Rating: 
Summary: Not Honor Harrington, but still worth reading
Review: The cover says this is the beginning of a New Series in the Honor Harrington universe. This may be true, but it is somewhat hard to tell who the star of the series will be from this book. There are a large number of characters, both new and old, and visits to a couple of new planets, including Erewhon.
This takes place during the events of War of Honor, but at the other end of the Galaxy. Ruth Winton, Queen Elizabeth's niece, wants to start her service to Manticore. But not in the military or church, as is usual, but in Intelligence. So the Queen calls in the best person available to start her training, Captain Anton Zilwicki. She then sends them, along with Zilwicki's daughter Beth, off to Erewhon as her personal mission to a Erewhon for a funeral. At the same time, the Republic of Haven has sent Victor Cachat and Virginia Usher to the same funeral. Add in the intrigues of an ambitious Solarian governor, the Audubon Ballroom, the rather peculiar policitcal setup of Erewhon, and some Masadan holdouts that have too much time and too little brains, and the result is a large and complicated mess.There are visits with old friends, and the tieing up of loose ends from the last last Honor collection, Service To The Sword. In fact, if you have not read that, you do not want to read this yet. There are just too many characters and situations dependant on those stories. All in all, a pleasant experience. There was a lot of setup here, so later books will probably be better, but it is still a good read. And it will have a large affect on events in the later Honor books.
Rating: 
Summary: Complex and Engaging and Outstanding
Review: The universe in which Crown of Slaves is set is as epic and complex as any ever created for fiction. So far more than a dozen novels and short stories have been wrung out of it with no sign of slowing down. Fans will certainly hope the franchise keeps going. The fact that the founding character Honor Harrington has only a cameo role in Chapter 40 should not stop any fan of the series from thoroughly enjoying this story. Almost all the characters are flat out fun and the immersion in both global and galactic politics really works to make the story interesting. The action centers mostly on two young women: Berry, the adopted daughter of a superspy and Ruth, a princess of the Kingdom of Manticore are sent on a quasi-diplomatic mission with Berry impersonating Ruth and vice versa under the supervision of Berry's father. The place they are going to is a star system's whose leader was assassinated and whose alliance with Manticore is shaky. Another superspy who works for Manticore's enemy is there, along with an ambitious naval officer from the Solarian league. To add to the fun a cadre of terrorist religious fanatics have designs on the princess and there are ex-slaves that are active in revolt. In short, a lot is going on. Yet none of it is too hard to follow, particularly if you are up to date on the Honor Harrington series. The authors are clearly as much interested in pontificating on political philosophy as space-opera action, which puts this on quite a few levels above something like the Star Wars potboilers. They are clearly knowledgeable, which helps, but I can see why some readers find it "talky." For this reader a few problems did manifest. Much in the plot depends on the ability of the Berry character (aged only 17) being able to form deep bonds with other characters very quickly. This charm seems a little forced, and is used over and over again to form the basis of alliances that otherwise wouldn't exist. Overall, the two girls are just too savvy - at one point mixing it up in lethal action with space marines and at other times "oh no my dad is going to kill me!" mode when they realize he will find out what they've been up to. Of course that's fun too. All of it is fun. Go get it.
Rating: 
Summary: Please Make it Stop
Review: This book began with endless pages of useless dialogue and just got worse. Mr. Weber needs to re-read some of his earlier books that broke up his endless useless details with a little action. This one just goes on and on and on. I felt like confessing to having kidnaped the Lindberg baby about half way through it. What torture. Want my money back. I would say it was a disapointment except I was also disapointed by War of Honor that carried on in the same manner for 800 pages and so I should have know better. Won't get fooled again.
Rating:
Summary: The Harrington Universe without the hardware.
Review: This novel, set in the Honor Harrington universe, is a winner! More intrigue than space opera, this is not a book for the techno-lovers who eat up Weber's 10 page descriptions of ships and weapons. This collaboration of Flint and Webber gets on with the real business of a novel, the story...which is ultimately about people not machinery. I heard more of Flint's voice in the dialogue than I did Weber - which I feel is all to the good but I think the story line and some character development is more Weber than Flint. Whatever! It's a good book, with a great plot, characters and dialogue. The Victor Cachet character lives and breathes as only Honor has in previous books. I am giving this book four stars and not five for two reasons. The question of governing a new world has an unlikely solution - the authors try for justification but I couldn't buy it. Secondly, the back story can only be found in a number of short stories from different volumes of short stories set in the HH universe. Unlike the HH novels, I don't have all the short stories and I felt I was missing something. I will say that I gulped down this one so quickly that I was forced to re-read it immediately just to do it justice. I don't do this very often. I am really looking forward to the sequel(s).
Rating:
Summary: action-packed space opera
Review: With problems threatening to engulf them, the Erewhon expect help from their interstellar ally the Star Kingdom of Manticore, but none has been forthcoming. Knowing that the pact is near collapse, a desperate but inept Queen Elizabeth of Manticore uses a state funeral to mend the schism and disappointment. She sends her niece Ruth Winton under the protection of Captain Zilwicki to represent her with the Erewhons. When terrorists attack Ruth and her retinue, Havenite agent Victor Cachat takes advantage of the opportunity plus Elizabeth's helplessness to begin forming a new alliance with the Erewhons. Not long afterward, Cachat brings together his people, dissident Manticorans, irate Erewhons and the Solarian League Navy in an assault to free a slave planet, which may leave Her Royal Highness of the Star Kingdom looking in from the outside. Using events and characters from David Weber's Honor Harrington series, Mr. Weber and Eric Flint have written an action-packed space opera that is really more a symposium of concepts wrapped in the cloak of an exciting interstellar tale. The story line is fast-paced yet readers will have much to ponder as the two authors furbish a host of ideas that dig deep into history, politics and interstellar relationships. Fans of the series, the authors, or those who appreciate an action-packed other galaxy brimming with a thought-provoking edge will enjoy the tour of the Honorverse. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Weber jumps the shark
Review: Wow, this was bad. Poor plotting, lazy characterization, and totally unbelievable ending. Weber is a good writer, and I've read most of his other stuff, but this is just... bad. Worse than bad. Train-wreck bad. The characters behave in ways that don't make sense, situations resolve themselves in implausible ways, plot points lurch into view only to vanish without really doing anything, and the final resolution is possibly the least believable thing I've read in the last decade - including political speeches.
Rating:
Summary: Weber jumps the shark
Review: Wow, this was bad. Poor plotting, lazy characterization, and totally unbelievable ending. Weber is a good writer, and I've read most of his other stuff, but this is just... bad. Worse than bad. Train-wreck bad. The characters behave in ways that don't make sense, situations resolve themselves in implausible ways, plot points lurch into view only to vanish without really doing anything, and the final resolution is possibly the least believable thing I've read in the last decade - including political speeches.
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