Weber, David 1952–

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Weber, David 1952–

PERSONAL: Born October 24, 1952, in Cleveland, OH.

ADDRESSES: Home—Greenville, SC. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Baen Books, P.O. Box 1403, Riverdale, NY 10471.

CAREER: Writer of military science fiction.

WRITINGS:

"HONOR HARRINGTON" SERIES

On Basilisk Station, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1992.

The Honor of the Queen, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1993.

The Short Victorious War, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1994.

Field of Dishonor, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1994.

Flag in Exile, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1995.

Honor among Enemies, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1996.

In Enemy Hands, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1997.

Echoes of Honor, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1998.

(Editor and contributor) More than Honor, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1998.

(Editor and contributor) Worlds of Honor, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1999.

Ashes of Victory, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 2000.

(Editor and contributor) Changer of Worlds, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 2001.

War of Honor, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 2002.

(Editor and contributor) The Service of the Sword, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 2003.

(With Eric Flint) Crown of Slaves, Baen Books (River-dale, NY), 2003.

The Shadow of Saganami, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 2004.

At All Costs, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 2005.

Also contributor of "Ms. Midshipwoman Harrington" to The Warmasters, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 2002.

"STARFIRE" SERIES; WITH STEVE WHITE

Insurrection (also see below), Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1990.

Crusade (also see below), Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1992.

In Death Ground (also see below), Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1997.

The Shiva Option (also see below), Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 2002.

The Stars at War I (contains Crusade and In Death Ground), Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 2005.

The Stars at War II (contains Insurrection and The Shiva Option), Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 2005.

"DAHAK" SERIES

Mutineers' Moon (also see below), Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1991.

The Armageddon Inheritance (also see below), Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1994.

Heirs of Empire (also see below), Baen Books (River-dale, NY), 1996.

Empire from the Ashes (contains Mutineers' Moon, The Armageddon Inheritance, and Heirs of Empire), Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 2003.

"WAR GOD" SERIES

Oath of Swords, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1995.

The War Gods Own, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1998.

Wind Rider's Oath, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 2004.

"MARCH UPCOUNTRY" SERIES; WITH JOHN RINGO

March Upcountry, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 2001.

March to the Sea, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 2001.

March to the Stars, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 2003.

We Few, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 2005.

OTHER

Path of the Fury, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1992, revised edition published as In Fury Born, 2006.

The Apocalypse Troll, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 1998.

The Excalibur Alternative, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 2002.

(With Eric Flint) 1633, Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 2002.

Old Soldiers (based on the story concept of Keith Laumer), Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 2005.

Bolo! (based on the story concept of Keith Laumer), Baen Books (Riverdale, NY), 2005.

Contributor to anthologies, including Foreign Legions, 2001.

SIDELIGHTS: "I think what drew me to science fiction originally was the vast sweep of it. I've heard science fiction called the technical civilization's fairy tale, and I think that is an accurate characterization," military science fiction writer David Weber said in an interview with Jeanne Caggiano that appeared in the Baen Newsletter and was reprinted online in the Movie-Trailers Web site. In the same interview, Weber cites Jack Williamson, Doc Smith, H. Beam Piper, early Keith Laumer, and Robert Heinlein as his "formative influences." Weber currently follows the work of Misty Lackey, Anne McCaffrey, Melinda Snodgrass, Tom Clancy, Poul Anderson, and David Drake.

Another influence on Weber is C.S. Forester—Weber's popular military science fiction character, Honor Harrington, has been favorably compared to Forester's Horatio Hornblower, who in turn is based on Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson. Weber came up with the concept of Honor Harrington after science fiction publisher Jim Baen asked him "to come up with a possible series character" and "it turned out that Jim had been attempting to find someone to do an interstellar Horatio Hornblower [series] for about fifteen or twenty years." The character of Nimitz, Honor's empathic treecat, "really and truly just happened." According to Weber in the Baen Newsletter, "Nimitz is sort of a fusion of two of my cats…. Nimitz has Bomber's intellect and Leonardo's personality, which if you knew my cats is a frightening concept."

Weber's "Honor Harrington" series has been well received by critics. Writing in the Wilson Library Bulletin, Gene LaFaille commented that the Honor Harrington series has "an outstanding blend of military/technical writing balanced by superb character development and an excellent degree of human drama." Calling Honor "much more than a female Horatio Hornblower," LaFaille suggested that, with her courage, charisma, and intelligence, "Honor symbolizes the opportunity for real gender equality in space."

