Honor Stephanie Alexander-Harrington is a
fictional characterA character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, the heroine of a series of
military science fictionMilitary science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction in which the principal characters are members of a military service and an armed conflict is taking place, normally in space, or on a planet other than Earth...
books set in the "
HonorverseThe Honorverse refers to the military science fiction book series and sub-series created by David Weber and published by Baen Books. The series is set primarily after Honor Harrington's October 1, 3961, birth; although she is the protagonist in most of the stories, more recent entries make only...
", written by
David WeberDavid Mark Weber is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Weber and his wife Sharon live in Greenville, South Carolina with their three children and "a passel of dogs"....
and published by
Baen BooksBaen Books is an American publishing company established in 1983 by long time science fiction publisher and editor Jim Baen. It is a science fiction and fantasy publishing house that emphasizes space opera, hard science fiction, military science fiction, and fantasy...
.
An officer in the Royal Manticoran Navy (RMN), the space navy of the
Star Kingdom of ManticoreThe Star Kingdom of Manticore , frequently referred to as Manticore or the Star Kingdom, is a fictional star-nation in the Honorverse series of military science fiction novels and short stories by David Weber and others, published by Baen Books.- Depiction :The Star Kingdom was founded in the...
, Harrington bears a striking professional resemblance to both the real-life
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
naval officers
Admiral Lord NelsonHoratio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB was a flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted for his inspirational leadership and superb grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics, which resulted in a number of...
and Captain
Thomas CochraneAdmiral Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, 1st Marquess of Maranhão, GCB, ODM , styled Lord Cochrane between 1778 and 1831, was a senior British naval flag officer and radical politician....
, as well as the fictional character
Horatio HornblowerHoratio Hornblower is a fictional Royal Navy officer who is the protagonist of a series of novels by C. S. Forester. He was later the subject of films and television programs.The original Hornblower tales began with the 1937 novel The Happy Return Horatio Hornblower is a fictional Royal Navy...
. Like Nelson, she loses her left eye and left arm in combat (her eye in
Honor of the Queen and her arm in
In Enemy Hands); her initials are the same as Hornblower's, and like all three officers, she has a genius for
tacticalMilitary tactics, the science and art of organizing an army or an air force, are the techniques for using weapons or military units in combination for engaging and defeating an enemy in battle. Changes in philosophy and technology over time have been reflected in changes to military tactics. In...
command throughout the series and becomes a living legend by using those skills in several major engagements—battles for which the press nicknames her "The Salamander" for always seeming to be "where the fire is hottest." By the ninth main-line novel (
Ashes of Victory-Plot summary:The book begins hours after the end of the previous novel. Honor Harrington and her "Elysian Space Navy" arrive at Manticoran-controlled space, only to discover that she was believed dead, that her mother had given birth to twins , her cousin Devon has inherited her Manticoran title,...
) Honor has emerged as a
strategistMilitary strategy is a set of ideas implemented by military organizations to pursue desired strategic goals. Derived from the Greek strategos, strategy when it appeared in use during the 18th century, was seen in its narrow sense as the "art of the general", 'the art of arrangement' of troops...
of note as well, and has been promoted to the rank of Admiral in both the Manticoran and Grayson space navies. In a preface to
Storm from the ShadowsStorm from the Shadows is a novel by David Weber, released in February 2009 , and set in the Honorverse and the second in the Saganami Island series, spun off from the main Honor Harrington series...
author David Weber confirms both the comparison of Honor to Lord Nelson and widespread reports that he had originally planned on having Honor die in the Battle of Manticore, as "like Nelson, Honor had been supposed to fall in battle at the moment of victory in the climactic battle which saved the Star Kingdom of Manticore and ratified her as the Royal Manticoran Navy's greatest heroine". However both fan interest and changes in the timeline of the series introduced by
Eric FlintEric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :...
have prompted Weber to keep Honor alive, although he also noted that this decision is not necessarily permanent.
Other parallels with real history include the political situation. During much of Harrington's career, her native
Star Kingdom of ManticoreThe Star Kingdom of Manticore , frequently referred to as Manticore or the Star Kingdom, is a fictional star-nation in the Honorverse series of military science fiction novels and short stories by David Weber and others, published by Baen Books.- Depiction :The Star Kingdom was founded in the...
is at war with the neighboring
People's Republic of HavenThe Republic of Haven is a fictional star-nation in the Honorverse, the background setting for a series of novels and short stories in the military science fiction genre, written by David Weber and others and published by Baen Books....
