Review: Treecat Wars by Weber

 Treecat Wars (Honorverse: Stephanie Harrington #3)

New York Times and Publishers Weekly Best Selling Young Adult Series. Book Three by international writing phenomenon David Weber. Two young settlers on a pioneer planet seeks to stop a war and to save the intelligent alien treecats from exploitation by unscrupulous humans.
The fires are out, but the trouble’s just beginning for the treecats
On pioneer planet Sphinx, ruined lands and the approach of winter force the now Landless Clan to seek new territory. They have one big problem—there’s nowhere to go. Worse, their efforts to find a new home awaken the enmity of the closest treecat clan—a stronger group who’s not giving up a single branch without a fight
Stephanie Harrington, the treecats’ greatest advocate, is off to Manticore for extensive training—and up to her ears in challenges there. That leaves only Stephanie’s best friends, Jessica and Anders, to save the treecats from themselves. And now a group of xenoanthropologists is once again after the great secret of the treecats—that they are intelligent, empathic telepaths—and their agenda will lead to nothing less that treecat exploitation.
Finally, Jessica and Anders face problems of their own, including their growing attraction to one another. It is an attraction that seems a betrayal of Stephanie Harrington, the best friend either of them have ever had.

Publishes in US: Published October 1st 2013 by Baen
Genre: Adult scifi
Source: netgalley
Series? Yes. 3rd

Treecat Wars is the third book following the exploits of Stephanie Harrington, her treecat Lionheart, and a crew consisting of her family, friends, and other treecats. Throughout all of the various series that I’ve read by David Weber, two things always stand out: characters, and world development.

Weber’s main characters are always highly interesting, and highly likeable.  Their personalities are very clearly developed, and show through regardless of whether the characters are in the midst of something good, or struggling for their very lives. Stephanie Harrington is no exception to this trend. Stephanie is smart, focused, funny, and a great deal of fun to follow along. Her direct, no-nonsense approach to dealing with problems and people makes for a lot of entertaining moments.

Weber’s other triumph of character development is the treecat. Whether they’re interacting with humans, or among their clans, the treecats are highly developed characters.  In the treecats, Weber manages to combine a stunning level of intelligence, with the playful spirit of a small kitten, and the curiosity of a toddler. I always find myself laughing along with the treecats as they create their typical brand of lighthearted mischief, and holding my breath when the treecat clans are in trouble from people, or from their environment.

Weber’s other defining characteristic is his world development. He creates very deep, very rich worlds for his characters to live in and interact with. It’s easy to visualize the planet Sphinx, with its vast forests, towering mountains, and deadly predators. He also provides explanations for all of the technology in his futuristic societies, and even though that technology is vastly more advanced than we have in the real world, none of it feels random or tacked on.