In Weber's first series installment, On Basilisk Station, Honor Harrington, brand-new commander in the Manticoran Royal Navy and captain of a small, elderly cruiser, the Fearless, unwisely proves herself to be a better tactician in spaceship war maneuvers than her superior, with the result that Honor, her crew, and her ship are posted to Basilisk Station. Honor is faced with the impossible task of patrolling an enormous area of space around the planet Medusa and combating smugglers who are arming the native Medusans and arousing their fighting spirits with illegal drugs. But no obstacle can stop her devotion to duty, neither political interference from powerful corporate interests, nor the possibility that her actions may lead to war with a nearby league of planets that seeks to invade and annex Medusa. Honor, possessing indomitable integrity and determination to do her job, a gift for organization and management, and tactical genius in matters military, tackles the problems one by one, making friends and enemies along the way. At the end, all is well (for the survivors) and Honor faces a future with more challenges and chances for advancement. Sister Avila Lamb, reviewing On Basilisk Station in Kliatt, concluded: "This remarkable story will appeal to readers interested in warfare, science and technology of the future or just in interpersonal relationships, an important part of the story. Gratifying, especially to female readers, is the total equality of the sexes!"

The second installment, The Honor of the Queen, finds Honor stuck on a fiercely patriarchal, misogynist planet when she arrives on the planet Grayson to participate in diplomatic talks between the kingdom of Manticore and the republic of Haven. The Short Victorious War features Honor's role in inducing the government of Haven to start a "short, victorious war" to replenish their depleted treasury. In Booklist, Roland Green praised Weber's "creative ingenuity" in providing "fast-paced" stories that "make one think of Star Wars as it might have been written by C.S. Forester, creator of Horatio Hornblower."

According to Kliatt reviewer Leslie Farmer, the next book in the series, Field of Dishonor, traces Honor's meteoric rise, including significant feminist progress, and the backlash that it engenders. Honor's old nemesis, Pavel Young, takes revenge on her for having him dismissed from the navy by hiring a duelist to kill her lover. Honor's revenge puts her on half-pay on the planet Grayson, where she is a feudal magnate. A critic writing in Locus found the fourth "Honor Harrington" novel "a bit of a shock" as it is "completely devoid of shipboard action." Nevertheless, despite the lack of military action, "there's plenty of tension, and a great deal of killing." Cushman concluded that although much of the novel addresses loose ends, it contains "major developments that Honor's fans won't want to miss."

Flag in Exile finds Honor still struggling with her lover's death and a forced retirement on the planet Grayson. However, after a threatening uprising by the evil Havenites, Honor suddenly finds herself head of the Grayson Navy. In a Booklist review, Green noted that Honor "triumphs again, but with a believable amount of difficulty." He added that readers will "fall in love" with Nimitz, Honor's empathic treecat.

By the sixth book in the series, Honor among Enemies, Honor has risen to high rank through her prowess in combat. A Publishers Weekly reviewer observed that Honor, now an admiral in the Royal Manticoran Navy, boards a starship called the Wayfarer with her telepathic treecat, Nimitz; together, they battle not only pirates but must keep bullies on the crew from destroying morale. Honor makes an uneasy alliance with some Havenite officers and works with the Andermani Empire, which is ethnically Chinese, speaks German, and has a navy that, according to critic Green in Booklist, resembles Kaiser Wilhelm's High Seas Fleet. A reviewer in Publishers Weekly noted that Weber's characters add depth to the space opera, and Green praised a subplot that involves Nimitz becoming a father.

In a Booklist review, Green observed that the seventh "Honor Harrington" novel, In Enemy Hands, has a "distinctly darker" tone than its six predecessors. Commanding a joint Grayson-Manticoran squadron, Honor is aboard the point ship when it encounters a formidably well-led Havenite force. She is captured and scheduled for execution under the direction of People's Commissioner Cordelia Ransom, but she manages to escape. Although she wipes out Ransom in the process, her latest exploit ends up as a true cliff-hanger, with Honor, minus an arm and an eye, and a hard core of twenty loyal followers marooned on a Havenite prison planet. Nimitz, along with his colleagues, founds the first treecat interstellar colony on Grayson.

