War of Honor    by David Weber Order:  USA  Can Baen, 2003 (2002) Hardcover, Paperback, Audio, CD     Reviewed by Wesley Williamson This latest in the wildly popular Honor Harrington series is a truly massive volume of 869 pages. Not only that, with it comes a CD ROM containing the 10 volumes in that series, the 3 anthologies, the 9 novels by friends of Honor, and a number of other SF books. I didn't bother counting the total number; it was overwhelming. Several different formats are provided for reading on your computer or hand-held,and for those who enjoy re-reading their favorites it makes a great gift. In this novel, Honor must face an even more dangerous enemy than the Peeps - her own new government. To ensure its own continuance in power, the corrupt and venal former Opposition alliance deliberately refuses to end the state of war with the Republic. The new power there led by President Eloise Pritchart and Admiral Tom Theisman have taken precautions to protect the Republic by building up, in great secrecy, a technologically advanced force for use in emergencies. The Andermani Empire is also upgrading its navy, hoping to become dominant in the troubled Silesian Confederacy, as the Manticoran influence is reduced, first by the exigencies of war, and then by the shortsighted reductions in naval strength of the new Manticoran government. Honor against her will is drawn into politics advising the Queen and fighting the naval cuts, and then is hit with an expos9 of her supposed affair with the Earl of White Haven. They are, of course, madly in love, but have not previously admitted it because of White Haven's crippled but still loved wife. Ultimately full scale war does break out, and of course events have dictated that Honor is given a command in Silesia in good time to take part, which she does with her usual flair and success, though the other Manticoran fleets suffer some humiliating defeats and some near defeats. Unfortunately, the action does not begin until more than halfway through the book, though as always with Weber it is well worth waiting for. Despite the length and complexity of War of Honor, it seems likely that at least one more book is needed to complete Honor's career, and certainly this volume provides the total background so that it could be action packed. All of us fans will be waiting expectantly. Meantime, this book with CD ROM seems great value for the money. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more SF books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews