The Honorverse is a science fiction series written by David Weber - it follows the adventures of Captain (at least at first) Honor Harrington of the Royal Manticoran Navy - which is probably best thought of as the British Navy from the age of sail, except in space. Over the course of 19 books (as of the latest release) and three wars spanning 20 years in the setting, she goes from being the captain of a single ship to being one of the most influential admirals in the entire galaxy.
Weber's skill at world building is on full display here; the companion book describing the creation and organization of the Royal Manticoran Navy draws heavily on the wide variety of real world skills that his friends, advisers, and fans of the series possess. Including stuff from the Naval War College's curriculum about the theory behind how navies and fleets are organized (or so it claims). Some people probably don't like the fact that most of his books only ever get to one or maybe two major battles, since they spend so much time on the political maneuvering and background details leading up to those battles, but I like the detailed breakdown of all the events surrounding each battle, myself. There certainly are some unrealistic parts; there isn't any actual science that I'm aware of behind their hyperdrives or a lot of their gravity manipulation, but that's not a problem for me.
One of the other nice details is that there are fairly clear bits and pieces that are inspired by politics and governments in the real world, but it's still rather difficult to pick out anyone who is all good or all bad. There are some science fiction authors I can think of who quite clearly like one side or the other; all their heroes and villains are clearly on the side they like or dislike. A lot of them still write good books, but it's kind of jarring and irritating to read depictions of politicians or activists who are clearly based on the misinterpretations of their opponents. These books generally manage to avoid that fate, as far as I'm concerned.
Which brings me to the reason why this is one of my favorite series of all time, and why I think it's going to remain so for a long time: It's had a significant impact on a lot of things in my real life. Between the degree to which its world building is based on some real political and economic theories, and the extent to which it avoids reducing either side to a complete parody, it certainly feels a lot safer to draw lessons out of this stuff compared to any number of other books. And the depictions of various military leaders are frankly inspiring - and detailed enough in their priorities, outlook, and demeanor to be worth emulating.
Given that, it should come as little surprise that I literally never fail to mention this series if anyone ever asks me for book recommendations.
Which brings me to the reason why this is one of my favorite series of all time, and why I think it's going to remain so for a long time: It's had a significant impact on a lot of things in my real life. Between the degree to which its world building is based on some real political and economic theories, and the extent to which it avoids reducing either side to a complete parody, it certainly feels a lot safer to draw lessons out of this stuff compared to any number of other books. And the depictions of various military leaders are frankly inspiring - and detailed enough in their priorities, outlook, and demeanor to be worth emulating.
Given that, it should come as little surprise that I literally never fail to mention this series if anyone ever asks me for book recommendations.
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