Stephanie Harrington always expected to be a forest ranger on her homeworld of Meyerdahl . . . until her parents relocated to the frontier planet of Sphinx in the distant Star Kingdom of Manticore. It should have been the perfect new home — a virgin wilderness full of new species of every sort, just waiting to be discovered. But Sphinx is a far more dangerous place than ultra-civilized Meyerdahl, and Stephanie’s explorations come to a sudden halt when her parents lay down the law: no unsupervised trips into the wild! Yet Stephanie is a young woman determined to make discoveries, and the biggest one of all awaits her: an intelligent alien species. The forest-dwelling treecats are small, cute, smart, and have a pronounced taste for celery. And they are also very, very deadly when they or their friends are threatened . . . as Stephanie discovers when she comes face-to-face with Sphinx’s most lethal predator.
A Beautiful Friendship (Honor Harrington)
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About the Author
David Weber is a science fiction phenomenon. His popular Honor Harrington space-opera adventures are "New York Times" bestsellers and can't come out fast enough for his devoted readers. Weber and his wife Sharon live in South Carolina.
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This raises interesting ideas, such as the problems of communication with another species, the ruthlessness of those eager to exploit the vulnerable, and the challenges facing talented young people trying to deal with envious peers and adults who cannot be fully trusted.
The trouble is that the novel really needs fuller and more careful development. It is trying to do too much, and consequently none of the issues is satisfactorily explored. One result is the weak structure, especially the abrupt shift between sections. It reads like a hastily thrown together book, written to fulfill a contract between other more pressing commitments. If I am doing Weber an injustice, I apologize, but Gordon R. Dickson did this sort of book better. And so, I am sure, can Weber if he takes more time over it. He is better on a broader canvas, like the Safehold Series.
The trouble is that the novel really needs fuller and more careful development. It is trying to do too much, and consequently none of the issues is satisfactorily explored. One result is the weak structure, especially the abrupt shift between sections. It reads like a hastily thrown together book, written to fulfill a contract between other more pressing commitments. If I am doing Weber an injustice, I apologize, but Gordon R. Dickson did this sort of book better. And so, I am sure, can Weber if he takes more time over it. He is better on a broader canvas, like the Safehold Series.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.1 out of 5 stars
101 reviews
54 of 57 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nice introduction to the Honorverse for younger readers
Aug 7 2011
By ephany77
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
'A Beautiful Friendship' appeared previously in 'More than Honor', a short story collection. This is the expanded version with added detail and story. It happens in the same world as David Weber's Honorverse series, although this book is targeted towards a younger audience and takes place earlier in time. It describes the meeting of treecats and humans for the first time and the beginnings of their interactions. Stephanie Harrington is a 12 year old girl, newly arrived on the planet who's just a bit too precocious. Trying to keep her occupied and out of trouble, her parents convince her to find out what or who is stealing celery from gardens around the planet. Once she solves this mystery, a whole new range of problems open up as humans discover that there are sentient creatures already living on their new planet. Overall, it's a nice addition to the Honorverse backstory and even though it's intended for a YA audience, I think most adult Honor fans will enjoy it also. There were one or two oddly written sections where I feel the author glossed over important events, but as these events were previously written in the short story collection 'Worlds of Honor' in the story 'The Stray', it was only referenced here. 'The Stray' does helps flesh out the back story of Dr. MacDallan's own treecat history and I'd recommend it to those interested. There was obviously room for a sequel or two at the ending of the book and I think this will be an engaging series for younger readers interested in a strong, female protagonist.
40 of 42 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
This what a YA book should be
Aug 8 2011
By Benjamin Thomas
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
David Weber's "Honorverse" currently consists of 12 novels in the Honor Harrington series (with the next one due to be published in 2012) plus 5 short story collections published in the "Worlds of Honor" anthologies. That huge amount of material is a great backstory with which to work and this first entry in a new Young Adult series starring one of Honor's ancesters takes full advantage.
Don't worry if you've never read any of the other books though. I've only recently read a couple and have enjoyed them so much that I want to keep on reading. This book, "A Beautiful Friendship" stands on its own completely, requiring no previous knowledge of the Honorverse.
The novel itself reads like a really good book. Notice I didn't say, "a really good YA book." True, the protagonist is a young teenage girl but that's about the only clue. The author doesn't "dumb down" or "age down" the story for younger readers. The adults in the novel do not go around acting like idiots, allowing the young characters to run the show, as you find in so many YA titles. Instead, we are treated to a nice, heartwarming 1st contact story filled with awe-inspiring scenes, dangerous moments, courageous multi-dimensional characters, etc...just what I like in a fine story. And the fact that it serves to expand my knowledge of the Honorverse is just an added bonus.
Looking forward to more in this series.
Don't worry if you've never read any of the other books though. I've only recently read a couple and have enjoyed them so much that I want to keep on reading. This book, "A Beautiful Friendship" stands on its own completely, requiring no previous knowledge of the Honorverse.
The novel itself reads like a really good book. Notice I didn't say, "a really good YA book." True, the protagonist is a young teenage girl but that's about the only clue. The author doesn't "dumb down" or "age down" the story for younger readers. The adults in the novel do not go around acting like idiots, allowing the young characters to run the show, as you find in so many YA titles. Instead, we are treated to a nice, heartwarming 1st contact story filled with awe-inspiring scenes, dangerous moments, courageous multi-dimensional characters, etc...just what I like in a fine story. And the fact that it serves to expand my knowledge of the Honorverse is just an added bonus.
Looking forward to more in this series.
31 of 34 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Outstanding Weber
Aug 4 2011
By W. Bentrim
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
A Beautiful Friendship by David Weber
Let me preface this by giving you my prejudice right up front, I am a major fan of David Weber and of anthropomorphism.
Anyone who has read the Honor Harrington books will recognize the name: Treecat. This book is Weber's entry into the Young Adult genre and it details first contact with the Treecats.
Weber may quantify this book as YA but it certainly reads as well and as interesting as all of his books. The characters are well defined and evoke positive emotions. I really enjoy the way Weber promotes loyalty, honor, responsibility and the rest of the Boy Scout motto.
Then there are the Treecats. If you have read any of my other reviews you have to be aware of how much I enjoy the interaction of minds between species. David Weber does it with such aplomb and panache that I sit in awe. Once again, Mr. Weber, you are an artist!
I highly recommend the book and not just for kids.
Let me preface this by giving you my prejudice right up front, I am a major fan of David Weber and of anthropomorphism.
Anyone who has read the Honor Harrington books will recognize the name: Treecat. This book is Weber's entry into the Young Adult genre and it details first contact with the Treecats.
Weber may quantify this book as YA but it certainly reads as well and as interesting as all of his books. The characters are well defined and evoke positive emotions. I really enjoy the way Weber promotes loyalty, honor, responsibility and the rest of the Boy Scout motto.
Then there are the Treecats. If you have read any of my other reviews you have to be aware of how much I enjoy the interaction of minds between species. David Weber does it with such aplomb and panache that I sit in awe. Once again, Mr. Weber, you are an artist!
I highly recommend the book and not just for kids.
›
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4.1 out of 5 stars
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