Customer Reviews

Marque and Reprisal [With Earbuds] (Playaway Adult Fiction)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Captain Kylara Vatta has only recently come out of a full blown war, only to land directly into another one. Or is it a different one? Kylara finally makes her way to Lastway, the originally scheduled final stop for her commercial carrier when she receives disturbing news of attacks on her homeland and on Vatta Transport and the family. But unfortunately, the communication ansibles have been knocked out and she is playing in the dark. Her military training is what spurts her to take the offensive, and even though she does not yet know who the enemy is, she begins to prepare her commercial ship for war time defense. Yet, she struggles to balance her financial and is constantly interrupted by attempts made on her life.

And then, totally unexpectedly, her cousin, Stella shows up. The "bimbo blonde" who gave the family codes to her first lover and is generally viewed as useless by the family. Except that Kylara realizes that Stella, much like herself, has been pigeonholed by the family and underneath the bubblehead, there is a sophisticated spy who has been working for the Vatta family business for years. Stella has brought along partners, Rafe and the young Vatta cousin, Toby; and the terrible news that both of Kylara's parents and Stella's parents have perished in the attacks.

Kylara quickly makes use of her new resources and launches a serious mission that entails survival of her ship and crew, saving Vatta family members, and identifying and removing the enemy. Except that they still have no idea who the enemy is. Rafe, whose background is as obscure as Stella's, provides some clues. And Kylara gains an unexpected ally when a mercenary force offers its services to her ... for a small fee: trade and profit.

All her allies have secrets, but so does Kylara herself. Someone she knew at the academy sends her an unusual package, the contents of which could help, but also hinder, Kylara's mission. And she has yet to divulge to her friends how she feels about killing people.

In all, this second book in the series matches the first for characterization and plot. It's slow moving at the beginning, but the second half of the book picks up pace quickly, like its predecessor. Circumstances twist so that the heroine is forced in a direction that leaves few choices. Kylara is a likeable, yet not perfect, heroine. She makes mistakes, some of them deadly, but lands on her feet in the end, earning respect from her peers and readers alike.

As with all of Moon's books, this work makes for an enjoyable read.

Letters of marque and reprisal were the thin legal cover given to private armed warships allowing them to attack other vessels and not be considered pirates. Well, sometimes to not be considered pirates.

In this well-paced and well-written space opera, Moon uses a traditional plot device, placing her young heroine in danger with no backup and just barely enough resources to fight her way out of it. The pacing is fast and the plot is sound. The characterization is almost entirely static and not a particular strength of the novel, but it is plenty good enough to sustain the story.

While this is technically the second book in the series, the first one was substantially inferior and really does not have to be read in order to enjoy the current offering. And have no doubt that this is a series -- far too many plot threads are left open at the end of the novel for it to be anything else.

The setting is the deep space version of the Caribbean, where trading vessels ply the spaceways between independent planets, pirates prey on the traders, and the only military/police protection available are mercenaries and privateers. The most successful of these tradeship consortiums is Vatta Transport -- until someone attacks both the Vatta family and the Vatta company in one devestating blow. At the same time, someone has also attacked the company that holds the exclusive monopoly on faster-than-light interstellar communication. Since ISC and Vatta have longstanding ties, the two attacks are almost certainly tied together.

With the family in shambles and all communications compromised, it falls to Ky Vatta, the young hero of TRADING IN DANGER, to somehow survive, gather up her remaining family, and strike back at whoever has attacked Vatta. Along the way she picks up a few more resources and a few more allies, but also makes a few more enemies.

Marque and Reprisal is space opera in the classic 1950's vein, reminiscent of, say, Heinline juvenile novels of that vintage. Basically this is a fast paced adventure yarn that revels in its use of pulp magazine forms from that era.

In case it isn't clear, this is the second book in a new series, and this book makes no effort to be a standalone entity (although you could probably read it on its own, you shouldn't bother: TRADING IN DANGER, the first, is a perfectly good read).

Moon's a good writer and she uses all of her considerable talent to distract the reader from questioning the amazing coincidences and other events that populate the plot here. She's got the pace and breathlessness of space opera down pat and her arm-waving moves you right along, wondering where heroine Ky Vatta will end up and how she'll get there. The core story is fun. The twists and turns come briskly and are entertaining.

