A Rising Thunder

Honor Harrington, Book 13

By: David Weber

Narrated by: Allyson Johnson

Length: 17 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

Peril and strife strike on a double front for Honor Harrington and company. After a brutal attack on the Manticoran home system, Honor Harrington and the Star Kingdom she serves battle back against a new, technologically powerful, and utterly nefarious enemy. And as if that weren’t task enough, Honor must also face down a centuries-old nemesis in the crumbling, but still mighty, Solarian League.

The war between the People’s Republic of Haven and the Star Kingdom is finally won and peace established, but grave danger looms - for there is a plan well on its way to completion designed to enslave the entire human species. Behind that plan lies the shadowy organization known as the Mesan Alignment.

Task number one for Honor is to defend against another devastating Mesan strike - a strike that may well spell the doom of the Star Kingdom in one fell blow. It is time to shut down and secure the wormhole network that is the source of the Star Kingdom’s wealth and power - but also its greatest vulnerability. Yet this is an act that the Earth-based Solarian League inevitably will take as a declaration of war.

The thunder of battle rolls as the Solarian League directs its massive power against the Star Kingdom. And once again, Honor Harrington is thrust into a desperate battle that she must win if she is to survive to take the fight to the real enemy of galactic freedom: the insidious puppetmasters of war who lurk behind the Mesan Alignment!

©2012 Words of Weber, Inc. (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

a series that is tremendous in it's complexity

Why review the 13th book in a series? It was so much fun that I couldn't stop to catch my breath until more than 300 hours of listening got me caught up. Honor Harrington is the first female epic hero on a par with Hercules, Moses, or any demi-god that exemplifies virtue wedded to compassion. This series has genuinely likeable characters and evil villains, without oversimplifying the universe.

tree cats kick ass

space battles live and romance
emperors and queens
statesmanship and diplomacy
with tree cats expanding off their home workd

Political v. Military Fiction

As always, the narrator was supurb. The term Military Sci-fi is very less descriptive for this book in the series than Political Sci-fi. This is one of my least enjoyed books in the series, but it is necessary in the broad reach of the series. It's like washing the dishes after a sumptuous meal while anticipating the dessert. I am so anticipating the dessert.

character development and tactical prowess

David Weber creates a riveting story that delves into further character development while also using his tactical prowess applied to political intrigue and keeping the details of space war interesting and engaging.

Alison Johnson does a superb job and is difficult to tell that she is reading vs the characters speaking.

Good, But not for a first time Harrington Listener

This was like the start of a new series for me. I Love the harrington series so this was ok for me. But a new listener should start out with On Basilisk Station and go thru the series. In this one, It felt to me like the battles were good but more background than the usual core of the book. It was even more heavily invested in statistics and setting the story than usual. Having said that, it held my attention throughout and I will get the next one.

Okay, now we're getting somewhere

I don't think I'd be considered unreasonable for suggesting that the Honorverse has begun to sprawl a bit of late. Don't get me wrong, having the galaxy in which David Weber has orchestrated a dazzling, decades long interstellar war fleshed out and populated with a diverse cast of characters has been worth some of the plodding pace, but I do emphasize, some. This is because many recent outings have taken after Tom Clancy's geopolitical thrillers of the late 90s, in the worst way possible. So it was with some trepidation that I looked forward to listening to this latest installment. Suffice it to say, I feel the series is back to a pace more like earlier books, which is to say, I'm eager to get the next one.

The summary tells you about all you need to know as far as details go. What I would add is that since so many of the original characters have reached such lofty rank, the ship captain's perspectives have shifted to a new generation of RMN officers, which upped the tension for me quite a bit since we don't have the reassurance of knowing that our viewpoint character is certain to survive, even more than before. Also, though still present, I think the number of scene sequences involving conversations where people react to events in the previous chapter, before making a decision that is discussed by another set of characters operating under a painful misconception in the next have been reduced somewhat, or are less onerous at least.

As for another long running concern in recent novels, the unwieldy conspiracy that appears to be driving all this madness, the author has done a respectable job of papering over some of the glaring nitpicks leveled at the sheer magnitude and inefficiency involved. It's still a bit too much to take at times however. Luckily, it's moving forward at a good clip now and the promise of a real payoff to all the drama is something I now honestly look forward to. The narration has also grown on me, even though I still find the choice of accent for the various foreign powers a bit silly. If you're into it this far, I suppose like me, you'd keep going regardless; but for anyone on the fence, I'd urge you to dive in once again.

A Fabulous Series!!

Would you listen to A Rising Thunder again? Why?

The story, performance and how they work so well together is an outstanding piece of listening pleasure. In fact, I DID listen to the entire Honor Harrington series leading up to this one, just to get refreshed on the the story. Honor's story line is well thought out, and continues to expand to the point some people found it trying or boring. Not in the least, if you want to delve into a whole new world, that is painstakingly crafted, then listen in sequence to all the books (including the Saganimi and Torch side series) as they ALL tie together into a large, vast universe.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hard to decide, Honor has strength of character, almost to the point of a flaw, but adapts rapidly to whatever changes in her environment, Mike Henke is a good, solid friend, but has the same abilities as Honor, just tested in a different fire. Albrecht Detweiler and his sons are just out to save their collective butts and you have to appreciate their ability to keep the Mesan Alignment going. Weber's characters all have flaws, and strengths, and it makes it very hard to pick "the one".

What does Allyson Johnson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Allyson Johnson makes the audio books a treasure. Her perfect pitch and voice changes make you wonder how many people they actually had record this thing. I am still not sure if she does all the characters or what, if she does, she should get an Audible Oscar.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

If I had the time, I would, but I listen going to and from work (1.5 hrs each way, 3-4 days a week), and I want to stretch them out endlessly if possible.

Any additional comments?

A great book in a great series. If you want to comprehend it all, start with book 1 (On Basilisk Station) and follow through with all of them. You will not be disappointed if you like science fiction, military, or just good story telling.

Waiting for the next book

The Audible version has been wonderful to review the book I read 5 years ago in preparation for the October release of the next Honor book. always love the twists and turns in the Honor story.

Last One

What did you love best about A Rising Thunder?

D. W. has not written another H.H. Series since this one. So I must say I would have stopped at book 10. I very much liked this series but this author is not trust worthy.

Another Honor Masterpiece

As always...Honor, Elizabeth, Nimitz...amazing!
I have been reading these books for almost 20 years now and they never fail to deliver!