Honorverse book review: "The honor of the Queen" by David Weber

"The Honor of the Queen" by David Weber, first published by Baen Books in 1993 (and I'm looking at my copy from the first paperback printing of this one too as I type) was the second book in the "Honorverse" series, featuring the far future space navy officer Honor Harrington.

This series has grown to contain, currently as of March 2026, more than forty books, set in a future universe in which mankind began to disperse over much of the galaxy, starting in 2103 AD.

This story is set two yeas after the first one, "On Basilisk Station" e.g. about two thousand years in our future: according to the calendar used in the novel it is set in 1902 "post Diaspora," which corresponds to 4008 AD (or Common Era, CE.)

These stories have sometimes been described as "Ms Hornblower in space." 

The assumed space travel and weapons technologies described in the books presents fifth millennium (by our calendar) space navy officers with tactical and strategic challenges and opportunities extremely similar to those presented to wet navy officers in the age of Nelson and Napoleon by the early 19th century technology of fighting sail.

The galactic political context has significant points of similarity to that in Europe in  the late 18th and early 20th centuries, with the Star Kingdom of Manticore representing Britain, the People's Republic of Haven representing France.

At the start of the book Honor Harrington of the Royal Manticoran Navy has been promoted to captain and is commanding a new HMS Fearless, which is new and very powerful heavy cruiser rather than an experimental light one like the ship of he same name from the previous book.

The character of Honor Harrington is a bit like a cross between the fictional Horatio Hornblower and the real Admiral Nelson, in a 41st century setting. She is very well presented and anyone reading these books is likely to soon think she feels almost like a real person.

HMS Fearless is to form part of a diplomatic mission to a star system called Yeltsin, with one inhabited planet, called Grayson, and this planet and it's people will play a huge part in the series going forward.

The evil "People's Republic of Haven" are at this stage in the series very much the bad guys. Though we learn from the prequels that this was not always the case in the past and without spoilers, it might not always be the case in the future. They are continuing a huge military build-up and everyone with a working brain - which unfortunately does not include some of Manticore's politicians expects Haven to attack Manticore soon. So both parties are looking for allies - and the Yeltsin system would make an excellent forward base.

There are two big problems with this. Grayson was settled by a religious cult who wanted to get away from all technology - and then found when they arrived that the planet's biosphere would kill them unless they did keep a lot of high tech, this required them to substantially adapt some of their religious beliefs - and this wasn't an easy process which triggered a civil war.

Among the belief they did keep were some seriously discriminatory views abut the place of women, who should be "protected for their own good" from difficult things like voting, owning property, having rights and responsibilities and so on. Including serving in the military.

Which is going to make it more than a little difficult for them to accept that Manticore's navy is built on total equality of the sexes with women like Honor Harrington serving a commanding officers.

The second problem is that Grayson has a fratricidal sister colony called Masada in the nearby system of Endicott, populated by the descendants of the losing side in the civil war - the people who didn't want to adapt even where the choice was adapt or die, and who were exiled there.

And if the Graysons are a bit Victorian MCP dinosaur in their attitudes to women, one of the Masadans many issues with the Graysons is that Masadans think Graysons are soggy liberals in their attitudes to women and on many other issues. Masadans make the Afghan Taleban look like pro-feminists.

This is going to be one difficult mission, especially with Haven stirring the pot. But Honor Harrington is going to give Grayson one giant kick in the right direction ...

Another excellent book.

You can find it on Amazon at

The Honor of the Queen: (Honor Harrington 2): Amazon.co.uk books

This book is part of the Honor Harrington Universe and you can find the series page for my reviews of books set in this universe at

Book Series overview: David Weber's "Honor Harrington" universe book reviews.