(PRH), a conflict that bears more than a passing resemblance to the
Napoleonic WarsThe Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
between the
British EmpireThe British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
and
FranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Some of the battles described in the Honor Harrington series resemble real-life sea battles. For instance, the long stern chase described in
On Basilisk StationThe first novel in David Weber's popular Honor Harrington series, On Basilisk Station, follows Commander Honor Harrington and Her Majesty’s light cruiser Fearless during their assignment to the Basilisk system...
has some parallels with the actions of
HMS KentHMS Kent was a Monmouth-class armoured cruiser of 9,800 tons displacement, of the British Royal Navy. She was launched on 6 March 1901, with her heaviest guns being 6 inch quick-firers...
at the Battle of the Falklands during World War I. Similarly, the deathride by Sarnow's battlecruisers in
The Short Victorious WarThe Short Victorious War is the third Honor Harrington novel by David Weber. Its title comes from a quotation by Vyacheslav von Plehve in reference to the Russo-Japanese War: "What this country needs is a short, victorious war to stem the tide of revolution." That quotation is one of the novel's...
bears a resemblance to similar manoeuvres by Admiral von Hipper during the
Battle of JutlandThe Battle of Jutland was a naval battle between the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet during the First World War. The battle was fought on 31 May and 1 June 1916 in the North Sea near Jutland, Denmark. It was the largest naval battle and the only...
. The final actions in
The Honor of the QueenThe Honor of the Queen is David Weber's second Honor Harrington novel. In the story, Honor goes on a mission to bring the religiously conservative, sexist world Grayson onto the Manticorans' side in preparation for the inevitable war with Haven....
contain elements from the battles of the
Barents SeaThe Battle of the Barents Sea took place on 31 December 1942 between German surface raiders and British ships escorting convoy JW 51B to Kola Inlet in the USSR. The action took place in the Barents Sea north of North Cape, Norway...
and
North CapeThe Battle of the North Cape was a Second World War naval battle which occurred on 26 December 1943, as part of the Arctic Campaign. The German battlecruiser , on an operation to attack Arctic Convoys of war materiel from the Western Allies to the USSR, was brought to battle and sunk by superior...
during World War II, as well as the
Battle of the River PlateThe Battle of the River Plate was the first naval battle in the Second World War. The German pocket battleship had been commerce raiding since the start of the war in September 1939...
.
Early life
Honor was born on October 1, 3961 AD, at Craggy Hollow (the Harrington family home), County Duvalier, in the Duchy of Shadow Vale on the planet Sphinx, one of the three inhabited worlds of the Manticore system. She is the daughter of neurosurgeon Alfred Harrington and physician/geneticist Allison Benton-Ramirez y Chou Harrington. Socially, by virtue of her father's ancestry, she was born a
yeomanYeoman refers chiefly to a free man owning his own farm, especially from the Elizabethan era to the 17th century. Work requiring a great deal of effort or labor, such as would be done by a yeoman farmer, came to be described as "yeoman's work"...
—meaning that she is a descendent of paying settlers of the second wave of settlement of the Star Kingdom of Manticore, not a member of the
nobilityNobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
(who for the most part can claim descent from the first colonists) nor a zero balancer (someone who could not afford to buy passage to Manticore during the second wave, but whose skills were in enough demand that Manticore paid their way). Her mother is an immigrant from the planet Beowulf, which is known for its strong research and practice in the life sciences. Additionally, her paternal ancestors were "genies", people
genetically engineeredGenetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genome using modern DNA technology. It involves the introduction of foreign DNA or synthetic genes into the organism of interest...
(specifically with the Meyerdahl Beta modification) to survive on high gravity planets such as Sphinx. As revealed in
In Enemy HandsIn Enemy Hands is a military science fiction novel, the seventh in the Honor Harrington series by David Weber, and was first published in 1996. Like most novels in the series, its text is available in the Baen Free Library.- Plot summary :...
, this gives her more efficient
muscleMuscle is a contractile tissue of animals and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. Muscle cells contain contractile filaments that move past each other and change the size of the cell. They are classified as skeletal, cardiac, or smooth muscles. Their function is to...
s, enhanced reaction speed, stronger
boneBones are rigid organs that constitute part of the endoskeleton of vertebrates. They support, and protect the various organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells and store minerals. Bone tissue is a type of dense connective tissue...
s, tougher cardiovascular and
respiratory systemThe respiratory system is the anatomical system of an organism that introduces respiratory gases to the interior and performs gas exchange. In humans and other mammals, the anatomical features of the respiratory system include airways, lungs, and the respiratory muscles...
s, and a higher than average
intelligence quotientAn intelligence quotient, or IQ, is a score derived from one of several different standardized tests designed to assess intelligence. When modern IQ tests are constructed, the mean score within an age group is set to 100 and the standard deviation to 15...
. She was raised in the Third Stellar Missionary Communion (Reformed), but is not significantly religious.
Honor is one of the few people adopted by a Sphinxian treecat, an empathic intelligent indigenous species. The adoption, essentially an empathic life-bond, occurred in Honor's childhood, a rarity since most adoptions involve adult humans. She has dubbed her 'cat Nimitz (after World War II Admiral Chester W. Nimitz), although to his own people he has been known as "Laughs Brightly". She is known to the treecats as "Dances on Clouds". Having conducted considerable research, she is one of the foremost experts on treecats. She enjoys an empathic link with Nimitz, which has become so deep as to allow her to "taste" the emotions of other humans around her through Nimitz, although there are hints that Honor may be developing empathic talents of her own in later novels.
