The Honor Harrington series and other books in the honorverse by David Weber are ones that I would recommend to any lover of sci-fi. This series begins with 'On Basilisk Station' where we find Commander Honor Harrington and Nimitz of the Manticoran Navy assuming their first command of a battle cruiser. Honor's initial joy at finally having a decent fighting vessel slowly wanes as she realizes the full extent of the drastic retrofit her ship is undergoing as the guinea pig of BuPer's "New Weapon". While using surprise in the first test mock battles to gain victory for her side, this particular modification leaves her defense in unfortunate straights. The ensuing defeats, despite the skill of her crew, leaves her in ill grace with "new weapon's" inventor, and finds them all given one of the least desirable assignments possible, Basilisk Station. Honor must figure out a way to get her disgruntled and depressed crew back in fighting form, as they encounter quite a few more problems than one would expect at a middle of nowhere post like Basilisk. David Weber's detailed and consistent world building is balanced by characters with emotional depth and the realism of multiple points of view, tying different events into a thoroughly engaging ride.