David Weber, On Basilisk Station

David Weber's book, titled "On Basilisk Station", is the first book in his Honor Harrington series, which currently consists of 10 main books (plus some short story compilations and spin-offs). The series follows the military, political, and personal life of Honor Harrington, a female officer in the Royal Manticoran Navy. The Star Kingdom of Manticore is a small yet wealthy star nation that is politically structured, similar to Great Britain.

The book begins with Commander Harrington taking command of her first space cruiser, HMS Fearless, an aging light cruiser that has been modified and equipped with an experimental weapons system. Soon after taking command, it becomes apparent that the weapons system has a glaring and exploitable weakness. Fearless is soon "exiled" to Basilisk Station, an out of the way picket station, typically assigned to misfits and failures in the Royal Manticoran Navy. The crew is demoralized and blames Harrington. When it seems things could not possibly get worse, a vengeful superior officer sets Commander Harrington up for further disgrace and humiliation.

The book tells the story of how Honor Harrington and her crew react to and approach these circumstances, and how they lead into a bigger picture that has ramifications that go beyond just their one ship. It provides an excellent introduction for following books, and it gives a good initial look into Harrington's strength of character, which is one of the things that makes her endearing. Another likable thing about her is her relationship with Nimitz, a six-limbed feline to which she is emphatically linked.

We are also introduced to the Republic of Haven, another star nation that is much larger and has an expansionist history, which appears bent on making the wealthy Star Kingdom of Manticore its next acquisition.

The book is a wonderful read. The story development is well done, the level of detail is rich and the battle and action sequences are well described. Development is good for a number of characters, many of whom are also present in the following books of the HH series. This was very hard for me to put down when I first read it. I believe I finished it one evening (morning...) at about 2am, because there came a point in the story after which I just couldn't stop turning the pages.

If you haven't read this book, and you enjoy a good military sci-fi story, I recommend On Basilisk Station very highly. It stands on its own very nicely, but it has the added bonus that, if you find you like it and want more, there are a good number of following books in the series that will keep you satisfied for quite a while.