Reviews

Command Decision by Elizabeth Moon

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zwinning's review against another edition

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4.0

This serious is so well written, well paced, and realistic that I try to read every chance I get.

elsazetterljung's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

mary_soon_lee's review against another edition

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This is the fourth and penultimate volume in Elizabeth Moon's Vatta's War series, a series on the space opera end of military science fiction. The conflict from the earlier books continues to develop, and this book weaves together threads from several perspectives to show this. I enjoyed this book considerably. I especially appreciate that Ky -- the central figure of the series -- is a credible, courageous, highly competent, ethical woman, rather than the default male hero or a more erratic woman. Moreover, one of the best of the secondary characters is an elderly woman (Grace, an excellent character).

Significant spoilers ahead.

Spoiler

For me, there were two sections that were hugely compelling as well as entertaining. The first of these was when Rafe uncovered the straits his family was in and then tried to rescue them. The second was the battle that Ky fought near the book's end. I like Ky a great deal, but her growing military competence is coupled with a certain detachment that she now usually possesses. This, in turn, makes me less viscerally concerned about what's happening during the scenes from her point of view -- except, as indicated, in the thick of battle. This sounds harsher than it is. There were many points where the author reinforced my liking for Ky, such as the moment in chapter 20 when Ky pauses to absorb the destruction of an enemy ship, acknowledging the weight of the deaths.

I'm greatly looking forward to seeing how the series concludes.

About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).

ammbooks's review against another edition

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5.0

I love the strong characters that Ms. Moon creates. They are very human with flaws as well as "perfection" in honor - duty - courage.

jmkemp's review against another edition

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4.0

I read this very quickly. It was a great continuation of the series and managed to have a few twists in it as well as some usual predictable pieces too, which is good because it made it satisfying as a story. I like that there is a wide range of aspects to the series. More than just a series of space battles and shipboard routine. There are legal elements, corporate governance, organised crime and government. On top of all of that there is a good layer of human interaction and emotion from some flawed characters that you can empathise with.