Rating: 
Summary: About ASHES OF VICTORY
Review: The People's Republic of Haven made a tiny mistake when it announced the execution of Honor Harrington. It seemed safe enough. After all, they knew she was already dead.Unfortunately, they were wrong. Now Honor has escaped from the prison planet called Hell and returned to the Manticoran Alliance with a few friends. Almost half a million of them, to be precise . . . including some who know what really happened when the Committee of Public Safety seized power in the PRH. Honor's return from the dead comes at a critical time, providing a huge, much-needed lift for the Allies' morale, for the war is rapidly entering a decisive phase. Both sides believe that victory lies within their grasp at last, but dangers no one could foresee await them both. New weapons, new strategies, new tactics, spies, diplomacy, and assassination. . . . All are coming into deadly focus, and Honor Harrington, the woman the newsies call "the Salamander," once more finds herself at the heart of them all. But this time, the furnace may be too furious for even a salamander to survive.
Rating: 
Summary: Another triumph!
Review: David Weber once more proves that he can write a gripping, exciting story. In "Ashes of Victory" he focuses not so much on the main character of the series, Dame Honor Harington, but on the bigger picture. He gives us more insight on other characters in the his universe. I was particularly pleased with the look the reader got into the minds of some of the key characters, specifically, Elizabeth III Queen of Manticore, Oscar Saint-Just the head of StateSex for the PRH, and Dame Honor's mother Allison Harrington. Long time readers of the series feel as if Honor is a close personal friend from reading the books, and now we get to know her fiends, family, and even enemies better. Weber manages with "Ashes of Victory" to write a more cereberal novel without sacrificing any of the action and conflict that readers of this series have come to expect and enjoy. I sincerely hope that this is not the last Honor Harrington novel, but if it is, one could not ask for a more perfect conclusion to a wonderful series. Thank you, Mr. Weber.
Rating: 
Summary: Hyperlight Transition
Review: I strongly recommend this book -- for the reader seasoned in the Harrington Universe. For the interested new reader, go plunk down your dollars for On Basilisk Station, the first novel in the series. After you are thoroughly addicted, you'll be up to this 9th installment before you know it and [like the rest of us Honor-philes] clamoring for more. This is a transitional novel for grown-ups who want more than slambang. Some misleading comparisons have been drawn between this series and Forester's Hornblower books. Where Forester and Patrick O'Brian had the advantage of repackaging actual history that those esteemed gentleman could simply look up in reference books, Weber has carefully constructed a detailed, self-consistent universe with plausible future politics and physics, And for the last eight installments, Weber has been hurling us [and Honor] through his universe at breakneck pace. Now we are -- to pluck a Weberism -- dropping out of hyperlight velocity and entering the realm of real space, the nitty-gritty where the hard work gets done. In this phase-shift transition, Weber provides us with some of the rich, interrelated details which, when left gasping by previous turn of events, we neglected in our haste. Not everyone will be satisfied with this approach, but revelations offered in Ashes remind me of nothing less than the Relativistic perspectives of space & time in Durrell's Alexandrian Quartet. Once I was blind, but now I see.
Rating: 
Summary: Try the earlier books, they're great ... honest!
Review: This is a departure from the earlier "Honor" books, and not a good one, in my opinion! I agree with Mike Gallogly ... waaay too much exposition, a lot of it repetitive for those of us who have read all the previous books. I actually found myself skimming through paragraphs full of political/philosophical musings from the various characters and paging forward hoping for just one good space battle to make it all worthwhile! Frankly, even the few battles included were one-sided with pre-ordained outcomes! Also, I'm disappointed that Weber has turned the tree cats into "little people" rather than leaving them the unique and unexplainable creatures he started out with. I'm a big fan of David Weber and think his earlier writings, both the "Honor" series and, for example, "In Death Ground" with Steve White, are some of the best military sci-fi around, but this book was greatly disappointing. I'm not looking for escapism, Greg J., but I am looking for a book that takes me inside its universe and makes me want to stay there for the duration of the story. I'll read the next one, but only because I'm hoping Weber goes back to what he does best.