Weber sets much of Echoes of Honor on the prison planet of Hades. Now short an arm and an eye, Honor and a handful of survivors of the climax of In Enemy Hands organize history's biggest prison break (of about 300,000 POWs), with full-scale liberation as her goal. Jackie Cassada noted in the Library Journal that this is an "example of space opera at its very best." Especially praising the subplots involving Honor's difficulties as a female feudal stakeholder on the planet Grayson, the Royal Manticoran Navy's introduction of space-age aircraft carriers, and the development of Peeps into competent, professional warriors, Green concluded in Booklist: "It is impossible not to be entertained, delighted, even enthralled by this splendid piece of storytelling." Ray Olson placed Echoes of Honor among the top ten in Booklist's best science fiction and fantasy for 1999, noting that "with subplots bubbling away at home in her absence, the bigger than ever entry in Weber's action science fiction series is also better than ever."

Echoes of Honor proved so popular that, according to Daisy Maryles in Publishers Weekly, hackers broke into the Baen Web site to obtain chapters before they were officially available. Eventually, Baen created a "webscription" so that Weber's fans could read chapters as fast as they were printed.

In the aftermath of her reported death and dramatic escape from the People's Republic's prison planet, Honor returns to her home planet for rest and recuperation in the ninth "Honor Harrington" novel, Ashes of Victory. Her enemies, however, continue their plots to repair the damage done to their reputation, conceiving a bold plan of attack that strikes at the heart of the Star Empire and the Harrington family. Honor has triumphantly returned from Hades, at the head of a fleet of liberated POWs. Her reward is to become an admiral, a duchess, and a billionaire. She also becomes an elder sister of twins and, since Nimitz has lost some of his telepathy due to war wounds, helps the ever-delightful tree cats learn signing, thereby proving they are fully sapient. But the war goes on, and the Star Kingdom's superior technology and training increasingly give it the advantage, despite the People's Republic of Haven's efforts to catch up. After several years, the kingdom is approaching total victory, and the "Peeps" must purge the last ideologues from the Committee of Public Safety to maintain any hope of survival. Cassada, reviewing Ashes of Victory in the Library Journal, wrote: "The latest in Weber's popular 'Honor Harrington' series offers more familial and political intrigue as well as tense space battles and moments of high personal drama." Green noted in Booklist that Ashes of Victory "justifies its length and complexity by greatly advancing the story of Honor and her universe."

War of Honor is the tenth book in the series. Honor has been called home to help sustain an uncertain peace between the warring Republic of Haven and the Star Kingdom of Manticore. War of Honor "expands the political and military aspects" of the "Honor Harrington" tales, noted Library Journal contributor Cassada, and "sets the stage for future space-faring adventures." Booklist reviewer Green observed how in War of Honor the author looks to prepare for a dynamic sequel by "developing the characterizations and setting the political and strategic framework for grander action than ever to come."

Weber's 2005 addition to the "Honor Harrington" series, At All Costs, finds Honor expecting a child. However, leaving her embryo in a surrogate womb, the heroine is still able to lead her fleet in combat against the Havenites in a space battle for the ages. "Nobody does space opera better than Weber," claimed a Publishers Weekly critic, who noted that the eleventh book in the series "remains as engaging as ever." Booklist critic Green suggested that readers should not be intimidated by the size of the novel as Weber makes good use of the book's length to integrate elements from earlier entries in the series. "The climax is bloody and fine preparation for at least one more desperate round of fighting," predicted Green.

In 1998, Weber edited More than Honor, the first of four collections featuring stories set in the world of Honor written by Weber and other authors. Science fiction writers such as Timothy Zahn, David Drake, and Eric Flint have contributed stories to the series, which includes Worlds of Honor, Changer of Worlds, and The Service of the Sword. According to a Publishers Weekly reviewer, Worlds of Honor focuses on tales of the "wondrous treecats" and provides "intriguing background glimpses into Honor's—and Nimitz's—worlds." In Library Journal, Cassada noted that "the four tales that comprise [Changer of Worlds] set in a far future of galactic empires and interplanetary politics expand on the background for the Honor Harrington series." A Publishers Weekly contributor called Changer of Worlds "a solid collection" whose "individual works have more than enough suspenseful action to engross the reader." Writing in Booklist, Green claimed: "If Honor's audience hasn't yet expanded beyond its military sf core," then The Service of the Sword "should make it do so."

