worst harming your products and their future sequels.
bringing me to my last critique... originally Manticore Ascendant was announced as a TRILOGY. This WAS book three. Yet no end is in sight, the whole process basically is in the middle of a struggle between Manticore and Axelrod of Terra's ... not even the Wormhole is yet found by the "owners" of it... Which sounds like we should expect at least two further novels of similar lentgth about the "missing" bits... yet i'm not aware of any such announcement and no notice at the end of the book gives hope it's already scheduled for 19/20 to come out... Which might hint that yet another deadend series like "Star Kingdom" lies before us. Something i loathe. Once such a series has started i can hardly wait to get to know how everything will play out.
That said, the writing is entertaining, the story decently thrilling and quick paced, with two or three nice surprise switches (the list! Nuff said!) and mostly a good mixture between the technical detail heavy structure and a more character based approach, presumably going back to the collaborative nature of the work, so that no part gets TOO overexaggerated and constricting.
March 20, 2018
This is book three in the Manticore Ascendant series. This series is a prequel to the Honor Harrington saga. This one is by David Weber, Timothy Zahn and Thomas Pope. This book is simply a great read. It is a fine example of Space Opera/Military Science Fiction. Travis Long and Lisa Donnelly are once again thrust into the forefront of defense for the young Star Kingdom of Manticore. Manticore is still reeling from an unprovoked attack which nearly destroyed the Navy and conquered the Star Kingdom when a second attack is begun just a few weeks after the first attack. With most of it's ships still damaged or out of commission it looks like a lost cause for the Star Kingdom but Travis Long comes up with a plan to fool the enemy fleet into believing they are out numbered and out gunned. After driving off the enemy ships Travis and Lisa are sent on two different missions to find out who is behind these attacks. Meanwhile at home the new Queen is facing battles of her own from corrupt officials in the government. This book is a real page turner and I recommend it to fans of the Honor Harrington series and fans of David Weber, Timothy Zahn and Thomas Pope.
July 22, 2018
[July 22, 2018]
This is the third installment of the Manticore Rising series and it was a pretty good space adventure. The struggling Star Kingdom of Manticore sends off two different ships in different directions to try to find out what they can about who recently attacked them. One ship houses Lt. Travis Uriah Long, and the other has Travis' friend Lisa as it's new XO. Meanwhile at home the Monarchy has it's own crises to weather.
It's a good tale. Several different arcs to keep things interesting. Good character development. Both Travis and Lisa are tested with new responsibilities, and both learn things about themselves. Plenty of action, too. Only occasionally gets bogged down with explanations.
I recommend it to space opera fans, but you need to read the whole series.
This is the third installment of the Manticore Rising series and it was a pretty good space adventure. The struggling Star Kingdom of Manticore sends off two different ships in different directions to try to find out what they can about who recently attacked them. One ship houses Lt. Travis Uriah Long, and the other has Travis' friend Lisa as it's new XO. Meanwhile at home the Monarchy has it's own crises to weather.
It's a good tale. Several different arcs to keep things interesting. Good character development. Both Travis and Lisa are tested with new responsibilities, and both learn things about themselves. Plenty of action, too. Only occasionally gets bogged down with explanations.
I recommend it to space opera fans, but you need to read the whole series.
September 3, 2018
WINNER of 2018 Dragon Award for 'Best Military Science Fiction'
I obtained this book directly from the publisher's (Baen's) website.
I picked this one to read, because it was a finalist fer the 2018 Dragon Award for 'Best Military Science Fiction Novel;' and it WON! Congratulations to the team!
You can get a more exhaustive treatment of the book at my blog,Papa Pat Rambles.
This book, like many others on the list, is a single installment in a series. However, unlike the other finalists, the three volume series is only a small part of the overall body of work in the Honor Harrington/Manticore universe. It's a bit of a numbing experience to try to do justice to a single patch in the quilt.
