Meanwhile, Esther McQueen, the rising star on the Peeps Committee, hatches a plan to regain the initiative for the Havenites with a daring series of raids on several systems - including Basilisk. Fortunately, despite a couple of severe setbacks, the introduction of the "Harrington" class LAC carriers (the space Aircraft Carriers that Honor helped approve before being captured - despite plenty of official opposition) and Admiral White Haven's prompt action prevent the raids turning into a complete disaster.

In fact, for an Honor book there's remarkably little of her in it and those bits where she is are easily the weakest bits. Pretty much all the stuff on Hell (except the take over itself) is rather dull and very far fetched (do they really run a prison planet where the prisoners can roam free with no supervision or security cameras? I know they can't eat without their wardens providing them with food, if that's all they rely on then a well executed ambush could allow the prisoners to get hold of a shuttle - as indeed happens). In a book of over 700 pages, there's rather too much padding for my liking (having just re-read it, it's a much better book if you simply cut out most of the bits on Hell until she gets into space).

Overall, rather like the comment about Wagner's operas - it has it's moments, but some bloody awful quarter hours.


Brilliant Book   March 6, 2001
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Honor and her colleagues are stuck on the Peeps' prison planet with limited food and in an ecology where they can't eat the food. But they have a big advantage - there are scads of prisoners who really *hate* the Peeps. Although still with plenty of action by Honor and her colleagues,this book also concentrates on those who have been touched by Honor, and their commands as Manticore fights off the latest Peep assaults.