At the Academy
Harrington attended the Royal Manticoran Navy's Saganami Naval Academy on Manticore's Saganami Island, and became an officer in the Royal Manticoran Navy. One of the RMN's best tacticians, she can make effective tactical evaluations, often quickly and intuitively. Her mathematical aptitude and navigational skills are excellent, but her poor performance in mathematics courses was the source of much irritation, and more than a few problems, while at the Academy. At Saganami Island, her roommate and best friend was
Michelle "Mike" HenkeVice Admiral Lady Gloria Michelle "Mike" Samantha Evelyn Henke, Countess Gold Peak, Vice Admiral of the Red is a fictional character in the Honorverse, a series of military science fiction novels written by David Weber...
, paternal first cousin of Queen
Elizabeth III of ManticoreQueen Elizabeth III of Manticore is a fictional character in the Honorverse, a series of military science fiction novels written by David Weber. She is the reigning monarch of the Star Kingdom of Manticore...
. Having been shy and lacking in self-confidence, Harrington learned much from "Mike" Henke during those years.
Also at the Academy, Harrington unwittingly became the target of a perverse, boorish midshipman, Lord
Pavel YoungLord Pavel Young, Eleventh Earl of North Hollow, is a fictional character in the Honorverse, a series of military science fiction novels written by David Weber. He fulfills the role of villain on almost every appearance he makes...
, heir to the Earldom of North Hollow. When he attempted to rape her in the showers, she defended herself, sending him to the hospital. Although the Academy Commandant suspected the truth, her shame and low self esteem kept her from disclosing the details or pressing formal charges. Young thus escaped with a reprimand for conduct unbecoming rather than dismissal from the Academy. Her outstanding abilities (along with some behind the scenes maneuvering by her mentor, Raoul Courvosier) enabled her career to progress steadily, if erratically, despite the enmity of the Young clan and various attempts by it and its allies to sabotage her RMN career.
Her midshipwoman or "snotty" cruise aboard HMS
War Maiden under Captain Bachfisch allowed her to demonstrate her ability as a combat tactician when, during an engagement with
SilesianThe Silesian Confederacy is a fictional star-nation in the Honorverse, the background setting for a series of novels and short stories in the military science fiction genre, written by David Weber and others and published by Baen Books.- History :...
rebels, the rest of the command team was killed, disabled, or cut off from the rest of the ship. She assumed command, and after finishing off the opposing ship, was promoted ahead of her class to
ensignEnsign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
.
In command
Harrington's first command is a Light Attack Craft; she is later given command of the HMS
Hawkwing, a destroyer, and after a year of service goes to the RMN's Advanced Tactical Course. Harrington graduates high in her class from the ATC, and immediately assumes command of the light cruiser HMS
Fearless as a Commander. Her exploits while posted at
Basilisk StationThe first novel in David Weber's popular Honor Harrington series, On Basilisk Station, follows Commander Honor Harrington and Her Majesty’s light cruiser Fearless during their assignment to the Basilisk system...
bring her widespread fame — and an
in absentiaIn absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
sentence of death from the
People's Republic of HavenThe Republic of Haven is a fictional star-nation in the Honorverse, the background setting for a series of novels and short stories in the military science fiction genre, written by David Weber and others and published by Baen Books....
. Now firmly on the fast track to senior rank, she proves to have something akin to the Nelson touch, earning the devotion of her officers and enlisted personnel, as well as the high regard of both Manticore's allies (especially Grayson), and her military opponents. However, she also makes new political enemies and suffers several personal losses, including the murder of her lover by a professional duelist sent by Pavel Young.
During the events of
The Honor of the QueenThe Honor of the Queen is David Weber's second Honor Harrington novel. In the story, Honor goes on a mission to bring the religiously conservative, sexist world Grayson onto the Manticorans' side in preparation for the inevitable war with Haven....
, Harrington received a letter of reprimand for striking a crown envoy. The crown envoy in question was Reginald Houseman, who ordered the evacuation of Manticorans from Grayson after the First Battle of Yeltsin. Houseman made the mistake of threatening to ruin Harrington's career for refusing to abandon Grayson to her enemies; Harrington lost her temper and slapped Houseman hard enough to fling him across the room with a bloody nose and mouth. Later in her career Harrington was beached by the Manticoran Navy for her duel with Pavel Young. The Grayson Space Navy eventually recruits her, making her the second ranking admiral in their navy. During her service with the GSN Harrington thwarted a violent attack on the Protector and again saved the planet from invasion, earning the Swords to her Star of Grayson. Protector Benjamin (Ruler of the Protectorate of Grayson) and his family are targets of an assassination attempt that is stopped short by Honor and Nimitz. A new Steading is created and she becomes the first female Steadholder of Grayson.
When Harrington is captured by Haven en route to a new command, the death sentence is ordered to be carried out. Her escape kills a member of Haven's ruling triumvirate,
Cordelia RansomCordelia Ransom is a fictional character in the Honorverse, a series of military science fiction novels written by David Weber. Many people consider her to be analogous to Jean-Paul Marat, an important figure in the French Revolution....
, destroying her private battlecruiser, the PNS (People's Navy Ship)
Tepes.
