Rating: 
Summary: Expanding Honorverse
Review: I can't say I am anything but completely blown away by the stories in this book. There are courage, adventure, challenges, humor both high and low, joy, sorrow, wisdom and folly in each of the stories. You don't necessarily need to have read any of the other books in the Honor Harrington collection, either the four previous multi-author anthologies or the (so far) ten novels by David Weber, to appreciate these stories, either. Each could stand proudly alone, but together, they form a splendid show of lights, each one illuminating events only hinted at elsewhere in the other books. In Jane Lindskskold's "Promised Land", we find out that the Manticorean Royal Family is truly *royal*, as the Crown Prince fights to keep innocents alive in the heat of his first battle. Timothy Zahn's "With One Stone" shows the gift that being in the right place at the right time can be, and change forever the course of history. John Ringo and Victor Mitchell show us the military equivalent of Siberia, where wit and grace are as much survival tools as discipline. Ringo then returns with "Let's Go to Prague," which had me both laughing like hell and scared likewise, sometimes both at the same time. Warning: do NOT read this story in public, or when you break out into laughter, you may find people edging away from you and eyeballing you for sharp objects. :) Then we see, in Eric Flint's "The Fanatic", both the price AND the cost of duty and power, and the toll each can exact on even the most honorable of men and women. And last, Honor's creator himself gives us the title story "The Service of the Sword," as we watch a young Grayson woman, determined to follow in Honor's footsteps, find out just how BIG the boots that made those tracks must be. Any ONE of the stories in this volume make it worth buying. This is a book that will have an honored place in my collection for as long as I breathe.
Rating:
Summary: THANK YOU DAVID WEVER
Review: IF DAVID WEBER HAS HIS NAME ON A BOOK EITHER AS WRITER, CO WRITER OR AS EDITOR YOU CAN BE SURE IT WILL RATE AT LEAST FOUR STARS BUT MORE LIKELY FIVE. THIS LATEST EFFORT HAS ME BEGING FOR MORE STORIES ABOUT MS HERNS AND A DESIRE TO FIND OUT IF JANE LINDSKOLD HAS ANY BOOKS OF HER OWN THAT I CAN ACQUIRE. THANKS DAVE AND I WILL ACQUIRE EVERY BOOK YOU ARE INVOLVED WITH.
Rating: 
Summary: Swashbuckling Space Adventure
Review: If you like the "Honor Harrington" space warfare series by David Weber, you'll like this book. If you think the last few volumes of the Honor series have been a bit exposition-heavy, you may LOVE this book. Weber and his fellow contributors do a masterful job of playing to the strengths of the parent series without importing any of its weaknesses. The six stories in the collection explore odd corners of Weber's 'Honorverse' in the absence of his titular heroine. Honor appears in only one story, by Timothy Zahn, as a secondary character. The inspiration for various pieces seems to range from the modern-day Taliban to "The Caine Mutiny" to the anime tv series "The Dirty Pair." Don't worry about footnotes, though; it all melds neatly into the established universe. Weber's own title story "Service of the Sword" in particular showcases his talent for death-or-glory heroic last stands mounted by characters you really care about. There isn't a weak story in the bunch. My personal favorite on first reading is "Fanatic," by Eric Flint. Flint brings back an original character he created for a previous Honorverse story "From the Highlands." This collection is a winner. I may wind up re-reading it more times than some of the main series novels themselves.
Rating:
Summary: A Good read, well worth the time!
Review: Personally, I have enjoyed the Worlds of Honor series, but I do find them less enjoyable than the regular Honor Herrington Series. Why? Well despite David Weber's picking great authors and all they aren't writing in a universe they thought up. Sure there is hardship, courage, honor, highs and lows, as in all stories but for me some of the story's don't have that extra edge that makes me want to re-read them. But all in all this is a book worth reading. "The Service of the Sword" can stand alone on its own, what it does is gives you a peak at different asspects of some of the characters we have grown to love and others we are just now meeting for the first time. We once again meet the brother of the Queen of Manticore, on his middy cruse. It is on his first cruise in the navy he meets a young woman escaping from her captures, fighting to return home to Greyson, in Jane Lindskskold's "Promised Land." In "With One Stone" Honor Herrington escapes what could be her end, without every knowing that a young junior officer who is loyal to his captain, gives her ship the chance to escape. We are also given a view into the world of Admiral Himphill, in this work by Tmothy Zahn. John Ringo and Victor Mitchell give us a tongue in cheek tail about where all the Greyson screwups go. Its a very short, funny story about where Siberia is in a modern space navy. "Let's Go to Prague" by John Ringo is a great romp about two Manticorian Marines/ONI operatives who get bored and tired of the beer on one planet and trapes halfway acrossed the sector to another world for fun. The one thing your never sure of is, are these two screwups or pro's who are so bored their getting slopping in a effort to make things more fun!! Personally I really disliked Eric Flint's "The Fanatic" so I personally really don't have anything to say about it other than it was my least favorite story in the entire book and wouldn't have cried a tear if it had been cut totally out! Lastly David Weber, gives us the story "The Service of the Sword," in which we are reintroduced to Abigail Herns. If you remember Ms. Herns is the first Greyson woman to join the navy, not only that but she is the youngest daughter of Steadholder Herns. And the preasure on her to perform is intense. As a teenage Ms. Herns observed Honor Herringtons defense of Greyson and has ever since wanted to join the navy. Now for herself she will experience the price of command. All in all this is a very nice book to add to your David Weber/Honorverse collection. It was a great read, well worth the time and the cost of the book!!
