Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant "Honorverse" Stories By Others in Military SF
Review: This is a fine collection of short stories which extend the dimensions of David Weber's "Honorverse". In the title story he introduces us to a young Grayson midshipman, the first native Grayson woman, daughter of a statholder, and her miraculous service aboard a Royal Manticoran heavy cruiser commanded by Captain Michael Oversteegen, another RMN officer cut from the same cloth as Admiral Honor Harrington. Jane Lindskold's "Promise Land" is a brilliant look at the repressive male-dominated society of Masada, and how a young Manticoran prince intervenes successfully in a domestic Masadan affair. Eric Flint's "Fanatic" is a brilliant look at what made Havenite secret agent Victor Cachat tick during his service in the La Martine system during the waning days of the People's Republic of Haven. Timothy Zahn's "With One Stone" is a brilliant look at Manticoran Naval Intelligence and of the young Captain Honor Harrington and one of her most brilliant officers, then lieutenant Rafael Cardones, as they contend with trouble from a secret Havenite warship operating in Silesian space, armed with the latest Solly technology. John Ringo's and Victor Mitchell's "A Ship Named Francis" is a brilliant look at an aged Grayson Navy heavy cruiser commanded by an inept captain and executive officer. John Ringo returns in his over-the-top satirical espionage farce "Let's Go to Prague", about the misadventures of two Manticoran intelligence operatives who visit the Havenite planet of Prague for a vacation, and find more than they bargained for.
Rating: 
Summary: Further Inside the Honorverse
Review: This is for the HH fan who is interested in more than just Honor or even the SKM. As with the other short story compilations, Service of the Sword allows secondary characters that have been introduced in the main series to take center state, or gives insight into the way instellar politics have evolved as they have.While I feel it is a worthwhile addition to the HH collection of a true fan (such as myself), the content of the stories (and some of the writing) falls a little short of the other collections. And as my brother in law asked disappointedly, "no treecat stories?!"
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Honor universe story with (thankfully) no cats
Review: Women escape from the religious tyrrany of Masada, the Manticore navy pursues pirates and develops new allies, naval losers congregate on a single ship, Manticore spies pursue love and beer in an enemy capital, Haven secret police find a new role for complete fanaticism, and the Manticore navy pursues pirates once again--in a nutshell, IN THE SERVICE OF THE SWORD gives readers a series of new insights into the universe of Honor Harrington. Written by David Weber and a variety of Baen authors. As a pleasant surprise, all of the stories are good with Fanatic, by Eric Flint, especially standing out. Fans of the Tree Cats will be disappointed--they are pretty much non-starters in this story of human players in the game of space. For me, this is a plus. While the 'cats can add to the story, their insipid cuteness gets old fast (Tree-cat fans should, however, definitely check out CHANGER OF WORLDS which is pretty intensively 'cat-centered). The Honor Harrington series is a huge (and deserved) success and fans will enjoy seeing how different authors play with the universe that author David Weber has created. Honor herself appears in only one of these stories (although she is mentioned in most) and the stories are not essential to the continuity of the series. On the positive side, THE SERVICE OF THE SWORD can be read independently and creates a fine introduction to the series for those who have not yet discovered Honor and her friends.
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