That isn't meant to be a criticism of the book. It's well-written, good characters, good story; all the things you want to find when you pick up a space opera, with a sufficient quantity of exploding spaceships. The ONLY way in which the book suffers from being a part of such an extensive library is that the cast of characters is....massive. I include in 'characters' not only people, but factions, governments, and entire systems. They are so developed in the OTHER parts of the body of work, that they have to be included to some extent in any installment that isn't specifically limited to a specific individual or incident; for example, the treecat-human relationship. That can be, and was, executed with very little reference to the outside world. In a novel of this type, though, those well-developed entities must appear, and it can be overwhelming, unless you have made it a point to read everything in this universe.
And speaking of: Lt. Travis Long is a young man of proficient skills, as well as the ability to have flashes of insight that can make the difference in a battle. He does NOT have the ability to keep his mouth shut when people with power and influence are being stupid, and that gets him into trouble. Fortunately for him, his talents have been noticed by people who are a bit above the ordinary political games, and he is given the opportunity to develop some additional sets of skills (as in: espionage).
Elizabeth had the misfortune to be born a royal, but because she had an older brother who bore children, she was able to do things other than be an aristocrat. That didn't last. It's rather amazing just how far the reach of her commitments to her people goes.
And meanwhile, everyone in the entire planetary system has been placed on notice that their lives and security are nothing more than dust in the wind, when repeated attacks by unknown forces bring every defect in their naval defenses to light, in the worst way possible.
I had a VERY strange experience as I started to read this work: I felt like I was sinking into a relaxing pool of water, and letting all my weary muscles get a rest. I really wasn't expecting that; yes, I have greatly enjoyed stories in this universe before, but I wouldn't claim to be a devotee. However, I just KNEW I was going to enjoy reading the book, that it wasn't in ANY sense going to be a struggle. Thus, I can highly recommend that you read this, but you REALLY need to read a LOT more to properly appreciate what you find here.
It will be time well spent.
I obtained this book directly from the publisher's (Baen's) website.
I picked this one to read, because it was a finalist fer the 2018 Dragon Award for 'Best Military Science Fiction Novel;' and it WON! Congratulations to the team!
You can get a more exhaustive treatment of the book at my blog,Papa Pat Rambles.
This book, like many others on the list, is a single installment in a series. However, unlike the other finalists, the three volume series is only a small part of the overall body of work in the Honor Harrington/Manticore universe. It's a bit of a numbing experience to try to do justice to a single patch in the quilt.
That isn't meant to be a criticism of the book. It's well-written, good characters, good story; all the things you want to find when you pick up a space opera, with a sufficient quantity of exploding spaceships. The ONLY way in which the book suffers from being a part of such an extensive library is that the cast of characters is....massive. I include in 'characters' not only people, but factions, governments, and entire systems. They are so developed in the OTHER parts of the body of work, that they have to be included to some extent in any installment that isn't specifically limited to a specific individual or incident; for example, the treecat-human relationship. That can be, and was, executed with very little reference to the outside world. In a novel of this type, though, those well-developed entities must appear, and it can be overwhelming, unless you have made it a point to read everything in this universe.
And speaking of: Lt. Travis Long is a young man of proficient skills, as well as the ability to have flashes of insight that can make the difference in a battle. He does NOT have the ability to keep his mouth shut when people with power and influence are being stupid, and that gets him into trouble. Fortunately for him, his talents have been noticed by people who are a bit above the ordinary political games, and he is given the opportunity to develop some additional sets of skills (as in: espionage).
Elizabeth had the misfortune to be born a royal, but because she had an older brother who bore children, she was able to do things other than be an aristocrat. That didn't last. It's rather amazing just how far the reach of her commitments to her people goes.
And meanwhile, everyone in the entire planetary system has been placed on notice that their lives and security are nothing more than dust in the wind, when repeated attacks by unknown forces bring every defect in their naval defenses to light, in the worst way possible.
I had a VERY strange experience as I started to read this work: I felt like I was sinking into a relaxing pool of water, and letting all my weary muscles get a rest. I really wasn't expecting that; yes, I have greatly enjoyed stories in this universe before, but I wouldn't claim to be a devotee. However, I just KNEW I was going to enjoy reading the book, that it wasn't in ANY sense going to be a struggle. Thus, I can highly recommend that you read this, but you REALLY need to read a LOT more to properly appreciate what you find here.
