Customer Reviews

Trading in Danger: Vatta's War, Book 1

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

TRADING IN DANGER is a very good read; it's compelling, it's interesting, has many plot elements, and has a likable protagonist. Ms. Moon did an excellent job with the military elements, as I've come to expect over the years of reading her books; she was a military officer, and her analysis and understanding of military matters is spot on.

Thing is, Kylara Vatta's character definitely is that of a maverick wunderkind, which reminds me a bit of the Moon-Anne McCaffrey collaboration SASSINAK, at least of the stuff while Sassinak is young. That's not bad, mind; I enjoyed SASSINAK, and I enjoyed this, too (and the characters really aren't much alike, except for being smart women who've found a way to survive). Nor is this the female version of Miles Vorkosigan, either; Kylara Vatta is not a cell-damaged man stuck in a military society, and I didn't think much about the possible parallels to Lois McMaster Bujold's THE WARRIOR'S APPRENTICE until the book was over.

Trust me; the books aren't that much alike, and I don't think TRADING IN DANGER is a copy of anything.

The only current book I can think of that's anything like this one is Steve Miller and Sharon Lee's BALANCE OF TRADE, although that's not very close, either; still, both TRADING IN DANGER and BALANCE OF TRADE show people making a living by trade and enjoying it. I do think if you liked BALANCE OF TRADE, you should like TRADING IN DANGER as well.

The pluses of this book? It has a very strong female heroine who is self-willed and highly motivated, even if she does get down on herself reasonably often (as young adults often do; sometimes even us older ones). I liked the trade, and the military action, and most of the minor characters (especially the woman from the ISC; her line about "not apologizing for not meeting your prejudices" -- paraphrase mine -- because she was a military vet who dressed in a feminine way really tickled me). And it really was a page-turner.

The minuses? Some of the sub-plots were started and stopped, some for comic effect, some perhaps because there was no room for them here. And I'd have preferred to see a few less people saying how wonderful Kylara was/is; yes, I expect it from her father and some of the others, but a little goes a long way. I'd rather intuit that sort of thing by Kylara's actions, and I'd already made up my mind that she was, in the parlance of this book, "a good'un."

So is this a perfect book? No. Is it Ms. Moon's best book? Probably not. Does it measure up to other space adventures Ms. Moon has written? Yes.

Four stars. Recommended.

Barb Caffrey

Having read Moon's "Deed of Paksenarion" trilogy, "Remnant Population", "The Speed of Dark" and some of her short stories, this was - something of a disapointment.

The main character is irritating, in some ways; the actions and thoughts of everyone around her are overly focused on her. This may be an author's way of emphasizing what an extrordinarry person she is not through her own words but through the thoughts of others; if this is so then it's overkill and boggs down what it's supposed to help.

She's yet another adventuresome girl with military training from a rich family who has "destined for great adventure" written all over her, in size 72 bold font. This isn't so much a story in it's own right as it is a prelude to the story of this girl's life, off in space with her own ship to adventure.

Still, it's Elizabeth Moon, and I'll read the next books and follow her adventures. It's bound to get better, and I've certainly read many worse.

This the first book of the Vatta space opera series. Kylara Vatta is a young woman from a rich shipping family who gets booted out a military academy, so her father assigns her the captancy of an old space freighter that needs to be piloted to a distant scrap yard. Naturally, things don't go according to plan....

Yes, there are a lot of simlarities between this book and the author's Serrano/Esmay books, but there are also enough differences to keep it interesting. I would say that the tone of this book is slightly more realistic and less warm/fuzzy than the Esmay books. I really like some of the unique personal issues that Kylara struggles with, and it's clear that Kylara is pursuing a very different course than the one Esmay Suiza took.

I also like the fact that this book has a solid ending that doesn't leave you hanging. No series cliff-hangers here!

I finished this book and thought, despite its flaws, that if you like this sort of thing then you'll like this. It turns out I do like this sort of thing.

