Thomas Pope (1)

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 show more 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 him 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. It feels like there are so many stories still to be told. Which service claims Travis? What is Mr. Llyn's next plan? show less

This is the second book in the Manticore Ascendant series and follows the further adventures of Travis Uriah Long. Travis has been sent to further schooling and is now a Lieutenant JG in the Navy. He goes through various problems on a couple of ships when he insists that people under his command follow the rules no matter who their relatives are. Travis hasn't learned to balance rigid rule following with people skills.

Meanwhile, a large Solarian corporation is eyeing Manticore because of the show more potential wormhole that might exist in the system. They have sent out their spy Jeremiah Llyn to manipulate events to learn about the possible wormhole and plan for a conquest of the Manticore system which must definitely leave their name out of it while still letting them ultimately take control.

From the murder of one of the captured pirates held in Havenite prison to the murder of a dictator is exile and his supporters to hiring a mercenary space fleet, the spy is busy trying to acquire Manticore for his masters. Most of his activities are well below the radar of anyone on Manticore except for a few people in the Navy who just gets a quick look at his activities but can't find him.

But on Manticore politics is proceeding as usual with a faction wanting to stop what they see as the financial drain of the Royal Navy from eating the budget. Of course, Earl Breakwater wants to divert assets from the Navy to MPARS (Manticore Patrol and Rescue Service) which is under his control and which he and his supporters feel are certainly enough to protect Manticore. Among his strongest supporters is Baron Winterfall who happens to be Travis Long's half-brother.

The book is filled with complicated political maneuvering and space battles which brings a lot of action to the story. It was an entertaining story to listen to even though some of the transitions were a bit jarring as locations and characters changed from one sentence to the next. show less

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 show more 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 him 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. It feels like there are so many stories still to be told. Which service claims Travis? What is Mr. Llyn's next plan? show less

Nice! Very rich, and complicated - two entirely separate angles hitting at around the same time. Temporary but important alliances, some interesting changes in people - Winterfall finally sees the light! - and overall, a huge expansion of what Manticore thinks she is. Well, it will take a while for the new thoughts to seep out and become the general attitude - but like the first two books, it's very clear to see how Honor's Manticore, and the Navy in that time, is being created in this one. show more I did have to reread the previous book before I could get my bearings in this one - got halfway through the first chapter, put it down and reread A Call to Arms. Rereading A Call to Duty might have helped, too, but I remembered stuff well enough that I wasn't vastly confused. I had thought that this was going to be a trilogy, and was expecting rounding-off - nope, the series remains open-ended and while a good many of the threads get tied off, there are still plenty wandering around. Including the wormhole - still a secret. I really want to read the one where they figure that out... Someday. show less