Housekeeping for Honor...

JohnRoth wrote:

ccchuck wrote:"so I am now wondering if he intends to "kill" Honor off or simply lets her retire..."

Alexander Kent did kill his hero - but warned us from almost the beginning.

C S Forester's Hornblower made it into retirement (where, if memory serves, he met Napoleon III?)..

While the loss of Honor would make "great sweet sorrow", it also slightly smells a bit of "been there drama" -
I think she, and us, deserve better.

I seriously doubt that he's going to kill Honor off. Since the next book is supposed to be the last one, it would be kind of pointless. She's most likely going to continue in her multiple roles of Steadholder, Duchess, senior Admiral and advisor to the Queen. Filaretta's Folly was probably her last major battle unless the SL decides to do something even more stupid than usual; she's simply too senior.

There was foreshadowing in Mission of Honor. When she got home from Haven, saw the aftermath of Oyster Bay and Hamish finally met the "Salamander", she made a promise.

"I'll miss them," she told him again, still with that dreadful softness, "but I won't forget. I'll never forget, and one day - one day, Hamish, we're going to find the people who did this, you and I. And when we do, the only thing I'll ask of God is that He let them live long enough to know who's killing them."

JohnRoth wrote:

ccchuck wrote:"so I am now wondering if he intends to "kill" Honor off or simply lets her retire..."

Alexander Kent did kill his hero - but warned us from almost the beginning.

C S Forester's Hornblower made it into retirement (where, if memory serves, he met Napoleon III?)..

While the loss of Honor would make "great sweet sorrow", it also slightly smells a bit of "been there drama" -
I think she, and us, deserve better.

I seriously doubt that he's going to kill Honor off. Since the next book is supposed to be the last one, it would be kind of pointless. She's most likely going to continue in her multiple roles of Steadholder, Duchess, senior Admiral and advisor to the Queen. Filaretta's Folly was probably her last major battle unless the SL decides to do something even more stupid than usual; she's simply too senior.

Yeah, Honor's not going to die. She was supposed to die in "At All Costs" like Nelson at Trafalgar, but the powers that be (David's wife) forbade it, and Allister McKeon died instead. The fight with Mesa was originally supposted to pick up 20-30 years later, staring Honor's children as the protagonists. If David went that far out of his way to change the plan so Honor wouldn't die covered in glory, She is just going to die off screen of old age instead...

Besides, I always felt that Raoul, growing up and attending a future Saganami Island, where every 2nd item was named after his mother sorta smacked of telling a story of "The Boy who Lived" attending Hoggwarts.

ccchuck wrote:"so I am now wondering if he intends to "kill" Honor off or simply lets her retire..."

Alexander Kent did kill his hero - but warned us from almost the beginning.

C S Forester's Hornblower made it into retirement (where, if memory serves, he met Napoleon III?)..

While the loss of Honor would make "great sweet sorrow", it also slightly smells a bit of "been there drama" -
I think she, and us, deserve better.

JohnRoth wrote:
I seriously doubt that he's going to kill Honor off. Since the next book is supposed to be the last one, it would be kind of pointless. She's most likely going to continue in her multiple roles of Steadholder, Duchess, senior Admiral and advisor to the Queen. Filaretta's Folly was probably her last major battle unless the SL decides to do something even more stupid than usual; she's simply too senior.

munroburton wrote:
There was foreshadowing in Mission of Honor. When she got home from Haven, saw the aftermath of Oyster Bay and Hamish finally met the "Salamander", she made a promise.

"I'll miss them," she told him again, still with that dreadful softness, "but I won't forget. I'll never forget, and one day - one day, Hamish, we're going to find the people who did this, you and I. And when we do, the only thing I'll ask of God is that He let them live long enough to know who's killing them."

Well, yes. However, RFC has already scotched that: the last book will wrap up the Solarian League arc, but leave the Mesan Alignment arc dangling. Even so, Albrecht D. is dead, and RFC has left himself room to decide whether the rest of the Detweiller clan has gotten to Darius or has died en route. I don't see a Battle of Darius coming.