I'll get the main flaw out of the way first: I haven't read Elizabeth Moon before and I noticed something in her style that may or may not be unique to this book. Every time something happens to the main character, Kylara, there are several subsequent scenes in which she relays what just happened to other characters who weren't there. The problem is that the reader *was* there, and we don't need to hear the repetitions. This is particularly obvious in the last quarter of the book, when Kylara is being debriefed and retells her story to half a dozen officials. We get to hear every conversation but it's almost the same story over and over again.

The first quarter of the book boils down to a shopping trip, and Kylara is concerned with her budget throughout. This might seem overly pedantic to some readers but - well, yes, I like this sort of thing (when it relates to spaceships, anyway). (There is what appears to be a gaffe at the end where Kylara tells us she absolutely cannot afford something and then in the next chapter suddenly she has it, with no explanation. I read it three times and couldn't figure it out.)

The story doesn't concern galaxy-changing events but it's a satisfying drama about a young woman trying to get by when events around her spiral out of control, and trying to live up to her family's name while exerting her independence. This might not be earth-shattering stuff but it takes place in a believable, gritty sci-fi universe and that's enough for me. I look forward to reading the sequels.

"Trading in Danger" is an adventure story in the context of a trading company, replacing the camel caravans and clipper ships of old with the space ships of tomorrow. Excitement and adventure in an imaginative story of a young woman's self-growth, dealing with commercial enterprises, military threats, leadership responsibility, risk taking, family relationships, romantic challenges, all in the face of injustice, subterfuge, and disasters. The seductive lure of security or the challenge of independence? Are these mutually exclusive, or does the one require the other?

Using a totally different plot, this story shares a theme of the movie "Liberty Valance," illustrating the need of both intellect and force in defending freedom, for an individual or a society.

Not as engaging as her previous series (Hunting Party et al), but still a good read. Compared to her older works, it seems a bit abbreviated.

Ky Vatta wakes up as a senior cadet in the honor squad yet a couple of hours later she is asked to hand in her resignation because she broke a rule causing major fallout. She returns home and is given command of the Glennys Jones, an old FTL ship that is to be sold for scrap after it finishes its lasting trading venture.

When Ky reaches the planet Belinda, she discovers the government needs agricultural equipment that another trading ship failed to deliver. She decides to make an unscheduled stop at Sabine to obtain the equipment and with the profit she makes she hopes to buy the Glennys Jones and work for herself. She didn't count on being in the middle of a war or mercenaries dictating her actions or stopping a mutiny but Ky is determined to surmount all obstacles or die trying.

This is the first installment in a brand new military science fiction series and it is absolutely outstanding. The heroine may be untested but she is a survivor and will do what is necessary to win. Readers will adore her and will want to read other books in this series. Elizabeth Moon is a talented storyteller who makes the audience believe that she is recording events that happened.

Harriet Klausner

I loved this book, couldn't put it down. Good old fashion story telling with just enough techno to keep it science fiction. The author kept the number of characters to a minimum and kept the action focused on the main character. As soon as I finished this book I began searching for other books by this author. Thank you Elizabeth, I had a very enjoyable weekend with your book.

I have all of Elizabeth Moon's works, including one of my favourite Fantasy series "The Deed of Paksenarrion". You could call me a fan of Elizabeth Moon, but that doesn't mean I cannot be critical of her work.

I love the way she sets up the story (series) with a balance of huge potential and human foibles for the main character. With steadfast support characters and opportunity for adventure the stage is set for a rollicking ride.

However, I must say, as in the Serrano/Esmay series, EM gets bogged down in housekeeping. She tends to describe how the heroine gets from a to b in so much detail it becomes tedious reading with sporadic bouts of action. If she were able to streamline what I refer to as housekeeping, this book could contain more action and suspense, which it is somewhat lacking.

Overall I very much enjoyed the read, I always love a space opera.

In this book, Moon creates another strong female lead with a military background. However, she takes her someplace a little different than Harris and Esmay. Having read all of her previous books, I was pleasantly surprised that the usual plot twists had unusual resolutions. The characterization is good, but the plot moves a little slowly for my taste. All in all, the high quality entertainment that I expect when I pick up a Moon book, but not such a spectacular story as to merit five stars.