Victory Conditions (Vatta's War) [Hardcover]

Elizabeth Moon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 19, 2008 | Series: Vatta's War (Book 5)

Elizabeth Moon’s thrilling Vatta’s War series, featuring the no-holds-barred space-faring heroine Kylara Vatta, has secured her reputation as a master of first-rate military science fiction. Now Commander Vatta is back–locked and loaded and ready to win the fight against the marauding forces of ruthless space pirate Gammis Turek.

For Ky, it’s not just about liberating the star systems subjugated by Turek and defending the rest of the galaxy’s freedom. There’s also a score to be settled and payback to be meted out for the obliteration of the Vatta Transport dynasty . . . and the slaughter of Ky’s family. But the enemy have their own escalation efforts under way–including the placement of covert agents among the allies with whom Ky and the surviving Vattas are collaborating in the war effort. And when a spy ring linked to a wealthy businessman is exposed, a cracked pirate code reveals a galaxywide conspiracy fueling the proliferation of Turek’s warship fleet.
Matching the invaders’ swelling firepower will mean marshaling an armada of battle-ready ships for Ky to lead into combat. But a violent skirmish leaves Ky reeling–and presumed dead by her enemies. Now, as Turek readies an all-out attack on the Nexus system–a key conquest that could seal the rest of the galaxy’s doom–Ky must rally to the challenge, draw upon every last reserve of her strategic skills, and reach deep if she is to tear from the ashes of tragedy her most decisive victory.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Rip-roaring action and intriguing science and tactics distinguish Nebula-winner Moon's fifth and final Vatta's War installment. Now combat-blooded and well on her way to the admiralty, young Kylara Vatta commands 40 far-future spacecraft against ferocious Gammis Turek, a criminal mastermind who has threatened Ky's home world of Slotter Key, her relatives and the far-flung Vatta economic empire. Ky has the rank she always hoped she'd achieve and now must accept the fearful responsibilities it entails. Weighed down by thoughts of the deaths she has caused—both friend and foe—and the need to protect the people in her command, Ky finds herself making some dangerous decisions. She's surrounded by a convincing supporting cast, from feisty fruitcake-baking Aunt Grace, who runs Slotter Key's defenses, to dashing Rafe Dunbarger, acting CEO of InterStellar Communications, who has lost his heart to Ky despite his best efforts at stoicism. This epic volume is a fine and fitting conclusion to Moon's grand space opera tour de force. (Feb.)
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Review

Praise for the Vatta's War series: 'Continues to get better with every volume ... roll on the next one' Guardian, 'Moon's latest tale of intergalactic take-over and economic turmoil is still running strong ...promises to take us to new places again' SFX, 'Full of thrills' Locus, 'Rip-roaring ... But this military SF tale is no mere shoot-'em-up' Publishers Weekly, 'A new epic chapter in space adventure has opened' The Alien Online --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (February 19, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345491610
• ISBN-13: 978-0345491619
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #833,582 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Elizabeth Moon grew up on the Texas-Mexico border, a voracious reader and early writer. She spent much of her early years in a hardware store where nothing was in shrink-wrap or little plastic containers, and mule collars still hung on the back wall. She has a history degree from Rice University and a biology degree from the University of Texas at Austin, plus some graduate work in biology at the University of Texas at San Antonio; between the first two, she spent three years on active duty in the USMC. Her bibliography includes 20+ novels and 30+ short fiction works, nearly all in science fiction or fantasy. REMNANT POPULATION was a Hugo finalist in 1997; THE SPEED OF DARK won the Nebula Award in 2003.

When not writing, she likes to wander around taking pictures of wildlife and native plants, bake bread, eat chocolate, sing with a choir, and laugh.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Conclusion to an Entertaining Series, March 4, 2008

By 

Darwin A. Garrison (Fort Wayne, IN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Victory Conditions (Vatta's War) (Hardcover)

Victory Conditions is the conclusion of the five volume Vatta's War space opera series by Elizabeth Moon. The other books in the series are:

Trading in Danger
Marque and Reprisal
Engaging the Enemy
Command Decision

Summary: The Vatta's War series covers the actions of Ky Vatta and her surviving family as they attempt to recover their lives and deal out justice following a devastating attack against their family and their interstellar holdings. Classic space opera with ships and space battles, intrigue, and romance.

