Cauldron of Ghosts


Name:	Cauldron of Ghosts
Author:	David Weber Eric Flint
Publisher:	Baen Books
Publication Date:	8 April 2014
ISBN:	9781476736334
Series:	Crown of Slaves
Previous:	Torch of Freedom

Cauldron of Ghosts is the third book in the Crown of Slaves series, written by Eric Flint and David Weber. It was released on 8 April 2014.

Note: The short stories From the Highlands and Fanatic should be read for better understanding before starting this book.

Timeframe: May – October 1922 PD

Cover Summary

The Mesan Alignment: a centuries-old cabal that seeks to impose its vision of a society dominated by genetic rank onto the human race. Now the conspiracy stands exposed by spies Anton Zilwicki and Victor Cachat — one an agent of Honor Harrington's Star Kingdom of Manticore, the other a Havenite operative. The outing of the Alignment has turned the galaxy's political framework topsy-turvy. Old coalitions have disintegrated. New alliances have been born.

For starters, the long and hard-fought war between the Republic of Haven and the Star Empire of Manticore is not only over, but these bitter enemies have formed a new pact. Their common foe: the Mesan Alignment itself.

But more information is needed to bring the Alignment out of the shadows. Now, defying the odds and relying on genetic wizardry themselves for a disguise, Zilwicki and Cachat return to Mesa—only to discover that even they have underestimated the Alignment's ruthlessness and savagery.

Soon they are on the run in Mesa's underworld, not only hunted by the Alignment but threatened by the exploding conflict on the planet between Mesa's overlords and the brutalized slaves and descendants of slaves who have suffered under their rule for so long. But if Zilwicki and Cachat succeed in rooting out the ancient conspiracy, a great evil may be finally removed from the galaxy—and on a long-oppressed planet, freedom may finally dawn.

Plot

After bringing Mesan scientist Herlander Simões back to Haven, Anton Zilwicki and Victor Cachat decide to return to Mesa to obtain more information on the Mesan Alignment, using a Beowulf-designed physical disguise. They are accompanied by Thandi Palane, Yana Tretiakovna, Andrew Artlett and Steph Turner.

Zilwicki and Cachat's party enter Mesa in several different ways. While attempting to link up with Artlett and Turner, Palane and Cachat encounter an armed robbery attempt in Mendel's Lower Radomsko district and end up killing most of the gang. Cachat presses the survivors into his own newly formed organisation, and also makes contact with Cary Condor, Stephanie Moriarty and Karen Williams, the three survivors of Carl Hansen's seccy group whom he had previously worked with. Using his new position as a local crime lord in Lower Radomsko, Cachat establishes a connection with Jurgen Dusek, crime lord of Neue Rostock.

Meanwhile, Operation Houdini is being accelerated to remove evidence of the Mesan Alignment from the planet before the Grand Alliance can invade the planet. Taking advantage of the supposed precedent of the Green Pines attack, the Alignment launches a series of "terrorist attacks" blamed on the Audubon Ballroom, causing thousands of deaths in which they can conceal the disappearance of people being removed under Houdini. The widespread fatalities, including among families of Mesa's security personnel, soon prompts violent reprisals by the government.

Cachat persuades Dusek to organise a resistance movement against the Mesan security forces, ahead of the crackdown and the eventual overthrow of the current regime. While Cachat, Palane and Tretiakovna aid the resistance effort, Zilwicki returns to Manticore to request a relief fleet from Duchess Harrington. When Office of Public Safety forces enter the seccy districts and begin slaughtering people indiscriminately, the gangs resist violently with stockpiled weapons, inflicting heavy losses on the OPS and driving them back. The Mesan Internal Security Directorate is sent in only to similarly suffer severe casualties until Hancock Tower is destroyed by a large kinetic energy weapon, which causes significant collateral damage in the citizens' area of Mendel. Finally, the Mesan Planetary Peaceforce is deployed to defeat Dusek's forces in Neue Rostock.

Though the MPP is able to finally bring Dusek to the brink of defeat after weeks of fighting, the damage has already been done: the seccy groups in the other districts and Mesa's other cities have managed to organize their own resistance movements, and the illusion of the security forces' invincibility has been permanently shattered. Then shortly before Dusek, Cachat and the others are to make their final stand, the Royal Manticoran Navy's Tenth Fleet under Admiral Gold Peak arrives and takes control of Mesa, bringing the bloody conflict to a close.

Background

An electronic advance reading copy of the book was made available in Baen's e-book shop on January 22, 2014, three months before the release date.

References

Characters

Ships

Magellan

Stations

Planets

Nations

Other

External links

Cauldron of Ghosts on books.simonandschuster.com
Working title reveal at ericflint.net with information from the author in comments 169 and 195
Snippets of the novel on Eric Flint's website

Main Honor Harrington series
HH1	On Basilisk Station	HH8	Echoes of Honor
HH2	The Honor of the Queen	HH9	Ashes of Victory
HH3	The Short Victorious War	HH10	War of Honor
HH4	Field of Dishonor	HH11	At All Costs
HH5	Flag in Exile	HH12	Mission of Honor
HH6	Honor Among Enemies	HH13	A Rising Thunder
HH7	In Enemy Hands	HH14	Uncompromising Honor
Spin off Series
Crown of Slaves		Star Kingdom
CS1	Crown of Slaves	SK1	A Beautiful Friendship
CS2	Torch of Freedom	SK2	Fire Season
CS3	Cauldron of Ghosts	SK3	Treecat Wars
CS4	To End In Fire	SK4	A New Clan
Saganami Island		Manticore Ascendant
SI1	The Shadow of Saganami	MA1	A Call to Duty
SI2	Storm from the Shadows	MA2	A Call to Arms
SI3	Shadow of Freedom	MA3	A Call to Vengeance
SI4	Shadow of Victory	MA4	A Call to Insurrection
Expanded Honorverse
EH1	Toll of Honor
Anthologies
HHA1	More Than Honor	HHA5	In Fire Forged
HHA2	Worlds of Honor	HHA6	Beginnings
HHA3	Changer of Worlds	HHA7	What Price Victory?
HHA4	The Service of the Sword
Tales of Honor Comic Series
TOH1	Tales of Honor #1	TOH4	Tales of Honor #4
TOH2	Tales of Honor #2	TOH5	Tales of Honor #5
TOH3	Tales of Honor #3	TOHV1	Tales of Honor Vol 1