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Well, this one is. Mr. Weber convinced me so rapidly of trying to change my normal routine and break out of 'who I was' I can't thank him enough. Like the other reviewer of this book, I wasn't scared to change, and this book was one of a few that confronted the problem. Therefore, it seems to me that Mr. Weber has taken his time to dig deep in the psychology of shy people. As one myself, let me tell you he hits the nail right on top of the head.
At the first glance, one could say that this is just what the authors are doing in this book. The message of the book is very clear from the beginning - go out and do it. On the other hand, however, this book is incredibly motivating. I really can't tell you how they do it, but the more I read the book, the more I started to feel the readiness to go into situations that would normally have scared the hell out of me. I noticed a significant attitude change in a few days.
It's still much less than what I would need, but at least it's some kind of a beginning. Though this book doesn't contain a final solution to your shyness, it's the only book I've seen that has been of any kind of help at all. I advise every shy person to try this book first. Maybe you're also interested to know that several other books by Eric Weber I have seen (including the don't-know-why famous How to Pick Up Girls) are quite useless, failing to deliver what is promised.
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The stories in this volume range from non-stories like S. M. Stirling's "Three Walls", which is a fairly dull run-of-the-action description of a battle, turned into a story only by a throwaway moment at the end which warns of what is to come in the final story.
There's also "A Clear Signal", which doesn't really feel as if it fully belongs in this book, since the political circumstances described don't match anything else, nor do the Romans even get mention. It's not a bad story, but it really belongs elsewhere.
Drake himself contributes "Lambs to the Slaughter", which I'd call the sprightliest tale in the book, being how one underofficer, known to all and sundry as "Froggie", manages to outwit both his masters and his enemies. I laughed like hell at the ending of this one, and Drake doesn't usually do that for me.
David Weber contributes "Sir George and the Dragon," which serves both as solid entertainment and as a reminder that humans are dangerous, whether they be Romans or English, and a tribute to what has probably been the finest weapon of battle ever created, the English Longbow.
Finally, Eric Flint's "Carthago Delenda Est" is the treasure of this volume, and it was worth getting this volume for this story alone, even without Weber and Drake's work. I don't want to spoil it, but read the other stories first, then read "Carthago." The beauty of this one is that you have to read the story to understand both why and how it ends, and in my case, it took me a few seconds to puzzle it out, but the reward for doing so was to know true joy.
Well worth the time invested.
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A Weber story of Honor's first cruise, combined with a treecat's view of some of the series developments, plus the story of McQueen's rebellion, form the bulk of this collection. Eric Flint provides a separate story, more loosely connected but still in the world and times of Honor's series.
Due to Weber's heavy contribution, this collection is more consistent and integrated than earlier Honor's World anthologies. --inotherworlds.com
The story by Eric Flint was a confusing hodge podge of plots and counter-plots. It was resolved, but not convincingly. However, the story did tell about the life of one of the less important characters from an earlier story. That was interesting.
Over all I recommend the book to those who love Honor.
It seems that Weber is not going to give us another novel anytime soon. Although, I would be very happy to be proven wrong.
MS. MIDSHIPWOMAN HARRINGTON is a little piece detailing some of Honor's early exploits against Silesian pirates and Manticoran bigots. Solidly written, it will no doubt provide a base for future short stories or novels set before Basilisk Station.
CHANGER OF WORLDS is the first Harrington story told from the point of view of the 'cats. In it we learn Nimitz and Samantha's real names as they visit Nimitz's clan prior to the birth of their 'kittens. This story verifies some of the theories floated in previous novels as to why treecats decided to settle en masse on Grayson.
Like some of the other reviewers, I enjoyed NIGHTFALL as a stand-alone story. It describes in much greater detail Esther McQueen's aborted coup attempt. While I was glad to learn more about the incident, however, I feel that this should rightfully have been told as part of a novel format. Perhaps if it had been switched for some of the endless backstory in ASHES OF HONOR, I would feel better about both books.
Finally, Eric Flint's FROM THE HIGHLANDS is a nearly uncredited gem of a story. (You won't find his name anywhere on the cover.) We get to learn what happened to Anton Zilwicki after the death of his Navy-hero wife; it turns out he became a spy and went to Earth. When his daughter is kidnapped, several convergent story lines spring into action, leading to political disillusionment, True Romance, rioting in the streets, an assassination or two, and a general warm fuzzy feeling. I would be delighted if Flint wrote more in this vein, especially if he returned to characters like idealistic SS officer Victor Cachat. This could also be a chance for a lot of Weber fans to check out more of Flint's body of work. I know I will.
To sum up, the three Weber stories are fine appendages to his books. For the most part, they detail events already described in general. While they stand up fairly well as individual stories, they don't really compare to Flint's tale.