On Basilisk Station
(Honor Harrington #1)

David Weber

Riverdale: Baen Books, 1993. ISBN: 1-4165-0937-2. Pp. 422

Review © 2006 Branislav L. Slantchev

I can't believe it's just now that I find this incredible series by David Weber. I count myself a fan of military science fiction especially when it comes in such an intelligent and well thought out container that presents a lively mix of credible technology, entangled politics the like of which I have not read since Dune, and interstellar diplomacy. And yet, I had heard nothing of Honor Harrington, the incredible Captain of the Royal Manticoran Navy, or of her treecat Nimitz (or should I say of the 'cat and his chosen person Honor). Anyone who can make a verbal account of a space battle come to life as if it is being delivered by the best special effects a Hollywood studio can muster is not a writer to be trifled with. But when one adds his careful attention to character development, Weber's ability to come up with hair-raising tactical scenarios and nail-biting political suspense leaves no doubt that he is a major voice in modern science fiction.

On Basilisk Station introduces the heroine of the series, Honor, just when she is about to run afoul of powerful military brass hell bent on reforming the tactical doctrine of the Kingdom of Manticore, and especially its advanced Royal Navy. Manticore, as all other inhabited worlds I have seen so far in this universe, has been settled by colonists from Earth but has evolved a peculiar monarchy currently in the person of Queen Elizabeth. It is a rich and powerful kingdom that benefits a lot from its strategic position sitting atop of the busiest wormhole junction. Unfortunately, the rewards from this location bring the envious stares of some of Manticore's neighbors.

One of them is the People's Republic of Haven, which sounds popular and democratic but really looks a lot like some of them "democratic people's republics" of our own 20th century (e.g., the USSR or China come to mind). It boasts a formidable military that may be a bit behind Manticore's in terms of technological sophistication but is just as deadly, not to mention more numerous. The totalitarian system is straining under the demands of the universal welfare state and to stave off economic disaster, Haven has embarked on a path of conquest and expansion. Although they are still afraid of taking on Manticore head on, Haven's leaders are not above engineering a coup in their favor or gleaning some strategic advantage on the periphery of their rival's sphere.

The main opponents are instantly recognizable because Weber has chosen to model them on political systems we will probably recognize from our own history. As I said above, Haven sounds a lot like the Soviet Union: going broke under the strain of military expenditure and a screwed up economic system that cannot generate enough wealth to support both its enormous military budgets and its largely unproductive public sector. And yet she is not an opponent to be taken lightly: she is formidable enough, and her desperation only makes her more dangerous. Haven will also engage in covert subversive operations despite protestation of her innocence.

Manticore, on the other hand, seems a weird cross between the British Empire and the United States of the early 20th century. It is a rich powerful kingdom but it is somewhat handicapped by its garrulous politicians who run the gamut from arch conservative isolationists who want to pull out from foreign entanglements and avoid getting themselves into Haven's path, Liberals who seem quite confused about what they want (both non-interference with others but let the trade flow), and more realistic Centrists who are loyal to the Crown and who are not averse to using the muscle of the RMN to secure the interests of the kingdom.

Into this potentially explosive brew, a forceful admiral of the RMN is trying to inject a shot of new thinking when it comes to combat systems for the Navy. Unfortunately, her latest idea is as stupid as it is unorthodox and even though Honor makes it work the first time it is tested, all subsequent maneuvers end with a humiliating defeat of the new technology. The admiral naturally blames Honor for these failures and has her posted to a worthless wormhole junction in virtual exile. Shunned by her crew who also believes her to be the cause of their misfortune and humiliation, Honor is set up by the worthless aristocratic commander on Basilisk (with whom she's had a.. run-in at the academy) who abandons her deprived of resources to execute impossible duties.

Unbeknownst to anyone, however, the backwater is about to become the center of a conspiracy that, if successful, should enable Haven to grab a priceless piece of real estate in the region. Trouble is brewing on Medusa, the planet closest to the Basilisk Terminus, where the aborigines are getting doped up with a hallucinogen that drives them to murderous fury of berserks. As Honor's attempts to whip up the station into shape uncover vast contraband involving highly-placed Manticoran merchants, she begins to realize that some outside influence is driving the locals to some unknown ends... just as when her by-the-book enforcement has brought the howls of her enemies back home to her superiors.

Although I am not a huge fan of technical sci-fi (and Weber's meticulous descriptions of technology can be a bit irksome), I have been thoroughly impressed with how everything in the "Honorverse" just seems natural, down to the physically impossible space travel. Good space opera is much more than regurgitation of technical manuals written by starry-eyed frenzied nerds. And once he's introduced us to the basics of his worlds, Weber moves along at a brisk pace, alternating between Honor's struggle to win the confidence of her crew and her valiant attempts to deal with the growing threat to her kingdom. Making things more interesting, there are really no traditional villains (except perhaps Pavel Young, the asshole who had tried to rape Honor and is now trying to end her career). Even the "bad" guys from Haven are mostly honorable men trying to do their duty even though it conflicts with Manticore's interests.

The last part of the book is taken by an astonishing space battle between a desperately outgunned Honor and a Q-ship of the People's Republic. The writing is so brisk, I was actually skipping words in a breathless attempt to keep up with the action. Well done. Weber does not shy away from depicting war as a necessary political instrument: it is painful, it is destructive, and yet sometimes it is utterly inevitable. What a refreshing approach to conflict in this post-Vietnam era of angst that seems to have held a tight grip even on literature here in the U.S. In Weber's world, violence is real: people die, sometimes brutally (although he does not tend to dwell on pornographic gore), and very decent people die very nastily. It is the reality of war and unlike many sci-fi films/books, the hero does not waltz in with guns blazing, killing countless unseen opponents, and leaving with nary a hair ruffled on her head. Instead, war is a grisly business where real people perish, and yet without mordant sentimentality, Weber somehow manages to convey some sense of the professional pride of the soldiers as well as the ennobling heroism that accompanies such extreme acts. Well done indeed.

Of course, anyone who spends so much time talking about a 'cat (even if he does have six legs) is an instant winner in my book. Count me a Weber fan. I am now off to the bookstore to buy the next novel in the saga.

February 4, 2006