Storm from the Shadows [Mass Market Paperback]

Although I really enjoyed this sequel to "The Shadow of Saganami" in the Honor Harrington universe or "Honorverse" it should come with three big health warnings

1) CLIFF-HANGER ALERT - this book has a cliff-hanger ending in which two heavy attacks, one of them a potential game-ender, are set in motion against the good guys, but you have to read Mission Of Honor (Honor Harrington)which was published in Summer 2010 to find out whether they succeed. It is obvious that the last words of the author's note which comes with this book "I should also warn you that the ride is going to get a lot rougher for the good guys over the next few books" - is a masterpiece of understatement.

If you are likely to be agonised by the wait to find out what happens, you might consider ordering this book and "Mission of Honor" together so that you can read them in sequence.

2) OVERLAP ALERT - This book continues the story of events in the Talbott Cluster (now renamed the Talbott Quadrant) following "The Shadow of Saganami" (TSOS). The main viewpoint character is Honor Harrington's friend, the Queen's cousin, Michelle Henke. Most of the action takes place in the same timespan as "At All Costs" (AAC).

A large part of the first third of this book retells events in TSOS and AAC from Michelle Henke's viewpoint. After that point, Weber, who was concerned that readers who had read those books might be bored with repetition, cut references to events previously described in AAC down to minimal outlines, just enough to fix the time frame so readers who have already read AAC will be able to tell what point in that narrative has currently been reached.

This worked for me but might not work for all readers. Those who have read TSOS and AAC may find the first third of the book repetitive despite Weber's efforts to avoid this. However, those who have not read AAC may find the oblique references in the middle third of this book to the war Honor Harrington is fighting on another front to be aggravatingly incomplete.

3) NOT MANY BATTLES ALERT

There are fewer battles in this book than in almost any other "Honorverse" book, and a lot fewer than in its predecessor (TSOS). This is the same kind of book as "War of Honor" which some readers hated because it was about setting up a major war, not fighting one. Those who read Weber for the battles were disappointed, and if you didn't like "War of Honor" for that reason you won't like this book either.

But if you read Weber for the battles, it is very obvious that what follows this book is going to give you plenty to read in the next few volumes in the series !

THE HONORVERSE

This is the fourteenth full length novel (with two more already delivered to the publishers) in a series of space opera novels set two or three thousand years in the future.

If you have not read any of these books and are interested in doing so, do not start with this one: these stories work best if read in sequence, so start with the first book, which is "On Basilisk station."

Despite the futuristic setting, there are strong parallels with Nelson's navy. Assumed technology in the stories imposes constraints on space navy officers quite similar to those which the technology of fighting sail imposed on wet navy officers two hundred years ago. Similarly, the galactic situation in the novels up to this point has had marked similarities to the strategic and political situation in Europe at the time of the French revolutionary wars.

This book contains an author's note by David Weber which explains how the character of Honor Harrington was inspired by Horatio Nelson. Until I read that note I had been convinced that she was inspired by C.S. Forester's character Horatio Hornblower. I still think they have a lot in common, and the plot of one of these books, "Echoes of Honor" is an exact parallel of one of the Hornblower books, "Flying Colours," with Honor Harrington as Hornblower.

The Honor Harrington series (sometimes nicknamed the "Honorverse") has developed two spin-off storylines. Stories set in this Universe fall into three groups, although they link together in a reasonably consistent manner.

There is the main sequence, currently of 12 novels, which follow the career of Honor Harrington herself. This sequence is:

1) On Basilisk Station
2) The Honor of the Queen
3) The Short Victorious War
4) Field of Dishonour
5) Flag in Exile
6) Honor among Enemies
7) In Enemy Hands
8) Echoes of Honor
9) Ashes of Victory
10) War of Honor
11) At All Costs
12) Mission of Honor, which pulls the storylines back together.

There are currently four collections in the "Worlds of Honor" series of short stories by Weber and co-authors set in the same universe, and featuring a range of characters, some from the main series of books, others new.

Some of these are espionage stories, and Weber has produced a book called "Crown of Slaves" co-written with Eric Flint, which brings together several of the most prominent spies from the novels and short stories in a novel of intrigue and revolution. There is a sequel, "Torch of Freedom."

