Review: Moon Flights by Elizabeth Moon

Moon Flights Elizabeth Moon

Night Shade Books 7.99 us

pb 401 pp collection of stories

When I first received Moon's new book, I went straight to the TOC. One look and I am thinking...what? No stories about trip to the moon? what gives?! So lets talk for a moment about the unfortunate title of this collection....Moon - stories - flights of fancy - ummmm Moon.....Trips! No....Moon - Flights! Yeah! Groan.. And what's with the same ole Vatta style picture on the front...that's downright misleading.

Ok, clumsy title and misleading cover art aside, lets take a moment to talk about the contents.

First off the book opens with an excellent introduction from the grand dame of science fiction Anne McCaffrey. Next we only have to consider Moon's earlier works like the Vatta Wars series or the short story Tideline to realize that she is a major force in the science fiction world. So how does that transfer to Moon Flights. Well consider Elizabeth has included a new Vatta story for the book...that alone should be reason enough to check the book out. Her story "Say Cheese" is a refreshing departure from the War series but still captures the universe well and does it with good humor. But shorts like If Nudity Offends You or Gifts demonstrate a full range of not only the science fiction and mil/sci-fi but well into the fantasy realm as well.

And if this deters you from reading Moon Flights, you're missing out on some of her best examples to date of science fiction and military based science fiction like "Politics"

And there are many more, 15 Stories in all, that straddle the line or land well on either side. What is clear with this compilation is Moon is a force to be reckoned with whatever style or theme she should choose to write in. Thought provoking, intriguing and vastly entertaining are not an overstatement. Well worth checking out!

Review: Victory Conditions by Elizabeth Moon

Victory Conditions
Elizabeth Moon
Release 2008
HC $26 PB $7.99

Other books in the series Command Decision, Engaging the Enemy, Marque and Reprisal, Trading in Danger

The first thing that surprised me about this book is just that it's the fifth book. What does it mean when a serial novel like the Vatta Wars seems much shorter? Is it really that good? Now there is the 10 thousand dollar question isn't it......

In the fifth installment, Ky Vatta has wrangled herself into the leadership of the Space Defense Force with herself as Admiral Vatta. Problem being the SDF is total bluff and sham consisting of her rag tag collection of converted merchant ships. Her cousin Stella has been given the daunting task of rebuilding what is left of Vatta enterprises and Aunt Grace is consolidating her power base back on Slotter Keys. Toby has proved himself an electronic genius by devising an ansible that will change the course of history. Rafe has disappeared back to his home to find his family and start restoring ICS to its previous heights. Ky slowly builds up her fleet but it is clear that her opponent ruthless space pirate Gammis Turek vastly out weights her in manpower and ships. He has made it clear that his intentions are nothing less than total subjugation of Human space and obliteration of Ky and her family.

As impossible as it seems, Moon manages to tie up these loose ends and an equal amount of new ones that crop up in Victory Conditions. By the end she has a very tidy if somewhat Gordian knot with just enough mystery to build another series upon. But the Vatta Wars are ended with book five and I suspect that there are enough (small but interesting) openings in this volume to expand on the milieu if not the series.

Victory Conditions is a well paced book. Many of the male characters are two dimensional, however to be honest they are not major players either. Moon's canvas may be broad and her cast of character large, however her main characters are always in focus even if their motivations are a bit simplistic. I really put down the fourth volume and picked up the fifth without pause. I enjoyed the story line that much. Yes its a bit of a space opera but that's not a bad thing when balanced with a small personalized cast. Victory Conditions is a recommended read for those of you that have read the series. It doesn't stand well on it's own but then it wasn't supposed to. I suggest that if this book intrigues you then get or read the previous volumes first, you won't be disappointed.

REVIEW: Command Decision by Elizabeth Moon

Command Decision by Elizabeth Moon book four in the Vatta Wars series
Ballantine Books
hc 384 pp
24.95

I have always made it known that my favorite recreational reading category is science. I always go a bit further and say that, given the choice, I prefer hard science fiction. Something built on extrapolated science. As always in the very next breath, I break that rule by listing the type of science fiction that I often find myself moth fluttering towards. I really liked Dune, Dragon Riders and of late Elizabeth Moon's Vatta War series. I hear the "but waits' already. Because even to the neophyte, these are a clear cut representation of main line science fiction. But in my mind at least, these series are more of a space opera, bordering on fantasy. Now before you pass out from blowing a gasket, let me explain. These books are high on action and low on science. Most of the science is quasi at best and totally made up impossible for the most part. So what separates them from true fantasy? Well in each example, the milieu is set early on and then scrupulously adhered to. Whether it's huge lizards that can fly and communicate telepathically to FTL and faster than light communication with ansibles. They all work and fail within the rules the author sets. True fantasy will quite often make the rules up as they go.

So how does this apply to Moon's fourth in her Vatta series? Well honestly to put it, and the rest of the books in the series, solidly in the space opera class. Is that a bad thing? Not in my book no. Strong characters, epic battles, truly evil villains, as campy as it sounds, done right and you have a book that can not be put down. And that is the genius of Moon's Vatta Wars series and the fourth in the series Command Decision.

Kylara 'Ky' Vatta is back once again, bent on finding the villains responsible for killing her parents and destroying her home world. Towards this end she works toward building her own space fleet to take on the pirates and beat them at their own game. The sub plots themselves are worked out in more detail as well. Ky's cousin Stella tries to rebuild the family empire, the mysterious Rafael 'Rafe' Dunbarger uncovers a conspiracy that may explain how the Ansible network was so thoroughly destroyed and involving people that could destroy his father's company and ultimately his family itself.

Add in some thoroughly despicable people both pirate and station owners alike and you have an adventure laden novel and and worthy addition to the Vatta series. I am totally honest when I say that I can not wait to start reading the next book in the series.

I give this volume a must read for fans of the Vatta series that haven't picked up the fourth in the series. It's worth it.