Flag in Exile

This episode finds Honor Harrington on Grayson taking up the responsibilities she has as Steadholder. She is in bad shape; she's grieving and lacking in self-confidence. When she is asked to take her place in the Grayson Navy, she is very reluctant and fears that all the certainty of her previous experience is gone. But the new Navy needs her experience and expertise because Haven has a new plan and it goes right through Grayson.

Her responsibilities to the Navy would be enough pressure but she is also facing hidden pressure from Grayson where a small fanatic band resents her success and the changes she is making to Grayson society and hatches a horrible plot to discredit her and kill her. And it doesn't matter how many innocents have to die as long as Harrington dies.

So these evil men attack Honor's Skydome industries and sabotage one of their projects which leads to the death of more than 90 people including more than 30 children. Since it looks like a horrible accident caused by Honor's greed and the usage of inferior materials, public sentiment turns against Honor and Honor herself is consumed by guilt even though she knows she didn't cut corners. When her engineers discover the sabotage that guilt is lessened but the finding the proof will alert the wrongdoers and may give them enough time to cover their tracks. And the whole situation is in danger of bringing down the Protector's new reforms.

And one final attempt to kill Honor almost succeeds and does succeed in killing many of her people and many of those who come to rescue her. One notable victim is the head of Father Church who throws himself in front of Honor to save her from an assassin's bullet.

Reeling from her injuries, Honor needs to find a duel with the Steadholder who masterminded the various plots against her and then return to her ship just in time to face an overwhelming force from Haven.

This was an excellent and exciting episode in the Honor Harrington series. ( )

This episode finds Honor Harrington on Grayson taking up the responsibilities she has as Steadholder. She is in bad shape; she's grieving and lacking in self-confidence. When she is asked to take her place in the Grayson Navy, she is very reluctant and fears that all the certainty of her previous experience is gone. But the new Navy needs her experience and expertise because Haven has a new plan and it goes right through Grayson.

Her responsibilities to the Navy would be enough pressure but she is also facing hidden pressure from Grayson where a small fanatic band resents her success and the changes she is making to Grayson society and hatches a horrible plot to discredit her and kill her. And it doesn't matter how many innocents have to die as long as Harrington dies.

So these evil men attack Honor's Skydome industries and sabotage one of their projects which leads to the death of more than 90 people including more than 30 children. Since it looks like a horrible accident caused by Honor's greed and the usage of inferior materials, public sentiment turns against Honor and Honor herself is consumed by guilt even though she knows she didn't cut corners. When her engineers discover the sabotage that guilt is lessened but the finding the proof will alert the wrongdoers and may give them enough time to cover their tracks. And the whole situation is in danger of bringing down the Protector's new reforms.

And one final attempt to kill Honor almost succeeds and does succeed in killing many of her people and many of those who come to rescue her. One notable victim is the head of Father Church who throws himself in front of Honor to save her from an assassin's bullet.

Reeling from her injuries, Honor needs to find a duel with the Steadholder who masterminded the various plots against her and then return to her ship just in time to face an overwhelming force from Haven.

This was an excellent and exciting episode in the Honor Harrington series. ( )

Tras retirarse a Grayson, Honor no puede librarse de la guerra entre Haven y Manticore, y debe acudir como Almirante jefe de la armada de Grayson para evitar ser aplastada entre dos mundos. ( )

The series is back in shape after that horrible Field of Dishonor. ( )

Trigger warning: EXTREME toxic masculinity

Last year I started the reread of the Honor Harrington Series through the audio books. These are actually expanded versions from the originals I read, so in a way it is like reading them new again. Not all the new details are found needed, but they're there now. Flag in Exile is book 5 of the series and we greet our heroine on Grayson after months of convalescing from the fall out of book 4.

The expanded versions have allowed Weber to add more details on his opinions of politics, extreme belief, religion, and moderation. At times, Honor does feel like a Mary Sue or an author's avatar, but at other times, she doesn't. Much of this book deals with the bigots who can't handle change. It hit home harder than I expected and actually triggered some internal issues for me.

On one hand, it's been so long since I've read this book, this is like reading it for the first time. I don't remember much of this book. On the other hand, I wonder how much I blocked out, as I hear relatives and others of similar political minds behind the rants of the primary bad guys. I hear the ultra conservative ranting about how the secular is destroying the religious and destroying things... This is rather a poignant book for this time...

In the end, the main character triumphs, however, the overall feel of the book is oppressive, hateful, and just not the same feel as the rest of the series. It feels like a completely different writer wrote this book for David Weber. ( )