This anthology was quite good with only one story that I thought was a bit iffy.

The Stray by Linda Evans was nicely done story that had early interaction with treecats. The only thing a bit odd was the "red-headed Celtic person with ESP powers" theme. I'll wait to see if that thread develops.

What Price Dreams? by David Weber was excellent. So much was explained about the special status of treecats in Manticoran society. I loved the relationships that were established in the story.

Queen's Gambit by Jane Lindskold was a look at Elizabeth III prior to the start of the Honor Harrington books. Less about the military or treecats, it is more political intrigue.

The Hard Way Home by David Weber was another story of Honor Harrington. Except as an example of how the military deals with incompetent people in command, it was pure fiction with some trappings of science fiction. There's an avalanche, young people are trapped, and someone must rescue them. That someone is Honor. I liked this quotation: It was much harder to disappoint someone who expected good things out of you than it was to confirm the expectations of someone who figured you'd screw up anyway.

Deck Load Strike by Roland J. Green was the final story and it was a bit odd, especially with the ending. It went places I didn't expect and didn't quite tie it all together, or at least not the way I wanted it to. Basically it is the story of a proxy war with an ally of opportunity.

If you like science fiction, this should be a good read, provided you already are familiar with the setting. Less military SF for the most part, it was easily accessible to those readers who skim the military parts. ( )

I like the Linda Evans story - I like Fisher and Scott very much. I'd forgotten that there's only the one story of them - the story of how they met is a flashback within this one. It's interesting reading about the beginnings of treecats and humans. Jane Linskold's story is also excellent - that one feels canon to me. Beth, and Mike, and Michael are all exactly right. The Weber stories are, of course, great. One about early treecat/human interaction (though not as early as Linda Evan's story), one about Honor (and Nimitz) before Basilisk. Makes me want to find the book where Susan Hibson joins Honor's ship - though I don't think that was their first meeting after this story. ( )

Sample Chapters: http://webscriptions.net/chapters/0671578553/0671578553.htm