On Basilisk Station by David Weber
What do you do if you've just been given your first hyper capable command and then get the worst assignment possible? If you're Honor Harrington, you get abandoned by your superior, get after it and become the first competent officer assigned to the post in living memory.
The story
On Basilisk Station is the story of Honor Stephanie Harrington at the beginning of her second deployment as a ship's captain. She gets a ship with a bum weapons system and embarrasses the Admiral who invented the thing and then has to do her level best to save the reputation of not just herself, but also her ship and everyone on it. Shortly after assuming station at her new assignment on Basilisk Station, she is abandoned by her Commanding Officer Pavel Young, who takes his ship to drydock it for any unnecessary refit.. That's when things get interesting.
Honor sets up shop and starts doing her job. She collaborates with the civilian government of the planet Medusa to set up an effective customs station for the first time ever. There she confiscates literal tons of contraband and earns prize money for herself and her crew as a result. She makes a few enemies as well, not the least of which is the chairman of the Hauptmann Cartel, one of the largest businesses in the Star Kingdom of Manticore.
The characters
Honor herself is a new captain with a lot to learn about being alone in the captain's chair. She also has a lot to learn about how to handle a room full of subordinates who aren't happy about their new posting. Honor is hard-working enough to overcome a lot of her problems and smart enough to know she's going to need some help.
The rest of her crew are (mostly) hard working Navy types with a can-do attitude. With the help of a weathered bosun, Honor even manages to even make some use out of her resident ne'er do well. Overall, it's a pretty realistically written cast of characters.
A Dishonorable Mention has to be made of Pavel Young, the superior officer who abandoned honor, attempted rapist, arrogant punk and all around piece of trash. Young is heir to the Earldom of North Hollow and in his own mind can do no wrong.
The world
The Honorverse, as it is known, is huge. In this first installment, we're just getting our first look at the Star Kingdom of Manticore and its potential enemy, the People's Republic of Haven.
The Star Kingdom is far from perfect but it tries to be decent. It is a Constitutional Monarchy (anyone with a passing familiarity can't help but make comparisons to the United Kingdom of Great Britain) and the monarchy and aristocracy still hold real power. Nonetheless, it is a place where those who work hard are rewarded and fortunes can be made by those with a skill and a little luck.
The Binary System of Manticore also sits near the nexus of a wormhole junction. Each wormhole has a terminus in another star system many light years away. This enables instantaneous transit to far-reaching corners of the cosmos, presenting the Star Empire with both ease of trade and the ability to charge fees for the use of its wormholes. Think the Panama Canal only even more important.
The People's Republic of Haven, however, is a Communist hellhole where very few make any effort and the only way forward is to be part of the political establishment. Infrastructure crumbles. The military has to make due with officers who have gained rank based solely upon their political connections and enlisted people who have no real education. The educational system has been watered down to promote the lowest common denominator.
The politics
sI just covered a lot of this. The Star Kingdom is a Constitutional Monarchy. Political contacts and blood mean a lot, but a person can definitely succeed without them. Honor herself has no political patronage in the first book and, in fact, hates politics. She sees it as a waste of time to someone who should more properly devote herself to destroying the enemies of her queen.
The Peoples's Republic of Haven on the other hand is a nightmare the scope of which only a Marxist society can achieve. Their Socialist economic policies are not self -sustaining and, with no outside assistance, the only way they can continue to support their welfare schemes and other entitlements is through the conquest of other nations. Manticore's wormholes and far-reaching merchant marine present the PRH with its best hope of supporting its crumbling economy.
Content warning
There is some violence, but most is not particularly graphic. Honor does go over memories of an attempted rape while she was in the academy. Other than that, there's not much sex to warn you about.
Who is it for?
On Basilisk Station is a book for anyone who loves Military Science Fiction, Space Opera, or both. Or honestly, for anyone who ever wanted to give either one a try. Fans of both Star Wars and Star Trek will both love the Honorverse. Anyone who loves long series where you get to welcome old friends back into your life when a new book comes out will find themselves enthralled with the Honor Harrington series and this is the place to start.
Why read it?
Because it is the first book in an amazingly awesome series. Trust me, I'm a member of the fan club. David Weber is the highest selling living Science Fiction author and this is the beginning of his Magnum Opus.