Next book involving HH?

I find the first Torch book necessary to introduce a number of important characters to the series as a whole. The other two are unnecessary reads since anything relevant gets rehashed yet again in the mainline series. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy reading them, but they don't add to the mainline story. The Shadow series introduces a number of wonderful characters that many of us love and recommend, but they do not add to the Honor Harrington story at all. Or rather that any parts that do apply are re-quoted, often verbatim, in the next mainline book.

Hi Ksandgren,

We'll have to disagree, some of the best characters, NTM one liners etc are in the so-called side series of Torch and Talbot Quadrant.

Don't read them at your peril, Jeslis, especially if you choose to post here.

By the way welcome to the forums, enjoy your favorite cg beverage on the cg roof.

L

ksandgren wrote:I find the first Torch book necessary to introduce a number of important characters to the series as a whole. The other two are unnecessary reads since anything relevant gets rehashed yet again in the mainline series. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy reading them, but they don't add to the mainline story. The Shadow series introduces a number of wonderful characters that many of us love and recommend, but they do not add to the Honor Harrington story at all. Or rather that any parts that do apply are re-quoted, often verbatim, in the next mainline book.

lyonheart wrote:Hi Ksandgren,

We'll have to disagree, some of the best characters, NTM one liners etc are in the so-called side series of Torch and Talbot Quadrant.

Don't read them at your peril, Jeslis, especially if you choose to post here.

By the way welcome to the forums, enjoy your favorite cg beverage on the cg roof.

L

AGREED. As much as I love the political drama of MoH/ART (and I really, really do - I ain't in this for your physics and technology! ), when I want some old-school Honorverse space battle action, I head straight for the Talbott Quadrant. Not to mention the glorious characters - Aivars! Abigail! Estelle! Augustus! Michelle! Michael! Helen! Stephen! Naomi! I love me some Grand Alliance plotting, Eloise&Elizabeth interaction, Honor&Theisman interaction, etc. and I'd probably die without it, but sometimes you just gotta go blow shit up.

roseandheather wrote:

One treecat story you missed is called "What Price Dreams?" and is found in the World of Honor anthology. It's about the first Manticoran royal bonding with a treecat, Queen Adrienne, and her treecat Dianchect.

Another is called "The Stray" from the same anthology, about Scott MacDallan, his treecat Fisher, and an unnamed, injured treecat. (Be prepared: this story will make you cry buckets. I don't care if you never cry at anything you read. This story will make you weep like a child.)

I personally found the final scene to What Price Dreams? to be the most powerful and sad. In a sense, the stray cat (forgot the name) had already paid his price and it was catching up to him, whereas Seeker of Dreams was coming to terms with the sacrifice he in the process of making, and finding it worth it. I found that extremely moving.

ksandgren wrote:The Shadow series introduces a number of wonderful characters that many of us love and recommend, but they do not add to the Honor Harrington story at all. Or rather that any parts that do apply are re-quoted, often verbatim, in the next mainline book.

That isn't precisely true. As far as I can determine, Honor's explication of the only workable strategy against the Solarian League is only in Storm From The Shadows.

That one paragraph answers so many questions about the probable course of the conflict with the Solarian League that not reading the Talbot stories will cause a lot of questions about what the SEM and GA are up to.

Weird Harold wrote:

ksandgren wrote:The Shadow series introduces a number of wonderful characters that many of us love and recommend, but they do not add to the Honor Harrington story at all. Or rather that any parts that do apply are re-quoted, often verbatim, in the next mainline book.

That isn't precisely true. As far as I can determine, Honor's explication of the only workable strategy against the Solarian League is only in Storm From The Shadows.

That one paragraph answers so many questions about the probable course of the conflict with the Solarian League that not reading the Talbot stories will cause a lot of questions about what the SEM and GA are up to.

This! (Except the strategy discussion is more than a 'paragraph'.)

dreamrider

ericth wrote:

roseandheather wrote:

One treecat story you missed is called "What Price Dreams?" and is found in the World of Honor anthology. It's about the first Manticoran royal bonding with a treecat, Queen Adrienne, and her treecat Dianchect.

Another is called "The Stray" from the same anthology, about Scott MacDallan, his treecat Fisher, and an unnamed, injured treecat. (Be prepared: this story will make you cry buckets. I don't care if you never cry at anything you read. This story will make you weep like a child.)

I personally found the final scene to What Price Dreams? to be the most powerful and sad. In a sense, the stray cat (forgot the name) had already paid his price and it was catching up to him, whereas Seeker of Dreams was coming to terms with the sacrifice he in the process of making, and finding it worth it. I found that extremely moving.

I think you're mixing the stories up. Seeker of Dreams was from What Price, Dreams?. The unnamed treecat you're referring to is in The Stray. The point is still a good one though

Another reason to read the "side story" novels is that you get different perspectives on the same events or happenings. I, personally, like to get the view from the other side and these books give you some idea of how the other characters deal with the events that you normally only "see" from Honor's POV.

Amaroq wrote:Another reason to read the "side story" novels is that you get different perspectives on the same events or happenings. I, personally, like to get the view from the other side and these books give you some idea of how the other characters deal with the events that you normally only "see" from Honor's POV.

Besides, aren't the 'side shows' supposed to merge into the main storyline again at some point? Reading the 'side stories' then becomes essential, in order to understand many of the characters and relationships that began, or are only found, there.

hanuman wrote:

Amaroq wrote:Another reason to read the "side story" novels is that you get different perspectives on the same events or happenings. I, personally, like to get the view from the other side and these books give you some idea of how the other characters deal with the events that you normally only "see" from Honor's POV.

Besides, aren't the 'side shows' supposed to merge into the main storyline again at some point? Reading the 'side stories' then becomes essential, in order to understand many of the characters and relationships that began, or are only found, there.

Exactly! Otherwise people are going to wonder how Dame Estelle Matsuko wound up married to an Admiral!

.....

*cough*

I mean. Yes, this is an excellent point and absolutely true.