Honorverse

Plot

The series follows Honor Harrington, military heroine and later, influential politician, during a time of extreme interstellar change and tension. Most of the more than 20 novels and anthology collections cover events between 4000 and 4022 AD with "PD" (Post-Diaspora) dating beginning with a dispersal to the stars from our sun ("Sol") in 2103 AD. The main series novels are set primarily in a timeline beginning 40 years after Harrington's birth on October 1, 3962 AD (1859 PD), and some short stories flesh out her earlier career. Additional novels and shorter fiction take place up to 350 years earlier, and still-earlier canon history is filled in between narratives and in appendices attached to the main novels and anthologies.

The political makeup and history of the series frequently echoes actual history, particularly that of Europe in the last half of the second millennium. The series is consciously modeled on the Horatio Hornblower series by C.S. Forester, and its main character, like Horatio Hornblower, on a mix of Thomas Cochrane and Admiral Lord Nelson. Weber originally planned for Harrington to die in the fifth book. This was later changed to parallel Nelson by having her die at the peak of her career in the climactic Battle of Manticore in 1920 PD (4020 AD), then continue the series with her children as the main protagonists. However, collaborating author Eric Flint intervened, asking for the invention of a mutual enemy for both the Star Kingdom of Manticore and the Republic of Haven to oppose in a spy-and-counterspy spin-off sub-series the two contractually agreed to co-write, just as they have contracts to write in Flint's 1632 universe. This "rethink" and redesign caused Weber to move the series' internal chronology up by about 20 years and begat the Crown of Slaves novel, first in the "Crown of Slaves" sub-series based on a number of the short stories of the first four collections. In this scenario, proxies for Manticore and Haven oppose the same hidden enemy, the genetic slavers and powers behind the government and corporations of the planet of Mesa. Mesa is later revealed in Mission of Honor to be part of a secret cabal of about a dozen highly capable planets which are busily building a secret navy using advanced technologies at a secret planet and known to itself as the Mesan Alignment. The Mesan Alignment's navy has new technology and conducts a sneak attack on Manticore in 1922 PD during the twelfth mainline novel, Mission of Honor. The Mesans have a 600-year-old secret program to reinstitute purposeful genetic engineering of humans and break up the Solarian League, while taking down all opponents opposing such genetic engineering. This makes the staunchly anti-genetic-slavery star nations of Haven, Manticore, and various associates of the planet Beowulf primary targets of the Mesan Alignment. The "Crown of Slaves" sub-series books and last two mainline Honorverse novels detail the rising extent of this threat.

As the two sub-series progress, albeit with somewhat-separate casts of characters, each is expected by Weber to carry the detailed storyline events particular to their astrographical region forward and tie together into an ongoing plotline concerning the massive and monolithic Solarian League, which foreshadowing in the most recent novels suggests is about to undergo severe disruption. The thirteenth mainline novel, A Rising Thunder, ties together events in both sub-series and synchronizes the timeline of each sub-series with Honor Harrington's mainline novels. This book confirms the Solarian League is officially now the new Mesan cat's paw, effectively at war with both the Star Empire of Manticore and the Republic of Haven, as it has been manipulated into error after error by the operatives of the Mesan Alignment.

Publication

Many of Weber's books are available at the Baen Free Library; chapters of some texts are otherwise available online. The first-edition hardcover releases of War of Honor, At All Costs, Torch of Freedom, and Mission of Honor contained a CD with copies of most of Weber's published books at the time, labeled for free redistribution.

