Classic book review: "Field of Dishonor" by David Weber (Honorverse 4)

Up to the publication of "Field of Dishonor," in 1994, its' author David Weber would have been described as a military science-fiction writer. He had been the co-creator, with Steve White, of the space combat strategy game "Starfire" and both of them got their start as published authors with collaborative military SF novels set in the Universe of that game.

Weber's next half-a-dozen books, including "Path of the Fury" which was later rewritten and extended as "In Fury Born," the excellent Mutineer's Moon which kicked off a trilogy, and the first three novels in the "Honor Harrington" or "Honorverse" series, were also very much military science fiction, although they did include quite a bit of the economic and political background which set up the space battles the protagonists find themselves in.

With the publication of this fourth book in the "Honorverse," David Weber took the risk of alienating the fans who read him for the space battles, by continuing the story with a book which doesn't have any. Except for a retelling of the climactic battle at the end of the previous book, "The short victorious war," as told to the court of inquiry and subsequent court-martial which follow on from that battle.

This isn't a story primarily about battles in space, it's mainly about a private war of politics and intrigue fought in courtrooms, parliaments, on the duelling field and in defending against assassination attempts.

So it represents the start of a distinct widening of genre for the author and the series, and started David Weber down a road which not all of his fans have liked. However, for those who enjoy following the story of a character wherever it goes, this is a really good book.

This story is set immediately after the third in the series "The Short Victorious War" and about two thousand years in our future:

"Field of Dishonor" starts as Honor Harrington, captain of the battlecruiser Nike, is giving evidence to a court of inquiry into the actions of her longtime enemy Lord Pavel Young, who nearly lost the battle by ordering a cruiser squadron to break away from their position in the defensive framework of a task group. Young is charged with cowardice and desertion in the face of the enemy.

The court-martial which follows causes a huge row in parliament where Lord Young's father is an influential figure but that is only the start of a private conflicts in which none of the protagonists have a road which doesn't lead to death, dishonour or disgrace ... 

This is another well-written book, with some great imagining and explanation of what a far-future society might look and feel like.

You can find this book on Amazon at

Field of Dishonor (Honor Harrington Book 4) eBook : Weber, David: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

It is worth mentioning that in 2024 David Weber revisited the story of this book. 

The first "Expanded Honorverse" story, "Toll of Honor," (April 2024) ISBN 978-1982193317 mostly of this book takes place at the same time as "Field of Dishonour" and tells the story of largely the same events from the perspective of different characters, and retcons/corrects a few issues. You can find that book at:

Toll of Honor (Honor Harrington Book 20) eBook : Weber, David: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

More details of the series as a whole are given on this site at

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

 I can strongly recommend "Field of dishonor" and indeed the whole series.

Mitth'raw'nuruodo