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Where to start?

Join us in talking discussing all things Honor, including (but not limited to) tactics, favorite characters, and book discussions.
Re: Where to start?
Post by 61Cygni   » Fri May 02, 2014 12:24 pm

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DianeSilva wrote:I haven't read the Honor Harrington books as yet as I have been busy with the Safehold series. I know there are lots of books. Do I start at beginning or can I start reading at any point?


If all you've read are the Safehold books then you'll be in for a bit of a shock when you read the early HH books. Let's just say there's some differences between early and recent Weber. :D
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Re: Where to start?
Post by Howard T. Map-addict   » Fri May 02, 2014 1:46 pm

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InMyOpinion,
"which to start with" depends on
what one wants from a novel, and
on how intricate a novel one can comprehend.

OBS is a Basic SF Novel, for introductory readers.
The "Protagonist" is Hero, the PoV person with whom the
reader identifies, whose acts are always best,
who is the virtual deputy to a Deus Ex Machina.
In this case, "Taming & Winning The Crew" is the
basic plot, and the rest is window-dressing.

HotQ is written on the next, more difficult level.
It uses an "Imperfect Protagonist" - one who makes errors
(I counted four Major Errors), whose judgements can be
dubious, even downright mistaken.
The reader needs to judge an IP, not identify with her.

It takes a sophisticated reader to appreciate such books.
Less sophisticated readers might feel betrayed, that
the PoV character, their own "avatar," could be wrong.

Me, I did right by myself by starting with OBS.
HotQ would have been too sophisticated for me then.
Others' miliage will vary.

HTM

The E wrote:[snip - htm]
In OBS, Honor is a largely static character, she doesn't have to adapt to her environments (rather, she forces the main environment of the novel to adapt to her) in any meaningful way. In addition, given the novel's focus on Fearless's crew interaction with itself and their new Captain, the external threat from the Medusans and Haven is very much a sideshow to the internal drama.

Finally, we have the Havenite threat itself: The scheme that Honor ends up thwarting is a very convoluted one. It's overly complicated, and lacks an emotional punch or hook; it's essentially a bit of legal maneuvering. And that just doesn't resonate all that well with a lot of readers.

HotQ, on the other hand, does a much better job at challenging Honor. Not only is she confronted with having to operate in an arena she has very much avoided, she's forced to overcome her prejudices first. Same goes for the Graysons and the reader: Just as Honor is prejudiced about those backwater misogynists, so are we, and learning what makes the Graysons tick, and how they're definitely not backwater misogynists (well, at least some of them) is an interesting process of discovery.

Second, the threat that Honor has to fight against in HotQ is much more visceral, much easier to understand and picture, and the plot gives us ample opportunity to see the buildup, the fight, and its resolution without the odd pacing issues that OBS has (remember that treatise about the how of the Hyperdrive inserted awkwardly just after the chase begins?).

Overall, HotQ is in many ways the superior book, at least in my opinion. It has better, tighter plotting, a much more interesting cast of characters, and presents a more interesting setting with higher stakes than its predecessor.

[big snip - htm]

OBS is not a bad book, not by a long shot. [snip]
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Re: Where to start?
Post by Dr. Arroway   » Fri May 02, 2014 2:20 pm

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Publication order makes the most sense, imho, like it's usually the case.

So, go with On Basilisk Station even though it isn't the strongest installment of the series (actually, it might even rank among the weakest).
Of course HotQ is better, but everything in the Honorverse is about build-up: emotional, technical, and so on. It wouldn't do to skip the first chapter, in my opinion.

All I can say is: you're in for a ride!
I'm re-reading Echoes of Honor right now (#8, main series)... I had forgotten how good it is.
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Re: Where to start?
Post by George J. Smith   » Fri May 02, 2014 2:45 pm

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At the risk of annoying all the old-hands...

If you want to follow Honor's progress then:

The Best Laid Plans
Ms. Midshipwoman Harrington
The Hard Way Home
Let's Dance
On Basilisk Station
With one Stone
The Honor of the Queen
The Short Victorious War
Field of Dishonor
Flag in Exile
et al...