Setting

Among a handful of anthologies, the thirteen Honor-centered novels, and two subordinate sub-series starring some different characters, the universe first explored in On Basilisk Station has a diasporal historical background for the backstory storyline, in which mankind, over almost two millennia, migrated to systems beyond the Sol system, first in slower-than-light starships, then by increasingly efficient and effective hyperspace drive-propulsion systems. Early daughter colonies also spawned colonies, forming regional networks of related populations. With travel limited to slower-than-light speeds, any marginally habitable nearby planet was of interest, and Earth's scientists went through a period in which they regularly genetically modified the human genome for survival positive adaptations to marginal environments, such as heavy gravity, thin atmosphere, thick atmospheres, or toxic environments (e.g. Grayson). Some corporate entities also began breeding for super soldiers and superior intellects, good looks, sexual prowess, etc., or mixes of such traits, practices that led to a horrific "Final War" on Old Earth. Long-established and advanced daughter colonies like Beowulf mounted a variety of rescue missions and initiated a thousand-year effort to clean up the Earth gene pool. For a time, the cultural centre moved off the Earth as it took about 500 years for the planetary economy to recover its pre-eminence within its shell of highly populated, highly developed planets. Located in the centre of the spherical Solarian League, Earth's Old Chicago eventually re-emerged as the nominal League Capital.

By the Gregorian calendar currently in use, the Honorverse novels are dated beginning with year 2103 A.D.—the epoch date of the Diaspora's beginning.

The FTL hyperspace propulsion system in the stories is around 600 years old at the time period in which the novels are placed. This technology uses the ability to "sail" along a vast network of "gravity waves" on different successively higher hyperbands, each higher band giving a more-efficient speed multiplier but requiring more powerful (therefore bulkier and more expensive) engines to reach; the higher bands significantly shortening transit times on a given gravity wave for a given base speed, which is limited by particle densities and radiation shielding as Newtonian speeds increase. Analogous to prevailing winds creating certain favoured trade routes, the relatively static fixed gravity waves form favoured travel paths. A lack of gravity waves in some regions means that they must be plodded across by relatively slower means. These favorite routes and desert crossing points are susceptible to illegitimate exploitation by pirates and commerce-raiding warships, both interested in preying on the rich pickings of the interstellar merchant cargo ships that carry upwards of 2–7 million metric tonnes of cargo.

Within each hyperband, ships have a local speed limited by particle densities that, at high relative speeds, become cosmic radiation. Better physical shielding or a better particle shield generator enables faster speeds within the band, on which base speed, multiplied by that band's multiplier, results in shorter journey times. Merchant ships have immense size and thin walls with virtually no physical shielding, as well as cheaper, relatively weak particle shield generators and hyper generators. Commercial carriers, like sailing ships and freight trains of Old Earth, trade off journey time by increased size and volume carried, so as to keep shipping costs economical. Military vessels, having no profit motive and already physically shielded, also carry better particle shield generators and can attain much faster interstellar voyage times both within a band, and because their better protections enables them to enter higher hyperbands with higher local particle counts, but higher speed multipliers.

The interaction of gravity effects also manifest in much rarer, generally widely scattered wormholes, through which hyperdrive equipped ships can travel virtually instantaneously between the wormhole's end points. In some systems, several of these wormholes are found to be co-located forming an irresistible trading nexus, perhaps because their ends have some mathematical affinity: they occur with entrances relatively close together in very small spatial volumes.

The greatest known aggregation of these co-located "Junctions" or Terminus Loci occur in the Manticore binary star system, whose wormholes connect the wormhole junction to six (later seven) other star systems, giving the Manticore system an astrographic position to be coveted, and an immense revenue stream from transit tolls, manufacturing and trade, and a large carrying trade.

