Flag in Exile
by David Weber
Honor Harrington Universe - Deutsch (5), Honor Harrington (5), Honor Harrington Universe (14)
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HONOR HARRINGTON MUST DIEHounded into retirement and disgrace by political enemies, cut to the heart by the murder of the man she loved, and bereft of confidence in herself and her abilities, Captain Honor Harrington has retreated to the planet Grayson to take up her role as Steadholder while she tries to heal her bitter wounds.
But the People's Republic of Haven is rising from defeat to threaten Grayson anew, and the newborn Grayson Navy needs her experience desperately. It's a call Honor show more cannot refuse, yet even as she once more accepts the duty whose challenges she fears she can no longer meet, powerful men who hate and fear the changes she's brought to their world are determined to reverse them. They have a plan ... and for it to succeed Honor Harrington must die.
Two irresistible forces are rushing together to crush Grayson between them, and only one woman uncertain of her capabilities, weary unto death, and marked for murder-stands between her adopted planet and its devastation.
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This is another good Honor Harrington book, the fifth of the series. In it, she's lost her commission in the Manticoran navy due to her duel with arch-enemy Pavel Young, in which she legally killed him, and is now on half pay. She has retreated to the planet of Grayson, where she has been made a Homesteader, something akin to a governor of her own state. She's been awarded their highest honor for saving their planet from an invasion a few years ago and is much loved and respected by many. But not all. See, Grayson is backwards. It's a patriarchal, religious zealotry-based world where women are respected, but they are expected to stay home, barefoot and pregnant. And the church, while not the official ruling body, controls much of what show more goes on. So Honor has a lot to learn and the people of Grayson have a lot to learn about her. Fortunately, the leader of the planet has been offworld and has seen what there is to offer and is determined to bring about reforms to his planet, in terms of technology and women's roles.
When we see Honor, she is trying to recover from her lover's murder in the previous book. And she's having to endure demonstrations at the entrance to her capital, people who have been bused in from other homesteads with signs calling her a harlot, etc. Her people don't like it, as they like and respect her, but little can be done about it. Meanwhile, the navy has been refitting some superdreadnaughts captured from a battle with Haven, given to them by Manticore, which will beef up their fleet significantly. However, they lack experienced captains and officers. So, the commanding admiral asks permission to ask Honor to take over and join the navy. She thinks it over and agrees. She's surprised to find that they've made her an admiral and have given her her own squadron of superdreadnaughts and support craft.
Before she goes up to her new ship, there's a community party, which is interrupted by an outsider priest, who screams maddening insults at her, even as the leading religious figure is there with her. This man goes too far, however, and the crowd beats him up, only to be saved at Honor's command by her guards. The church strips this man of his office and his homesteader, and religious fanatic if I've ever seen one, is livid. He arrests the new priest sent to his community and reinstalls the disgraced priest who has been barred. The world's leader is ticked, but he feels there is little he can do.
Honor has invested in a venture called Sky Domes to build domes over the cities to protect them from the harsh environment. The evil homesteader has gotten some of his men into the work crew and sabotages the project, causing a dome to collapse, killing 32 children and over 70 adults. All of a sudden, all of Grayson is against her and he is elated. However, her engineers know it couldn't have happened by accident and they pour over video and details and discover the sabotage, finding the perpetrator and alerting Honor and the president. Honor is on her ship with the religious leader and her lead engineer. The president calls a secret, closed meeting of the "Keys," the Steaders. They don't know what it's about, but it can't be good because that never happens. On their way from her ship to the ground, two assassins get onto her airfield and fire a surface to air missile, blowing up her craft and killing a number of people. She survives. One of the assassins comes looking for her and points his gun at her head. Just as he pulls the trigger, someone leaps in front of Honor, saving her and dying for her in the process. It is the world's religious leader. When the assassin sees this, he is dumbstruck and gives himself up because he knows he is now going to Hell. He signs a detailed confession and the president calls a new secret meeting of the Keys and announces he is charging a member of the body with treason and murder and the crowd gasps. Honor walks into the chamber and the president charges the religious nut. Just as he is about to be hauled away, this guy invokes a little used rule that allows him to challenge his accuser or his accuser's champion to a duel by sword. He's a grand champion. He knows he will kill Honor. Honor slices the shit out of him. It was awesome to see him die.