For the Whole Honorverse then I do think HotQ is probably the best place to start but go back and read OBS before FiE.

T&R
GJS
.
T&R
GJS

A man should live forever, or die in the attempt
Spider Robinson Callahan's Crosstime Saloon (1977) A voice is heard in Ramah
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Re: Where to start?
Post by crewdude48   » Fri May 02, 2014 3:18 pm

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George J. Smith wrote:At the risk of annoying all the old-hands...

If you want to follow Honor's progress then:

The Best Laid Plans
Ms. Midshipwoman Harrington
The Hard Way Home
Let's Dance
On Basilisk Station
With one Stone
The Honor of the Queen
The Short Victorious War
Field of Dishonor
Flag in Exile
et al...

For the Whole Honorverse then I do think HotQ is probably the best place to start but go back and read OBS before FiE.

T&R
GJS


Internal calendar order really does not make sense as a first read through. Some of the chronologically earlier short stories sort of rest on some of the later, but previously published, stories.

You could start with OBS or HOTQ, either or, but I like OBS better. If you do start with HotQ, you have to go back to OBS before you go on. After that:

3. The Short Victorious War
4. Field of Dishonor
5. Flag In Exile
6. Honor Among Enemies
7. In Enemy Hands
8. More Than Honor (Anthology; you could skip A Grand Tour if you want to. I don't think that it is even Honorverse.)
9. Echoes of Honor
10. World of Honor (Anthology; you could skip Deck Load Strike if you want to.)
11. Ashes of Victory
12. Changer of Worlds (Anthology)
13. War of Honor
14. The Service of the Sword (Anthology)
15. Crown of Slaves
16. The Shadow of Saganami
17. At All Costs
18. Storm from the Shadows
19. Torch of Freedom
20. Mission of Honor
21. In Fire Forged (Anthology)
22. A Rising Thunder
23. Shadow of Freedom
24. House of Steel (Compendium)
25. Beginnings (Anthology; you could skip By the Book if you want to.)
26. Cauldron of Ghosts

Then there is the Young Adult series, that takes place a couple of hundred years before the series. A Beautiful Friendship, Fire Season, and Treecat Wars. You can read these whenever you like, but I would recommend reading them after you have caught up with the main series.

THEN, there is the Manticore Ascendant series, of which the first book, A Call to Duty, comes out in October of this year.

Wow, that is a lot of books.
________________
I'm the Dude...you know, that or His Dudeness, or Duder, or El Duderino if you're not into the whole brevity thing.
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Re: Where to start?
Post by Lord Skimper   » Fri May 02, 2014 8:15 pm

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Later on their are side stories that are crucial to understanding who and what is going on. Personal OBS is where I would want to start.

If you want you could start with beginnings it will give you great understanding even with the. Mistakes/typos.
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Re: Where to start?
Post by MaxxQ   » Fri May 02, 2014 9:34 pm

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Lord Skimper wrote:Later on their are side stories that are crucial to understanding who and what is going on. Personal OBS is where I would want to start.

If you want you could start with beginnings it will give you great understanding even with the. Mistakes/typos.


Oh, the irony. :lol:
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Re: Where to start?
Post by kzt   » Fri May 02, 2014 9:37 pm

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MaxxQ wrote:
Lord Skimper wrote:If you want you could start with beginnings it will give you great understanding even with the. Mistakes/typos.


Oh, the irony. :lol:

I love my iPad, but sometimes it's really annoying....
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Re: Where to start?
Post by Alizon   » Fri May 02, 2014 11:17 pm

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Actually the first of the books I read was "At All Costs" and I was hooked and went back and eagerly read everything from On Basilisk Station on. So, you really can start anywhere but in the end you'll end up with "On Basilisk Station" eventually because once you start, you're going to want to read it all.

I would though not start with anything more modern than "At All Costs" though. Most of what happens from that point on is eco political and fleet actions are generally awfully one-sided so a lot less action. Compelling stuff but I do much prefer the BAAC (before at all costs) to those books following that.

I would, however, work my way through all the main Honor books before picking up one of the anthologies or one of the side series. They're good but they aren't as compelling unless you have the backdrop given by the main series.

Hope that helps
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