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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.
gryffyntea's review
5.0
I think I've got the timeline sorted in my head. I'm quite enjoying Travis Long, and I think I'll continue to enjoy his adventures. Of course, I first ran across Mr. Long in a later story in his own timeline.
I love thinking characters.
I love thinking characters.
bethmitcham's review
4.0
I like this deeply researched imaginary history. I enjoy the main character, Trevor, with his rule-sticking ways and his imaginative approach to problems. The other viewpoints weren't as engrossing -- the political shenanigans and the dastardly villains, but it's worth it to keep up with the adventure.
brettt's review
3.0
David Weber's "Honorverse," the fictional universe home to starship heroine Honor Harrington and her Star Empire of Manticore, started in 1992 with On Basilisk Station. As the Harrington series became a monster hit, Weber began to branch out into other corners of his world, of late beginning to work with co-authors in the different series -- Eric Flint in the "Wages of Sin" series and Jane Lindskold in the young adult "The Star Kingdom" novels about the earliest settlers of the Manticore system.
With A Call to Duty, Weber opens up a period before the discovery of Manticore's "wormhole junctions" that will catapult it to regional and economic power in its section of the galaxy. He teams with Timothy Zahn, a top-selling science fiction author in his own right perhaps best known for the "Thrawn trilogy" of Star Wars novels that carried the characters forward from the end of the Return of the Jedi movie.
As Duty opens, Manticore is still a fairly small star nation struggling to maintain its defenses against pirates and raiders in light of several of its own political leaders thinking that such defenses are outmoded cash sponges. We follow along mostly through the person of Travis Uriah Long, an enlisted spacer who sees firsthand the kind of impact official neglect has on the Royal Manticoran Navy -- both its people and its ships. Long may have no idea whether or not a defense force will ever be needed, but he is pretty certain that if it is, the chances the Navy will be up to the task aren't great. His fears may prove out when pirates raid an interstellar nations conference -- can the weakened and demoralized RMN even respond?
Zahn helps Weber tame his word flow and tendency to set way too many scenes in meetings. Because they want to tell a story of Manticore's rise from a political perspective as well as a frontline one, there has to be some conferencing, but less than Weber's been guilty of on his own.
The Long POV chapters are the strongest, reading not unlike a good old-fashioned Heinlein juvenile as the drifting young man finds skills and purpose as a spacer and may even begin to find some wisdom of experience. The space action is tightly-written and fast-paced as well, so even if the characters are drawn with broad brushes and familiar strokes there's no real bog-down. There is plenty of stage-setting for subsequent books, but it doesn't get in the way of Duty's storyline either. Should Weber and Zahn be able to maintain the mix of action, politicking and set development of Duty (or improve on it a little), then they've opened up another diverting corner of Weber's Honorverse.
Original available here.
With A Call to Duty, Weber opens up a period before the discovery of Manticore's "wormhole junctions" that will catapult it to regional and economic power in its section of the galaxy. He teams with Timothy Zahn, a top-selling science fiction author in his own right perhaps best known for the "Thrawn trilogy" of Star Wars novels that carried the characters forward from the end of the Return of the Jedi movie.
As Duty opens, Manticore is still a fairly small star nation struggling to maintain its defenses against pirates and raiders in light of several of its own political leaders thinking that such defenses are outmoded cash sponges. We follow along mostly through the person of Travis Uriah Long, an enlisted spacer who sees firsthand the kind of impact official neglect has on the Royal Manticoran Navy -- both its people and its ships. Long may have no idea whether or not a defense force will ever be needed, but he is pretty certain that if it is, the chances the Navy will be up to the task aren't great. His fears may prove out when pirates raid an interstellar nations conference -- can the weakened and demoralized RMN even respond?
Zahn helps Weber tame his word flow and tendency to set way too many scenes in meetings. Because they want to tell a story of Manticore's rise from a political perspective as well as a frontline one, there has to be some conferencing, but less than Weber's been guilty of on his own.
The Long POV chapters are the strongest, reading not unlike a good old-fashioned Heinlein juvenile as the drifting young man finds skills and purpose as a spacer and may even begin to find some wisdom of experience. The space action is tightly-written and fast-paced as well, so even if the characters are drawn with broad brushes and familiar strokes there's no real bog-down. There is plenty of stage-setting for subsequent books, but it doesn't get in the way of Duty's storyline either. Should Weber and Zahn be able to maintain the mix of action, politicking and set development of Duty (or improve on it a little), then they've opened up another diverting corner of Weber's Honorverse.