Although Weber remains best known for his critically acclaimed "Honor Harrington" series, he is also the author of numerous other books, including those in the "Dahak" series, the "War God" series, the "March Up-country" series, which he wrote with John Ringo, and the "Starfire" series, which he wrote with Steve White. Weber is also the author of several science fiction and fantasy novels that stand alone: Path of the Fury, The Apocalypse Troll, and The Excalibur Alternative.

Mutineers' Moon, the first book of the "Dahak" series, takes place 50,000 years ago, when the Imperial battle cruiser Dahak, searching for signs of the periodically invading Achuutani, suffers a mutiny and everyone is forced to evacuate to Earth, where the surviving crew and mutineers have been in covert conflict ever since. Dahak has repaired itself, but has been helpless to intervene in the fight without causing a massive loss of life. However, once Dahak detects that the Achuutani are on their way at last, it can wait no longer. Unable by itself to quell the remaining mutineers, Dahak kidnaps Colin MacIntyre, a NASA astronaut, and enlists his help as captain in the fight against the Achuutani. In The Armegeddon Inheritance, Colin, now governor of a united Earth, prepares to fight the Achuutani, who last swept by Earth sixty-five million years ago and wiped out the dinosaurs. Colin departs in Dahak to get help from the Imperium. But the Imperium is gone, with just a few functional battleships behind for Colin to use in his fight to save Earth and the human race. In Heirs of Empire, Colin is emperor of a three-planet empire. However, one of the mutineers' Terra-born allies is plotting to become emperor himself by assassinating Colin's heirs, Sean and Harriet. The heirs to the throne are marooned on a distant planet, where, in addition to worrying about how to get home, they must remedy a religious conflict they have inadvertently set off. Heirs of Empire was called "a guilty pleasure" by a reviewer in Publishers Weekly, who noted that "Weber combines science fiction, fantasy and a sly sense of humor into a novel that may be a tad silly but is definitely a whole lot of fun."

Weber tries his hand at fantasy in the "War God" series, including Oath of Swords, The War God's Own, and Wind Rider's Oath. Oath of Swords revolves around the story of Bahzell Bahnakson, reluctant champion of the War God Tomanak (otherwise known as the Sword of Light, the God of Justice, and Captain-General of the Gods of Light) and a member of the Horse Stealer clan hradani, an outsize humanoid race with fox-like ears known for its murderous berserk rages. Being a hradani puts Bahzell in a despised social class. Through a series of misadventures, Bahzell ends up with a price on his head and flees into human lands, where hradani are universally feared. In pursuit are sorcerers, assassins, and some meddling gods who have plans for Bahzell. In Locus, a reviewer stated: "Their adventures make compelling reading," while in Booklist, Green called the "briskly paced adventures" "entertaining and intelligent."

The War God's Own continues the adventures of Bahzell. With his companion Brandark, the hradani prince overcomes numerous prejudices against his people, as well as the threats of physical opponents, and serves his patron deity well in the battle against the evil god Sharna, prince of demons. He also collaborates with his father and the rest of his large family in their efforts to unite and civilize the hradani and to remove from them the curse of the Rage. Writing in Voice of Youth Advocates, Kim Carter commented: "Deftly shifting from the Hornblower-signature prose of the Honor Harrington series, Weber proves his talent for the storyteller's cadences, satisfyingly complex details, and nuggets of eternal wisdom common to all good epic fantasies."

Weber's "March Upcountry" series consists of March Upcountry, March to the Sea, March to the Stars, and We Few, all written with John Ringo. In March Up-country, Prince Roger Ramius Sergei Alexander Chiang MacClintock, third child of the empress of Man, finds himself a reluctant warrior when sabotage forces his diplomatic mission to make an emergency landing on Marduk, a barbaric planet filled with savage predators and unexpected dangers, including high mountains, high temperatures, low technology, and the short tempers of its nine-foot, four-armed, slime-covered natives. As the soldiers of the Bronze Battalion of the Empress's Own Regiment face a brutal march across the planet to get their royal charge to safety, Roger finds his own courage tested to the limit. Along the way, the prince turns from a spoiled brat into a useful, even valuable member of the company. A Publishers Weekly contributor commented: "The pace never gets too slow, despite generous world-building and extended action scenes." Booklist reviewer John Mort noted: "This is as good as military science fiction gets."