So she returns to her ship to rest and relax. She's been up and going for something like 36 hours. She has four broken ribs. She has cuts and bruises. After one hour of sleep, however, she is woken. There's an emergency. Radar shows an incoming fleet of about 160 star ships. They're being invaded by Haven. All she has is her six superdreadnaughts, several battleships, and some cruisers. How will she survive? Does she survive? You'll have to read the book to find out.
The reason why this is a good book in the series is because we get to see Honor displaying all sorts of emotions, for once. Normally, she's something like a robot. Here's she's fragile, scared, elated, excited, angry, sad, etc, and it fills her character out more so than in previous books. I like that. Now I'm eager to read the next book in the series. If you haven't read any Honor Harrington books, I suggest you start with the first one, although this probably stands on its own. Nonetheless, recommended. show less
When we see Honor, she is trying to recover from her lover's murder in the previous book. And she's having to endure demonstrations at the entrance to her capital, people who have been bused in from other homesteads with signs calling her a harlot, etc. Her people don't like it, as they like and respect her, but little can be done about it. Meanwhile, the navy has been refitting some superdreadnaughts captured from a battle with Haven, given to them by Manticore, which will beef up their fleet significantly. However, they lack experienced captains and officers. So, the commanding admiral asks permission to ask Honor to take over and join the navy. She thinks it over and agrees. She's surprised to find that they've made her an admiral and have given her her own squadron of superdreadnaughts and support craft.
Before she goes up to her new ship, there's a community party, which is interrupted by an outsider priest, who screams maddening insults at her, even as the leading religious figure is there with her. This man goes too far, however, and the crowd beats him up, only to be saved at Honor's command by her guards. The church strips this man of his office and his homesteader, and religious fanatic if I've ever seen one, is livid. He arrests the new priest sent to his community and reinstalls the disgraced priest who has been barred. The world's leader is ticked, but he feels there is little he can do.
Honor has invested in a venture called Sky Domes to build domes over the cities to protect them from the harsh environment. The evil homesteader has gotten some of his men into the work crew and sabotages the project, causing a dome to collapse, killing 32 children and over 70 adults. All of a sudden, all of Grayson is against her and he is elated. However, her engineers know it couldn't have happened by accident and they pour over video and details and discover the sabotage, finding the perpetrator and alerting Honor and the president. Honor is on her ship with the religious leader and her lead engineer. The president calls a secret, closed meeting of the "Keys," the Steaders. They don't know what it's about, but it can't be good because that never happens. On their way from her ship to the ground, two assassins get onto her airfield and fire a surface to air missile, blowing up her craft and killing a number of people. She survives. One of the assassins comes looking for her and points his gun at her head. Just as he pulls the trigger, someone leaps in front of Honor, saving her and dying for her in the process. It is the world's religious leader. When the assassin sees this, he is dumbstruck and gives himself up because he knows he is now going to Hell. He signs a detailed confession and the president calls a new secret meeting of the Keys and announces he is charging a member of the body with treason and murder and the crowd gasps. Honor walks into the chamber and the president charges the religious nut. Just as he is about to be hauled away, this guy invokes a little used rule that allows him to challenge his accuser or his accuser's champion to a duel by sword. He's a grand champion. He knows he will kill Honor. Honor slices the shit out of him. It was awesome to see him die.
So she returns to her ship to rest and relax. She's been up and going for something like 36 hours. She has four broken ribs. She has cuts and bruises. After one hour of sleep, however, she is woken. There's an emergency. Radar shows an incoming fleet of about 160 star ships. They're being invaded by Haven. All she has is her six superdreadnaughts, several battleships, and some cruisers. How will she survive? Does she survive? You'll have to read the book to find out.
The reason why this is a good book in the series is because we get to see Honor displaying all sorts of emotions, for once. Normally, she's something like a robot. Here's she's fragile, scared, elated, excited, angry, sad, etc, and it fills her character out more so than in previous books. I like that. Now I'm eager to read the next book in the series. If you haven't read any Honor Harrington books, I suggest you start with the first one, although this probably stands on its own. Nonetheless, recommended. show less
Random thoughts...
