On Basilisk Station (Honor Harrington Book 1)

I should have read this twenty years ago, but didn't. I didn't because I couldn't get past the name. When the book came out, I saw it in bookstores. And because I'm a gaming nerd and have been since I was a kid, I knew that a "Basilisk" was a big giant chicken that was always trying to murder me. It really isn't. That was probably one the few games I played, but it kinda colored me and I avoided the book. Then Honor Harrington got big. People started freaking out over how great these books were. And I kept thinking to myself... "ITS ABOUT A STATION NAMED AFTER A CHICKEN". Then Honor Harrington got bigger. And other Sci-Fi authors I love started writing fiction in the Honorverse. Hell - the word "Honorverse" became a thing. And I still kept thinking of avian yard animals. And then for reasons that are somewhat self serving so I won't mention them here, I was compelled to read this book. And within about twenty pages I realized that I been a moron for twenty years. This book is excellent. I've never been a huge military sci-fi fan (preferring the more Space Opera/Space Fantasy genres) but this book snatched me in. The tone and skill with which Weber paints the military structure of Harrington's world, her ascent and process of earning the respect and love of her crew, the tension between certain characters and the subtle but highly captivating tale of two empires in a pseudo cold war was all excellent. I was very taken by the skillful and believable tension between Harrington and her XO and loved the way that storyline played out. And the last 30% of the book was simply masterful. It may feel that the first part of the book is somewhat slow, but it's all buildup to what Weber executes here and it's a wonderful payoff. I'm well into the second book at this point and as is often the case, the buildup of this first book continues to payoff as the series continues. And I'm happy to say that Weber has taken the word "Basilisk" away from the video game developers of my youth and remapped it (slightly). And I'm totally kinda in love with Honor. But I think I'm far from the first and certainly won't be the last. That is one badass woman.

I really liked this! I admit to a certain wariness, when it comes to single- protagonist, SF series books. I feel the near-perfection and invulnerability common to protagonists in this kind of story becomes very boring, after a while. It's kind of like playing a video game with a "God Mode" cheat code. It's fun for a little bit, but it gets old, fairly quickly. David Weber manages to avoid this trap. Honor Harrington is very smart, strong and capable. She maintains her femininity and sensitivity, without being portrayed as a sex object or slave to her emotions. She is likable and admirable. All of the wonderful traits and characteristics are balanced with emotional turmoil, flaws and insecurities that we all experience and see in others. She is a decently fleshed out protagonist dealing with other characters and situations in a "realistic" way. You'll want to read about her, and her adventures! The story itself is not as simple and straightforward as I expected. There are surprises, and interesting plot twists. It's difficult to explain what I liked (in particular) without spoilers, but I can say this story is not lacking in plot, character growth, or ACTION! I haven't had to force myself to "just read on" at any time in this book. There is always something happening, and always something about to happen! This is an easy, enjoyable, and quick read. I am actually interested in reading more of the Honor Harrington books as soon as I am able. You should be too. Enjoy.

