A Call to Arms

David Weber · Timothy Zahn · Thomas Pope

Sep 2015 · Manticore Ascendant Book 2 · Baen Publishing Enterprises

About this ebook

From multiple New York Times best selling author David Weber and #1 New York Times best selling author Timothy Zahn. NEW ENTRY IN BEST-SELLING SERIES. Book #2 in the Manticore Ascendant series, set in David Weber's Honorverse.

Lieutenant Travis Long of the Royal Manticoran Navy is the sort of person who likes an orderly universe. One where people follow the rules.

Unfortunately, he lives in the real universe.

The good news is that Travis is one of those rare people who may like rules but has a talent for thinking outside them when everything starts coming apart. That talent has stood him¾and the Star Kingdom¾in good stead in the past, and its one reason hes now a _mustang,Ó an ex-enlisted man whos been given a commission as a Kings officer.

The bad news is that two of the best ways of making enemies ever invented are insisting on enforcing the rules . . . and thinking outside them when other people dont. Travis learned that lesson the hard way as a young volunteer in basic training, and he knows that if he could just keep his head down, turn a blind eye to violations of the rules, and avoid stepping on senior officers toes, hed do just fine. But the one rule Travis Long absolutely cant break is the one that says an officer in the Royal Navy does his duty, whatever the consequences.

At the moment, there are powerful forces in the young Star Kingdom of Manticores Parliament which dont think they need him. For that matter, theyre pretty sure they dont need the Royal Manticoran Navy, either. After all, what does a sleepy little single-system star nation on the outer edge of the explored galaxy need with a navy?

Unhappily for them, the edge of the explored galaxy can be a far more dangerous place than they think it is. Theyre about to find out why they need the Navy . . . and how very, very fortunate they are that Travis Long is in it.

At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

Praise for prequel A Call to Duty:

"This exciting book marks the first collaboration of two powerhouses . . . fans of both writers should be quite pleased with the result. Like Robert A. Heinlein and Orson Scott Card, Weber and Zahn are telling a story about a teenage character but writing for readers of all ages."_Booklist

"A new series set in the universe of Weber's popular heroine Honor Harrington gets off to a solid start. . . . Cowriters Zahn and Weber do an excellent job alluding to events known to longtime fans. . . . [T]his astronautical adventure is filled with . . . intrigue and political drama."_Publishers Weekly

About the Honor Harrington series:

_Weber combines realistic, engaging characters with intelligent technological projection and a deep understanding of military bureaucracy in this long-awaited Honor Harrington novelãFans of this venerable space opera will rejoice to see Honor back in action.Ó_Publishers Weekly

_. . .everything you could want in a heroine ã. Excellent ã plenty of action.Ó_Science Fiction Age

_Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant!Ó_Anne McCaffrey

_Compelling combat combined with engaging characters for a great space opera adventure.Ó_Locus

_Weber combines realistic, engaging characters with intelligent technological projection . . . Fans of this venerable space opera will rejoice . . .Ó_Publishers Weekly

About Timothy Zahn:

_Zahn keeps the story moving at a breakneck pace, maintaining excitement.Ó¾Publishers Weekly

"[Y]ou can count on Timothy Zahn for three things: clean, sparse prose; good pacing; and great action scenes. The first book in the Cobra War series hits all those marks in admirable style and makes for a quick, entertaining sci-fi novel." ¾Blogcritics

_[Conquerors Heritage] is another finely wrought space adventure . . . [with] social, political and emotional complications, all of which Zahn treats with his usual skill.Ó¾Booklist

_Zahn paints every detail [in Angelmass] with gleamy realism . . . scientific dialogue that streams with starship hardware and military trooper talk . . . immensely appealing.Ó¾Kirkus Review

Ratings and reviews

Zahn is still a bit more into creating a single hero central to everything than I'd like, but it's fun reading nonetheless.

fascinating for both the fighting and the politics. well written with believable and interesting characters . a true page turner I saw at 120 in the morning.

Zhan and Weber are a wonderful team that play off each other's strengths.

About the author

With over seven million copies of his books in print and seventeen titles on the New York Times bestseller list, David Weber is the science fiction publishing phenomenon of the new millennium. In the hugely popular Honor Harrington series, the spirit of C.S. Foresters Horatio Hornblower and Patrick OBrians Master and Commander lives on into the galactic future. Books in the Honor Harrington and Honorverse series have appeared on fourteen best-seller lists, including those of The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and USA Today. While Weber is best known for his spirited, modern-minded space operas, he is also the creator of the Oath of Swords fantasy series and the Dahak saga, a science fiction and fantasy hybrid. Weber is has also engaged in a steady stream of bestselling collaborations including his Starfire series with Steve White, which produced the New York Times bestseller The Shiva Option among others. Webers collaboration with alternate history master Eric Flint led to the bestselling 1634: The Baltic War, and his planetary adventure novels with military science fiction ace and multiple national best-seller John Ringo includes the blockbusters March to the Stars and We Few. Finally, Webers teaming with Linda Evans produced the bestselling Multiverse series. David Weber makes his home in South Carolina with his wife and children.

Timothy Zahn is a Hugo award winner and author of the #1 New York Times best seller Heir to the Empire. Born in Chicago, Zahn earned a B.S. in physics from Michigan State University and an M.S. in physics from the University of Illinois. He sold his first story to Analog magazine in 1978, and immediately attracted attention as a new writer of science fiction based on real, cutting-edge science. Other Zahn creations include the Conqueror and Dragonback series. His books for Baen include his popular Cobra SF adventure series and now the Manticore Ascendant series, cowritten with David Weber. The Timothy Zahn author page on Facebook has received over 50,000 likes and can be visited at http://www.facebook.com/TimothyZahn.

Thomas Pope is the founder of BuNine, a collection of professionals assisting David Weber in defining and documenting the Honorverse. Tom served as lead editor for House of Steel and is collaborating with David and Timothy Zahn on a new series set in the early days of the Manticoran Navy. He lives in Pittsburgh with his wife, two children, and a constantly growing menagerie of pets.