Assuming Harrington was also killed, the PRH propaganda office releases a fake video recording of her "execution". As a result, simultaneous state funerals were staged for her on both Manticore and Grayson. The Royal Manticoran Navy renames the new
Medusa class she had helped inspire to the
Harrington class in her honor, although she convinces them to retract the change when she returns. The Grayson Space Navy christens the lead starship in their parallel class the GNS
Honor Harrington. Despite her similar protests upon her return, the Graysons find various inventive reasons to avoid renaming it, or for removing the 4 meter tall heroic statue sitting atop an 8 meter column of her outside the main entrance to Grayson's Parliament building –— much to her embarrassment.
At the opening of
At All Costs, Honor is appointed commanding officer of the cruiser HMS
Unconquered, the RMN's equivalent of
HMS VictoryHMS Victory is a 104-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, laid down in 1759 and launched in 1765. She is most famous as Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805....
or
USS ConstitutionUSS Constitution is a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. Named by President George Washington after the Constitution of the United States of America, she is the world's oldest floating commissioned naval vessel...
— a ship kept in commission for its historical significance. Appointment to the crew is a largely ceremonial honor bestowed by the Manticoran monarch after nomination and election by all serving members of the Royal Manticoran Navy.
During the events of
At All Costs, Honor is given command of the Eighth Fleet, a heavy assault force of advanced capital ships. Under her leadership, the fleet begins a campaign to systematically dismantle the industrial base of the Republic of Haven, by sailing deep behind enemy lines and raiding Havenite space based infrastructure. Haven deploys a countermeasure strategy that causes severe damage to Eighth fleet during one raid, and the campaign is put on hold. During this battle Honor's best friend is also captured by the Republic of Haven, setting the stage for
Storm from the ShadowsStorm from the Shadows is a novel by David Weber, released in February 2009 , and set in the Honorverse and the second in the Saganami Island series, spun off from the main Honor Harrington series...
.
Manticore then develops a new weapon system, "Apollo", that not only neutralizes the new defensive countermeasure, but also completely turns the tide of the war, as it renders modern missile defensive systems effectively worthless. Realizing his nation's poor strategic position, Admiral Thomas Theisman of Haven resolves to launch one final massive, desperate strike on the Manticore system itself, hoping to end the war before Apollo can be widely adopted by the Royal Manticoran Navy. This attack almost succeeds and completely destroys most of the Manticoran fleet protecting the home system.
At the last moment, Honor and Eighth Fleet arrive and use Apollo to wipe out the attacking Havenite forces. The Battle of Manticore is the largest naval engagement in human history, and it is extremely costly for both sides. Honor's long time friend
Alistair McKeonAlistair McKeon is a fictional character in the Honorverse, a series of military science fiction novels written by David Weber.McKeon is introduced in On Basilisk Station, the first book in the mainline Honor Harrington series. He is the executive officer aboard the light cruiser HMS Fearless ...
is killed, and most of the Manticoran Navy's capital ships are destroyed (Eighth Fleet is the only remaining combat ready force, aside from miscellaneous units -- garrison, in transit, in refit, ...). Eighth Fleet assumes the duties and title of Home Fleet (the defense of the Manticore system itself). Haven, on the other hand loses more than 90% of the very large forces deployed during the attack, and its best tactician,
Lester TourvilleAdmiral Lester Tourville is a fictional character in the Honorverse, a series of military science fiction novels written by David Weber. His first appearance takes place during the series' seventh novel, In Enemy Hands, and he has continued to appear in all the following novels of the fictional...
, is captured after he surrenders what remains of his force to Honor. An effective truce between the two sides goes into effect, as neither nation possesses the capability to continue offensive operations. Honor mourns McKeon's death in a dramatic scene at the end of the novel.
Events in a new addition to the Star Kingdom, the Talbott Cluster, grow more problematic. The megalomaniac outlaw corporation Manpower Incorporated and the planet 'Mesa' continue their plans to dislodge Manticore from the cluster, and they immediately put another plan into action, following the failure of their first attempts as recounted in
The Shadow of SaganamiThe Shadow of Saganami by David Weber, published in 2004, is a novel set in the Honorverse; it has been billed as the first in the Saganami Island series, spun off from the main Honor Harrington series...
. They seek to start a conflict between Manticore and the
Solarian LeagueThe Solarian League is a fictional star-nation in the Honorverse, the background setting for a series of novels and short stories in the military science fiction genre, written by David Weber and others and published by Baen Books.- Overview :...
in order to remove the Cluster from the Star Kingdom and for other, as yet unknown, reasons. Despite Haven's attack on Manticore, Honor is shown in
Storm from the ShadowsStorm from the Shadows is a novel by David Weber, released in February 2009 , and set in the Honorverse and the second in the Saganami Island series, spun off from the main Honor Harrington series...
as an advocate for at least partial reconciliation with Haven, as it increasingly appears that war with the Solarian League is inevitable. During her brief appearance in
Storm, Honor discusses potential long-term strategy against the Solarian League with the Manticoran leadership, including Queen Elizabeth, whom she persuades to give the Solarian threat a priority over Haven.
In
Mission of HonorMission of Honor by David Weber and published on June 22, 2010 by Baen Books, is the twelfth novel set in the Honorverse in the main Honor Harrington series. It debuted at #13 on the New York Times Hardcover Fiction Best Seller List.-Cover summary:...