A reviewer writing in Publishers Weekly found March to the Sea an "admirable continuation" of its predeces-sor. In the 2001 novel Prince Roger and his band of Royal Marines are still on the soggy, hot planet Marduk. Their goal, the planet's only spaceport, K'Vaern's Cove, is blocked by jungle, swamp, weird wildlife, and local politics, as well as by a wandering barbarian horde known as the Boman. In addition to military strategy, March to the Sea provides much humor and a little romance, along with the hint of at least one forthcoming sequel.

Described as "outstanding" by a Publishers Weekly reviewer, March to the Stars finds Prince Roger yet stranded on Marduk despite his efforts in the previous two books. On their way back to their imperial base, Prince Roger and his men save a princess who ultimately provides an expected source of manpower as rivals, who have ousted Roger's mother from power, set their mark on the young prince. "Many exceptionally well-done battle scenes" fill the pages of March to the Stars, wrote the Publishers Weekly critic, while Booklist reviewer Green claimed the story provides "pure entertainment for military sf buffs." The stories of Prince Roger and his exploits, according to Green, "are coming to constitute a military sf classic."

In We Few, Prince Roger and his remaining band of Royal Marines finally reach home only to discover he has been accused of organizing the coup that deposed his mother. Looking to clear his name, Roger relies on help from his Mardukian allies as well as aid from individuals who only remember him as a spoiled prince. Writing in Publishers Weekly, a contributor called the final book in the series "thoroughly satisfactory."

Weber's "Starfire" series, written with Steve White, begins with Insurrection, set in a rebellion-torn Terran Federation in which the stakes are not a single continent but the stars themselves. In Crusade, the perils of interfering with the cultural development of aliens are brought home to humanity when an armada of turtle people appears shooting from an unexplored region of space. According to Carolyn Caywood in the Voice of Youth Advocates, refugees from an earlier interstellar war had encountered the shell-backed The-bans and convinced them to come to the defense of "Holy Mother Terra." By the time the Thebans develop interstellar travel, peace has been concluded with the former alien enemies, but the Thebans assume Earth has been enslaved. The resulting crusade involves battles in space to guerilla operations on occupied planets to political machinations back on Earth. In Death Ground, Sun Tzu's advice in The Art of War is followed during the Fourth Interstellar War between the terrible Bugs and humans, who are aided by their catlike Orion allies: "In difficult ground, press on; in encircled ground, devise stratagems; in death ground, fight." Arachnids and Bugs continue to overrun planet after planet in The Shiva Option. The Grand Alliance of Humans has been driven to the wall. Their most powerful offensive operation has ended in shattering defeat and the deaths of their most experienced and revered military commanders. But when the only possible outcomes are victory or racial extermination, only one option is acceptable.

In Path of the Fury, Alicia De Vries lives with her family on Mathison's World when pirates strike the planet and her family is killed. Alicia kills the pirate shuttle's landing party, but she is badly hurt and near death. Enter Tisiphone, one of Greek mythology's three Furies, who bargains for a share in Alicia's life in return for saving her and helping to exact revenge on the pirates. While the Imperial forces are busy searching for planet-wrecking pirates, Alicia turns pirate herself and steals a cutting-edge AI ship from the empire in order to begin her vendetta. Sherry S. Hoy, writing in Kliatt, described Path of the Fury as "excellent escapist fare; a thinking person's Terminator."

The Apocalypse Troll is military science fiction set in the near future. In the year 2007, two UFO formations—one helmed by alien Kangas, the other by humans—burst into sight over the Atlantic. Both groups are from the future; the humans have been pursuing the Kangas through time in a desperate effort to stop them from showering Earth with biological weapons. Firing nuclear warheads at their enemies, and at a nearby navy carrier group, the Kangas almost win but are finally defeated by a special navy task force. One human from the future survives the battle. She is Colonel Ludmilla Leonovna, rescued by an ex-SEAL, Captain Richard Aston. But one of the human-brained Kanga cyborgs—called Trolls—also survives and is determined to use his weapons and his ability to control minds to fulfill his masters' highest desire: the destruction of humanity. Aston and Leonovna, who retains one Troll-killing weapon, find themselves leading an international effort to locate and destroy the Troll, who is raising a following among hate groups in the Appalachians. The low-key romance of Aston and Leonovna poignantly counterpoints the mayhem. Roberta Johnson wrote in Booklist, "Broad-minded Tom Clancy fans should appreciate the meeting of like military minds and the high-tech weaponry necessary to defeat the troll." A Publishers Weekly contributor called it "well executed and emotionally satisfying."

