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shoelessgirl's review against another edition
3.0
I quite enjoyed this, but felt the characterisation was a bit flat in places. Not sure if I'll continue with the series, particularly with what I know about Moon's political views.
mmwilson920's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
oswallt's review against another edition
3.0
After reading Nathan Lowell's Solar Clipper series and being disappointed by the direction it took, I was hoping this would be similar, but without going off the rails.
While it doesn't devolve into military sci-fi, Trading in Danger is less about the trading that I was hoping for and more about the action filled danger.
Not a horrible story, and I do like other books by the author, but I can't get over my disappointment to continue the series for now.
While it doesn't devolve into military sci-fi, Trading in Danger is less about the trading that I was hoping for and more about the action filled danger.
Not a horrible story, and I do like other books by the author, but I can't get over my disappointment to continue the series for now.
markyon's review against another edition
3.0
When I want something entertaining to read, there are a number of authors I find I can usually rely on to provide what I want. For example, Robin Hobb, Lois McMaster Bujold, Anne McCaffrey – and Elizabeth Moon, who for over 30 years has produced solid, enjoyable, trustworthy entertainment. Her Paksennarrion series is one of the most enjoyable Fantasy series I have read.
However, Ms. Moon’s Vatta’s War series is one that I have tried before – more than once - and not finished. There’s a number of reasons for this, which I will explain further. But if you can get through this first novel, I’m told it gets better.
The plot: Ky Vatta is a highly promising military cadet with a great future ahead of her, until an apparently insignificant act of kindness makes her the focus of the Academy's wrath. She is forced to resign, her dreams shattered.
For the child of a rich trading family, this should mean disgrace on a grand scale. And yet, to her surprise, Ky is offered the captaincy of a ship headed for scrap with its final cargo.
Her orders are absolutely clear, but Ky quickly sees potential profit in altering the parameters of the journey. Because, whatever the risks, it's in her blood to trade - even if the currency is extreme danger.
I first tried reading this novel in about 2005, after finishing a run of reading Ms. McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan series (1986-present). This may be important, for the enjoyment of one may, in part, be the reason not for liking the other one. It is perhaps worth a comparison, as the two series have similar modus operandi.* Both deal with relatively young protagonists put into danger, with both lead characters being siblings in some sort of important family, each with challenges to overcome. Ky’s family is economic based – trade – whilst Miles’s is political.
On the positive side, both stories read well, in that the plot is communicated without strain. Both stories are engaging and kept me reading – this time around, anyway.
My issue is with the characters, and in particular the lead character of Ms. Moon’s novel. In Ms. Bujold’s novels, Miles always felt to me to be a case of “triumph over adversity”, that, instead of violence, the use of intelligence solves the issue. And that was refreshing. Ky, by comparison, is a young woman from a privileged background, not short of funds or influence. And whilst she clearly has to prove her worth, there are times when she seems to not realise how beneficial her background is. Though the author is at pains to show us how alone Ky is at times and how determined she is to stand on her own two feet and not use the family wealth and influence, unlike Miles, I felt less convinced of this in Ky’s case.
In short, the situation means that (to me) Ky is determined to have her cake and eat it (See what I did there? There’s a book reference that I won’t spoil.), using the family credit and influence when things get really tough. Ky always has the family to fall back on - even when they are incommunicado, she knows that they will always have her back eventually. Admittedly, that may also the be the case with Miles, but I didn’t feel it quite as obviously.
Ky is clearly very young, and it is to Ms. Moon’s credit that this is shown continuously through the novel. She makes mistakes and spends much of the book recovering from them. And yet we find her quickly winning people over and individuals willing to risk their lives for her, without too much effort on her part.
There are parts when, unlike Miles, who never seems to really complain and instead get on with making the best of a bad lot, Ky comes across as a little rich girl, crying over how bad things are for her. Her dismissal from the cadets is tempered by having the sympathy and support of important people still within the service, and she retreats to the family plantation to sit by the swimming pool, complain about horses not being available in the stables and wait for her family to organise giving her a job – which so happens to involve her being made Captain of a spaceship. She’s not working from the lowly jobs first, is she?