Rating:
Summary: Even More From the Worlds of Honor
Review: The Service of the Sword is the fourth anthology in thr Worlds of Honor series. This volume contains six stories in the Honor Harrington universe, only one of which directly involves Honor. Promised Land by Jane Lindskold is the story of a Grayson girl who is captured by a Masadan privateer and incorporated into his family. Unfortunately for the Masadan, she can read and is computer literate. With One Stone by Timothy Zahn recounts an incident where a Peep warship live tests a new weapon system on Manty merchanters, so ONI gathers information and Honor Harrington provides a warm reception with a little help from her friends. A Ship Named Francis by John Ringo & Victor Mitchell tells about a madhouse of a ship where the odds and sods in the Grayson Navy are sent to keep them away from real sailors. There are real world precedents for this story, but none so surreal as the events herein. Let's Go to Prague by John Ringo is a yarn about two Manty covert ops agents who decide to go for drinks on Prague, a Peep planet, and find plenty of fun and games there. Personally, I believe this story to be not totally fictitious; a goodly number of the covert ops types are adrenaline junkies, not quite sane by normal standards (somewhat like fighter pilots). Fanatic by Eric Flint is the tale of a man who believes in his oath of office and confounds the normal run of hypocrites while purifying the Security service. The Service of the Sword describes the middy cruise of the first Grayson Midshipwoman, the unexpected expenditure of munitions involved, and the example she sets for her successors. Although I enjoyed the first story the most, this opinion is subject to change without notice. I believe that most of these stories will meet with your approval, for they are excellent reading by great writers. Enjoy. Recommended for Honor Harrington fans and anyone else who enjoys tales of naval/marine life, combat and frolics in a SF setting.
Rating:
Summary: Even More From the Worlds of Honor
Review: The Service of the Sword is the fourth anthology in thr Worlds of Honor series. This volume contains six stories in the Honor Harrington universe, only one of which directly involves Honor. Promised Land by Jane Lindskold is the story of a Grayson girl who is captured by a Masadan privateer and incorporated into his family. Unfortunately for the Masadan, she can read and is computer literate. With One Stone by Timothy Zahn recounts an incident where a Peep warship live tests a new weapon system on Manty merchanters, so ONI gathers information and Honor Harrington provides a warm reception with a little help from her friends. A Ship Named Francis by John Ringo & Victor Mitchell tells about a madhouse of a ship where the odds and sods in the Grayson Navy are sent to keep them away from real sailors. There are real world precedents for this story, but none so surreal as the events herein. Let's Go to Prague by John Ringo is a yarn about two Manty covert ops agents who decide to go for drinks on Prague, a Peep planet, and find plenty of fun and games there. Personally, I believe this story to be not totally fictitious; a goodly number of the covert ops types are adrenaline junkies, not quite sane by normal standards (somewhat like fighter pilots). Fanatic by Eric Flint is the tale of a man who believes in his oath of office and confounds the normal run of hypocrites while purifying the Security service. The Service of the Sword describes the middy cruise of the first Grayson Midshipwoman, the unexpected expenditure of munitions involved, and the example she sets for her successors. Although I enjoyed the first story the most, this opinion is subject to change without notice. I believe that most of these stories will meet with your approval, for they are excellent reading by great writers. Enjoy. Recommended for Honor Harrington fans and anyone else who enjoys tales of naval/marine life, combat and frolics in a SF setting.
Rating:
Summary: Great anthology!
