On Basilisk Station begins the classic science fiction series featuring Honor Harrington. Honor, an officer in the Royal Manticoran Navy, is banished to a remote worm hole transit station after humiliating a superior. Charged with finding smugglers with an aged light cruiser, she suspects Manticore’s militaristic enemy operates in the star system. So begins a series of 14 novels. I have enjoyed reading more than half of the books to date. The popularity of the series prompted the publication of several spinoff novels and data books.
The novels focus more on characters and the political machinations within governments than on hard-core science. Faster-than-light travel provides the science fiction backdrop. But the plots focus on conflicts between people and between their governments. The Star Kingdom of Manticore has a distinctive British flavor. Their arch enemy is an expansionistic junta with socialist overtones. They form a small part of a vast swath of human colonies and star systems. Sentient alien species do not appear as major players in the plot, although Honor’s six-legged cat from her home world displays intelligence.
The worlds built by author David Weber include depictions of religion. It features prominently in the culture of Manticore’s ally, Grayson, a conservative patriarchy. However, Honor’s primary motivations are not religious. If you’re looking for great stories without hard-edged science fiction, I recommend starting a journey through the Honorverse with On Basilisk Station.
