A Beautiful Friendship (Honorverse: Stephanie Harrington, #1) (ARC)

New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal and international bestselling phenomenon David Weber delivers the first entry in an original young adult science fiction adventure series, the Star Kingdom saga! Young teen Stephanie Harrington forms a telepathic bond with an intelligent alien treecat on a pioneer planetand must fight for the freedom of her new friend and his species against highly-placed enemies determined to claim the world for humans only. Stephanie Harrington always expected to be a forest ranger on her homeworld of Meyerdahl . . . until her parents relocated to the frontier planet of Sphinx in the far distant Star Kingdom of Manticore. It should have been the perfect new home --- a virgin wilderness full of new species of every sort, just waiting to be discovered. But Sphinx is a far more dangerous place than ultra-civilized Meyerdahl, and Stephanies explorations come to a sudden halt when her parents lay down the law: no trips into the bush without adult supervision! Yet Stephanie is a young woman determined to make discoveries, and the biggest one of all awaits her: an intelligent alien species. The forest-dwelling treecats are small, cute, smart, and have a pronounced taste for celery. And they are also very, very deadly when they or their friends are threatened . . . as Stephanie discovers when she comes face-to-face with Sphinxs most lethal predator after a hang-gliding accident. But her discoveries are only beginning, for the treecats are also telepathic and able to bond with certain humans, and Stephanies find --- and her first-of-its kind bond with the treecat Climbs Quickly --- land both of them in a fresh torrent of danger. Galactic-sized wealth is at stake, and Stephanie and the treecats are squarely in the path of highly-placed enemies determined to make sure the planet Sphinx remains entirely in human hands, even if that means the extermination of another thinking species. Unfortunately for those enemies, the treecats have saved Stephanie Harringtons life. She owes them . . . and Stephanie is a young woman who stands by her friends. Which means things are about to get very interesting on Sphinx.About A Beautiful Friendship: Its rare to find teen science fiction that strays beyond popular dystopian fare. The environmental messages, human-animal friendship, humor, action, and inventive technology will make this series starter an easy hit. . . .BooklistAbout David Weber and the Honor Harrington series:. . .everything you could want in a heroine.excellentplenty of action.Science Fiction AgeBrilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant!Anne McCaffreyCompelling combat combined with engaging characters for a great space opera adventure.LocusWeber combines realistic, engaging characters with intelligent technological projection. . .Fans of this venerable space opera will rejoice. . .Publishers Weekly Comprehensive Teacher's Guide available. Enter Series Index : 01 of 03 ES Group : Serified_AnE Calc Series A (group): Star Kingdom Test Search : Beautiful Friendship / David Weber Test Compare Series to Entered: eq Formats : EPUB, ZAB Calc ESI Combined : 01 of 190 Quick Search : David Weber Star Kingdom ABook : Have Has Cover : Yes All Identifiers : ff:w/david-weber/beautiful-friendship, goodreads:10894503, google:JhH3tgAACAAJ, isbn:9781451637472 Test Text Series Index: 1 Single Author : David Weber Raw Title : Beautiful Friendship Calc ESI Part 2 : of Sorted Author by LN, FN: Weber, David EBook : Have Calc Series Group : Star Kingdom Title Length : 20 Num of Aut : 1 ES Cover Quality : ICBF Record ID : 88 Enter New Series (Calced): Serified_AnE.Star Kingdom.Scifan.01 of 03..ICBF ES Name : Star Kingdom Uncomma Author : David Weber Number of Words in Auth: 2 ES Genre : Scifan Calc New Series : Star Kingdom.... Calc ESI Part 3 : 03 Compare Author : eq Calc ESI Part 1 : 01 Title Parm A : Beautiful Friendship New York Times, Usa Today, Wall Street Journal And International Bestselling Phenomenon David Weber Delivers The First Entry In An Original Young Adult Science Fiction Adventure Series, The Star Kingdom Saga! Young Teen Stephanie Harrington Forms A Telepathic Bond With An Intelligent Alien Treecat On A Pioneer Planet—and Must Fight For The Freedom Of Her New Friend And His Species Against Highly-placed Enemies Determined To Claim The World For Humans Only. Stephanie Harrington Always Expected To Be A Forest Ranger On Her Homeworld Of Meyerdahl . . . Until Her Parents Relocated To The Frontier Planet Of Sphinx In The Far Distant Star Kingdom Of Manticore. It Should Have Been The Perfect New Home --- A Virgin Wilderness Full Of New Species Of Every Sort, Just Waiting To Be Discovered. But Sphinx Is A Far More Dangerous Place Than Ultra-civilized Meyerdahl, And Stephanie’s Explorations Come To A Sudden Halt When Her Parents Lay Down The Law: No Trips Into The Bush Without Adult Supervision! Yet Stephanie Is A Young Woman Determined To Make Discoveries, And The Biggest One Of All Awaits Her: An Intelligent Alien Species. The Forest-dwelling Treecats Are Small, Cute, Smart, And Have A Pronounced Taste For Celery. And They Are Also Very, Very Deadly When They Or Their Friends Are Threatened . . . As Stephanie Discovers When She Comes Face-to-face With Sphinx’s Most Lethal Predator After A Hang-gliding Accident. But Her Discoveries Are Only Beginning, For The Treecats Are Also Telepathic And Able To Bond With Certain Humans, And Stephanie’s Find --- And Her First-of-its Kind Bond With The Treecat Climbs Quickly --- Land Both Of Them In A Fresh Torrent Of Danger. Galactic-sized Wealth Is At Stake, And Stephanie And The Treecats Are Squarely In The Path Of Highly-placed Enemies Determined To Make Sure The Planet Sphinx Remains Entirely In Human Hands, Even If That Means The Extermination Of Another Thinking Species. Unfortunately For Those Enemies, The Treecats Have Saved Stephanie Harrington’s Life. She Owes Them . . . And Stephanie Is A Young Woman Who Stands By Her Friends. Which Means Things Are About To Get Very Interesting On Sphinx. About A Beautiful Friendship: “it’s Rare To Find Teen Science Fiction That Strays Beyond Popular Dystopian Fare. The Environmental Messages, Human-animal Friendship, Humor, Action, And Inventive Technology Will Make This Series Starter An Easy Hit. . . .”