Now I know that the author is at pains to point out how much training Ky has to do to take command, how difficult her experience is and how inexperienced Ky feels in her new role, which does try to generate sympathy for her. Sympathy is also fostered by pointing out that she doesn’t seem to be a bad person, particularly spiteful or vindictive. Even her dismissal from the Cadets is not for a particularly bad reason, but due to a simple error of judgement (naivety) on her part. Ky is clearly a person who has much to learn at the beginning of the novel and it could be said that her determination to join the Cadets, against family wishes, was in part due to her resolve to break away from the family connections and life of privilege she could take up.
But the set-up still rails with me. Despite all the attempts on the part of the author, I still feel rather aggrieved with the character and the resolution. Would Ky have had these opportunities and be able to survive her challenges without the family leverage? I’m not sure, and, as a result, despite the best efforts of the author, I find it difficult initially to like Ky as a character. (Of course, I’m also aware that this may be the point of the story, that Ky is really some kind of future Scarlett O’Hara.)
Despite my misgivings, once Ky is away from the familial network and having to think on her own two feet, the story becomes more manageable/less strained. Yes, there are coincidences where things happen rather conveniently, and the whole situation seems to scream ‘set-up’, but by the conclusion Ky is a better character than she started as, using solutions that she has had to resolve. Which may be the point of the novel.
I must admit that I am pleased I finished the book. It’s not quite as predictable as I thought it was going to be, which is a good thing in my opinion. There are life-changing consequences as a result of Ky’s actions, which I am sure will reappear in later books, enough so that there were times when I felt sorry for her. By the end Ky is a less gullible, more wary person, determined to show her family and the universe that she can stand on her own two feet – able it with her very loyal crew.
Despite me still feeling that, had it not been for her privileged background bailing her out when she needs it, she would not be in a better place at the end, and despite all of her protests to the opposite, Ky is not as independent as she thinks.
I’m pleased that I have got past my previous issues to finish the novel. Despite my grumbles, the writing is good and there’s enough there at the end of the novel to make the reading worthwhile. Ms. Moon’s a good writer. I will continue reading the series, as I’m sure that they will get better.
*I can also concede the point that a comparison between Ky and David Weber’s Honor Harrington may also be appropriate – but I haven’t read enough of that series myself to make what I consider to be a reasonable comparison.
However, Ms. Moon’s Vatta’s War series is one that I have tried before – more than once - and not finished. There’s a number of reasons for this, which I will explain further. But if you can get through this first novel, I’m told it gets better.
The plot: Ky Vatta is a highly promising military cadet with a great future ahead of her, until an apparently insignificant act of kindness makes her the focus of the Academy's wrath. She is forced to resign, her dreams shattered.
For the child of a rich trading family, this should mean disgrace on a grand scale. And yet, to her surprise, Ky is offered the captaincy of a ship headed for scrap with its final cargo.
Her orders are absolutely clear, but Ky quickly sees potential profit in altering the parameters of the journey. Because, whatever the risks, it's in her blood to trade - even if the currency is extreme danger.
I first tried reading this novel in about 2005, after finishing a run of reading Ms. McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan series (1986-present). This may be important, for the enjoyment of one may, in part, be the reason not for liking the other one. It is perhaps worth a comparison, as the two series have similar modus operandi.* Both deal with relatively young protagonists put into danger, with both lead characters being siblings in some sort of important family, each with challenges to overcome. Ky’s family is economic based – trade – whilst Miles’s is political.
On the positive side, both stories read well, in that the plot is communicated without strain. Both stories are engaging and kept me reading – this time around, anyway.
