June 4, 2000 The original was posted sometime around July 31, 1997 (it might had been done as two posts).

I have prepared what amounts to a commentary for In Enemy Hands. It has general notes for chapters (including groups of chapters), plus some specific notes on items that caught my attention.

Prologue - setting the stage

I am somewhat surprised that the Committee of Public Safety is still in charge of Haven after the fall of Trevor's Star.

Chapter one - the treecat empire expands

Far smaller Erewhon Navy? (than Graysons it appears). Aside from the fact that Erewhon was refered to as a Solarian League member back in On Basilisk Station, why do they have a small navy? They have a junction. While it is nowhere near as profitable as Maniticore's, they should at least be able to afford a navy about 1/20th the size of Manticore's. That would make it about the same size as Grayson's navy.

I wonder if the Queen will have a group of treecats descend upon her when she visits Sphynx next.

Chapter two - Hamish is surprised

White Haven took his reaming well, perhaps too well. Interesting forecasts of technology (Honor #9 is my guess for introduction, Honor might even be commanding the carriers).

Chapter three - padding

Chapters four, five, six, and seven - opening moves

There is a comment about Theisman's mother (teenage mother who gave up her son); why is this here? Is she somebody we have met?

Chapter eight and nine - approaching action

Chapter ten - complacency has its reward

Wow. Textbook example, not done to RMN before. In chapter 4 of Honor Among Enemies, Fifth Space Lord Admiral Cortez (head of BuPers) notes that Honor has a habit of making subordinates better (I think of her being an infectious agent of brilliance). I wonder if a Peep could be improved by being around her; of course, Shannon was already hot stuff.

Chapter eleven - Dr. Harrington storms Grayson

Clinckscales is right, mother and daughter do outnumber the rest of the planet.

Chapters twelve and thirteen - the pieces are in place

Chapter fourteen - the dawning awareness

Chapters fifteen, sixteen, and seventeen

Honor is right, this group of Peeps do know what it is about. However, they got a bit careless and the master rapped their knuckles. Too bad she guessed wrong on which direction to turn.

Chapter eighteen - Citizen Rear-Admiral Tourville lights a cigar (but the game is not over...)

Chapter nineteen - the shock spreads

Shannon does appear to have a case of Honor admiration, perhaps Honor IS an infectious agent of brilliance.

Chapter twenty - White-Haven reels, Theisman nauseated

I see that the "Benjamin the Great" is White-Haven's flagship. I still have hope that the promised "Honor Harrington" will be a Grayson-built SD.

Chapter twenty-one - Cordelia Ransom has her show

Shannon really talked fast here; considering the nature of the Nimitz-Honor bond, she might have even been (accidentally) correct.

Chapters twenty-two & twenty-three - Welcome to Hell (at least its admission center)

Chapter twenty-four - Critics pan the newest Ransom show

I can think of various apocalyptic projections that Esther McQueen didn't mention. As I see it, Rob Pierre and Oscar Saint Just have been through so much horror that they just couldn't conceive of Manticore and Grayson being more angry (already at war, what could be worse?).

Chapter twenty-five - Voyage to Hell

Chapters twenty-six through thirty - Sheriff Horace shuts down Ransom road show

In his checkered career in the RMN, HH had pulled a goodly number of scams. This one has to rank with the best. In a word, boggle! I suspect that he is going to lose his "rocker" again, but get some stripes in return.

That last "present" is going to result in a redesign of all Manticore (and Grayson) parasitic craft. Haven as well (if they ever figure it out).

Epilogue - Honor decides to raise Hell

June 4, 2000 note: What follows below might had been posted a week or so after the text above. For this archive file, I reformated the estimates into a more understandable table and actual page counts from Echoes of Honor.

Possible plot elements of Honor #8

I am going to assume that Honor #8 will include the escape from Hades. However, there should be a significant amount of plot after Honor and company reach a Manticore base. I have estimated two different escape methods (sneak and assault). The sneak method requires compromising the Charon Base sensor net so that State Sec doesn't see them capturing a cargo ship in orbit and leaving on it. The assault method requires recruiting a number of Havenite exiles/prisoners (Warner would be useful here) as the manpower to attack Charon Base itself and capture it. October 8, 2000 Note: More on this can be found in a later post. The State Sec personel would be transported elsewhere (prisoners in their own prison) and some of the exiles will run the camp while Honor and company take a captured cargo vessel to a Manticore base (the idea would be that a task force will come back to pick everybody else up). Estimates are

June 4, 2000 note: David Weber used the "assault" idea in Echoes of Honor, but the task of capturing a ship was complicated by various factors.

In Field of Dishonor, the court-martial of Pavel Young (and assorted directly related political shenanigans) took 117 pages, the remaining 2/3rds of the book was devoted to other items and consequences of the court-martial.

Other possible plot items for Honor #8 would be the Haven and possible Manticore reactions to the destruction of the "Tepes." The board of inquiry that will be held on the loss of the "Prince Adrian" could be complicated by second guessing of the decisions made by Honor and Alister. If the board ignores this (which they should), Honor's political enemies will not. There is also the fact that Honor's party broke a regulation concerning skinsuits when they went over to the "Prince Adrian" without theirs. Somebody will be certain to cause trouble over that.

The rescue of all prisoners on Hades would be a nice coup. There is a chance that Honor will not be allowed to go along (ordered to Manticore or Grayson for treatment). It is also possible that Haven will have tumbled to the fact that there was something wrong (State Security is missing a cargo ship after all). This could result in a cruiser (or worse) battle over the Cerebus system.

All in all, enough action for 300-400 pages without requiring McQueen to seize control of Haven.

June 4, 2000 note: And as it turns out, Echoes of Honor had about 240 pages on the war separate from the Hades escape.