—booklist About David Weber And The Honor Harrington Series: “. . .everything You Could Want In A Heroine....excellent...plenty Of Action.”—science Fiction Age “brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant!”—anne Mccaffrey “compelling Combat Combined With Engaging Characters For A Great Space Opera Adventure.”—locus “weber Combines Realistic, Engaging Characters With Intelligent Technological Projection. . .fans Of This Venerable Space Opera Will Rejoice. . .”—publishers Weekly Comprehensive Teacher's Guide Available. Stephanie Harrington absolutely hates being confined inside her family’s compound on the pioneer planet of Sphinx, a frontier wilderness world populated by dangerous native animals that could easily tear a human to bits and pieces. Yet Stephanie is a young woman determined to make discoveries—and the biggest discovery of all awaits her: an intelligent alien species.Treecats are creatures that resemble a cross between a bobcat and a lemur (but with six legs and much more deadly claws). Not only are they fully sentient, they are also telepathic, and able to bond with certain gifted humans such as the genetically-enhanced Stephanie. But Stephanie’s find, and her first-of-its-kind bond with a treecat, brings on a new torrent of danger. An assortment of highly placed enemies with galactic-sized wealth at stake is determined to make sure that the planet of Sphinx remains entirely in human hands—even if this means the extermination of another thinking species.The first entry in a new teen series and the origin saga for the incredibly popular, multiple New York Times and USA Today bestselling Honor Harrington adult science fiction adventures. Young Stephanie Harrington is none other than the founder of a pioneering family dynasty that is destined to lead the fight for humanity’s freedom in a dangerous galaxy.At the publisher’s request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).Lexile Score: 1140Publishers Weekly Dec 12, 2011Weber, the bestselling creator of the Honor Harrington books, digs into prequel territory with this series launch starring Stephanie Harrington, Honor’s ancestress. While Weber’s adult fanbase will find much to enjoy, teenage readers may find the expository writing and adult politics off-putting.An only child and a prodigy, Stephanie is 11 when the story begins, isolated and bored on the newly colonized planet Sphinx. The colonists are unaware they are under surveillance by a race of sentient, six-legged felines until someone notices small thefts. Stephanie decides to catch the thief, but instead establishes a strange, empathic link with the marauding “treecat,” Climbs Quickly. Stephanie deals with interstellar politics and local bigotry as she develops her connection with Climbs Quickly.There’s a strong whiff of 1950s Heinlein to this story, especially in the roles allotted to women: though Stephanie gets older, she does not mature, nor does she apparently experience puberty, and her increasing self-control is largely attributed to Climbs Quickly’s influence. Nevertheless, the profound connection between Stephanie and her treecat will likely maintain readers’ interests through the more challenging aspects of Weber’s world-building.Ages 12 up. Stephanie Harrington absolutely hates being confined inside her family's compound on the pioneer planet of Sphinx, a frontier wilderness world populated by dangerous native animals that could easily tear a human to bits and pieces. Yet Stephanie is a young woman determined to make discoveries—and the biggest discovery of all awaits her: an intelligent alien species. Treecats are creatures that resemble a cross between a bobcat and a lemur (but with six legs and much more deadly claws). Not only are they fully sentient, they are also telepathic, and able to bond with certain gifted humans such as the genetically-enhanced Stephanie. But Stephanie's find, and her first-of-its-kind bond with a treecat, brings on a new torrent of danger. An assortment of highly placed enemies with galactic-sized wealth at stake is determined to make sure that the planet of Sphinx remains entirely in human hands—even if this means the extermination of another thinking species. At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). Lexile Score: 1140 Stephanie Harrington always expected to be a forest ranger on her homeworld of Meyerdahl... until her parents relocated to the frontier planet of Sphinx in the distant Star Kingdom of Manticore. It should have been the perfect new home - a virgin wilderness full of new species of every sort, just waiting to be discovered. But Sphinx is a far more dangerous place than ultra-civilized Meyerdahl, and Stephanie's explorations come to a sudden halt when her parents lay down the law: no unsupervised trips into the wild! Yet Stephanie is a young woman determined to make discoveries, and the biggest one of all awaits her: an intelligent alien species. The forest-dwelling treecats are small, cute, smart, and have a pronounced taste for celery. And they are also very, *very* deadly when they or their friends are threatened... as Stephanie discovers when she comes face-to-face with Sphinx's most lethal predator. Twelve-year-old Stephanie Harrington, a genetically-enhanced girl on the pioneer planet of Sphinx, bonds with a treecat, a telepathic and fully sentient animal, putting her in danger from highly placed enemies who want to ensure that the planet remains entirely in human hands. At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). Lexile Score: 1140