Stylistically, the Vatta's War series appears to be a more mature version of the Heris Serrano tales that hooked me on Moon's writing. Compared to the earlier Serrano tales, the story arc of the Vatta's War collection is more cohesive and end-directed. However, this does not lessen the earlier books. Rather, it illustrates a difference in focus on the part of Ms. Moon.

As with all space opera, the draw for the reader comes in term of voice and characterization. Ms. Moon draws very enticing characters for the reader to care about and has a welcoming and smooth writing voice. Thus, all of the books in the series were easy reading and enjoyable recreational experiences.

Good as it was, Victory Conditions did not leave me as satisfied as I had hoped. Although the writing voice remained solid, the depth of characterization shallowed compared to the other books. I'm certain that "rushed" feel came about due to all the threads that appeared to need tying off to draw the series to conclusion The reading was still entertaining but I missed some of the deeper emotional involvement the earlier volumes carried.

I rate the series overall as very enjoyable and recommended with only mild regret for a relative lack of depth in the last volume. That reservation is counterbalanced by a "solid" and "final" ending that nonetheless leaves potential for future exploration should the author and publisher choose.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Solid finale too the series, but weaker than the others, April 7, 2008

By 

Chengora - See all my reviews

This review is from: Victory Conditions (Vatta's War) (Hardcover)

Victory Conditions was a solid conclusion to the series, but like the other reviewers, I thought in general it was a bit more rushed and especially "forced" than it needed to be. Moon focuses so much on wrapping up the series that the characterization really suffers as a result. And this is a shame, especially since she has spent four books working through the motivations of her main, supporting, and even small characters.

As a result, the challenges and conflicts that come from interpersonal dilemmas disappear. For example, (spoilers ahead), one girl in the book turns out to know the pirates' secret code language, because her dad works for them and taught it to her. Rather than spending a couple pages helping the girl work through her feelings about her dad, Moon simply has her suddenly recall a memory that paints him as a duplicitous snake and which prompts the girl to show little remorse over his eventual execution.

Similarly, because the characterization has become more shallow, it seems like Moon's own biases and views come to the fore in ways unsupported by the general plot. There is an inane little piece about the incompetence and irrationality of a non-profit professional sitting on the board of the galaxy's largest company. Leaving aside the logical gap (what is a non-profit manager doing on a private ICT company board?), this section is interesting because the rest of the board are pretty one-dimensional, so it's striking that Moon chooses to focus on this element of the character's motivation and personality.

So, unfortunately, the book reads as something of a foregone conclusion. As another reviewer wrote, all the good guys step up, all the bad guys screw up, right on cue. It's all a little too tidy. However, if you can get past these issues, Victory Conditions remains a solid read, particularly after the first 50 pages. Moon's other strengths definitely remain in this book: solid narration; interweaving of politics, military, and business interests; and nicely fleshed out dilemmas between family, jobs, and responsibility. Her depiction of space battles clearly demonstrates some solid research/thinking about the challenges of combat in a 4x environment, and the descriptions of these battles are excellent.

Overall, a good read, but the weakest of the series.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rush to finish, February 28, 2008

By 

William Howe "wildwily" (Terrytown, LA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Victory Conditions (Vatta's War) (Hardcover)

I liked the emphasis on debris fields in space combat and timing difficulties when battling on a system-wide scale. It just all seemed too pat...the good guys stepped up when needed to support, the bad guys fumbled on cue. The conflicts were all resolved and everybody was happy. The plot seemed to roll along without a problem to it's conclusion. Even the medical/psychological problem experienced by the main character was dealt with quickly and efficiently with no noticable after-effects.

I still enjoyed the book, and thank Ms Moon for bring the story to a close. I always enjoy her world-building and the thorough manner in which she crafts her universe.