The stories include numerous dependent and independent polities and several major star nations including two giant aggregations of many planets, Haven and the Solarian League. Protagonist Honor Harrington is a citizen of the Star Kingdom of Manticore which is, during the first 20 or so works of the series, the key rival and the main stellar protagonist against the star-conquering (People's) Republic of Haven; these two nations are consciously based on Imperial Britain and Napoleonic France, although Haven also seems to be influenced by the former Soviet Union. The first books deal with a universe of escalating tensions and military incidents until war breaks out in the third novel and lasts until the formal peace in A Rising Thunder, the thirteenth mainline novel. Each star nation suffers horrendous losses at the end of the eleventh novel, At All Costs, during the Battle of Manticore, when Haven makes an all-out bid to conquer the Star Kingdom before general deployment of a feared 'super weapon.' In the anthologies, Eric Flint and Weber wrote stories that birthed the first sub-series, resulting in the novels Crown of Slaves and Torch of Freedom. The sub-series introduced some far-more dangerous adversaries, the interstellar corporations of Mesa: Manpower Unlimited, Jessyk Combine, and others. This group was then revealed to be part of the even more dangerous and hidden secret adversaries of the shadowy Mesan Alignment. The Alignment included corrupted leaders of Solarian Core worlds promoting the destruction of the old order. Mesan puppet masters are revealed to be pulling the strings of corrupt Solarian League bureaucrats and admirals in both the sub-series and the main series. Enormously ambitious, the Alignment plans the overthrow of the Solarian League, and the complete destruction of the Star Kingdom of Manticore, Haven, Beowulf, and all of those polities' historic allies.

Disruptive technological advances have been few in the Honorverse for most of the 500 years leading up to the series; as the series opens, that technological stagnation has led to a similar stagnation in both military strategy and tactics. During the course of the book series, both forms of stagnation (technological and military) are brought to a violent end by developments stemming from the Havenite/Manticoran Wars, which give both Haven and Manticore a substantial technological advantage over the Solarian League by the time of the most recently published books of the series.

Honor Harrington series

1. On Basilisk Station (April 1992) ISBN 0-671-57793-X
2. The Honor of the Queen (June 1993) ISBN 0-671-57864-2
3. The Short Victorious War (April 1994) ISBN 0-671-87596-5
4. Field of Dishonor (December 1994) ISBN 0-671-57820-0
5. Flag in Exile (September 1995) ISBN 0-671-31980-9
6. Honor Among Enemies (February 1996) ISBN 0-671-87723-2
7. In Enemy Hands (July 1997) ISBN 0-671-57770-0
8. Echoes of Honor (October 1998) ISBN 0-671-57833-2
9. Ashes of Victory (March 2000) ISBN 0-671-57854-5
10. War of Honor (October 2002) ISBN 0-7434-3545-1
11. At All Costs (November 2005) ISBN 1-4165-0911-9
12. Mission of Honor (June 2010) ISBN 1-4391-3361-1
13. A Rising Thunder (March 2012) ISBN 1-4767-3612-X

The Honor Harrington series was produced several times in audiobook format. At first in cassette (90 min) format by Library of Congress, narrated by Madelyn Buzzard (books 1–10), later by Audible Frontiers beginning in 2009, narrated by Allyson Johnson.

Spin-offs

The Honorverse is a tightly plotted, highly organized invention that was designed with a specific overarching storyline. Its storyline has shifted from the original plan to include new enemies, and did not result in the battle death of heroine Honor Harrington, as was planned originally for book five, and then later for book eleven. The series' canon is maintained solely by its creator, who acts as editor in the few works in the universe by other collaborating authors.

Like some of the strategy employed by co-author Eric Flint in his 1632 series, the series has recently, starting with War of Honor, begun incorporating a broader viewpoint from more than one central character, many of whom, like in the 1632 series, appeared in other series works as supporting characters. Stories in the Worlds of Honor collections directly lead to events and character stars of the Crown of Slaves (CoS) sub-series, whereas the Shadow of Saganami's star cast and some of the characters of the CoS derive directly from the mainline novels. Both contain purposely invented new protagonist characters as well. Weber deliberately has synchronized events in the mainline series with the tellings of local knowledge and vice versa in both sub-series. In other words, the broad front on which he is now telling the overall story is geographically distinct, but synchronized in his timeline: events in one quadrant will affect life and events in the related narratives centred on other main characters.