Review: There are six stories in this anthology of Honor's famous universe (created by author David Weber). This will have to be a long review because I want to give a synopsis of each story, as well as a rating. The book's total rating, from me, should be considered as 4.5 stars! The first story is Promised Land by Jane Lindskold. Judith was Grayson-born. As a child she was kidnapped when the merchant vessel she and her parents were traveling on was attacked by Masadan pirates. Judith's parents were killed, but her dying mother told Judith to never let the Masadans know she could read! Judith suffered much abuse as one of Ephraim's wives. However, an elite secret organization, made of females, plotted, planned, and got ready for the day of their salvation. They would get only one chance. They would all escape or be captured and executed as example to others. **** If you love stories by David Weber then THIS author is one to watch! Very well done indeed. **** The second story is With One Stone by Timothy Zahn. We zip back to the days when SHE was "Captain" Honor Harrington of the heavy cruiser HMS Fearless. Lieutenant (Senior Grade) Rafael "Rafe" Cardones was Honor's tac officer. These two are the main characters of this awesome story! Someone in Silesia space had gotten hold of an advanced form of the grav lance. Since Rafe was the only RMN tac officer who's ever used a grav lance in combat, he was temporarily assigned to an elite group and a top secret ONI mission. Honor was on an escort mission but ordered to abandon the ships she escorted if she came across the pirate ship with the advanced grav lance and pursue it. The two missions, of course, would end up in one huge climatic battle. ***** Oh yes! Author Timothy Zahn did especially well on this story. It was great to read one of Honor's early battles. So well done I could have sworn Weber, himself, wrote it! ***** The third story is A Ship Named Francis by John Ringo & Victor Mitchell. Sick Berth Attendant Third Class Sean Tyler was beginning his second hitch with the Manticoran Navy. He thought transferring to the Grayson service and working with other Alliance forces was a good move in his career. He could never have imagined what Fate had in store for him. The first day Tyler set foot on the Francis Mueller he knew the transfer had been a bad move. The entire ship was held together by sweat and prayer ... literally! Every day began with a prayer that always sounded more like an eulogy and by the end of the day at least one crew member had to be tranked due to stress. And those were the GOOD days! ***** This is an extremely short story, about twenty pages total. Out of this entire novel though, this is my FAVORITE! I laughed myself silly during the whole thing! Pure Sci-Fi bliss! ***** The fourth story is Let's Go To Prague by John Ringo. Major John Mullins and his partner, Major Charles Gonzalves decided to take some leave on Prague disguised as StateSec officers. A little blackmail later, they were vacationing among the enemy. When a Manti covert operation went bad, John and Charles was (unluckily) there to pick up the ball. Now they must get themselves, a defecting admiral, and a soiled dove off the planet - FAST! Hard to do when the entire planet was hunting you. **** That is the gist of it. To tell more would ruin it for the reader. Suffice it to say that fans of author John Ringo will not be disappointed in this fast paced adventure. Terrific reading. **** The fifth story is Fanatic by Eric Flint. Esther McQueen had failed her coup attempt in Nouveau Paris. StateSec is in chaos. Citizen Rear Admiral Genevieve Chin, Citizen Commodore Jean-Pierre Ogilve, and Yuri Radamacher (the People's Commissioner FOR Ogilve) are fretting over the fact that the People's Commissioner, Jamka, had gotten himself murdered - not that anyone cared since Jamka was an embarrassment in many ways. The problem now is that Oscar Saint-Just the head of Haven's State Security, is sending Citizen Captain Cachat to their sector of La Martine to investigate the murder and execute all who are guilty of anything! **** In a sentence, Cachat is to persuade the personnel to admit any crimes and kill the ones guilty of the major crimes. Cachat has a license to kill and really is the fanatic people claim him to be! The story is riddled with a few twists as well. The readers are kept guessing and the ending is unexpected. An interesting glimpse into the Peeps' military. **** The last story is The Service Of The Sword by David Weber. Midshipwoman Abigail Hearns was in an awkward position. She was not only a steadholder's daughter, but also the very first midshipwoman in the Grayson Space Navy. In fact, Abigail was the first Grayson-born woman EVER sworn into the service of the Sword. During her training on Saganami Island, people considered her to be Lady Honor Harrington's protégée. Abigail became part of Snotty Row upon a Manti heavy cruiser called Gauntlet. The ship was ordered to investigate the disappearance of ships, possible space pirates, in the Tiberian System. It was an independent system that had few inhabitants and those few were not advanced tech-wise. They lived simply and preferred little or no contact with Outsiders. Abigail would face much friction in her new post and some hoped she would fail. However, Abigail was about to prove to everyone just how Harrington-like she was! ***** This one reminded me of Honor's first mission. Abigail thinks differently just like Honor does. Any fan of Weber's Honor Harrington series will be fascinated with this tale! Another winner by Weber!
Rating: 
Summary: Better than I expected
Review: This collection has six stories in it, three of which are pretty much standalone and three of which I expect to be background for future Honor novels. I've been very disappointed in Weber's last few novels. Weber has concentrated on things he is very bad at writing about (political intrigue, character development, romance) instead of the things he is good at writing about (swashbuckling action, mainly). He has also fallen farther and farther into his bad habit of telling us stuff instead of showing it to us. But this time, the Weber story in the collection is surprisingly good. He takes a bunch of his stock characters (young female officer, less-talented but high-born young male officer, Marine non-com from San Martin, high-born and foppish captain) and deliberately plays slice and dice with the stereotypes. He actually tells a different story, for a change. Plus, there is only one three page long pointless lecture on star system political alliances. Eric Flint also bends the stereotypes of State Sec in his story. I think the next Honor novel is actually going to be co-written by Weber and Flint. The two John Ringo stories are played for humor, and are only nominally set in the Honorverse. Timothy Zahn's story is unusual in that Weber apparently allowed him to write a backstory featuring the main Honorverse characters. Too bad they all stayed completely in their pre-established characters, because we learn nothing new about them. The Jane Lindskold story is somewhat interesting for the Moses references, but otherwise reads like a journeyman attempt to "do a Weber story". I believe it will set up some characters for the next Honor novel. All in all, probably the second best of the Worlds Of Honor books, and much better than the last two full Honor novels.
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?!"
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