The duel with Burdette in the presence of the Keys was one of my favorite scenes in the book--Honor demonstrating the difference between the art of fencing and the deadly business of dueling. Her fencing teacher may have been frustrated at her tendency to go for the mortal blos rather than "first touch", but it saved her life.
Mueller is a slimy bastard and I hope it's not too long before Honor is able to teach him a lesson as well.
I mourned the loss of Reverand Hanks and Adam Gerrick, as well as the other "minor" characters I'd come to know and like. Weber is more than willing to kill off characters. And the nameless,faceless masses who were killed in the space battle--I can tell I don't read many war novels. The show more carnage is mind-numbing. And while I know a commander can't let casualties stop him/her from making decisions, I do find it reassuring that Honor is at least a little haunted by all the deaths that result from her decisions.
More horrifying are the deaths that resulted from the fanaticism of Marchant, Burdette, and Mueller. Terrorism up close.
Looking forward to the next installment in the Honor Harrington series. She is becoming an even more complex person with even more baggage to both hinder and help her contined growth and maturity. show less
The duel with Burdette in the presence of the Keys was one of my favorite scenes in the book--Honor demonstrating the difference between the art of fencing and the deadly business of dueling. Her fencing teacher may have been frustrated at her tendency to go for the mortal blos rather than "first touch", but it saved her life.
Mueller is a slimy bastard and I hope it's not too long before Honor is able to teach him a lesson as well.
I mourned the loss of Reverand Hanks and Adam Gerrick, as well as the other "minor" characters I'd come to know and like. Weber is more than willing to kill off characters. And the nameless,faceless masses who were killed in the space battle--I can tell I don't read many war novels. The show more carnage is mind-numbing. And while I know a commander can't let casualties stop him/her from making decisions, I do find it reassuring that Honor is at least a little haunted by all the deaths that result from her decisions.
More horrifying are the deaths that resulted from the fanaticism of Marchant, Burdette, and Mueller. Terrorism up close.
Looking forward to the next installment in the Honor Harrington series. She is becoming an even more complex person with even more baggage to both hinder and help her contined growth and maturity. show less
Trigger warning: EXTREME toxic masculinity
Last year I started the reread of the Honor Harrington Series through the audio books. These are actually expanded versions from the originals I read, so in a way it is like reading them new again. Not all the new details are found needed, but they're there now. Flag in Exile is book 5 of the series and we greet our heroine on Grayson after months of convalescing from the fall out of book 4.
The expanded versions have allowed Weber to add more details on his opinions of politics, extreme belief, religion, and moderation. At times, Honor does feel like a Mary Sue or an author's avatar, but at other times, she doesn't. Much of this book deals with the bigots who can't handle change. It hit home show more harder than I expected and actually triggered some internal issues for me.
On one hand, it's been so long since I've read this book, this is like reading it for the first time. I don't remember much of this book. On the other hand, I wonder how much I blocked out, as I hear relatives and others of similar political minds behind the rants of the primary bad guys. I hear the ultra conservative ranting about how the secular is destroying the religious and destroying things... This is rather a poignant book for this time...
In the end, the main character triumphs, however, the overall feel of the book is oppressive, hateful, and just not the same feel as the rest of the series. It feels like a completely different writer wrote this book for David Weber. show less
Last year I started the reread of the Honor Harrington Series through the audio books. These are actually expanded versions from the originals I read, so in a way it is like reading them new again. Not all the new details are found needed, but they're there now. Flag in Exile is book 5 of the series and we greet our heroine on Grayson after months of convalescing from the fall out of book 4.
The expanded versions have allowed Weber to add more details on his opinions of politics, extreme belief, religion, and moderation. At times, Honor does feel like a Mary Sue or an author's avatar, but at other times, she doesn't. Much of this book deals with the bigots who can't handle change. It hit home show more harder than I expected and actually triggered some internal issues for me.
On one hand, it's been so long since I've read this book, this is like reading it for the first time. I don't remember much of this book. On the other hand, I wonder how much I blocked out, as I hear relatives and others of similar political minds behind the rants of the primary bad guys.
