HVT-032 A Call to Duty

Lately there are times it seems we’re getting close to the end of our adventure through the Honorverse and then a little reminder like this happens:  we’re discussing the first book in another four-book story arc!  In this episode we’re talking about A Call to Duty, kicking off the Manticore Ascendant series.  This novel was authored by David Weber, Timothy Zahn and Thomas Pope.

You’ll remember a while back we read a story by Timothy Zahn that took place early in the life of the Star Kingdom of Manticore, revolving around an interesting character named Travis Long.  In this series of books we finally get to read the rest of Travis’ story, beginning right here.  We also get a very interesting glimpse into the early and formative years of the RMN—essentially watching Travis and the Navy grow up together.

Travis’ military life begins, almost in desperation as a group of his friends use him as an unknowing wheel man while committing a crime.  Travis realizes too late that he’s going to be guilty by association and takes refuge in an RMN recruiting office.  The recruiter sees goodness and promise in Travis, revealed by his conscience, and signs him up for an enlistment.  As we follow him through training and his initial time in the operational fleet, his story reveals a lot about Travis’ ethical code, which is both a strength and a potential weakness in terms of his service.  The Navy causes Travis to realize and then begin to deal with the fact that while there may be moral absolutes and certain black and white issues, much of the world operates in a very gray space where problems are more complicated than he expected.  While he’s still immature, certain leaders in his chain of command realize he shows potential to become a commissioned officer and is selected to become a “Mustang”.

Your hosts rated A Call to Duty with a 5, 5 and another 5 (out of 5), for an overall rating of 5 from your hosts.

Once again, thank you for listening and to those of you who take the time to like and follow us on social media, share this podcast with others, and to even comment on our posts.

Next, we’re picking up the next book in this anthology set called A Call to Arms, where we get to see what happens next with Mr. Long.  Without interruption, we get to continue to enjoy the masterful storytelling of David Weber, Timothy Zahn and Tom Pope.  As always, be sure to grab your copy, invite a friend, and join us again next time.

You can find us, and all our episodes at http://honorverse.net, and email us at [e-mail].  We look forward to hearing from you.

Now, let’s be about it!