, Admiral Harrington is assigned as envoy to Haven. After a successful attack by the Mesa Alignment Navy on the Space Stations of the Manticore home system, Harrington helps bring about an alliance between the Star Empire and Haven against Mesa / Manpower.
Summary
In the course of her career, Honor Harrington becomes a Duchess of the
Star Kingdom of ManticoreThe Star Kingdom of Manticore , frequently referred to as Manticore or the Star Kingdom, is a fictional star-nation in the Honorverse series of military science fiction novels and short stories by David Weber and others, published by Baen Books.- Depiction :The Star Kingdom was founded in the...
, a Grayson Steadholder, and an Admiral in both the Grayson Space Navy and the Royal Manticoran Navy. She also earns several medals for bravery, including the Parliamentary Medal of Valor for saving both Queen Elizabeth III and Protector Benjamin Mayhew IX (the heads of state of Manticore and Grayson respectively) from a surprise attack. She earned the Star of Grayson for saving Grayson from a Masadan attack as well as saving Protector Benjamin and his family during the Maccabeus coup assassination attempt. She is the only living holder of the Star of Grayson, and the first in six hundred years to receive it twice, as noted by the crossed swords beneath. She receives the Monarch's Thanks on several occasions, including her role in search and rescue efforts during an avalanche on Gryphon and her handling of an accident on HMS
Manticore.
Honor Harrington's rank and titles as of the end of the events in
At All Costs-Plot summary:Due to the actions of the High Ridge government in War of Honor, which led to a successful attack on key Alliance shipyards by the Republic of Haven, the Star Kingdom of Manticore finds itself decidedly on the short end of the strategic balance between the two warring star nations...
include
Admiral of the Fleet and Captain HMS Unconquered
Lady Dame Honor Stephanie Alexander-Harrington, Steadholder Harrington, Duchess Harrington, Countess White Haven. This makes her the third highest ranking person in the Manticoran aristocracy (only the Grand Dukes of Manticore, Sphinx, Gryphon and Queen Elizabeth rank higher). Her claim to "Countess White Haven" is unclear but arguable, since she is
Earl White HavenAdmiral of the Green Hamish Alexander-Harrington, Thirteenth Earl of White Haven, is a fictional character in the Honorverse, a series of military science fiction novels written by David Weber....
's second wife (a case of
polygamyPolygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
), but in any event is not held in her own right. In many legal respects, Steadholder Harrington, Duchess Harrington, and each of the Admirals Harrington are different entities inhabiting the same body. Due to recognition of her status as Steadholder by the Manticoran Foreign Office and the backing of the Queen, Steadholder Harrington's Grayson armsmen (personal bodyguards mandated by Grayson law) are permitted to accompany her armed on RMN vessels, as required by Grayson law. This has led to several situations in which Honor has been accompanied by armed men in her service to places where such would never be ordinarily permitted, such as the Queen's residence at Mount Royal Palace.
Posts
- Midshipwoman, RMN Naval Academy, Saganami Island, c1876 P.D.
- Midshipwoman, Assistant Tactical Officer (acting), Assistant Tactical Officer, HMS War Maiden, CA-39, c1880 P.D.: Ms. Midshipwoman Harrington
Changer of Worlds, published in 2001, was the third anthology of stories set in the Honorverse.-Contents:The book contains the following stories :Ms...
- Artillery Officer Candidate, Second Assistant Artillery Officer, HMS Royal Winton, DN-12
- Sailing Master, HMS Osprey, FG-1069
- Second Assistant Tactical Officer, Assistant Tactical Officer, HMS Manticore, SD-01
- Commanding Officer, HM LAC 113
- Executive Officer, HMS Trenchant, CL-19
- Executive Officer, HMS Broadsword, CA-47, c1890 P.D.: The Hard Way Home
Worlds of Honor, published in 1999, was the second anthology of stories set in the Honorverse.The book contains the following stories:The Stray by Linda EvansWhat Price Dreams? by David WeberQueen's Gambit by Jane LindskoldThe Hard Way Home by David WeberDeck Load Strike by Roland J...
- Executive Officer, HMS Perseus, CL-92
- Tactical Officer, HMS Basilisk, SD-105
- Student, Ship Commanders Course, Saganami Island
- Commanding Officer, HMS Hawkwing, DD-1213 c1899 P.D.: "Let's Dance!"
In Fire Forged, published February 1, 2011, is the fifth anthology of stories set in the fictional HonorverseThe book contains the following stories:- Quote from interview :...
- Student, Advanced Tactical Course, Saganami Island
- Commanding Officer, HMS Fearless, CL-56, Commanding Officer (acting), RMN Basilisk Station, c1900 P.D. (March 3) - c1901 P.D. (January): On Basilisk Station
The first novel in David Weber's popular Honor Harrington series, On Basilisk Station, follows Commander Honor Harrington and Her Majesty’s light cruiser Fearless during their assignment to the Basilisk system...
- Commanding Officer, HMS Fearless, CA-286, c1901 P.D. - c1903 P.D.: With One Stone
The Service of the Sword, published in 2003, was the fourth anthology of stories set in the fictional Honorverse.The book contains the following stories:"Promised Land" by Jane Lindskold- External links :...