I found the front half of the book a bit odd. The technology, writing, and "sandbox" of the book is lifted right from the 50's, before cell phones and the Web and so forth... and that style directly aped XIXth Century sailing adventure novels. Horatio Hornblower would feel right at home striding the deck with our (somewhat two-dimensional) cast of characters. It isn't just a space opera, but a solid pastiche of what used to pass for pulp magazine adventure stories. Even the incredibly-convenient-but-wholly-improbable "open door in the alleyway" bit is entirely in keeping with the homage.

As the book progresses, things get a bit more modern in their sensibility and style and the action bits at the end feel more like 80s Hammer's Slammers than 50s Starship Troopers.

I fret for the future of this series, which seems to be building up a number of inconvenient facts and a lot of stray detail and inconsistencies, but this book and its predecessor are good solid fun. Well recommended.

Picked up Trading in Danger from a bargain bin a while ago and quite enjoyed it. Saw this sequel (Marque and Reprisal) in the bookshop and picked it up for a bit of light reading. Was pleasantly surprised - far better than the first book in the series, not much by away of plot but lots of good action, well-written, all in all it delivers what it promises. Don't expect a David Weber & Honor Harrington saga, but on the other hand I did have a hard time putting it down.

The second in a series with Captain Kyarla Vatta young scone of the Vatta traiding family on Slotter Key is a great read. I received the book yesterday afternoon and finished reading it for the first time last night. I could not put the book down. The action and the personalities kept me rivited to my chair.

Much better than the first book in the series, the author Elizabeth Moon does an excellant job of developing the characters and the plot without any sudden radical twists; yet at the same time keeping you following the story line without the inevitable outcome known long in advance. Not to spoil the story for anyone the ending does not come out like I expected. Still it is a very good read and a wounderful characterization of the young Captain as she developes her skills, adjusts to meet the changed circumsances, and finds she must make many difficult decisions quickly. She has advice from her crew and other employees, however the buck stops with her the Captain of Vatta shipping and daughter of the CFO.

Elizabeth Moon has made even relatively minor patricipants real. They are there and you can clearly see them, thier thought processes, and the action.

Great Job keep the series coming.

I strongly recommend this book. Its even better than the first book in the series; however that book should be read first if you are looking at the whole series. It will place somethings and actions in a clearer context for the reader.

I enjoyed this as a light read, with enough character and pace to make me want to read more. A bit like peanuts, you can't have just one. Compares favourably with early Heinlein.

Welcome aboard the Gary Tobai, cargo specialist! Prepare yourself for a crash course in murder, mercenaries, mutiny, and letters of marque. Writing a sequel to "Trading in Danger" might be considered a tall order, but Elizabeth Moon proves she's up to the task with "Marque and Reprisal." The daring, young heroine, Kylara Vatta, newest captain in the Vatta Transport fleet, returns in this sweeping adventure filled with action, suspense, intrigue, combat... and a puppy.

After the near disastrous events in the Sabine system, Kylara finds herself, her crew, and her ship facing some very tough odds. Ky has no choice but to plunge onward relying on her seasoned crew, her training and intuition, and sometimes just a little luck. Attacks against Vatta Transport, the communications assets of ISC, and the Vatta family itself leave Captain Kylara Vatta of the Gary Tobai isolated from direct aid and consul from corporate headquarters. She is left with little choice but to improvise after learning of the widespread attacks upon Vatta headquarters, ships, and personnel. Ky formulates a three step plan that encompasses their best hope for survival: locate and protect surviving Vatta family members, identify the source of the attacks against the Vatta family and assets, and conduct a counterattack against those enemies.

Along the way, Ky gathers allies to help her in her mission. Stella, a cousin whose past mistakes have marked her as a black sheep; Rafe, a shady character from Stella's less than laudable early years; fourteen-year-old Toby Vatta, lone survivor of the destruction of the Ellis Fabery; and the mercenaries of the Mackensee Military Assistance Corporation. Attempts on her life by unknown assassins, run-ins with the police while her ship is docked, problems caused by failure of the ISC communications system, the attempted destruction of her ship, and the sense that disaster is always lurking just out of view all combine to keep one turning pages. My pang of disappointment at the end of the book, when I realized there were no more pages to read, was tempered by the knowledge that "Engaging the Enemy" will be available next spring. I know I'll be waiting in line for my copy.