Rating:
Summary: Courage and Honor
Review: With 'Ashes', David Weber joins an elite group of authors: those good storytellers who show us the very best of humanity. Weber is not blind to the evil of man, but he prefers to show that evil as a foil rather than as the main subject of his work. His work is not shallow, he clearly shows the prices men pay to do good, but he also shows us both the need for and consequences of right action. Honor Harrington is not Hornblower, Manticore is not England, and Haven is not France. To watch Honor Harrington grow has been one of the best parts of this tasty series, and here we see not only a more mature Honor but one for whom the world is no longer as simple as Havenites under target lock. The window into Manticore's political process offered here is also most promising, and I look forward to more glimpses in the future. As Hornblower in space this was a great series, it has truly blossomed from there without losing readability. I have purchased 2 hardcover work of fiction in the past year, out of about 200 total novels. This was one of them.
Rating:
Summary: A Book Of Changes
Review: This seems to be a book that you will either love or hate. I am one of those that loved the book, so well in fact, that I bought both the electronic version from Baen Books Webscription service, and as soon as it was available the Hard cover edition. If the only thing that you are looking for is another mindless shoot-em-up, this is not the book for you. On the other hand if you have ever wondered about the behind the scenes action, the plotting and schemeing of both the villans and the heros. Then you will enjoy this book. The amount of detail and information in AOV will stun and possibly amaze you. The richness of the Honor Harrington universe has been presented well in Mr. Webers earlier works, but has been fleshed out to an amazing degree in this book. I whole heartedly recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: To Mr Weber(and his ghostwriters):
Review: I write this not as a critic, but as a fan of the "Honor" series. This seems like it might be the series ending book, but is certainly not the series ender I would like it to be. This book both dishonors and disrespects the character that made the series worth reading. The politics that the author fills the book and the series with seems to be, judging by the ending, the core of the series for its creator. In my opinion, that makes the author a complete Idiot. 1st, Honor Harrington should not be backstage in the final part of the war, which is effectively over without her active participation by the end of the book. The only action Honor faces in this one is a breif interdiction in an assasination attempt(which leads to political complications that, pages later, become an utterly pointless and literally useless plotline. Perhaps this plotline is his real hint that another book is going to come out. But if you read this one, you won't be buying the next one in hardcover. I guarantee that!). One can only hope that the author does actually put in some time and come up with a GOOD plotline for the Hoped-for series ender. If this was the end, Mr Weber should be deeply ashamed of his effort here. But sadly, even if it was not the last, Mr Weber has caused me to look forward to it with trepidation instead of anticipation. And after all these books and all these years, that's just criminal.
Rating:
Summary: Fingernails on a Blackboard
Review: I've been hooked on the "Harrington" series from David Weber for a long time. Unfortunately, this latest edition to the series was one of the most boring books I've ever read (almost painful). Mr. Weber has missed the boat on one of the most successful elements of his series, which is "Action". There's not enough action! I read Eric Flint's review and he's right, a writer has to take the time to development the characters and background to the story but to say that you can't always have the same of level of action every time is way off base. Of course you can, that's what a writer's imagination is for. The level of intensity simply isn't there, you travel through this book for hundreds of pages on details and conversations that are far more than anyone wants to know. When you reach the first space battle, where the Peeps get zapped, you feel like you've run five miles! I don't know what Mr. Weber motivation is but he has forgotten what made his books successful in the first place. I'm like most people, I read books to be entertained not bored. In his other books, I couldn't put them down until I finished them. I only read this because I'm one of his fans. It's my hope that he gets back on track soon. Good Luck David!
Rating:
Summary: Like reading a rough draft; very forgetable
Review: If I hadn't already read a couple of the books in this Hornblower knock-off series I wouldn't have finished AoV and I guess I shouldn't have. I kept waiting for things to get better. Honor doesn't show up as much (or as well) as I'd hoped and much of the book is burdened with political lectures and tell, tell, tell lumps of exposition. Where was the editor? Maybe the problem is that Weber is "too big" to edit, but golly this is a disappointingly bad book that will convince some folks to leave the series. If you've never read a Weber book, don't start here and if you're a Weber fan pick this up only if you gotta have the set. I gave my copy to the Glen Falls library book sale.
Rating:
Summary: A pivotal book
Review: This latest book in the Honor Harrington series is a pivotal book as far as the HH universe is concerned. The earlier books in the series were mostly immense space fights and gripping action. However, an author can only write so many of those before the series becomes stale (i.e. Honor wins _again_). Ashes of Victory restructures the HH universe to allow Weber to continue an engrossing storyline, and sends the Honor Harrington series in a new direction. This book is a definite must read for fans of the Honor Harrington novels. And if you haven't read the series, start reading them in order.
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