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BOOK REVIEWS:
  by Jack Hillman

FLAG IN EXILE  by David Weber,
Baen Books, Paperback 442 pages;
Science Fiction: $5.99; Nine Stars
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  The time is the far future. Mankind has leapt out into the 
galaxy, using wormhole technology to span the light years. But 
along with them, mankind has taken the same prejudice and lust 
for power that made Earth such a difficult place to live. In the 
Kingdom of Manticore, a naval officer has risen through the ranks 
by sheer force of effort and skill. Placed in many dangerous 
situations, often by other officers who would prefer to see her 
fail, Honor Harrington has proven that a good officer fights with 
and by her crew. 

  But now, just when Honor has received the praise of both the 
Queen and the High Admirals of the Royal Manticoran Navy, her 
career has been halted by the actions of a peer of the realm who 
seeks the power of the throne. Honor defeats the noble in a duel 
only to find herself stripped of her rank and cast out of the 
Navy.

  Honor still has many friends and supporters. On the planet 
Grayson, Honor Harrington has been made a Steadholder, a 
landholder responsible for the lives of hundreds of people, and 
also Protector of Grayson, the champion of the people. Honor once 
saved Grayson from the attack of the nearby Peoples Republic of 
Haven, a socialist government that survives by conquering 
neighboring planets and draining their resources to feed the 
lower social class masses in their realm.

  On Grayson, Honor will have time to heal her wounds: wounds of 
the flesh from her battles in space and the final duel with the 
peer of  Manticore; wounds of the soul as she mourns for the 
loss of her love, killed by an assassin trying to draw her into 
the open; wounds of the spirit as Honor tries to find a purpose 
worth living for, other than the Navy. Honor takes to her role as 
Steadholder with all the grace and power she held as a Naval 
Officer. Her people soon learn to stand behind her and fight for 
her just as her crews have done over the years. And, Honor uses 
her own personal fortune to try and better the plight of her 
people since they live on a planet high in heavy metals that must 
be processed from their food and water before consumption.

  Even on Grayson, the fires of prejudice and hatred run hot. 
For generations, Grayson has been a male dominated planet, ruled 
by men and giving women there proper respect as homemakers and 
childbearers. Now a new factor has entered the game. Honor has 
not only been made a Steadholder, a hereditary title for men, 
but also named Protector of the planet, a title once held by 
the members of the house of Burdette. However, Burdette wants 
the title back, as well as the power of the government to back 
his plan to drive out this alien menace hiding in the halls of 
their government. Honor must die, Burdette claims, the only way 
to cleanse their planet.

  Now Honor finds herself fighting not only the environment of 
the planet, but the hatred of generations of men trying to stop 
change before it destroys their power. And in the distance, the 
People's Republic of Haven begins to build anew for another 
attempt at takeover in the Kingdom of Manticore.

  Here is the fifth book in a growing series by one of hard SF's 
new masters. David Weber has built a strong female character,
Honor, who you can respect and follow -- blazing trails into space 
encountering the carnage of interstellar war, as well as the 
personal combat found in the Dueling Chamber. Known for other 
science fiction and fantasy works, Weber is competing with the 
likes of David Drake for the title of Master of Future Warfare. 
And this work, FLAG IN EXILE, will soon be known as a masterpiece 
of this genre. If you haven't read Weber, you're missing some of 
the best SF on the market today.

Copyright 1995 Jack Hillman, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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John is a freelance writer, who has been published in BLOODREAMS,
ONCE UPON A WORLD, and GATEWAYS. He writes a bimonthly SF/F column
published in THE MAGAZINE of SHAREFICTION, and his book reviews
appear in POPULAR FICTION NEWS. As a contributing editor to ON THE
RISK, he keeps track of "life." Email: jhillwtr@aol.com
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