My issue is with the characters, and in particular the lead character of Ms. Moon’s novel. In Ms. Bujold’s novels, Miles always felt to me to be a case of “triumph over adversity”, that, instead of violence, the use of intelligence solves the issue. And that was refreshing. Ky, by comparison, is a young woman from a privileged background, not short of funds or influence. And whilst she clearly has to prove her worth, there are times when she seems to not realise how beneficial her background is. Though the author is at pains to show us how alone Ky is at times and how determined she is to stand on her own two feet and not use the family wealth and influence, unlike Miles, I felt less convinced of this in Ky’s case.
In short, the situation means that (to me) Ky is determined to have her cake and eat it (See what I did there? There’s a book reference that I won’t spoil.), using the family credit and influence when things get really tough. Ky always has the family to fall back on - even when they are incommunicado, she knows that they will always have her back eventually. Admittedly, that may also the be the case with Miles, but I didn’t feel it quite as obviously.
Ky is clearly very young, and it is to Ms. Moon’s credit that this is shown continuously through the novel. She makes mistakes and spends much of the book recovering from them. And yet we find her quickly winning people over and individuals willing to risk their lives for her, without too much effort on her part.
There are parts when, unlike Miles, who never seems to really complain and instead get on with making the best of a bad lot, Ky comes across as a little rich girl, crying over how bad things are for her. Her dismissal from the cadets is tempered by having the sympathy and support of important people still within the service, and she retreats to the family plantation to sit by the swimming pool, complain about horses not being available in the stables and wait for her family to organise giving her a job – which so happens to involve her being made Captain of a spaceship. She’s not working from the lowly jobs first, is she?
Now I know that the author is at pains to point out how much training Ky has to do to take command, how difficult her experience is and how inexperienced Ky feels in her new role, which does try to generate sympathy for her. Sympathy is also fostered by pointing out that she doesn’t seem to be a bad person, particularly spiteful or vindictive. Even her dismissal from the Cadets is not for a particularly bad reason, but due to a simple error of judgement (naivety) on her part. Ky is clearly a person who has much to learn at the beginning of the novel and it could be said that her determination to join the Cadets, against family wishes, was in part due to her resolve to break away from the family connections and life of privilege she could take up.
But the set-up still rails with me. Despite all the attempts on the part of the author, I still feel rather aggrieved with the character and the resolution. Would Ky have had these opportunities and be able to survive her challenges without the family leverage? I’m not sure, and, as a result, despite the best efforts of the author, I find it difficult initially to like Ky as a character. (Of course, I’m also aware that this may be the point of the story, that Ky is really some kind of future Scarlett O’Hara.)
Despite my misgivings, once Ky is away from the familial network and having to think on her own two feet, the story becomes more manageable/less strained. Yes, there are coincidences where things happen rather conveniently, and the whole situation seems to scream ‘set-up’, but by the conclusion Ky is a better character than she started as, using solutions that she has had to resolve. Which may be the point of the novel.
I must admit that I am pleased I finished the book. It’s not quite as predictable as I thought it was going to be, which is a good thing in my opinion. There are life-changing consequences as a result of Ky’s actions, which I am sure will reappear in later books, enough so that there were times when I felt sorry for her. By the end Ky is a less gullible, more wary person, determined to show her family and the universe that she can stand on her own two feet – able it with her very loyal crew.
Despite me still feeling that, had it not been for her privileged background bailing her out when she needs it, she would not be in a better place at the end, and despite all of her protests to the opposite, Ky is not as independent as she thinks.
I’m pleased that I have got past my previous issues to finish the novel. Despite my grumbles, the writing is good and there’s enough there at the end of the novel to make the reading worthwhile. Ms. Moon’s a good writer. I will continue reading the series, as I’m sure that they will get better.
*I can also concede the point that a comparison between Ky and David Weber’s Honor Harrington may also be appropriate – but I haven’t read enough of that series myself to make what I consider to be a reasonable comparison.
angrywombat's review against another edition
4.0
I'd heard of Elizabeth Moon, and that she apparently wrote good books. I picked the start of one of her series at random and dumped it on the TBR pile.... and I got an awesome surprise when I finally got around to reading it!
Its late, so I'll try to keep this short.
