Scan barcode
sylvanbird's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Good opening to early days of Manticore, mostly through the eyes of an idealistic new navy recruit. Although some politics - this clearly goes right back to the start of the Star Kingdom.
jmoses's review against another edition
4.0
This was good. It's cool to see some "real" events from the very early post-plague days of the kingdom. The constant budgetary constraints and scenes (ship only carries 3 missles! 3! WHAT) were especially jarring, but did a good job of driving home that this isn't Honor's kingdom.
Story and characters were good, and what I expected from two (3) such quality writers. If you like the Honorverse already, definitely pick this up. If you're on the fence, it's not a bad place to start, although I feel like the knowledge of "present day" Manticore added to my enjoyment of this.
Story and characters were good, and what I expected from two (3) such quality writers. If you like the Honorverse already, definitely pick this up. If you're on the fence, it's not a bad place to start, although I feel like the knowledge of "present day" Manticore added to my enjoyment of this.
pjonsson's review against another edition
4.0
Given the two authors of this book, David Weber and Timothy Zahn, it should not come as a surprise to anyone that this book is very well written. It is quite some time since I read a book by David Weber. I had gotten a bit tired of his gradually changed style which ended up in a lot of talk, talk and more talk in his books. Whether it is a balancing influence from Timothy Zahn or not, this book is much more balanced in that aspect than some of Weber’s other recent works in the Honorverse.
In this book Manticore is not the power it is in the Harrington books. Rather the inverse, it is a poor struggling nation running a fleet of second hand ships, most of them mothballed. In this pre-Harrington universe we get to follow Travis Long as he enlists in the navy and rises through boot camp and his first assignments. Travis is intelligent, brave but also a stickler for rules. Something which of course causes some friction during the journey. Naturally there are some bad guys thrown into the mix although in this book we are not even close to the clash of empires that we have come used to in Harrington’s time.
The book is, as I wrote above, very well written. Characters are well done, the plot is good and it is enjoyable to read about Travis and his adventures. Though I have to say that, when reading the first chapter at the beginning, when Travis is enlisting and we learn the circumstances around the events I was getting a wee bit worried. My was this guy stupid! Luckily both Travis and the book shaped up quite quickly after that.
The book is not really slow but I would not say that it is fast either. Personally I think it has about the right pace. During the course of the book Travis manages to get through boot camp and his first assignments which included thwarting a few bad guys plans. However, he is still a green young navy guy and I would say that this book was more or less used as a “stage setter” for the series. An impression that was enforced by the fact that the last couple of pages was used to set up a pretty big cliffhanger involving what I would suspect to be a well-known element from the Harrington books. One which would have a profound impact on the future of Manticore.
Now this is a good book but, for me, it was not a great book. The reason for this is the politics. In general I do not like prequel type of stories but that I could have lived with but something that irked me throughout the book was the political nonsense. When we are not reading about travis we are reading about dumbass political assholes who have nothing else on their agenda than to dismantle the navy and use their funds for shortsighted vote-buying. It is frustrating and infuriating. It is also reminds me of our current day dumbass politicians who frequently do just that, especially in my home country. I would say that this is the main reason why I am not giving this book a full set of stars.
It was a good read though and I am looking forward to the next instalment.
In this book Manticore is not the power it is in the Harrington books. Rather the inverse, it is a poor struggling nation running a fleet of second hand ships, most of them mothballed. In this pre-Harrington universe we get to follow Travis Long as he enlists in the navy and rises through boot camp and his first assignments. Travis is intelligent, brave but also a stickler for rules. Something which of course causes some friction during the journey. Naturally there are some bad guys thrown into the mix although in this book we are not even close to the clash of empires that we have come used to in Harrington’s time.
The book is, as I wrote above, very well written. Characters are well done, the plot is good and it is enjoyable to read about Travis and his adventures. Though I have to say that, when reading the first chapter at the beginning, when Travis is enlisting and we learn the circumstances around the events I was getting a wee bit worried. My was this guy stupid! Luckily both Travis and the book shaped up quite quickly after that.
The book is not really slow but I would not say that it is fast either. Personally I think it has about the right pace. During the course of the book Travis manages to get through boot camp and his first assignments which included thwarting a few bad guys plans. However, he is still a green young navy guy and I would say that this book was more or less used as a “stage setter” for the series. An impression that was enforced by the fact that the last couple of pages was used to set up a pretty big cliffhanger involving what I would suspect to be a well-known element from the Harrington books. One which would have a profound impact on the future of Manticore.
