Honor Harrington has escaped from the prison planet called Hell and has returned to the Manticoran Alliance with almost half a million freed prisoners. The Salamander once more finds herself at the heart of war, but this time the furnace may be too hot for even a salamander to survive.

Two civilizations in different universes blunder closer to war. One is a pre-industrial society whose weapon of choice is magic. The other is a Victorian-style culture whose technology is based on steam and psionics.

Michelle Henke, Queen Elizabeth of Manticore's first cousin, Honor Harrington's best friend, and the commanding officer of Manticore's Tenth Fleet, is just a bit surprised when a messenger arrives from the Mobius System to inform her that the Mobius Liberation Front is prepared to rise in rebellion against the hated regime President Svein Lombroso. She has no orders from her government to assist any rebellions or liberation movements, she's short...

"After a brutal attack on the Manticoran home system, Honor Harrington has rooted out a plan designed to enslave the entire human species. Behind that plans lies the shadowy organization known as the Mesan Alignment. Task #1 for Honor is to shut down and secure the wormhole network that is the source of the Star Kingdom's wealth and power--but also its greatest vulnerability. Yet this is an act that the ancient and corrupt Earth-based Solarian League...

"The Mesan Alignment has a plan--one it's been working on for centuries. A plan to remake the galaxy and genetically improve the human race--its way. Until recently, things have gone pretty much as scheduled but then the Alignment hit two bumps in the road: one called the Star Empire of Manticore, the other named Honor Harrington. In order to undercut Manticore's galaxy-wide reputation as a star nation of its word, it launched Operation Janus--a false-flag...

The new government of the Star Kingdom has brazenly ignored the wishes of Queen Elizabeth--threatening to end a shaky ceasefire agreement and destroy the very fabric of the Manticore Alliance against the terrorist Committee of Public Safety. As a senior political advisor, Honor has seen the cost of war on her people and vows to restore the Republic of Haven's ancient Constitution--or die trying. No one wanted another war. Thomas Theisman didn't....

"The war between magically gifted Arcana and psionically talented Sharona continues to rage. The dragon-borne Arcanan assault across five universes has been halted but at atrocious cost. One of those was the life of Crown Prince Janaki, heir to the newly created Sharonian empire, who went knowingly to his death. Another price will be the sacrifice of his younger sister, Grand Imperial Princess Andrin, now heir of Sharona. Andrin bears her family's...

Rear Admiral Michelle Henke was commanding one of the ships in a force led by Honor Harrington in an all-out space battle. The odds were against the Star Kingdom forces, and they had to run. But Michelle's ship was crippled, and had to be destroyed to prevent superior Manticoran technology from falling into Havenite hands, and she and her surviving crew were taken prisoner. Much to her surprise, she was repatriated to Manticore, carrying a request...

"Yesterday, the Star Kingdom of Manticore was a small, unimportant interstellar backwater. A quiet little star nation, only recently recovered from the devastating blow of the Plague Years. More affluent than some, perhaps, but with little to attract trade or interstellar commerce, it had little need for a navy... and even less interest in paying for one. But Manticore has now become a target. The Star Kingdom isn't certain who is attacking it, or...

Banking on a short, victorious war to replenish their depleted treasury, the ruling class of the People's Republic of Haven do not count on coming up against Captain Honor Harrington and the Royal Manticoran Navy.