, The Honor of the QueenThe Honor of the Queen is David Weber's second Honor Harrington novel. In the story, Honor goes on a mission to bring the religiously conservative, sexist world Grayson onto the Manticorans' side in preparation for the inevitable war with Haven....
- Commanding Officer, HMS Nike, BC-413, c1904 P.D. - c1905 P.D.: The Short Victorious War
The Short Victorious War is the third Honor Harrington novel by David Weber. Its title comes from a quotation by Vyacheslav von Plehve in reference to the Russo-Japanese War: "What this country needs is a short, victorious war to stem the tide of revolution." That quotation is one of the novel's...
- Field of DishonorField of Dishonor is a science fiction novel, the fourth in David Weber's Honor Harrington series. It is notable for being the only book in the series to not feature space warfare.- Plot summary :...
- Commanding Officer, GSN's First Battle Squadron, c1907 P.D.: Flag in Exile
Flag in Exile is the fifth Honor Harrington novel by David Weber. In the story, the disgraced Honor enters a self-imposed exile on Grayson.- Plot summary :...
- Commanding Officer, RMN Task Group 1037, Commanding Officer, HMAMC Wayfarer, AMC-, c1908 P.D. (September) - c1910 P.D. (March): Honor Among Enemies
Honor Among Enemies is the sixth Honor Harrington novel by David Weber. In the book, Honor returns to active duty from her political exile on Grayson to command a Q-ship and fight space pirates.-Plot summary:...
- Commanding Officer, RMN Cruiser Squadron Eighteen, c1911 P.D.: In Enemy Hands
In Enemy Hands is a military science fiction novel, the seventh in the Honor Harrington series by David Weber, and was first published in 1996. Like most novels in the series, its text is available in the Baen Free Library.- Plot summary :...
- Commanding Officer, allied and non-allied members of armed forces on planet Hades, Elysian Space Navy, 1911 - 1913 P.D.: Echoes of Honor
Echoes of Honor is the eighth Honor Harrington novel by David Weber.The novel is divided into six "books". Books 1, 3 and 5 describe the unfolding course of the Manticore-Haven war, while Books 2, 4 and 6 focus on the exploits of Honor and her allies in the prison planet Hades, also known as...
- Commandant, Saganami Island Advanced Tactical Course, Tactical Instructor, RMN Naval Academy, c1913 P.D. (December) - c1915 P.D. (May): Ashes of Victory
-Plot summary:The book begins hours after the end of the previous novel. Honor Harrington and her "Elysian Space Navy" arrive at Manticoran-controlled space, only to discover that she was believed dead, that her mother had given birth to twins , her cousin Devon has inherited her Manticoran title,...
- Commanding Officer, GSN's Protector's Own Squadron, since c1914 P.D.: Ashes of Victory
-Plot summary:The book begins hours after the end of the previous novel. Honor Harrington and her "Elysian Space Navy" arrive at Manticoran-controlled space, only to discover that she was believed dead, that her mother had given birth to twins , her cousin Devon has inherited her Manticoran title,...
–At All Costs-Plot summary:Due to the actions of the High Ridge government in War of Honor, which led to a successful attack on key Alliance shipyards by the Republic of Haven, the Star Kingdom of Manticore finds itself decidedly on the short end of the strategic balance between the two warring star nations...
- Commanding Officer, RMN Sidemore Station, Commanding Officer, RMN Task Force 34, c1918 P.D. - c1920 P.D.: War of Honor
War of Honor is a science fiction novel by David Weber, his tenth Honor Harrington novel. It was first published in 2002.-Plot summary:Five years have passed since a truce was reached between Manticore and Haven, but there is still no formal peace treaty...
- Commanding Officer, RMN Eighth Fleet, c1920 P.D. (July) - c1922 P.D. (May): At All Costs
-Plot summary:Due to the actions of the High Ridge government in War of Honor, which led to a successful attack on key Alliance shipyards by the Republic of Haven, the Star Kingdom of Manticore finds itself decidedly on the short end of the strategic balance between the two warring star nations...
, Mission of HonorMission of Honor by David Weber and published on June 22, 2010 by Baen Books, is the twelfth novel set in the Honorverse in the main Honor Harrington series. It debuted at #13 on the New York Times Hardcover Fiction Best Seller List.-Cover summary:...
- Commanding Officer, HMS Unconquered, since c1920 P.D. (July): At All Costs
-Plot summary:Due to the actions of the High Ridge government in War of Honor, which led to a successful attack on key Alliance shipyards by the Republic of Haven, the Star Kingdom of Manticore finds itself decidedly on the short end of the strategic balance between the two warring star nations...
- Commanding Officer, RMN Home Fleet, since c1921 P.D. (August): At All Costs
-Plot summary:Due to the actions of the High Ridge government in War of Honor, which led to a successful attack on key Alliance shipyards by the Republic of Haven, the Star Kingdom of Manticore finds itself decidedly on the short end of the strategic balance between the two warring star nations...
- Commanding Officer, RMN Eighth Fleet: War of Honor
War of Honor is a science fiction novel by David Weber, his tenth Honor Harrington novel. It was first published in 2002.-Plot summary:Five years have passed since a truce was reached between Manticore and Haven, but there is still no formal peace treaty...