In the end, the main character triumphs, however, the overall feel of the book is oppressive, hateful, and just not the same feel as the rest of the series. It feels like a completely different writer wrote this book for David Weber. show less
This book spoke to me, somewhere deep. I fell in love with the Graysons, at least the ones on the side of good. I think the theme for the Graysons is this quotation: Nor do we always remember how limited our perceptions are compared to His, and that He, unlike us, sees to the hearts of all people and knows His own, however strange and different they may appear to us.
I also felt that Honor was far more human in this book. I got to see her emotions and her drive make her be the best Steadholder she could be. Her caring for all the people under her command, be it civilian or military shines through.
I will issue a tissue warning. To say more would be a spoiler. I did have a gut-felt moment of exultation when Honor dealt justice in the show more Protector's name.
If you like military science fiction or just well-written, page-turning science fiction with a dose of political machinations, then this book is for you. I would strongly suggest starting at the beginning of the series. show less
I also felt that Honor was far more human in this book. I got to see her emotions and her drive make her be the best Steadholder she could be. Her caring for all the people under her command, be it civilian or military shines through.
I will issue a tissue warning. To say more would be a spoiler. I did have a gut-felt moment of exultation when Honor dealt justice in the show more Protector's name.
If you like military science fiction or just well-written, page-turning science fiction with a dose of political machinations, then this book is for you. I would strongly suggest starting at the beginning of the series. show less
This episode finds Honor Harrington on Grayson taking up the responsibilities she has as Steadholder. She is in bad shape; she's grieving and lacking in self-confidence. When she is asked to take her place in the Grayson Navy, she is very reluctant and fears that all the certainty of her previous experience is gone. But the new Navy needs her experience and expertise because Haven has a new plan and it goes right through Grayson.
Her responsibilities to the Navy would be enough pressure but she is also facing hidden pressure from Grayson where a small fanatic band resents her success and the changes she is making to Grayson society and hatches a horrible plot to discredit her and kill her. And it doesn't matter how many innocents have to show more die as long as Harrington dies.
So these evil men attack Honor's Skydome industries and sabotage one of their projects which leads to the death of more than 90 people including more than 30 children. Since it looks like a horrible accident caused by Honor's greed and the usage of inferior materials, public sentiment turns against Honor and Honor herself is consumed by guilt even though she knows she didn't cut corners. When her engineers discover the sabotage that guilt is lessened but the finding the proof will alert the wrongdoers and may give them enough time to cover their tracks. And the whole situation is in danger of bringing down the Protector's new reforms.
And one final attempt to kill Honor almost succeeds and does succeed in killing many of her people and many of those who come to rescue her. One notable victim is the head of Father Church who throws himself in front of Honor to save her from an assassin's bullet.
Reeling from her injuries, Honor needs to fight a duel with the Steadholder who masterminded the various plots against her and then return to her ship just in time to face an overwhelming force from Haven.
This was an excellent and exciting episode in the Honor Harrington series. show less
Her responsibilities to the Navy would be enough pressure but she is also facing hidden pressure from Grayson where a small fanatic band resents her success and the changes she is making to Grayson society and hatches a horrible plot to discredit her and kill her. And it doesn't matter how many innocents have to show more die as long as Harrington dies.
So these evil men attack Honor's Skydome industries and sabotage one of their projects which leads to the death of more than 90 people including more than 30 children. Since it looks like a horrible accident caused by Honor's greed and the usage of inferior materials, public sentiment turns against Honor and Honor herself is consumed by guilt even though she knows she didn't cut corners. When her engineers discover the sabotage that guilt is lessened but the finding the proof will alert the wrongdoers and may give them enough time to cover their tracks. And the whole situation is in danger of bringing down the Protector's new reforms.
And one final attempt to kill Honor almost succeeds and does succeed in killing many of her people and many of those who come to rescue her. One notable victim is the head of Father Church who throws himself in front of Honor to save her from an assassin's bullet.
Reeling from her injuries, Honor needs to fight a duel with the Steadholder who masterminded the various plots against her and then return to her ship just in time to face an overwhelming force from Haven.