Now this is a good book but, for me, it was not a great book. The reason for this is the politics. In general I do not like prequel type of stories but that I could have lived with but something that irked me throughout the book was the political nonsense. When we are not reading about travis we are reading about dumbass political assholes who have nothing else on their agenda than to dismantle the navy and use their funds for shortsighted vote-buying. It is frustrating and infuriating. It is also reminds me of our current day dumbass politicians who frequently do just that, especially in my home country. I would say that this is the main reason why I am not giving this book a full set of stars.
It was a good read though and I am looking forward to the next instalment.
mjfmjfmjf's review
4.0
A little choppy feeling. And Travis is a bit of a sketch, sort of a frame of a character. But the action is interesting and well done, and in the end the book was hard to put down. And left me absolutely wanting to read the sequel - what more can you really ask for in most books? So it wasn't all that original or different. At least it wasn't rewriting the French Revolution again.
annika2304's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
brucehoward's review
4.0
If you were already into the Honorverse, you’ll enjoy this. If not, I recommend starting with a few of the main Honor Harrington books first, to get a feel for the story space.
Overall, 3.5 stars for the story itself rounded up to 4 for what seems a promising start to a prequel series.
Overall, 3.5 stars for the story itself rounded up to 4 for what seems a promising start to a prequel series.
tome15's review
4.0
Weber, David, and Timothy Zahn. A Call to Duty. Honorverse: Manticore Ascendant No. 1. Baen, 2014.
Nobody writes better, straightforward military science fiction than David Weber and Timothy Zahn. Certainly, no one writes more of it. I have lost track of the number of books based on the novels that at first featured Honor Harrington and her treecat and then went on to fill in the gaps in the history of Manticore and its enemies and allies. A Call to Duty is the first of a series that takes us back into the early days of the star kingdom when its navy was in its nascent stage. The story pattern is familiar: we follow Travis, a young man looking for order in his life, into bootcamp and through his first battle experience, where he shows himself to be able to think “outside the lines.” Not all of his officers appreciate this quality. There are three books in the series so far with a fourth due out in 2021. Thomas Pope, as an expert on the Weber oeuvre, also had a hand in the writing, though his name does not get on the title page. Weber, David, and Timothy Zahn. A Call to Duty. Honorverse: Manticore Ascendant No. 1. Baen, 2014.
Nobody writes better, straightforward military science fiction than David Weber and Timothy Zahn. Certainly, no one writes more of it. I have lost track of the number of books based on the novels that at first featured Honor Harrington and her treecat and then went on to fill in the gaps in the history of Manticore and its enemies and allies. A Call to Duty is the first of a series that takes us back into the early days of the star kingdom when its navy was in its nascent stage. The story pattern is familiar: we follow Travis, a young man looking for order in his life, into bootcamp and through his first battle experience, where he shows himself to be able to think “outside the lines.” Not all of his officers appreciate this quality. There are three books in the series so far with a fourth due out in 2021. Thomas Pope, as an expert on the Weber oeuvre, also had a hand in the writing, though his name does not get on the title page.
Nobody writes better, straightforward military science fiction than David Weber and Timothy Zahn. Certainly, no one writes more of it. I have lost track of the number of books based on the novels that at first featured Honor Harrington and her treecat and then went on to fill in the gaps in the history of Manticore and its enemies and allies. A Call to Duty is the first of a series that takes us back into the early days of the star kingdom when its navy was in its nascent stage. The story pattern is familiar: we follow Travis, a young man looking for order in his life, into bootcamp and through his first battle experience, where he shows himself to be able to think “outside the lines.” Not all of his officers appreciate this quality. There are three books in the series so far with a fourth due out in 2021. Thomas Pope, as an expert on the Weber oeuvre, also had a hand in the writing, though his name does not get on the title page. Weber, David, and Timothy Zahn. A Call to Duty. Honorverse: Manticore Ascendant No. 1. Baen, 2014.
Nobody writes better, straightforward military science fiction than David Weber and Timothy Zahn. Certainly, no one writes more of it. I have lost track of the number of books based on the novels that at first featured Honor Harrington and her treecat and then went on to fill in the gaps in the history of Manticore and its enemies and allies. A Call to Duty is the first of a series that takes us back into the early days of the star kingdom when its navy was in its nascent stage. The story pattern is familiar: we follow Travis, a young man looking for order in his life, into bootcamp and through his first battle experience, where he shows himself to be able to think “outside the lines.” Not all of his officers appreciate this quality. There are three books in the series so far with a fourth due out in 2021. Thomas Pope, as an expert on the Weber oeuvre, also had a hand in the writing, though his name does not get on the title page.