Character trademarks
Honor is physically very tall (over six feet in height). This is a source of much humor in the series, especially when compared to her "tiny" mother Allison Harrington.
Honor is recognized as a great teacher both in the classroom and shipboard environments and has a calm, tolerant management style. Her subordinates have ample opportunity to learn from their mistakes and improve performance; the Bureau of Personnel has noted a distinct increase in efficiency from her subordinates. She rarely loses her temper without severe provocation (although when she does get angry this usually results in devastating if not fatal consequences for the object of her anger). Warning signs include a flat, deadly calm tone in her voice, a facial tic in the right corner of her mouth and more obvious warning signals that Nimitz gives such as flattened ears, hissing, and tail twitches that are exactly in time with Honor's facial tic. Her most loyal subordinates, including Scotty Tremaine, Alistair McKeon and Andrew LaFollet, are very aware of these warning signs and will sometimes intervene to stop her. (The Honor of the Queen, Echoes of Honor).
Honor loathes coffee and considers hot cocoa far superior.
She regularly is seen drinking "Old Tilman" beer from a bottle.
She owns and practices with a replica Colt
M1911The M1911 is a single-action, semi-automatic, magazine-fed, and recoil-operated handgun chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. John M. Browning designed the firearm which was the standard-issue side arm for the United States armed forces from 1911 to 1985. The M1911 is still carried by some U.S....
.45 caliberThe .45 ACP , also known as the .45 Auto by C.I.P., is a cartridge designed by John Browning in 1904, for use in his prototype Colt semi-automatic .45 pistol and eventually the M1911 pistol adopted by the United States Army in 1911.-Design and history:The U.S...
semiautomaticA semi-automatic, or self-loading firearm is a weapon which performs all steps necessary to prepare the weapon to fire again after firing—assuming cartridges remain in the weapon's feed device or magazine...
pistolWhen distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
, a weapon considered to be an anachronistic "hand cannon" by her contemporaries, who prefer pulsers, which fire small-
calibreIn guns including firearms, caliber or calibre is the approximate internal diameter of the barrel in relation to the diameter of the projectile used in it....
high explosiveAn explosive material, also called an explosive, is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure...
dartsDarts are missile weapons, designed to fly such that a sharp, often weighted point will strike first. They can be distinguished from javelins by fletching and a shaft that is shorter and/or more flexible, and from arrows by the fact that they are not of the right length to use with a normal...
at extremely high velocity using a gravitic propulsion system. She acquired a taste for obsolete handarms from her uncle, Jacques Chou, who is an active member of the
Society for Creative AnachronismThe Society for Creative Anachronism is an international living history group with the aim of studying and recreating mainly Medieval European cultures and their histories before the 17th century...
. His training made her a pistol expert (useful on Sphinx outside its protected areas, given its native predators).
Honor lost her left eye while defending Protector Benjamin Mayhew from an assassination attempt. The eye was replaced with a prosthetic, though on occasion it has been disabled (as when she was captured and transported to Hades). Additionally, some of the nerves on the left side of her face were damaged during the same incident, and were replaced with artificial nerves.
Most of her left arm was lost during the escape from the
PNS Tepes and was replaced by a cybernetic arm which, among other interesting features, contains a hidden pulser pistol inside the index finger. Its sight is slaved to her prosthetic eye via a small video camera embedded in the
cuticleA cuticle , or cuticula, is a term used for any of a variety of tough but flexible, non-mineral outer coverings of an organism, or parts of an organism, that provide protection. Various types of "cuticles" are non-homologous; differing in their origin, structure, function, and chemical composition...
.
Honor practices a
fictional martial art known as
coup de vitesse (French for
blow of speed). This is a fusion of several western and Oriental martial arts, where emphasis is placed on offense at the expense of defense, resulting in a very brutal and effective style. As of
War of HonorWar of Honor is a science fiction novel by David Weber, his tenth Honor Harrington novel. It was first published in 2002.-Plot summary:Five years have passed since a truce was reached between Manticore and Haven, but there is still no formal peace treaty...
, Honor has earned an eighth level black belt. There is only one higher rank. Her proficiency has saved her and others several times.
Honor has become proficient with the Grayson style of swordplay, involving a blade very similar to the
katanaA Japanese sword, or , is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. There are several types of Japanese swords, according to size, field of application and method of manufacture.-Description:...
, which by a quirk of history is used ceremonially by Steadholders and is the center of a martial art on Grayson. The sword style of the Graysons is derived from the film "
The Seven Samuraiis a 1954 Japanese adventure drama film co-written, edited, and directed by Akira Kurosawa. The film takes place in 1587 during the Warring States Period of Japan...
" - presumably the Kurosawa version - the only recording of swordplay that existed on Grayson once their culture had devolved to the point where swords were desired.
Honor has a mental block regarding mathematics, despite her high intelligence and kinesthetic aptitude. This has absolutely nothing to do with her ability to perform; on at least one occasion she has instinctively computed complex four-dimensional intercepts in her head during combat. In a normal situation even simple mathematics are challenging for her at times. Honor's problems with mathematics almost resulted in her failing out of Saganami Island.
