The Service of the Sword Audiobook By David Weber, Jane Lindskold, Timothy Zahn, John Ringo, Victor Mitchell, Eric Flint cover art

The Service of the Sword

Worlds of Honor #4

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The Service of the Sword

By: David Weber, Jane Lindskold, Timothy Zahn, John Ringo, Victor Mitchell, Eric Flint
Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins, Khristine Hvam, Allyson Johnson, L. J. Ganser
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About this listen

Readers and listeners can't get enough of Honor Harrington and her world, and here David Weber is again, accompanied by some of the top science-fiction writers in the field - including John Ringo, Eric Flint, Timothy Zahn, and Weber himself - with new adventures of the best starship commander in the galaxy, and explorations of previously uncharted corners of her universe. It's a party - and you're invited!

©2003 David Weber, Jane Lindskold, Timothy Zahn, John Ringo, Victor Mitchell, Eric Flint (P)2012 Audible, Inc.
Adventure Anthologies & Short Stories Fiction Science Fiction Space Opera Space Interstellar

What listeners say about The Service of the Sword

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BEST IN HONORVERSE

This is without doubt the BEST book in the Honorverse series. Fantastic all the way....cover to cover!!!!!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Top 10 favorite Saga's & Series

David Weber - Honor Harrington series, is in my top 10 favorite series with authors like Patrick O'Brian - Aubrey/Maturin series, Clive Cussler - Dirk Pitt series, Tom Clancy - Jack Ryan series, Nathan Lowell - Ishmael Horatio Wang series, Christopher Nuttall - The Empire's Corps series/Ark Royal series, James A. Michener - Historical fiction like Chesapeake, and The Source, Alaska, Frank Herbert Dune Saga, Diana Gabaldon - Outlander series, Christina Moore - The Elm Creek Quilt series

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another terrific collection from the Weberverse

Overall I enjoyed every one of the short stories though my favorite would have to be the last one which holds the same name as the book. Since each story is read by a different person, the experience does differ but my favorites (Khristine Hvam and Allyson Johnson) as always, do a fantastic job. I recommend this book for any that enjoy exploring the Weberverse.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

I liked every story in this collection.

“PROMISED LAND” by Jane Lindskold
I read this story when it originally came out, and I recall that I liked it, but it was fairly grim. I wasn’t feeling like listening to anything grim this week, so I skipped it. However, it is the story of a girl who is kidnaped and enslaved by Masadans. Queen Elizabeth’s younger brother Michael gets in on the action here.

“WITH ONE STONE” by Timothy Zahn
On the Honerverse time line, this takes place between “On Basilisk Station” and “The Honor of the Queen”. Honor has been given command of a new starship to replace the one destroyed in “On Basilisk Station,” and she and her crew are being sent on anti-piracy duty in Silesian space. However, Honor isn’t the main character in this story. Rafe Cardones is. The story is well written. My rating: 4 stars

“A SHIP NAMED FRANCIS” by John Ringo and Victor Mitchell
This story is short. It is also horrifyingly funny. My Rating: 3.5 stars

“LET’S GO TO PRAGUE” by John Ringo
This is what happens when two hotshot secret agents make their vacation plans while under the influence. It is funny and well written. My rating: 3.5 stars

“FANATIC” by Eric Flint
As I was listening to this today, I kept thinking what a good writer Eric Flint is. I really like this story. It tells the story of Victor Cachat. For those who haven’t read all of the Honor books, Victor is a Havenite spy. But he isn’t working against the Manticorans in this story. He is sent to troubleshoot when an Imp Sec bigwig is murdered. I Really like this story. My rating: 5 stars

“THE SERVICE OF THE SWORD” by David Weber
This story is about Abigail Hearns. We first met her in “Ashes of Victory.” She was the first Grayson woman to enter military service. In this story, she is on her Midshipman’s cruise. The ship she is serving aboard gets into some trouble, and so does she. This story and “Fanatic” are two of my favorites among all the Worlds of Honor anthologies. My rating: 5 stars

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Good purchase until john Ringo hit.

The John Ringo sections mark a such shift in tone and style that his sections feel like a totally separate universe and I stopped listening a few minutes into "Siberia is a concept."

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Honor Harrington Universe Book 13

______________________PROMISED LAND_______________________________
A bit grim story about Prince Michael, Queen's Elizabeth younger brother,
which contradicts some other facts.
I rate 2.5


______________________WITH ONE STONE_______________________________
A little flashback to the time between first and second book,
the story is in category of background sound,
Sometimes you listen to it but you don't have to.


___________________A SHIP NAMED FRANCIS_____________________________
This masterpiece is a good recipe for relaxation.
You'll laugh until you cry
on 1 to 5 scale I rate 5.5


______________________LET’S GO TO PRAGUE_____________________________
You can also find some funny things in this story.
It was written by John Ringo, those who read his books
can make an educated decision whether to read or not.


___________________________FANATIC___________________________________
Victor Cachat a spy of PRH, finally understands that his duty lies not to the
government which changes every 15 minutes, but to the republic itself and it's People.
I rate 5.0

___________________THE SERVICE OF THE SWORD________________________
Written by the master himself
Midshipwoman cruise of the first female Grayson Officer
Midshipwoman Abigail Hearns " Miss Owens" daughter of
Stadtholder Owens one of the most modern "KEYS" of Grayson

The story is about her Midshipman cruise aboard the
Edward Saganami B-class heavy cruiser HMS Gauntlet
under the command of Captain Michael Oversteegen.

BTW Captain Michael Oversteegen is one of my favourite characters.

I rate it 5.0


NEXT BOOK IS "War of Honor"

Ladies and Gentlemen I want to point out that this is a breaking Point for the Universe,
after this book the Universe goes to second Light Speed, and I hope You Payed attention to the previous books.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Good to read other adventures of favorite characters

Two stories are a little stupid but the rest are excellent! Especially like Victor's story.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Honorverse fans rejoice!

Not all of the Worlds of Honor books have held, in my opinion, the highest of standards. This one does. It adds some more stories to the already diverse Honorverse - and does it beautifully. All Honorverse fans should read this book - you'll enjoy it!

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One of the better collections

One of the better sets of the collection.
All around great performances and every story was entertaining and the "Siberia" story was the funniest I've read/heard in the entire series.

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  • Overall
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    4 out of 5 stars

Overall quite good

Anthology, so the rating is something of a blend of the ratings of the included stories, which include four novellas, one novelette, and one short story:

Promised Land - Jane Lindskold: This novella offers a dark view of Masadan society in a fairly strong adventure story. Excellent characterization. 4 stars.

With One Stone - Timothy Zahn: This novella presents a rather disjointed adventure with two major storylines. Neither works especially well, nor is the tech particularly well handled. The conclusion seems a bit pat as well. 2.5 stars.

A Ship Named Francis - John Ringo and Victor Mitchell: This is a very weak short story that lacks believability in any way. The characters are cartoons and the details of military life are drawn from farce. 1 star.

Let's Go to Prague - John Ringo: Silly premise tied to a reasonably decent adventure. The tone is inappropriate for the situation presented and the characters are not believable. 2 stars.

Fanatic - Eric Flint: Well-handled story set during the aftermath of the McQueen coup attempt. Constrained by the need not to disturb the novels' storyline. The characters are sympathetic and the plot believable. 4 stars.

The Service of the Sword - David Weber: Excellent story with nuanced characters. The battle scenes are written well and the plot(s) are tightly crafted. 5 stars.

I generally like both Zahn's and Ringo's work, but felt they were the weakest part of this anthology. The other stories are good enough (especially "The Service of the Sword") to redeem any weaknesses, though. Recommended.

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