Short fiction in the series serves as deep backstory or, like the short stories centred directly on Honor Harrington, exposes episodes of her earlier career in much the same way C.S. Forester revealed the not-yet-in-command life of the young Horatio Hornblower. Some of the more important of these tales reveal a greater knowledge of Sphinx's native species, letting the reader in on knowledge not known even to the Honorverse occupants. Among these tales are the revealed history of how treecats and humans first bonded, how the treecats protected and bonded with the Royal family, and other treecat tales of greater or lesser importance, such as how the treecat society decided to migrate to the stars. Other short stories expose points of view and life problems from places around the larger universe. Some offer insights to life behind enemy lines in the view of its citizens and their experience, or that of a protagonist in the Verge, or in the Solarian League.

Worlds of Honor anthologies

1. More Than Honor (January 1998) ISBN 0-671-87857-3—three stories by authors David Weber, David Drake, and S. M. Stirling plus a Honorverse background history, and including the story in which treecats and some of their characteristics first come to human knowledge.
2. Worlds of Honor (February 1999) ISBN 0-671-57855-3—five stories by authors David Weber (two stories), Linda Evans, Jane Lindskold and Roland J. Green.
3. Changer of Worlds (March 2001) ISBN 0-671-31975-2—four stories by authors David Weber (three stories) and Eric Flint. The short novel Ms. Midshipwoman Harrington is built around the Honorverse's namesake character.
4. The Service of the Sword (April 2003) ISBN 0-7434-3599-0—six stories by authors David Weber, Jane Lindskold, Timothy Zahn, John Ringo, and Eric Flint; one by John Ringo and Victor Mitchell jointly. Originally to have been titled In Fire Forged—a title that was re-used for a different book in 2011.
5. In Fire Forged (February 2011) ISBN 978-1-4391-3414-6
6. Beginnings (July 2013) ISBN 978-1451639032

Crown of Slaves series

1. From the Highlands (short novel in Changer of Worlds) by Eric Flint—introduces the main characters of the series.
2. Fanatic (novella in The Service of the Sword) by Eric Flint—furthers the character of Victor Cachat.
3. Crown of Slaves (September 2003) ISBN 0-7434-7148-2; with Eric Flint—the two character groups introduced in From the Highlands re-encounter each other at a state funeral in Erewhon. High-level international politics and spy-craft ensue.
4. Torch of Freedom (November 2009) ISBN 1-4391-3305-0; with Eric Flint—Victor Cachat and Anton Zilwicki, the universe's two top spies, work together to undertake a dangerous mission to the heart of Mesa, home of the evil corporation Manpower Unlimited, to gather information that may end the second war between their respective governments, Haven and Manticore.
5. Cauldron of Ghosts (eBook March 15, 2014, hardcover April 8, 2014) ISBN 9781476736334; with Eric Flint. "Zilwicki and Cachat return to Mesa—only to discover that even they have underestimated the Alignment's ruthlessness and savagery."

Saganami Island series

1. The Shadow of Saganami (October 2004) ISBN 0-7434-8852-0: The novel is primarily set in the remote Talbott Cluster, connected to Manticore via a newly discovered junction terminus, and includes characters already introduced in other works, such as Helen Zilwicki and Abigail Hearns, as well as brief appearances by many others.
2. Storm from the Shadows (March 2009) ISBN 978-1416591474: The novel continues the events in the Talbott Cluster (now Quadrant), and centers around Honor Harrington's best friend Admiral Michelle Henke and characters from the original book of the series. The events of the book include the results of Talbott government's signing its constitution and becoming part of the Star Empire of Manticore. The shadow conflict between Mesa and Manticore heats up as more Mesa-orchestrated incidents accrue to bring about war between Manticore and Solarian League.
3. Shadow of Freedom (March 2013) ISBN 1-4516-3869-8, ISBN 978-1-4516-3869-1: The novel continues the events in the Talbott Quadrant as the conflict with the Solarian League turns to outright war. Attacks on Manticoran shipping by Frontier Security and continued manipulation by the Mesan Alignment spur Admiral Henke to first react, then adopt a policy of offensive (versus defensive) operations. This culminates in Manticore's first offensive victory of the war, the previous Manticoran victories having been defensive in nature.
4. Shadow of Victory (November 1, 2016) ISBN 978-1-4767-8182-2