It will be time well spent.
April 25, 2018
A Call to Vengeance kicks off after the previous book with Travis and Lisa back on Manticore! :D At the same time Breakwater is up to his political games! :D As the story progresses the reader gets put through the ringer again as one disaster after another seems to strike the Royal Family of Manticore! :D There is a little plot twisting as those who have read the previous books know that an Elizabeth ends up on the thrown and we are thrown a few loops as the story progresses until the right Elizabeth gets the job! :D The political shenanigans that result from this manoeuvring form part of plot of the book as Elizabeth locks horns with Breakwater and the way that Joshua Miller and her outflank him is neatly handled! :D
At the same time the Volsung's under Gensonne are still smarting from getting thrashed by Manticore in the previous books and out out for blood! :D This of course backfires spectacularly as it makes them particularly vulnerable to their erstwhile employer Llyn agent of Axelrod and plot eventually draws in Travis Chomps and Captain Glegg accompanied by Andermanni and operating from the opposite end Lisa, the returning Gill Massingill and Commodore Chaney with mercenary Volsung's firmly trapped in between! :D From the outset if is obvious the Volsung's are not going to have a great time! :D The characterisation of all the characters though is brilliantly handled as we see Lisa and Travis really start to develop more, the return of Massingill and Chaney develops them even more and we also get to see things as ever from the Bad Guys perspective Lynn drips psychopathy at points and the calmly get distracted debating getting his chief hacker Hester a present and the crew a raise! :D
A Call to Vengeance drips characterisation but at the same time is filled to the rafters with action as you would expect! :D The ships such as Casey along with the Andermanni coming together they way they do really ramps up the tension with every battle they are in! :D Manticore in these early books is significantly outclassed and it clever how we get to see them as the underdog in their ventures and how they handle it is brilliantly done with edge of the seat decisions which of course allow Lisa and Travis to flourish but at the same time setting up new plot points that are bound to be followed up in future books! :D
We get to see the foundation of Manticore's SIS under Clara Calvingdell and her and Admiral Carlton Locatelli response to Captain Cleggs summation of Travis is brilliant and really sets up brilliantly for future books! :D After all command decisions should be made with a shiny bit of round metal! :D
A Call to Vengeance is fast-paced, hard-hitting, clever, plot twisting, full of adventure! :D A Call to Vengeance will never let you guess what is exactly going to happen from start to finish and will keep you on the edge of your seat guessing how things work out and is always action packed! :D Crisp high five go and get! :D
At the same time the Volsung's under Gensonne are still smarting from getting thrashed by Manticore in the previous books and out out for blood! :D This of course backfires spectacularly as it makes them particularly vulnerable to their erstwhile employer Llyn agent of Axelrod and plot eventually draws in Travis Chomps and Captain Glegg accompanied by Andermanni and operating from the opposite end Lisa, the returning Gill Massingill and Commodore Chaney with mercenary Volsung's firmly trapped in between! :D From the outset if is obvious the Volsung's are not going to have a great time! :D The characterisation of all the characters though is brilliantly handled as we see Lisa and Travis really start to develop more, the return of Massingill and Chaney develops them even more and we also get to see things as ever from the Bad Guys perspective Lynn drips psychopathy at points and the calmly get distracted debating getting his chief hacker Hester a present and the crew a raise! :D
A Call to Vengeance drips characterisation but at the same time is filled to the rafters with action as you would expect! :D The ships such as Casey along with the Andermanni coming together they way they do really ramps up the tension with every battle they are in! :D Manticore in these early books is significantly outclassed and it clever how we get to see them as the underdog in their ventures and how they handle it is brilliantly done with edge of the seat decisions which of course allow Lisa and Travis to flourish but at the same time setting up new plot points that are bound to be followed up in future books! :D
We get to see the foundation of Manticore's SIS under Clara Calvingdell and her and Admiral Carlton Locatelli response to Captain Cleggs summation of Travis is brilliant and really sets up brilliantly for future books! :D After all command decisions should be made with a shiny bit of round metal! :D
A Call to Vengeance is fast-paced, hard-hitting, clever, plot twisting, full of adventure! :D A Call to Vengeance will never let you guess what is exactly going to happen from start to finish and will keep you on the edge of your seat guessing how things work out and is always action packed! :D Crisp high five go and get! :D
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2018
Not bad. This series is a lot more approachable than the most recent entries in the main Harrington series. And I'd guess either Weber agrees or his co-authors on this series are pushing the pace, because these books have been popping out the way Honor books did back in the day.