This was an excellent and exciting episode in the Honor Harrington series. show less
This episode finds Honor Harrington on Grayson taking up the responsibilities she has as Steadholder. She is in bad shape; she's grieving and lacking in self-confidence. When she is asked to take her place in the Grayson Navy, she is very reluctant and fears that all the certainty of her previous experience is gone. But the new Navy needs her experience and expertise because Haven has a new plan and it goes right through Grayson.
Her responsibilities to the Navy would be enough pressure but she is also facing hidden pressure from Grayson where a small fanatic band resents her success and the changes she is making to Grayson society and hatches a horrible plot to discredit her and kill her. And it doesn't matter how many innocents have to show more die as long as Harrington dies.
So these evil men attack Honor's Skydome industries and sabotage one of their projects which leads to the death of more than 90 people including more than 30 children. Since it looks like a horrible accident caused by Honor's greed and the usage of inferior materials, public sentiment turns against Honor and Honor herself is consumed by guilt even though she knows she didn't cut corners. When her engineers discover the sabotage that guilt is lessened but the finding the proof will alert the wrongdoers and may give them enough time to cover their tracks. And the whole situation is in danger of bringing down the Protector's new reforms.
And one final attempt to kill Honor almost succeeds and does succeed in killing many of her people and many of those who come to rescue her. One notable victim is the head of Father Church who throws himself in front of Honor to save her from an assassin's bullet.
Reeling from her injuries, Honor needs to find a duel with the Steadholder who masterminded the various plots against her and then return to her ship just in time to face an overwhelming force from Haven.
This was an excellent and exciting episode in the Honor Harrington series. show less
Her responsibilities to the Navy would be enough pressure but she is also facing hidden pressure from Grayson where a small fanatic band resents her success and the changes she is making to Grayson society and hatches a horrible plot to discredit her and kill her. And it doesn't matter how many innocents have to show more die as long as Harrington dies.
So these evil men attack Honor's Skydome industries and sabotage one of their projects which leads to the death of more than 90 people including more than 30 children. Since it looks like a horrible accident caused by Honor's greed and the usage of inferior materials, public sentiment turns against Honor and Honor herself is consumed by guilt even though she knows she didn't cut corners. When her engineers discover the sabotage that guilt is lessened but the finding the proof will alert the wrongdoers and may give them enough time to cover their tracks. And the whole situation is in danger of bringing down the Protector's new reforms.
And one final attempt to kill Honor almost succeeds and does succeed in killing many of her people and many of those who come to rescue her. One notable victim is the head of Father Church who throws himself in front of Honor to save her from an assassin's bullet.
Reeling from her injuries, Honor needs to find a duel with the Steadholder who masterminded the various plots against her and then return to her ship just in time to face an overwhelming force from Haven.
This was an excellent and exciting episode in the Honor Harrington series. show less
Hounded from Manticore in the wake of Field of Dishonor, Honor has landed on Grayson, to grieve, heal, and take up her new responsibilities as Steadholder Harrington. But not all is well on Grayson, and Protector Benjamin's reforms have provoked a powerful conservative reaction. Honor is the target of a massive conspiracy to set Grayson back to the bad old days, and of course the Peeps are up to their usual military tricks.
There are moments in this book that really work-everything from the assassination attempt against Honor to the confrontation in the Chamber of Keys is really compelling and dramatic. That aside, this is where the cracks in the series show. One common complaint is that Honor is infallible, and this would've been a show more perfect place for her to stumble a little. Sure, Honor is a very good starship commander and martial artist, and she wins her pistol duels, but she's operating entirely out of her element. She could've failed to delegate effectively when promoted from battlecruiser captain to superdreadnought admiral, or screwed up civilian administration somehow, or just have more cultural problems. But no, Honor is perfect and so is almost everything in her life, and she has to win her victories by unimaginable margins.
The other problem is that while Weber is a decent wordsmith and knows how to steal from history, he's a lousy sociologist, and the more we see of Grayson the less it holds together. I just don't buy the balance between the Steadholders, the Protector, and the Church, or the way that Graysons seem so ordinary and American, when in fact they're a monolith religious nation practicing polygamy and radical gender inequality living on a planet that's basically a toxic waste dump.