The Excalibur Alternative is an expansion of a short story, "Sir George and the Dragon," which first appeared in the anthology, Foreign Legions. In 1346, Sir George Wincaster, bound to France during the Hundred Years' War, is about to be lost at sea when he and his company, including his wife, Matilda, are snatched from a watery grave, only to be consigned to slave-soldiering as mercenaries on primitive planets. When the captive soldiers discover allies in unlikely places, they embark on a bold uprising that leads to a surprising and fitting reentry into the history of their home planet. Library Journal reviewer Cassada called it "a lively and well-told tale."

Weber joins coauthor Eric Flint on 1633, a sequel to Flint's well-regarded novel 1632 about a group of modern-day West Virginian miners who have been transported to Germany of the early seventeenth century during the middle of the Thirty Years' War. While modern inventions of antibiotics and powerful firearms help the West Virginians adjust to life in war-torn Germany, the quintessential values of the American Revolution prove to be the most infectious. Weber and Flint "take historic speculation to a new level," claimed Library Journal critic Cassada. Writing in the School Library Journal, reviewer Paul Brink wrote the "ways in which modern knowledge is used without a technological base are fascinating and well researched." 1633 offers readers "a thoughtful and exciting look at just how powerful are the ideals we sometimes take for granted," observed a Publishers Weekly contributor.

After the death of author Keith Laumer, Weber took over his series of books about Bolos, robotic tanks designed to be ideal fighting machines in the aid of humans. Weber's Bolo! features four short works that offer stories ranging from malfunctioning Bolos threatening children to outdated Bolos coming to the rescue of peaceful citizens. Booklist reviewer Green thought Weber's writing in Bolo! blends "action, characterization, [and] hardware … into a seamless, highly readable fabric." Old Soldiers, Weber's second book about the military robots, also received favorable comments from Green, who thought Laumer's creation was "clearly in capable hands"

When it comes to military science fiction, Weber has strong feelings. He told the Baen Newsletter that he thinks "it is important to realize that wars are ugly and vile and that there better be a damned good reason for getting involved in one. Because the price for somebody is going to be very, very high. It is the responsibility of the author to show that war is not a just and exciting thing." According to Weber, there are two ways to impress the reader with the reality of what is going on in war: "One is to hit him with the tremendous emotional and physical overload that comes at a front line soldier. The other is to adopt a minimalist style, which is what I try to do, where, rather than detailing every splash of gore that comes along, you hit the reader with the occasional gory incident. I find this style more comfortable because I have been turned off by some of the splatter fiction." Furthermore, said Weber: "One of the reasons that I kill a lot of the good people in my books is because, to me, the great tragedy of war is the destruction of so much human potential."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Clute, John, and Peter Nicholls, editors, The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1993.

Science Fiction & Fantasy Literature, 1975–1991, Thomson Gale (Detroit, MI), 1992.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, March 1, 1994, Roland Green, review of The Short Victorious War, p. 1185; October 1, 1994, Roland Green, review of Field of Dishonor, p. 246; February 15, 1995, Roland Green, review of Oath of Swords, p. 1064; September 15, 1995, Roland Green, review of Flag in Exile, p. 145; June 1, 1996, Roland Green, review of Honor among Enemies, p. 1682; August, 1997, Roland Green, review of In Enemy Hands, p. 1887; May 15, 1998, Roland Green, review of The War God's Own, p. 1608; September 15, 1998, Roland Green, review of Echoes of Honor, p. 120; December 15, 1998, Roberta Johnson, review of The Apocalypse Troll, and Ray Olson, review of Worlds of Honor, p. 730; May 15, 1999, Ray Olson, "Top 10 SF/Fantasy," p. 1678; March 1, 2000, Roland Green, review of Ashes of Victory, p. 1200; April 15, John Mort, review of March Upcountry, p. 1544; December 1, 2001, Roland Green, review of The Excalibur Alternative, p. 636; February 15, Roland Green, review of The Shiva Option, p. 999; September 1, 2002, Roland Green, review of War of Honor, p. 70; January 1, 2003, Roland Green, review of March to the Stars, p. 862; April 15, 2003, Roland Green, review of The Service of the Sword, p. 1459; September 15, 2003, Roland Green, review of Crown of Slaves, p. 219; January 1, 2005, Roland Green, review of Bolo!, p. 835; March 1, 2005, Roland Green, review of We Few, p. 1150; September 15, 2005, Roland Green, review of Old Soldiers, p. 38; November 1, 2005, Roland Green, review of At All Costs, p. 32.