Anyhow, this is the third, but presumably not final, book in the Manticore Ascendant series, so by now you should know what you're getting. A bit of military action, some political skullduggery, a hint of romance, the usual. A bit new to the mix is some espionage action, though it was set up subtly in the previous books.
The Volsung Mercenaries have been driven off, not without cost and now the Manticorans have two major priorities, building up their defenses so things don't get so dire again, and figuring out just why they were under attack in the first place. Long time readers will know the answer already of course, not that it isn't spelled out in some of the villain viewpoint chapters anyhow for those who might have, for some odd reason, picked this up first. Still, it's fun to see the heroes go through the paces of trying to figure it out. Also interesting is watching the early evolution of both military tactics and Manticoran politics. Some things definitely don't work the way they did at the beginning of the main series (or the way they do towards the end for that matter) and that is all to the good. When a really powerful ship maybe fires six missiles at once, that's a huge change from the missile storm tactics of the Havenite war. Speaking of Haven, they have a role in this book, and it's nice to see them before their decline. There's a real sense of history to this series that is lacking in some other popular prequel series (cough, Valdemar).
Anyhow, this is the third, but presumably not final, book in the Manticore Ascendant series, so by now you should know what you're getting. A bit of military action, some political skullduggery, a hint of romance, the usual. A bit new to the mix is some espionage action, though it was set up subtly in the previous books.
The Volsung Mercenaries have been driven off, not without cost and now the Manticorans have two major priorities, building up their defenses so things don't get so dire again, and figuring out just why they were under attack in the first place. Long time readers will know the answer already of course, not that it isn't spelled out in some of the villain viewpoint chapters anyhow for those who might have, for some odd reason, picked this up first. Still, it's fun to see the heroes go through the paces of trying to figure it out. Also interesting is watching the early evolution of both military tactics and Manticoran politics. Some things definitely don't work the way they did at the beginning of the main series (or the way they do towards the end for that matter) and that is all to the good. When a really powerful ship maybe fires six missiles at once, that's a huge change from the missile storm tactics of the Havenite war. Speaking of Haven, they have a role in this book, and it's nice to see them before their decline. There's a real sense of history to this series that is lacking in some other popular prequel series (cough, Valdemar).
October 6, 2018
About halfway through this book, I realized what bothered me so much about this series. I REALLY dislike Travis Long. He is an annoying character who feels like he should develop and grow, but never does. In the first book, it made sense for him to be hidebound and rules-obsessed, but in the 10+ years since, he should have mellowed. Although it seems at times like he has, he'll turn around and do something to show he has not.
So why, if I dislike the main character, did I rate this book 4 stars? Because really, LT (later LCDR) Long does not play the starring role. Other characters are taking more of the spotlight, which is making this series better. Also, this book is slowly getting back to what I like about the Honor Harrington books - space combat! There is still a lot of politics, and the lead-up to the battles is long, but even the lead-up is good, in that it builds the way the early HH books built. You know where it is going - you just have to get there.
