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Changer of Worlds by David Weber, ed.
Published by Baen Books
Reviewed by Leigh Kimmel
Can't get enough of Honor Harrington? Has it been too long to wait until the sequel to Ashes of Victory comes out?
Then stop biting your nails, because this anthology contains four original pieces of short fiction set in the Honor Harrington universe, and three of those are written by David Weber himself.
The first selection, "Ms. Midshipwoman Harrington," deals with Honor's early career. She's on her graduation cruise, which can make or break her, and her enmity with Lord Pavel Young has followed her. Thanks to his family connections, there is an officer aboard who is prejudiced to her and enjoys making his subordinates miserable. But that is only one part of the threat she is about to face. However, she is already developing her ability to deal with the extraordinary.
The title story, "Changer of Worlds," takes place between Honor Among Enemies and In Enemy Hands. It provides us with some of the background behind the decision of the treecats to establish a colony on Grayson, as well as fascinating glimpses into treecat culture from their own perspective.
"From the Higlands," by guest writer Eric Flint, deals with Anton Zilwicki, widower of Manticorian martyr Helen Zilwicki, as he faces a threat to his daughter. However, she's no slouch herself, and doesn't sit around passively waiting for daddy to get her out of trouble. Meanwhile, a pair of principled Havenite secret agents (and yes, there are such beings -- one of the great strengths of the Honor Harrington universe is that it isn't just a simple black hats/ white hats universe, but one in which loyalties are complex) discover that their own superior is working with some of the people the People's Republic most detest -- the genetic slavers of Mesa's Manpower, Inc. and the Sacred Band, a gang of "genetic elite" rather reminiscent of Star Trek's Khan Noonian Singh.
The final installment, "Nightfall," takes us to Haven to the final confrontation between Esther McQueen and Oscar Saint-Just.
In all, this is a fine collection of background bits and side glimpses into the world of Honor Harrington, showing us just what it is that makes it one of the best action-adventure science fiction series around.
Table of Contents
Click here to buy Changer of Worlds in hardcover.
Review posted August 26, 2001
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