Book Review - On Basilisk Station

To me a good speculative fiction novel, whether it be sci-fi or fantasy, should not need too much explaining.  It is necessary to let the reader know how the universe the writer has created works, but that can be revealed more subtly than pages of straight up explanation.  I do understand that a writer can go to far in the other direction, and not explain enough, but I almost never run into that.

I recently read the first book in the Honor Harrington series called On Basilisk Station.  This is considered a classic sci-fi novel, and I've been meaning to read it for some time.  I've tried to read this book several times, and what held me back was the same thing that has always held me back form straight up sci-fi.  I don't like the endless explaining, and this book has that at several point
So if you're a sci-fi reader, then you should be used to that problem, and are ready to look past it.  If that's the case, I'll recommend the book.  The book represents believable problems, with believable solutions.  It also contains some action, and a good mystery.

When I say a good mystery, I mean one that is presented to the reader, along with clues that the reader can use to solve it.  I spent the the majority of the book thinking about it, but I didn't get it.  All the clues were there though, so that's my own fault.

As for the universe created, it might be a little plain, but it's also very believable, and I could see new technological developments in later books adding a twist.