However, one thing really bothered me at the start of the book. Earl Breakwater does not seem to pay a political price for his shortsightedness. The Star Kingdom ends Book 2 with a clear sign that the rest of the galaxy is out there and they need a strong defense force, but the man who has been fighting against that same force (who has been shown to be clearly very wrong), just goes about his life and job. In reality, the King and Defense Minister could have easily spoken up and shoved Breakwater's folly in his face, weakening his political power and reducing him to a back-row hack. (He is the Exchequer, but he serves at the pleasure of the King, and pulling the rug out from under him would have been the perfect opportunity to take away his position.) And yet, they do nothing. Everyone just continues along as if no major crisis had barely been averted by the horribly under-supplied, under-staffed Navy. (I suspect the book was written that way to lead into the rise of Elizabeth II, but it makes no sense in-world.)
So why, if I dislike the main character, did I rate this book 4 stars? Because really, LT (later LCDR) Long does not play the starring role. Other characters are taking more of the spotlight, which is making this series better. Also, this book is slowly getting back to what I like about the Honor Harrington books - space combat! There is still a lot of politics, and the lead-up to the battles is long, but even the lead-up is good, in that it builds the way the early HH books built. You know where it is going - you just have to get there.
However, one thing really bothered me at the start of the book. Earl Breakwater does not seem to pay a political price for his shortsightedness. The Star Kingdom ends Book 2 with a clear sign that the rest of the galaxy is out there and they need a strong defense force, but the man who has been fighting against that same force (who has been shown to be clearly very wrong), just goes about his life and job. In reality, the King and Defense Minister could have easily spoken up and shoved Breakwater's folly in his face, weakening his political power and reducing him to a back-row hack. (He is the Exchequer, but he serves at the pleasure of the King, and pulling the rug out from under him would have been the perfect opportunity to take away his position.) And yet, they do nothing. Everyone just continues along as if no major crisis had barely been averted by the horribly under-supplied, under-staffed Navy. (I suspect the book was written that way to lead into the rise of Elizabeth II, but it makes no sense in-world.)
May 21, 2022
I'm enjoying this series overall; putting it in the past has freed up the authors from the impossibly long shadow of Honor Harrington, which has been to the good. They've been creating some new heroes to follow around Manticore, who are worth rooting for, and tracking them from junior officers and enlisted is a good path.
One of the other benefits of dropping this in the past is it puts some guardrails around doing technological deus ex machina to allow characters to invent their way out of any problem, since it's already established where the tech is going. The penalty of course, is that you also have some general ideas about how things are going to turn out, which can pull back a level of suspense. But it's far enough removed from the Honor series that there's still plenty of room to maneuver, I think. (I will say, I think they made a mistake showing the House of Winton lineage chart in the first book, because it tips off a few events that would have hit harder without and wasn't really necessary)
The political and military tactics are generally pretty well done here, but there's a couple of instances where Weber lets some of his current political feelings leak through in some exceptionally unsubtle ways, to the point that it can jerk you out of the moment. That's disappointing, particularly because it's not terribly thoughtful or nuanced in the pronouncements and does a certain amount of damage to the characters that he's jamming these feelings into, because of the literal translation of a 21st century political philosophy into a futuristic society (which makes them sound foolish or anachronistic).
It's not the worst thing in the world, but it definitely earns the book a downgrade.
One of the other benefits of dropping this in the past is it puts some guardrails around doing technological deus ex machina to allow characters to invent their way out of any problem, since it's already established where the tech is going. The penalty of course, is that you also have some general ideas about how things are going to turn out, which can pull back a level of suspense. But it's far enough removed from the Honor series that there's still plenty of room to maneuver, I think. (I will say, I think they made a mistake showing the House of Winton lineage chart in the first book, because it tips off a few events that would have hit harder without and wasn't really necessary)
The political and military tactics are generally pretty well done here, but there's a couple of instances where Weber lets some of his current political feelings leak through in some exceptionally unsubtle ways, to the point that it can jerk you out of the moment. That's disappointing, particularly because it's not terribly thoughtful or nuanced in the pronouncements and does a certain amount of damage to the characters that he's jamming these feelings into, because of the literal translation of a 21st century political philosophy into a futuristic society (which makes them sound foolish or anachronistic).
It's not the worst thing in the world, but it definitely earns the book a downgrade.
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