The Star Kingdom series

This series features Stephanie Harrington, Honor Harrington's distant ancestor, and the first human to be adopted by a treecat:

1. A Beautiful Friendship (October 2011) ISBN 1-4516-3747-0
2. Fire Season (October 15, 2012) by David Weber and Jane Lindskold ISBN 978-1-4516-3840-0
3. Treecat Wars (October 1, 2013) by David Weber and Jane Lindskold ISBN 978-1-4516-3933-9

The Manticore Ascendant series

This series, which begins eleven years after the first book in The Star Kingdom series, features Travis Uriah Long, an enlisted Navy man who gets promoted, and is centered about the small Manticoran Navy of that time. It includes a short story published in Beginnings, "A Call to Arms", and is intended to include at least three novels:

1. A Call to Duty (September 15, 2014) by David Weber and Timothy Zahn. ISBN 978-1-4767-3684-6
2. A Call to Arms (October 6, 2015) by David Weber and Timothy Zahn with Thomas Pope. ISBN 978-1-4767-8085-6 It is expanded from the short story of the same name originally published in the Beginnings anthology.
3. A Call to Vengeance is scheduled for release March 7, 2017.

Companion

House of Steel: The Honorverse Companion (May 7, 2013) ISBN 9781451638752—Includes the new short novel I Will Build a House of Steel by David Weber.

Ad Astra databooks

1. Honor Harrington: Saganami Island Tactical Simulator (2005) ISBN 0-9748797-4-6

1. Honor Harrington: Saganami Island Tactical Simulator: Manticoran Fleet Box 1 (2006) ISBN 0-9748797-5-4
2. Honor Harrington: Saganami Island Tactical Simulator: Havenite Fleet Box 1 (2006) ISBN 0-9748797-6-2
3. Honor Harrington: Saganami Island Tactical Simulator: Andermani Fleet Box 1 (2006) ISBN 1-934153-02-8
4. Honor Harrington: Saganami Island Tactical Simulator: Silesian Fleet Box 1 (2006) ISBN 1-934153-05-2
5. Honor Harrington: Saganami Island Tactical Simulator: Havenite Fleet Box 2 (2010)

1. Honor Harrington: Saganami Island Tactical Simulator: Shipbook 2: Silesian Confederacy (2006) ISBN 0-9748797-7-0
2. Honor Harrington: Saganami Island Tactical Simulator: Shipbook 3: The Short Victorious War (2010)

1. Jayne's Intelligence Review: The Royal Manticoran Navy (2006) ISBN 1-934153-08-7
2. Jayne's Intelligence Review: The People's Republican Navy (2007) ISBN 1-934153-09-5

1. Honor Harrington: Ships of the Fleet: 2006 (2005) ISBN 0-9748797-2-X
2. Honor Harrington: Ships of the Fleet: 2007 (2006) ISBN 0-9748797-9-7

Other collections containing Honorverse stories

1. The Warmasters (May 2002) ISBN 0-7434-3534-6: A multi-author anthology, containing the Honorverse short novel Ms. Midshipwoman Harrington. The story has previously appeared in a Worlds of Honor collection.
2. Worlds of Weber (September 2008) ISBN 978-1-4391-3314-9/ISBN 1-4391-3314-X: A David Weber anthology that includes nine short stories, set both in and out of the Honorverse. The two Honorverse stories have previously appeared in Worlds of Honor collections.
3. Worlds (February 2009) ISBN 1-4165-9142-7: An Eric Flint anthology that contains the Honorverse short novel From the Highlands. The story has previously appeared in a Worlds of Honor collection.