And then there are two "Next Generation" books focussing on the Talbott Quadrant, which starts with "The Shadow of Saganami" and follows on with this book, "Storm from the Shadows," featuring some younger officers in the Grayson and Manticoran navies such as Helen Zilwicki and Abigail Hearns.

Although both books have the word "Shadow" in the title, the shadows concerned are radically different. Edward Saganami was a founding hero of the Manticoran navy, who gave his life fighting suicidal odds to give time for a convoy to escape in much the same way that the captains and crews of the Jervis Bay and Rawalpindi did in the real history of World War II. His shadow refers to a legacy of heroism which all Manticoran navy cadets are encouraged to live up to.

By contrast, the title of this book refers to the shadows in which a powerful and evil force is hidden, and from whence that force, known to the world as "Manpower" but to its inner circle as "The Mesan Alignment," is whipping up a storm against the good guys.

Having tricked Manticore and Haven into going to war against each other, the Mesan Alignment want to keep that war going and drag Manticore into a war against the largest and richest nation in the galaxy, the Solarian league. Everyone assumes Manpower is simply a rich and corrupt company of genetic slavers. Unfortunately for the galaxy they are much, much more than that ...

I am a huge fan of David Weber - I have all the books and love rereading them over and over. But this one just isn't as good.

Firstly too little - this is a side story in the honorverse but unlike "Crown of Slaves" (another side story in honorverse) this one has too little content directly related to itself. The interaction between the characters and the transitions between the components of this side story feel rushed - they lack the fluidity that Weber is so good at.

The reason for too little? Too much - this book contains so much build up to the next story that you get lost between which parts of the build up for the main story line and which are for this side story. There is too much going on that too little occurs in this story that is part of this story.

Like one of the other reviewers I found myself bored with this book about halfway through - and I have never had that with a Weber book before.

For me the fix needed would be to break all the plot content in this book into separate books. Spend more time fleshing out this side story - there is so much there that could be built upon. At the same time take most, if not all, of the plot elements meant for the main story line and put them into their own book, possibly even two (there is that much build up in this book).

As it is this book really disappoints. I am used to sitting down with one of Weber's books and loosing myself in the honorverse. He has shown with previous side stories ("Crown of Slaves" and "The Shadow of Saganami", of which this is a sequel) that he can do tell wonderful side stories in the honorverse that the can captivate the reader as much as his Honor Harrington stories do. So my expectations were high and thus the let down disappoints all the more.

Compliments books from Honor Harrington series. well not wishing to spoil a good book, will avoid giving any details. Hehe thats the fun of reading why spoil it.

For those who, follower of the Heroine Honor Harrington, have read the latest book At All Costs (Honorverse) probably wonder what the next book of Honor series will turn up. This book builds on so many characters from that Honor series and somehow brings pieces of jig-jaw puzzle together made up of information links to characters from The Shadow of Saganami (Saganami) as well Crown of Slaves (Honor Harrington) together. Storm from the Shadows (Saganami) brings in new characters, enhances other characters created already and allows them to become heros/heroines in their own right. Perhaps they will figure more in the next Honor book which I hope the author will write in light of his views he shared with us in this book.

As I read this book, I often reflect back on what I read previous and how small pieces of information mention here and there, other characters neatly fits together with what the author has written. Love his style, depth and detail which somehow needing more repeated readings at a leisurely pace (like the others) to fully follow how much detail and depth it goes into to really build the big picture. Looking forward to seeing if the Torch of Freedom has the same consistency.

For players of Eve On-Line and even CCP they should enjoy reading Honor series, its the details the author goes into on how to run Alliances, fight wars, strategy most of all politics. So many weapons and survillance platforms, space ships described in great detail in all his books is worth having in Eve. Of course with the authors permission. Wealth of ideas and scope to try out in Eve perhaps. Recommended read on the entire series of Honor Harrington and related stories. For details please try this url: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Weber#Works_related_to_the_Honor_Harrington_series. For those I know and who read the books and play the game agrees with the fine work the Author and his team has shared with us.