"Marque and Reprisal" stands on its own but, since it was intended as the second in a series of novels, it may suffer a loss of impact and continuity if one has not read "Trading in Danger," the first book of the series. Enough background information is doled out to cobble together a vague awareness of earlier exploits, but reading the books of the "Vatta's War" series in order will lend a much greater understanding of the action in "Marque and Reprisal," particularly the action detailed in the first few chapters.

Moon's accessible style of writing lends itself well to development of well-defined characters within a believable star-faring society. The end result is this briskly paced and thoroughly enjoyable interstellar escapade. So, if science fiction adventure is your cup of tea, take a big sip.

I was a little doubtful before the start of this series. A family of freighter operators? I was pleasantly surprised to find Trading in in Danger an excellent book, and the sequel, Marque and Reprisal is even better, possibly Moon's best SF warfare book in years. Ky Vanta is a combination of Herris Serano and Esmay Suiza, so if you liked Moon's other series you'll love this one. The action and tension are maintained throughout, with a complex plot and great characters. This is one of those rare books I picked up and didn't want to put down, much better than her Suiza series, which is pretty good in itself.

Once you start MARQUE AND REPRISAL, it's a hard book to put down. I heard Elizabeth Moon read an excerpt from this before it was published, and had to wait impatiently for many weeks to find out what happened next. MARQUE AND REPRISAL is a delightful read for anybody who enjoys a good space opera. If you like strong female characters, you'll love it.

MARQUE AND REPRISAL is apparently the second volume of a great new series from the reliably fine Moon. I missed the first in the series (TRADING DANGER). I will go back to read it, as I loved this one. If you read this out of order (as I did), note that Moon does a great job of telling you what you need to know. I never had the annoying sense of having missed something.

MARQUE AND REPRISAL delivers everything I look for in a space adventure series novel. The book kept me up late, as chapter after chapter had me asking, "What then? What's next?"

At the beginning of MARQUE AND REPRISAL, we meet Kylara Vatta, reluctant tradeship captain. She wanted a military life, a life of adventure, but was expelled from the Slotter Key Spaceforce Academy. Life is looking boring and mundane. Very quickly, though, life becomes anything but boring or mundane. Someone is out to destroy the Vatta family. Someone who had connections with the Slotter Key government. Ky Vatta is up against a conspiracy. They are almost certainly out to get her, too, and she does not even know why.

Over the course of the book, Ky gathers a motley crew, a cast of characters we enjoy meeting, and that we will look forward to seeing more of in future books. A very few Vattas survive, and one hooks her up with a charming and unreliable con man, Rafe. We even rescue a Jack Russell terrier, Puddles. I don't want to say much, as I don't want to spoil any surprises.

MARQUE AND REPRISAL delivers a satisfying ending, but leaves enough still to explore that we can hope for many more volumes of this highly entertaining series. I am going back to read TRADING DANGER, and can't wait to read the next installment!

Marque and Reprisal (to be titled Moving Target in GB) is another fine story from Elizabeth Moon about Ky Vatta, just starting as a merchant spaceship captain.

It's well up to the standard of Trading in Danger, and indeed her
previously recommendable Sassinak and Once a Hero.

Ky now has to deal with widespread and deadly attacks on the family shipping line, on its ships and on her parents and kin, and thoughout the book any time she turns round someone with a gun, bomb or poison is likely to be at hand. The Vatta home planet's politicians decide Vattas are too dangerous to be around.

We meet more of the Vatta family and a range of shady and undercover characters, some more of EM's trademark senior NCO types as well as more mercs.

The ISC ansible monopoly is also being mysteriously attacked making Ky's tasks even harder.

I am not really sure that Elizabeth Moon's "back brain" is clear on how her interplanetary monetary system works since if you can haggle without mentioning whose credits you are paying in it would seem that you could carry cash. In the same way it isn't clear why a ansible relay in an "uninhabited system" is needed, power ? distance limitation ? network needs nodes rather than sending A-B ?

Anyway, an excellent read and worth buying in hc