A fairly long series of a dozen books or so - not counting all the spin-offs - it's one of the most well written, I've had the pleasure to read. His development of characters, politics & adherence to the physical laws of his world make it a great yarn. Through every book, I was biting my nails & rooting for Honor! ( )

eBook from Baen ( )

Honor Harrington series. Space battles, comrades in arms & the conundrum of behaving honorably in dishonorable situations. My favorite entry in the series. ( )

Honor Harrington is an interesting, three-dimensional character in some ways, and a cardboard cutout Mary Sue in others. That's perhaps what's so infurating about The Harrington series. Depending upon the book, Honor Harrington is either a compelling protagonist or a complete Mary Sue, easily arriving at victory which is never in doubt.

However On Basilisk Station is NOT one of those books, save for a few irritating details. Honor Harrington starts out very excited at her new command, then moves to being frustrated at how it has been retrofitted with terrible weaponry, to proud at doing her duty, and crushed again as her weaponry turns out to be a one trick pony and she's given the worst assignment in the fleet.

What's interesting in On Basilisk Station is how David Weber turns monotony into an interesting, well-written situation. Honor's solution to how to handle the monumental task ahead of her is creative but not Trek technobabble, and her crew have their own issues to struggle over. Captain Harrington's main trait is discipline and a determination to see her duty done. This is admirable, and it's astounding how many reviewers discount this as something that's easy to write into a novel. It isn't, and what saves Harrington from Mary Suedom is mainly this trait. She does not solve problems easily where others have trouble, but she does get the job done. On Basilisk Station's "situation" is one of the best setups in the series so far, and I was turning page after page to see how the crew handled things as bland and usually uninteresting as customs inspections! It's a sign of good writing to be able to pull that off, which is what makes On Basilisk Station so good.

However, Captain Harrington does have an empathic cat dangling from her shoulder, one that she has received special dispensation from the Queen herself to carry as an exception to the Navy's no pets policy. She has been sexually assaulted at the Academy, though she beat off her attacker easily. She is beautiful, but thinks she's ugly. She is remarkably tall for a woman, and strong as well. These traits tend to put her dangerously towards Mary Sue territory. She also becomes a millionaire by the end of the book for the prize capture of a single smugging vessel. David Weber has a tendency to "Wrap up" his books at the end with very "Happily Ever After" endings, with the exception of Field of Dishonor and unfortunately On Basilisk Station succumbs to this. Otherwise it is a very good read, and a very good start to the series. ( )

If you are looking for a strong but feminine heroine, you will find her in Honor Harrington. Weber's characters are complex individuals, even the bad guys. He has created what may be the best universe since the Master, RAH. His explanations of the weaponry is thorough (too thorough in his later Harrington books), his descriptions of the battles that are fought are completely believable and almost unbearably tense. ( )