This is the story of Kylara Vatta - the daughter of a shipping magnate who manages to get herself thrown out of the local planetary military academy, and is "hidden away" from the media by being given command of one of her father's ships... a run down junker that is on it's final run to be scrapped. But Ky decides she wants to try to fix the ship up and picks up an extra cargo.... that puts her smack bang in the middle of a war breaking out.
This feels like it was ripped straight out of someone's "Traveller" rpg sessions, and it is awesome. A mix of space ships, military, and trading. Ky is all about making a profit and proving to her family that she is a great captain, she takes risks, deals with problems, and is put under lots of pressure - and comes out successful (at least to some people). We have strange planets and cultures, space stations, trading guilds and pirates.
The only character we really get to know is Kylara Vatta, but she's a great character to get to know :) A little headstrong, a little too trusting, but with a solid moral core and an ambition second to none. Once I learned that there are (at least) 5 more books with her as the main character I gave a little dance of joy!
You'd like this if : You liked "The Expanse" series, you like your scifi to be driven by character decisions.
I'm off to get the next book in the series now!
Its late, so I'll try to keep this short.
This is the story of Kylara Vatta - the daughter of a shipping magnate who manages to get herself thrown out of the local planetary military academy, and is "hidden away" from the media by being given command of one of her father's ships... a run down junker that is on it's final run to be scrapped. But Ky decides she wants to try to fix the ship up and picks up an extra cargo.... that puts her smack bang in the middle of a war breaking out.
This feels like it was ripped straight out of someone's "Traveller" rpg sessions, and it is awesome. A mix of space ships, military, and trading. Ky is all about making a profit and proving to her family that she is a great captain, she takes risks, deals with problems, and is put under lots of pressure - and comes out successful (at least to some people). We have strange planets and cultures, space stations, trading guilds and pirates.
The only character we really get to know is Kylara Vatta, but she's a great character to get to know :) A little headstrong, a little too trusting, but with a solid moral core and an ambition second to none. Once I learned that there are (at least) 5 more books with her as the main character I gave a little dance of joy!
You'd like this if : You liked "The Expanse" series, you like your scifi to be driven by character decisions.
I'm off to get the next book in the series now!
geoffreyjen's review against another edition
4.0
After her fabulous Paksenarrion fantasy series, Elizabeth Moon has turned to science fiction and space opera. Great military story that keeps you reading late into the night. My only disappointments have to do with the use of “tropes” of space opera - FTL drives, “medbox”, “humods” and instant communication via ‘ansible’ (a nod to Ursula Leguin), and other such things which seem a little too easy although they are space opera standards. But that may just be me.
tmpowers's review against another edition
3.0
It was an ok scifi book. I have gone ahead and read the second one and am now about halfway through the 3rd. I don't think I will read the fourth, though. I am getting a little burnt out with the character.
I'm curious about the protagonist kids age. Most of the time she seems like a blood thirsty high schooler who has been given a ridicules amount of responsibility. I assume she is mid collage age given the set up of the story, say 20 or 21. At this age she has been given command of a damn space ship with 10 subordinates who are all clearly stated to be much more qualified than her. The character tries to fight the idea that her position is not a clear example of nepotism when it obviously is.
The main character gets a happy thrill from kill'n folks and will do so at the drop of a hat. Where do all these damn inept assassins keep coming from anyways? Anytime she stops anywhere she, a recent and now booted cadet, has to fend off umpteen attacks on her and/or her people. Every single time she stops for lunch off her ship or even sends some crew out to get food, you can bet that the dessert will be some gun shooting and then an inept police force who only shows up to give the main character a hard time for kill'n a bunch of folks (The idea that any and all government and or peacekeeping officials are always moronic and delusional is just a given of the Vatta universe, I reckon).
I might just be measuring the book unfairly. I found this book as one linked in a "readers also liked list" to the David Weber - Honor Harrington series. I came into these books expecting a slightly more mature and bad-ass Harrington-like character and Kylara and her basically nameless secondary characters do not really measure up. The story feels like a WB channel silly teen version of Honor Harrington.
