I re-read this whole series whenever I need an escapist world to live in for a while.  And this launch is a terrific beginning.  Aral and Cordelia are so different and yet they share a shining core.  He describes her near the end of the book when someone asks him what he sees in her as "she pours out honor like a fountain all around her."  So does he ... and they explore together what honor requires of them.