Honor Harrington in other media
An Honor Harrington movie was announced by Echo Valley Entertainment.
However, later information suggested that it would actually be a television series, to be written and produced by Peter Sands. When David Weber was asked which actress he envisioned as Honor Harrington, he replied, "I don’t think there’s anyone out there who has the proper combination of height, physicality, and demonstrated acting ability to be 'perfect' for the role, so my mind is fairly open on this topic." Actress
Claudia ChristianClaudia Ann Christian is an American actress, writer, singer, musician, and director, best known for her role as Commander Susan Ivanova on the science fiction television series Babylon 5.-Career:...
, who plays
Susan IvanovaSusan Ivanova is a fictional character in the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Claudia Christian.-Character overview:...
on
Babylon 5Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
, has been suggested as a potential candidate; Weber says "She’s much shorter than Honor, but so are most women, and I think she could handle the physicality... I think it’s more important to have someone who can portray Honor’s character and command style than it is to have someone who is six feet two inches tall." Weber's concern is that the director would push Christian to re-create Ivanova's character while playing Honor and "Ivanova’s command style is totally different from Honor’s."
An Honor Harrington video game called
Honorverse: The Online Game was announced in August 2008; a beta was scheduled to be released in the Spring of 2010.
An Honor Harrington wargame,
Saganami Island Tactical SimulatorSaganami Island Tactical Simulator is a tabletop wargame set in the Honorverse, a series of military science fiction novels written by David Weber and others and published by Baen Books. The first edition was based on the Attack Vector: Tactical game engine, whereas the second edition featured a...
(
SITS), was released at
Gen ConGen Con is one of the largest and most prominent annual gaming conventions in North America. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card-style games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, board games, live action role-playing games, collectible card games, non-collectible...
in 2005 by
Ad Astra GamesAd Astra Games is a company that produces boardgames, miniatures wargames and role-playing games. It was founded in 2004 by Ken Burnside. The chief operating officer is former West End Games founder Daniel Scott Palter, and the office manager is Sam Pray, husband of horror and gothic romance...
.
Concept and creation
David WeberDavid Mark Weber is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Weber and his wife Sharon live in Greenville, South Carolina with their three children and "a passel of dogs"....
didn't set out to create a female protagonist; "it was the way the character came to me," Weber explains. "I didn't set out to do it because I thought that it was especially politically sensitive on my part or because I thought it was likely to strike a chord with female readership or be a financial success. It was just the way that the character first presented herself." Weber doesn't find writing a female character particularly challenging, because, he says, "I'm writing about a human being who happens to be female." When he first started writing, he had developed her entire back story before he started the first book. However, since he knew from the beginning that these books would become a
series, he deliberately set Honor up as a character who changes and grows. One example Weber offers is that in
The Short Victorious WarThe Short Victorious War is the third Honor Harrington novel by David Weber. Its title comes from a quotation by Vyacheslav von Plehve in reference to the Russo-Japanese War: "What this country needs is a short, victorious war to stem the tide of revolution." That quotation is one of the novel's...
, Honor off-handedly refers to her genetically enhanced metabolism, which isn't fully explored until
In Enemy HandsIn Enemy Hands is a military science fiction novel, the seventh in the Honor Harrington series by David Weber, and was first published in 1996. Like most novels in the series, its text is available in the Baen Free Library.- Plot summary :...
: "It was one of those little things that I knew about or that I was holding in reserve," Weber says.
The first name of his character - Honor - had come to Weber long before the last name did. Weber knew that if the Honor novels worked, she was inevitably going to be compared to C.S.Forester's
Horatio HornblowerHoratio Hornblower is a fictional Royal Navy officer who is the protagonist of a series of novels by C. S. Forester. He was later the subject of films and television programs.The original Hornblower tales began with the 1937 novel The Happy Return Horatio Hornblower is a fictional Royal Navy...
, therefore he chose Harrington's name so that she had the same initials. He says, "There are certainly, clearly, similarities between the two. There are also huge differences. And Honor has never been as neurotic as Hornblower was. Hornblower always carried a massive sense of inferiority around with him. Honor never did." Weber also feels that in the later books in the series, Honor has more in common with
Admiral Horatio NelsonHoratio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB was a flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted for his inspirational leadership and superb grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics, which resulted in a number of...
than Hornblower. Weber revealed in the foreword to
Storm from the ShadowsStorm from the Shadows is a novel by David Weber, released in February 2009 , and set in the Honorverse and the second in the Saganami Island series, spun off from the main Honor Harrington series...
that it had originally been his intent to kill Honor off in the Battle of Manticore, thus further mimicking Nelson's life (he died in his greatest battle,
TrafalgarThe Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
) and have the emerging Mesa problem be dealt with by the next generation, specifically, Honor's children. When writing
At All Costs-Plot summary:Due to the actions of the High Ridge government in War of Honor, which led to a successful attack on key Alliance shipyards by the Republic of Haven, the Star Kingdom of Manticore finds itself decidedly on the short end of the strategic balance between the two warring star nations...
, he decided instead to keep her alive, and move the Mesan-related events up, to be Honor's problem.
External links