I read On Basilisk Station by David Weber, the first book in the Honor Harrington Series recommended to me by BookBub.com. This book was a five star treat. Honor Harrington is a female officer, from the planet Sphinx, in the queen’s Royal Manticoran Navy. The Manticoran’s military rival seems to be the Republic of Haven, whose governmental policies put it into a position that they must keep expending their empire to be able to sustain spending. Blocking the expansion is the Manticorans and their officers such as Honor. Honor is a strong, tall, tactical genius. She is easy to like, from a readers point of view, whose personality comes off vulnerable and strong willed. Her development is handled well throughout this story. Honor is assigned her second hyper-capable commanded, a light cruiser, the HMS Fearless. The Fearless has been refitted with a new weapon system and after a too successful battle simulation; it is assigned to Basilik Station. This assignment is too large an area for a light cruiser to oversee. But that’s just the beginning of Honors problems. There are also politics going on behind the scenes with the Manticorans as well as on the planet below her, throw in a restless native population, and the Republic of Haven lurking about. Now that’s a plot. I was overjoyed with On Basilisk Station between the politics, vivid space battles, and the continuously building tension I would recommend to a friend and the rest of the books in the series are on my list for purchase. Good book and good hunting. Reviewer’s After Note: After reading reviews not just for this book but book reviews in general on Amazon, I have decided to include this note with all my reviews. My reviews will reflect on some of the following, if not all; story, characters, enjoyment or lack of enjoyment, plot, overall thought, background and would I recommend the book to you the reader. You will not find any editing, grammar or structure critique unless it would be unique for the reader or the story is completely unreadable. In regards to the self-published authors they are just that, self-published. There is no large corporation with huge staffs of cover artiest, editors, typesetters, and so on. What most bothers me are the reviewers that say a book was unreadable when I know the mind can actual make out words with the letters in the wrong order. This is to say that many of these books are free to several dollars in price, if it bothered me this much I would stick with big publishing companies. For all of you impeccable, unimpeachable, unassailable readers this review is not for you.

One of the best military science fiction series available. Addictive reading, great plot and fascinating space battles. 5 plus stars

A great introduction to the Honor Harrington 'verse, "On Basilisk Station" hits all the strong points of the series that become expanded and strengthened at later points: the society of the Star Kingdom of Manticore, a soldier's duty vs political manoeuvering, the horrors of war and how people die no matter what one does, how someone's petty attitude can cause large scale problems... and the importance of creating bonds within a team of people that has to work together. Plus, it has many impressive moments, particularly the battle at the end, when you can actually feel the main character's despair because she has got herself and her people into a fight they might not be able to win. For anyone that likes war stories, this is highly recommended (hence the 5 stars).

Eines vorweg, normalerweise bin ich kein Fan von SF, zumindest nicht in Buchform. Weber hat es aber geschafft, zumindest mit seinem Honor Harrington-Zyklus, mich vom Gegenteil zu überzeugen und von meiner Abneigung abzubringen. Die Hauptperson des vorliegenden Buches ist Honor Harrington, eine Royal Manticore Navy Offizierin, die ihr erstes Kommando übernimmt. Weber lässt uns ihren von Unwegsamkeiten gesäumten Weg verfolgen, der sie ins Basilisk-System führt. Dort begegnet sie einem alten Rivalen aus Kadettentagen. Harrington wird sogleich vor einige Probleme gestellt, deren Lösung oder Folgen sich nach und nach in diesem Roman auftun. Mehr möchte ich eigentlich nicht spoilern. Webers SF Opera besticht durch Spannung von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite. Natürlich sind manche Geschehnisse vorhersehbar, aber das tut dem Lesespass keinen Abbruch. Man merkt der Geschichte und auch dem Universum, in das Weber die Story eingebettet hat an, dass sie wohl durchdacht sind. Man kann einige Parallelen zum Ist-Zustand im Hier und Jetzt ziehen. Fazit: Ein gelunger Auftakt. Packend und spannend von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite. Es rockt!!! Der Nachfolgeband ist Honor of the Queen (Honor Harrington) .

Never read a David Weber book before but super happy my first one was for honor Harrington. Honor is a great character. She's intelligent, aware of her own shortcomings, a good leader and has a incredibly strong sense of duty. Even when it all gets her into trouble. Seeing her figure things out was really interesting to see. It wasn't some magical aha! moment. It was the building evidence, the predicting different outcomes on that evidence and choosing the most likely. Cannot wait to get cracking on the rest of the series.

Un bel libro di Space Opera, ben scritto, che sa catturare il lettore nel modo giusto. Un po' "super" la protagonista ma non al punto da essere antipatica, intrigante l'ambientazione politica, belle e insolite le trovate tecnologiche che muovono le astronavi e influenzano gli scontri nello spazio. Nel complesso un buon inizio per una serie che so essere molto lunga e ramificata in vari "spin-off". Peccato solo che non sia stato tradotto in italiano.