In my headcanon, this is where the Honorverse ends. Sure, there's more story to tell (and books to sell), but her personal arc has reached its limit. Weber might agree, since the later books get bloated with secondary viewpoint characters, digressions on treecats, and all kinds of nonsense. show less
There are moments in this book that really work-everything from the assassination attempt against Honor to the confrontation in the Chamber of Keys is really compelling and dramatic. That aside, this is where the cracks in the series show. One common complaint is that Honor is infallible, and this would've been a show more perfect place for her to stumble a little. Sure, Honor is a very good starship commander and martial artist, and she wins her pistol duels, but she's operating entirely out of her element. She could've failed to delegate effectively when promoted from battlecruiser captain to superdreadnought admiral, or screwed up civilian administration somehow, or just have more cultural problems. But no, Honor is perfect and so is almost everything in her life, and she has to win her victories by unimaginable margins.
The other problem is that while Weber is a decent wordsmith and knows how to steal from history, he's a lousy sociologist, and the more we see of Grayson the less it holds together. I just don't buy the balance between the Steadholders, the Protector, and the Church, or the way that Graysons seem so ordinary and American, when in fact they're a monolith religious nation practicing polygamy and radical gender inequality living on a planet that's basically a toxic waste dump.
In my headcanon, this is where the Honorverse ends. Sure, there's more story to tell (and books to sell), but her personal arc has reached its limit. Weber might agree, since the later books get bloated with secondary viewpoint characters, digressions on treecats, and all kinds of nonsense. show less
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222+ Works 77,417 Members
David Weber was born in Cleveland, Ohio on October 24, 1952. He received an undergraduate degree from Warren Wilson College and attended graduate school at Appalachian State University. He ran Weber Associates, a small advertising and public relations agency, for several years. He currently writes science fiction and fantasy full-time. His first show more novel, Insurrection, in collaboration with Steve White, was published in 1990. He has authored or co-authored over 40 books including The Honor of the Queen, In Enemy Hands, The Service of the Sword, Storm from the Shadows, the Honor Harrington series, the Safehold series, and the Star Kingdom series. Weber's first book in the Manticore Ascendant Series, co-authored with Timothy Zahn, made the New York Times bestseller list in October 2014. At the Sign of Triumph, book 9 in the Safehold series, made the New York Times bestseller list in 2016. Book 10, Through Fiery Trials, was published in January 2019. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Series
Honor Harrington Universe - Deutsch
22 works (5)
Honor Harrington
16 works (5)
Honor Harrington Universe
31 works (14)
Belongs to Publisher Series
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Flag in Exile
- Original title
- Flag in Exile
- Original publication date
- 1995
- People/Characters
- Honor Harrington; Benjamin Mayhew; Hamish Alexander; Wesley Matthews; James MacGuiness; Andrew LaFollet (show all 28); Nimitz; Esther McQueen; Howard Clinkscales; Miranda LaFollet; Julius Hanks; Adam Gerrick; Willaim Fitzclarence / Steadholder Burdette; James Candless 'Jamie'; Rob Pierre; Edmond Marchant; Mercedes Brigham; Alfredo Yu; Frederick Bagwell; Gregory Paxton; Jared Sutton; John Mackenzie; Samuel Mueller; Shannon Foraker; Warner Caslet; Thomas Theisman; Stuart Matthews; Mark Brentworth
- Important places
- Grayson; Harrington Steading
- Dedication
- To Roger Zelazny---
A gentleman, a scholar, a story-teller,
and a friend I didn't know long enough - First words
- Admiral of the Green Hamish Alexander, Thirteenth Earl of White Haven, sat on HMS Queen Caitrin's flag deck and gazed into his display.
- Quotations
- "Your Grace," she said, "I have only one question. Do you wish this man crippled, or dead?"
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)The roar of sound rolled around the Chamber, then died as the Speaker rose, and Samuel Mueller beamed, his face alight with approval for the woman he hated, as the sharp, crisp blows of the Speaker's gavel announced the Keys of Grayson's unanimous commendation of Lady Honor Harrington.
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