Original available here.
leons1701's review
3.0
Not what I expected. Having read the short A Call to Arms out of the Beginnings anthology which uses the same characters and setting, I was expecting an expanded version of that story. Nope, this is 100% prequel (in the correct use of the term). I guess we know the title of the second book of the series now, which presumably will be that expansion of the short.
Interesting to see some of the early days of Manticore, while I don't find the political side of the story particularly compelling, it was interesting to the note that the various factions have yet to jell into actual parties. And the early naval tech creates a very different feel from the Harrington era, that aspect of the book is clearly a success (though the bit about the impossibility of dual drive missiles was a bit heavy handed).
Travis Long is not a bad character although perhaps overly prone to a common Weber fault of always having better ideas than everyone around him. Given that the characters in military SF are so often rule breakers, it's amusing to see one who's such a stickler for the rules (though he does learn to bend them when necessary).
Interesting to see some of the early days of Manticore, while I don't find the political side of the story particularly compelling, it was interesting to the note that the various factions have yet to jell into actual parties. And the early naval tech creates a very different feel from the Harrington era, that aspect of the book is clearly a success (though the bit about the impossibility of dual drive missiles was a bit heavy handed).
Travis Long is not a bad character although perhaps overly prone to a common Weber fault of always having better ideas than everyone around him. Given that the characters in military SF are so often rule breakers, it's amusing to see one who's such a stickler for the rules (though he does learn to bend them when necessary).
betsychadwell's review
3.0
[November 7, 2014]
This book reminded me very much of [b:Quarter Share|2334538|Quarter Share (Golden Age of the Solar Clipper, #1)|Nathan Lowell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1273808382s/2334538.jpg|2341114] by Nathan Lowell. They were both about a naive young man who joins the crew of a space ship with no experience and who quickly learns a lot about himself and his capabilities. Of course, Travis joins a war ship while Ishmail joins a trader, so the level of danger is very different. And their personalities are not very similar. But the general thrust of the plots seemed similar.
That's not necessarily a bad thing. I enjoyed both books and will likely read this one again, as I have Quarter Share.
I'm particularly glad to have a new Honorverse series starting.
[July 15, 2018]
I'm changing my rating after this second reading to three stars rather than four. I still enjoyed it, but it did seem to drag in places. They often describe events in such excruciating detail that I thought the plot would never advance. This is space opera. Things are supposed to happen pretty fast and exciting.
This book reminded me very much of [b:Quarter Share|2334538|Quarter Share (Golden Age of the Solar Clipper, #1)|Nathan Lowell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1273808382s/2334538.jpg|2341114] by Nathan Lowell. They were both about a naive young man who joins the crew of a space ship with no experience and who quickly learns a lot about himself and his capabilities. Of course, Travis joins a war ship while Ishmail joins a trader, so the level of danger is very different. And their personalities are not very similar. But the general thrust of the plots seemed similar.
That's not necessarily a bad thing. I enjoyed both books and will likely read this one again, as I have Quarter Share.
I'm particularly glad to have a new Honorverse series starting.
[July 15, 2018]
I'm changing my rating after this second reading to three stars rather than four. I still enjoyed it, but it did seem to drag in places. They often describe events in such excruciating detail that I thought the plot would never advance. This is space opera. Things are supposed to happen pretty fast and exciting.
jameseckman's review
3.0
This is an enjoyable military SF read but, I would start any Honorverse reads with an earlier story arc. Possibly [b: On Basilisk Station|35921|On Basilisk Station (Honor Harrington, #1)|David Weber|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1390456253s/35921.jpg|965345] or hmm?
glennisleblanc's review
3.0
This is a new series set in the Honorverse but at the beginning of the Manticorian kingdom. It follows Travis Long as a 17 year old who joins the Navy to leave a neglectful mother. Travis is big on following the rules and this trips him up a few times in the beginning of his military career. He does have a knack for rubbing some people the wrong way but he also impresses others with his quick thinking. The other half of the plot revolves around his older half brother Gavin who happens to be Baron Winterfall a new member of the House of Lords. He hasn't spent much time with his brother so doesn't know that he has joined the Navy in the beginning of the book. With the two brothers story lines you see both sides of the Navy’s problems at a macro and micro level.
The story was good and the big plus for me since this is co written the info dumps are way down and tighter plotting is back. A good fun read and I will certainly be picking up the next book when it comes out.
The story was good and the big plus for me since this is co written the info dumps are way down and tighter plotting is back. A good fun read and I will certainly be picking up the next book when it comes out.
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