Kirkus Reviews, June 15, 1997, review of In Enemy Hands, pp. 917-918; March 15, 1998, review of The War God's Own, p. 374; August 1, 1998, review of Echoes of Honor, p. 1076; December 1, 1998, review of Worlds of Honor, p. 1702; February 1, 2000, review of Ashes of Victory, p. 156; March 15, 2002, review of The Warmasters, p. 374.

Kliatt, January, 1992, Amos C. Patterson, review of Mutineer's Moon, p. 14; May, 1993, Sherry S. Hoy, review of Path of the Fury, p. 20; July, 1993, Sister Avila Lamb, review of On Basilisk Station, p. 21; September, 1993, Sister Avila Lamb, review of The Honor of the Queen, p. 24; May, 1994, Bette D. Ammon, review of The Armageddon Inheritance, p. 21; March, 1995, Lesley Farmer, review of Field of Dishonor, pp. 19-20; September, 2003, Deirdre B. Root, review of The Excalibur Alternative, p. 29.

Library Journal, August 15, 1997, Susan Hamburger, review of Honor among Enemies, p. 141; September 15, 1998, Jackie Cassada, review of Echoes of Honor, p. 116; December 15, 1998, Jackie Cassada, review of Worlds of Honor, p. 162; January 15, 1999, Jackie Cassada, review of Worlds of Honor, p. 166; March 15, 2000, Jackie Cassada, review of Ashes of Victory, p. 132; March 15, 2001, Jackie Cassada, review of Changer of Worlds, p. 111; May 15, 2001, Jackie Cassada, review of March Upcountry, p. 166; January, 2002, Jackie Cassada, review of The Excalibur Alternative, p. 159; February 15, 2002, Jackie Cassada, review of The Shiva Option, p. 181; August, 2002, Jackie Cassada, review of 1633, p. 151; October 15, 2002, Jackie Cassada, review of War of Honor, p. 97.

Locus, June, 1993, Carolyn Cushman, review of On Basilisk Station, p. 33; September, 1994, review of Field of Dishonor, pp. 35, 71; January, 1995, review of Oath of Swords, pp. 35, 57; March, 2000, Carolyn Cushman, review of Ashes of Victory, p. 59.

Publishers Weekly, February 26, 1996, review of Heirs of Empire; May 27, 1996, review of Honor among Enemies, p. 70; August 25, 1997, review of In Enemy Hands, p. 50; March 30, 1998, review of The War God's Own, p. 74; August 31, 1998, review of Echoes of Honor, p. 52; December 14, 1998, review of The Apocalypse Troll, p. 61; December 21, 1998, review of Worlds of Honor, p. 59; March 6, 2000, Daisy Maryles, review of Ashes of Victory, p. 24; February 19, 2001, review of Changer of Worlds, p. 74; April 16, 2001, review of March Upcountry, p. 49; June 18, 2001, review of March to the Sea, p. 63; March 25, 2002, review of The Warmasters, p. 46; August 5, 2002, review of 1633, p. 57; January 13, 2003, review of March to the Stars, p. 46; October 18, 2004, review of The Shadow of Saganami, p. 52; March 21, 2005, review of We Few, p. 40; September 19, 2005, review of At All Costs, p. 47.

School Library Journal, November, 1993, review of On Basilisk Station, p. 152; December, 2002, Paul Brink, review of 1633, p. 173.

Science Fiction Chronicle, December, 1991, Don D'Ammassa, review of Mutineer's Moon, p. 33; May, 1993, Don D'Ammassa, review of On Basilisk Station, p. 33.

Voice of Youth Advocates, October, 1992, Carolyn Caywood, review of Crusade, p. 244; December, 1996, Sarah Flowers, review of Honor among Enemies, p. 282; August, 1998, Vicky Burkholder, review of More than Honor, p. 214; December, 1998, Kim Carter, review of The War God's Own, p. 374; June, 1999, Vicky Burkholder, review of The Apocalypse Troll, p. 126.

Wilson Library Bulletin, November, 1993, Gene La-Faille, review of On Basilisk Station, pp. 90-91.