Revisiting Old Friends

 So, in one of the "take one leave one" bookshelves, I found a copy of On Basilisk Station by David Weber.  Yes, the beginning of the Honor Harrington series.  It made me miss the others.

 So, I went to B&N.com and ordered some.  I figure I can seed them around after reading.

 Just finished The Honor of the Queen this evening.  I almost brought my copy with me initially - I also took a copy to Basic Training with me.  In short, I really, really love this book.  This book is what made me a whole-hearted fan of the series.

 It introduces a slew of important characters, most importantly the Grayson inhabitants.  There's a sort of innocence in the book I enjoy, and I think of all the series, this book ties with Honor Among Enemies for best standalone.  Maybe even best book.  Alistair McKeon cheats death, Rafe Cardones and Andreas Venizelos kick some ass, Scotty Tremaine is his usual self, Susan Hibson and Tomas Ramirez lay some waste to religious fanatic sadist bastards and Allison Harrington makes her debut.

 It also has the first direct interaction between Honor and White Haven, which of course leads to one of the more-discussed subplots of the series, which David Weber eventually solves by pulling a solution out of his fourth-point of contact, that I don't think really satisfied anyone reading the series.  (Deus-ex-treecat, as it were)

 Starting The Short Victorious War (which, of course, is neither) and bracing myself for David Weber's first attempt at writing a romantic relationship in the series.  It also introduces one of the most lasting "name jokes" in the series.  After that, I'll read a few other things before I dive into Field of Dishonor (now with much better artwork, thank God).

 DV