I don't know, it felt like clunky and formulaic writing to me. No real stand out characters. Only one character that is really developed at all and she is a bit teen angst-y with a some murder thrown in.
I'm being to harsh again with a review, I fear. I will have read 3 of these in the last week, so it couldn't exactly be as terrible as I seem to imply above or I would have tossed the series aside by now. It's an Ok read for a person who loves the space ship captain genre.
I'm curious about the protagonist kids age. Most of the time she seems like a blood thirsty high schooler who has been given a ridicules amount of responsibility. I assume she is mid collage age given the set up of the story, say 20 or 21. At this age she has been given command of a damn space ship with 10 subordinates who are all clearly stated to be much more qualified than her. The character tries to fight the idea that her position is not a clear example of nepotism when it obviously is.
The main character gets a happy thrill from kill'n folks and will do so at the drop of a hat. Where do all these damn inept assassins keep coming from anyways? Anytime she stops anywhere she, a recent and now booted cadet, has to fend off umpteen attacks on her and/or her people. Every single time she stops for lunch off her ship or even sends some crew out to get food, you can bet that the dessert will be some gun shooting and then an inept police force who only shows up to give the main character a hard time for kill'n a bunch of folks (The idea that any and all government and or peacekeeping officials are always moronic and delusional is just a given of the Vatta universe, I reckon).
I might just be measuring the book unfairly. I found this book as one linked in a "readers also liked list" to the David Weber - Honor Harrington series. I came into these books expecting a slightly more mature and bad-ass Harrington-like character and Kylara and her basically nameless secondary characters do not really measure up. The story feels like a WB channel silly teen version of Honor Harrington.
I don't know, it felt like clunky and formulaic writing to me. No real stand out characters. Only one character that is really developed at all and she is a bit teen angst-y with a some murder thrown in.
I'm being to harsh again with a review, I fear. I will have read 3 of these in the last week, so it couldn't exactly be as terrible as I seem to imply above or I would have tossed the series aside by now. It's an Ok read for a person who loves the space ship captain genre.
kindfulkirby's review against another edition
2.0
This book is mostly about money, contracts & logistics.
The protagonist doesn't show a lot of agency outside of these topics, so when she gets into trouble through no fault of her own, she just waits for her enormous (and entirely unexamined) privilege to come rescue her, and make it all end well.
There is one exception to this, where something interesting happens, and she actually does something about it, but… that doesn't make this an interesting or good book.
I was pretty bored by the end, and was glad when I was done with it, but at least it wasn't offensively bad?
4/10
The protagonist doesn't show a lot of agency outside of these topics, so when she gets into trouble through no fault of her own, she just waits for her enormous (and entirely unexamined) privilege to come rescue her, and make it all end well.
There is one exception to this, where something interesting happens, and she actually does something about it, but… that doesn't make this an interesting or good book.
I was pretty bored by the end, and was glad when I was done with it, but at least it wasn't offensively bad?
4/10
cosmoblivion's review against another edition
5.0
In the beginning of the story, I periodically struggled because it seemed too simple? or obvious? But there were these bits going on with the protagonist's inner dialogue that kept promising another aspect to this story. So, I continued reading. By the end, the main reason for reading transformed into the catharsis going on inside this young character. I found myself rooting for her to 'get it' and thinking, if this author doesn't take her there, I will be v e r y unhappy.
More than this I will not say. This may be sort of a spoiler saying this much!
Oh, I could say this! When I closed the book, my thought was, 'is there more?' ...That is the greatest compliment I give a book...
More than this I will not say. This may be sort of a spoiler saying this much!
Oh, I could say this! When I closed the book, my thought was, 'is there more?' ...That is the greatest compliment I give a book...
jrug's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
I wish someone had pitched this to me as, “Paksenarrion in space” - it’s not really accurate, but I’d have read it a lot sooner.
I wish someone had pitched this to me as, “Paksenarrion in space” - it’s not really accurate, but I’d have read it a lot sooner.