** Deus Ex Honor **
I understand the now Honor Harrington books run on a clear formula: Honor does the right thing, ruffles lesser egos, then redeems herself in battle. It’s competence porn, executed with military precision.
Rather than deus ex machina, we get artes armorum a Deo—godlike weapons skills. Last book it was pistols, this time its swords. The climax is usually a well-executed space battle, the kind that’s as much poker math as mayhem.
It’s formulaic. that’s not a problem. The appeal lies in watching someone extraordinarily good at their job prevail, again.