The Honor of the Queen

Honor Harrington, Book 2

By: David Weber

Narrated by: Allyson Johnson

It's hard to give peace a chance when the other side regards conquest as the only option and a sneak attack as the best means to that end. That's why the Kingdom of Manticore needs allies against the Republic of Haven, and the planet Grayson is strategically situated to make a very good ally indeed. But Her Majesty’s Foreign Office overlooked a “minor cultural difference” when they chose Honor Harrington to carry the flag: women on the planet of Grayson are without rank or rights and Honor’s mere presence is an intolerable affront to every male on the planet.

At first Honor doesn’t take it personally. But, in time, such treatment becomes taxing and she makes plans to withdraw until Grayson’s fratricidal sister planet attacks without warning. Now, Honor must stay and prevail, not just for her honor, but for her sovereign’s, for the honor of the Queen.

A Note from Author David Weber
There's been some confusion—not to say, um, energetic debate, readers and fans being readers and fans—about the correct pronunciation of "Manticoran." The truth, alas, is that a stitch was dropped. An error occurred. A mistake was made… and it wasn't Audible's fault. It was mine. Before Audible recorded the very first Honor Harrington book, narrator Allyson Johnson and I not only corresponded by e-mail but actually spoke to one another by phone. She wanted to make absolutely certain she had the correct pronunciations for names, places, star nations, etc., and I tried to make certain all of her questions were answered. And so they were. Unfortunately, at some point in the process, I replied to one of her e-mails by telling her that "Man-ti-core-ahn" was pronounced "Man-tik-er-ahn." Exactly how this happened is more than I can say at this point, except to blushingly disclose that the original e-mail remains intact, confirming to all the world that it was, indeed, my fault. I can ascribe it only to a temporary mental hiccup on my part and crave your forgiveness. If, however, you must blame someone for the mix-up, that someone should be me and not Audible, who have done everything they could to get it right.

Listen to another Honor Harrington adventure.©2002 David Weber (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Following in the best tradition of C.S. Forester, Patrick O'Brian and Robert A Heinlein! These hugely entertaining and clever adventures are the very epitome of space opera." ( Publishers Weekly)

Excellent Book, well narrated

I loved this series when I first read it, and am enjoying a second time on audio. Another great piece of work by David Weber with all the space battles, politics, and theoretical physics you could want. The narrator does an excellent job of voicing the characters as they are described in the books, particularly the main character's clipped feminine soprano. The narrator has also picked up on the fact that the Republic of Haven bears a great deal of resemblence to the French (their capitol is even named New Paris), and the Kingdom of Manticore to the British, and capitolized on it by giving the characters from each star nation the correct accents. This really helps highlight when the story has changed viewpoints and makes for a more interesting narration.

OMG!

Love this series! Hard core space battles, fascinating characters and very realistic engagements! Fast-paced and excellently read!! The author does not glorify war nor does he look away from the damage it does: instead, he shows what our Soldiers have to deal with and creates even more respect for the choices they have to make! Excellence in leadership and very pro-female! Worth PAYING for if you don't have credits! Well done!

Defenders of Grayson

This particular tale involves the unlikely defense of Grayson, a would be ally of the Manticoran Kingdom. Along with strife with the people's republic, religious fanatics, unreasoning hostility towards women, they also find themselves badly outgunned. Honor Harrington and her crew take on the challenge against overwhelming odds and it is wondrous to see.

Interesting but too many characters

What made the experience of listening to The Honor of the Queen the most enjoyable?

This is an interesting take on what it would be like to serve in a space Navy. This is the second, and hearing the first may be helpful, but I had trouble keeping up with where we were and if the enemy was speaking, or not. Suggest you keep a list of characters as you go. The performance was good, but not great. The voice was picked for the heroine, but it didn't morph well into the other characters' personnas. Lots of death and blood and space battles, with redeeming honor.

Enjoyed it, but don't think I will get the rest of the series.

Very good space Opera

I very much appreciate Mr Webber's attention to detail and world building. A very well thought out strategic and tactical world that presents it denizen with vicerally real and devastating danger. Even if the writers politics come through somewhat ham fistedly, but hey even Heinlein couldn't resist the opportunity to preach occasionally.

Great book

This is one of the best of the Harrington novels. The military is well represented and the characters are well developed.

Pohtayto, potartoe

Great delivery of the Honor story. Excellent voice characterisation and variety. So many future books build on what happens here you should not skip this one! One teeny aggravation was the pronounciation of Manticoran. 'manTIKoran' or 'mantiKORAN' one sounds forced to me and I got a little twitch every time I heard it.

Nimitz rules!

I really enjoyed this second book from the Honor Harrington series. I still found the politics hard to follow.

Good Followup to Book 1

What did you love best about The Honor of the Queen?

The interaction between Honor and the crew. She was facing some difficult choices, and like any commander, some were life threatening. She chose to commit her forces, even though success was not guaranteed.

What other book might you compare The Honor of the Queen to and why?

no answer

Which scene was your favorite?

When she had to commit a ship to the fight, when she knew it may be destroyed, but it was necessary for mission success.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When she was awarded controll over one of the agro domains.

Great Book

Great book, and very well done narration looking forward to listening to the rest of the series