Honor Harrington: At All Costs

[Chuckg]

Link to a free online mirror of the ninth Baen Free CD here:

http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/09-AtAllCostsCD/AtAllCostsCD/

(the link to the book itself is in the left-hand column, midway down)

Has anybody actually finished this? I got to the intro, went "Oh man, this just blew *right past* this week's depression quota", and put it down. Not because it was bad, just because it looked like the series has entered a "grim grimfest set on the planet grim in the grim nebula" (1) phase.

Now I am somewhat curious as to whether I'm missing anything.

Am I?







(1) attribution: Pendaran, although he was talking about another series entirely.

[Roquefort Raider]

Now I am somewhat curious as to whether I'm missing anything.

Am I?


I'm about one third through, and am still waiting for anything exciting. (The shooting has barely begun).

In my opinion, Weber isn't as bad as he used to be when describing Honor's personal problems (although they can get a bit tedious). I'm a bit upset that things go so easy for her when it comes to the triangle with Hamish and Emily; it would have been interesting to emphasize her growing comfort with Grayson customs in that regard, but although it's mentioned it is not actually acted on. As it is, Emily is described as a little too understanding; Hamish looks pretty selfish and Honor comes across as something of an opportunist.

Anyway, I doubt anyone reads Weber for the romance; it's the war that we care about! As far as that goes, the problem with this book is that Manticore had to be re-established as the underdog to make things interesting, but that came across as a little forced. The many plots involving the slave trade also distract from the main story, and I'll have to see if they are actually important for this book or if they're just a way to set things up for later.

I'm glad that the two warring sides are no longer simply described as good guys vs bad guys. However, a war fought over an epistolary misunderstanding between friends is not as engaging as one fought against a tyrannical enemy (at least as far as war novels go). As you say, it makes the proceedings a little grim.

[Roquefort Raider]

I finished At all costs yesterday. It left me wanting for more, which is a good sign!

Unlike the previous two books (Ashes of victory and War of honor), At all costs does not merely paves the way for future events. Things happen in this one. BIG things. At one point I even thought that this would be the end of the series, or at least the end of the current arc.

The impression I got from the story was the same I have when playing with my kids and their Lego blocks. We build lots and lots of Lego spaceships, set them up around the room and then start destroying them while mouthing odd explosion noises (much to the dismay of my wife who doesn't quite understand what it is that makes 8-year old boys click). This novel is the "destruction" part, in which all that was invested in terms of character development, technology buildup and strategic preparation pays off.

Big political upheavals, terrific space battles, millions of lost lives, and the sad loss of old friends or favorite enemies: this is one of the best in the series, and it's a pity that we now have to wait a few years for the next one.

On the negative side, the begining is a bit slow; the treatment of Honor's feelings and personal life is still a bit clunky and feels forced at times; there is a tenuous but constant reference to other non-Honor books by Weber (Shadow of Saganami and Crown of slaves) which may be annoying to people who haven't read them; and it might have been better plotwise if this novel had sacrificed a hundred pages or so of background stuff (the situation on the planets Mesa and Torch) and had brought the Manticore-Haven war to an end. As it is, Weber might not be done with that war; but this really could have been an opportunity to close the subject in a dramatic and satisfying way.

I'm glad that Shadow of Saganami and Crown of slaves are available online or from the CD-ROM included with this book;they'll help to curb my withdrawal symptoms while waiting for the next Honor book.