The book arrived on time and in excellent shape. I would not hesitate to use this vendor again.

This is the third installment of David Weber's Honor Harrington series. That being established, The Short Victorious War is not the best book in the series. Much like a hammock, it holds up well at both ends and sags in the middle. Spoilers follow.

The overall premise of the book (summed up nicely by the summary on the back of the book) is interesting, if not a bit predictable. The People's Republic of Haven, facing a possible revolution by the disgruntled masses, has decided to unite its people under a victorious war. Unfortunately, they choose the Star Kingdom of Manticore as their opponents...not a particularly wise idea on their part since Manticore is superior to them in many ways. The war that is started is hardly victorious and most likely won't be short.

The beginning of the book is fantastic. We get to see how everything is being set up and planned for from both sides of this war. We also get to visit some of our favourite characters and see what they're up to. Honor is in command of the HMS Nike, one of the best ships in the Royal Manticoran Navy, and ends up becoming the Flag Captain for Admiral Sarnow. Some intriguing new characters are introduced as well, such as Michelle "Mike" Henke and Paul Tankersley. The end of the novel is also a pleasure to read with action packed space battles and a back-and-forth style of writing that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat throughout these battles.

The middle of the book, however, lagged a great deal. Most of it is taken up with the characters anticipating the big event (the offensive strike the "Peeps" are predicted to deliver) and the political goings-on of the Republic of Haven. While these things are important, they don't make for exciting reading. In fact, it was rather difficult to get through at times. However, the struggle ended up being worth it.

The Short Victorious War seems different from the previous two books of the series. This might be because, unlike the first two books, Honor isn't the focus of the novel. Yes, she probably receives more "screen-time" and character development than any other character, but the main focus of the book is the political inner workings of Haven and Manticore and the brutal war that is on the horizon.

Character development wise, we get to see Honor Harrington evolve into a real, able to relate to character. She gains a love interest in the form of Paul Tankersley and is forced to face old memories with the return of Lord Pavel Young (who, despite his dishonourable actions on Basilisk Station, doesn't seem to be too interested in advancing his career). As in previous books, Nimitz and his relationship with Honor added a certain "fun" dimension to the parts of the story that concerned Honor. Like in the previous books, Honor manages to defy the odds and gain another victory for Manticore, which will most likely aid her in climbing the naval career ladder.

I have a few complaints regarding the book. The first is that there are far too many characters to remember. I was constantly having to flip back to see what this character had done previously or what that character had to do with anything. A character list with names and a brief description either at the end or beginning of the book would be really helpful, as trying to remember all of the characters can be both confusing and distracting. On that same line of thought is the constant use of acronyms. Like with the characters, it's almost impossible to remember what all of the acronyms stand for...a list of those included somewhere would also be helpful. On another, slightly less important note, the actual romance between Honor and Tankersley reminded me of the kind found in a young adult novel. Romance definitely isn't Weber's strong point, as the whole thing was just a little too convenient. However, since this isn't a romance based book, I suppose it really isn't that important.

Overall, I would recommend that fans of David Weber and/or of the Honor Harrington series read this book, as it contains information and events that I'm sure will play and important role in future books. But, if you're new to the Honorverse, I'd suggest starting with On Basilisk Station.

Weber's Honor Harrington books never disappoint, but there are always those which stand out more than others. This one, unfortunately never quite lives up to the punch of the first two in the series (On Basilisk Station (Honor Harrington) and The Honor of the Queen (Honor Harrington)). The climatic battle is actually rather short compared to other books in the series, and though there are a few other "skirmishes" scattered throughout, only a few are narrated through and the only one involving Honor is, like some of the others, is only summarized in retrospect.

I must admit that what I loved the most about the first few books of the series was the unrelenting drive of the narration and the fact that there were battles and action all along the way. This book finds Weber indulging his more politically inclined writing abilities as he starts to really develop the political climate which will drive the war and battles which prove the backdrop for the many books to follow.

If you've never read an Honor Harrington novel, start with Basilisk Station and move through the books in order. This one is a solid addition to the series, but as good as it is, it definitely pales in comparison to some of the others. Was I disappointed? Not really, but as I finished the last few pages, I was more feeling like asking Weber, "That's it?! That's all?! C'mon!"

In the end, I hesitantly recommend this book - but mainly for those fans of the Honor Harrington series. This is the book where Honor meets one of the few loves of her life Paul Tankersley as well as where she is beginning to really move up the chain of command in the Manticoran Navy. It is definitely worth reading as part of the series, and it does stand on it's own a solid work of science fiction.

The third book in the series, this book keeps up the tradition set by the first two. Although it does have some points where it drops off, it is an all around good read.

Honor continues to be one of the strongest and most interesting female characters I have read in a long time. With the addition of a love interest (from a rather unexpected location), they have fleshed her out from more then just a futuristic warrior into something more human. Most of the characters who have been kept are equally as interesting to read about.

One of the problems this series has is the incompetent ally/enemy. There are times when characters like, like Young and several others, make un-believable actions. It is hard to believe that these people would be this foolish and petty. Not that I am being naive, I do know how petty people can be, but these people make near fatal and equally obvious mistakes. Weber has a problem making his black hats a bit to blatantly evil, and way to dumb.

It was nice to see the Haven political intrigue. A marvelous updating of "the tennis court" plot, Weber continues to use interesting pieces of our history to punch up his story. I still think this is one of the strengths of this series.

The two major Weber problems both creep into this book as well. Characters spend long periods of time explaining things to each other, and there is a tremendous amount of background, digressions, and explanations in technical areas of combat that are better skimmed then read.

All that being said, this is an excellent book and both it and the series are well worth the read.

Honor Harrington is sent to aide Manicore ally Grayson and finds herself in the middle of what comes down to a religious struggle. Harrington is also in a situation where she has to address cultural differences between Grayson and Manticore in order to fight the "Peeps" and win.

Weber did not disappoint with this addition to the Harrington saga. I found it a page-turner from beginning to end!