Theemile wrote:
Besides, I always felt that Raoul, growing up and attending a future Saganami Island, where every 2nd item was named after his mother sorta smacked of telling a story of "The Boy who Lived" attending Hoggwarts.

And half of the things not named for the Duchess/Steadholder his mother are named for the Earl his father.

Fox2! wrote:

Theemile wrote:
Besides, I always felt that Raoul, growing up and attending a future Saganami Island, where every 2nd item was named after his mother sorta smacked of telling a story of "The Boy who Lived" attending Hoggwarts.

And half of the things not named for the Duchess/Steadholder his mother are named for the Earl his father.

It wouldn't be that bad serving with the RMN. The RMN has at least four notable naval heroes, all of whom were dead before Honor was even born. Saganami himself, D'Orville, Saint-James and the Osterman for whom a medal is named.

If Raoul were to serve in the GSN, however - the navy which has an entire class of SD(P)s named for his mother and whose officer corps fanatically models her conduct...

JohnRoth wrote:Well, yes. However, RFC has already scotched that: the last book will wrap up the Solarian League arc, but leave the Mesan Alignment arc dangling. Even so, Albrecht D. is dead, and RFC has left himself room to decide whether the rest of the Detweiller clan has gotten to Darius or has died en route. I don't see a Battle of Darius coming.

Did he? That's disappointing. Well, I suppose there's always the possibility of an Ivan Antonov style comeback if Darius is revealed in the time-jumped series and the spiders have been refitted with Apollo and three-drive missile pods.

Ah! I feel so mischievous... I open a can of worms and say, let's go fishing.

Like nearly all who have responded to my "off the cuff" suggestion that Honor may not live to a peaceful retirement, I would like to see nothing better. But, Alastair was not the only long time character to have died and after all... everyone has that open appointment that we cannot miss, no matter how many body guards or how big our pile of toys.

I am once again amazed and amused by how these threads can be tied in knots.
What began as a thought that it would be convenient it would be to have all the early experiences of Honor's career in one handy volume then I knock everything off track with one thought about Ecclesiastes 1 that what we want is not necessarily what we get.

Still, it is great fun to share these ideas.

I suspect all the little Detweiller clan makes it to Darius with the entire IAN on their heals.
The Andies have that fiendishly cleaver spy network and they tend to be so much in the background...

munroburton wrote:
There was foreshadowing in Mission of Honor. When she got home from Haven, saw the aftermath of Oyster Bay and Hamish finally met the "Salamander", she made a promise.

"I'll miss them," she told him again, still with that dreadful softness, "but I won't forget. I'll never forget, and one day - one day, Hamish, we're going to find the people who did this, you and I. And when we do, the only thing I'll ask of God is that He let them live long enough to know who's killing them."

Well, yes. However, RFC has already scotched that: the last book will wrap up the Solarian League arc, but leave the Mesan Alignment arc dangling. Even so, Albrecht D. is dead, and RFC has left himself room to decide whether the rest of the Detweiller clan has gotten to Darius or has died en route. I don't see a Battle of Darius coming.[/quote]

I think that Raoul will be a doctor or a poet... Faith and James will follow in their sisters foot steps.
{/quote]

Yeah, Honor's not going to die. She was supposed to die in "At All Costs" like Nelson at Trafalgar, but the powers that be (David's wife) forbade it, and Allister McKeon died instead. The fight with Mesa was originally supposted to pick up 20-30 years later, staring Honor's children as the protagonists. If David went that far out of his way to change the plan so Honor wouldn't die covered in glory, She is just going to die off screen of old age instead...

Besides, I always felt that Raoul, growing up and attending a future Saganami Island, where every 2nd item was named after his mother sorta smacked of telling a story of "The Boy who Lived" attending Hoggwarts.[/quote]

Indeed he did: "Hornblower and the Madman". He was even awarded a Legion d'Honneur for services to France

ccchuck wrote:< snip >

C S Forester's Hornblower made it into retirement (where, if memory serves, he met Napoleon III?)..