What do you think?
Rate this book
Vatta's War #4
Command Decision
With the Vatta's War series, award-winning author Elizabeth Moon has claimed a place alongside such preeminent writers of military science fiction as David Weber and Lois McMaster Bujold. Now Moon is back and so is her butt-kicking, take-no-prisoners heroine, Kylara Vatta. Once the black-sheep scion of a prosperous merchant family, Kylara now leads a motley space force dedicated to the defeat of a rapacious pirate empire led by the mysterious Gammis Turek.
After orchestrating a galaxy-wide failure of the communications network owned and maintained by the powerful ISC corporation, Turek and his marauders strike swiftly and without mercy. First they shatter Vatta Transport. Then they overrun entire star systems, growing stronger and bolder. No one is safe from the pirate fleet. But while they continue to move forward with their diabolical plan, they have made two critical mistakes.
Their first mistake was killing Kylara Vatta's family.
Their second mistake was leaving her alive.
Now Kylara is going to make them pay.
But with a fleet consisting of only three ships including her flagship, the Vanguard, a souped-up merchant cruiser Kylara needs allies, and fast. Because even though she possesses the same coveted communication technology as the enemy, she has nowhere near their numbers or firepower.
Meanwhile, as Kylara's cousin Stella tries to bring together the shattered pieces of the family trading empire, new treachery is unfolding at ISC headquarters, where undercover agent Rafael Dunbarger, estranged son of the corporation's CEO, is trying to learn why the damaged network is not being repaired. What he discovers will send shock waves across the galaxy and crashing into Kylara's newly christened Space Defense Force at the worst possible moment.
After orchestrating a galaxy-wide failure of the communications network owned and maintained by the powerful ISC corporation, Turek and his marauders strike swiftly and without mercy. First they shatter Vatta Transport. Then they overrun entire star systems, growing stronger and bolder. No one is safe from the pirate fleet. But while they continue to move forward with their diabolical plan, they have made two critical mistakes.
Their first mistake was killing Kylara Vatta's family.
Their second mistake was leaving her alive.
Now Kylara is going to make them pay.
But with a fleet consisting of only three ships including her flagship, the Vanguard, a souped-up merchant cruiser Kylara needs allies, and fast. Because even though she possesses the same coveted communication technology as the enemy, she has nowhere near their numbers or firepower.
Meanwhile, as Kylara's cousin Stella tries to bring together the shattered pieces of the family trading empire, new treachery is unfolding at ISC headquarters, where undercover agent Rafael Dunbarger, estranged son of the corporation's CEO, is trying to learn why the damaged network is not being repaired. What he discovers will send shock waves across the galaxy and crashing into Kylara's newly christened Space Defense Force at the worst possible moment.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
182 people are currently reading
1,351 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Moon
140Ìýbooks2,568ÌýfollowersElizabeth Moon was born March 7, 1945, and grew up in McAllen, Texas, graduating from McAllen High School in 1963. She has a B.A. in History from Rice University (1968) and another in Biology from the University of Texas at Austin (1975) with graduate work in Biology at the University of Texas, San Antonio.
She served in the USMC from 1968 to 1971, first at MCB Quantico and then at HQMC. She married Richard Moon, a Rice classmate and Army officer, in 1969; they moved to the small central Texas town where they still live in 1979. They have one son, born in 1983.
She started writing stories and poems as a small child; attempted first book (an illustrated biography of the family dog) at age six. Started writing science fiction in high school, but considered writing merely a sideline. First got serious about writing (as in, submitting things and actually getting money...) in the 1980s. Made first fiction sale at age forty--"Bargains" to Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword & Sorceress III and "ABCs in Zero G" to Analog. Her first novel, Sheepfarmer's Daughter, sold in 1987 and came out in 1988; it won the Compton Crook Award in 1989. Remnant Population was a Hugo nominee in 1997, and The Speed of Dark was a finalist for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and won the Nebula in 2004.
She served in the USMC from 1968 to 1971, first at MCB Quantico and then at HQMC. She married Richard Moon, a Rice classmate and Army officer, in 1969; they moved to the small central Texas town where they still live in 1979. They have one son, born in 1983.
She started writing stories and poems as a small child; attempted first book (an illustrated biography of the family dog) at age six. Started writing science fiction in high school, but considered writing merely a sideline. First got serious about writing (as in, submitting things and actually getting money...) in the 1980s. Made first fiction sale at age forty--"Bargains" to Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword & Sorceress III and "ABCs in Zero G" to Analog. Her first novel, Sheepfarmer's Daughter, sold in 1987 and came out in 1988; it won the Compton Crook Award in 1989. Remnant Population was a Hugo nominee in 1997, and The Speed of Dark was a finalist for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and won the Nebula in 2004.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 299 reviews
February 12, 2022
These books are very solid. They have everything you might want to read if you're looking forward to Space Opera, growing a fleet, some tactics, strategic enhancements, opportunism, and competence porn.
This far into the series, her fleet is small but it has some excellent advantages that go beyond smarts. No war can be rightly fought and won without some good old-fashioned luck.
No complaints. Very enjoyable. Especially in comparison to more modern Space Opera, this one focuses more on grit than social issues. That might appeal to some readers, so take special note. It's just a fun ride.
This far into the series, her fleet is small but it has some excellent advantages that go beyond smarts. No war can be rightly fought and won without some good old-fashioned luck.
No complaints. Very enjoyable. Especially in comparison to more modern Space Opera, this one focuses more on grit than social issues. That might appeal to some readers, so take special note. It's just a fun ride.
May 2, 2008
When I picked up the first of the Kylara Vatta series at B&N, the clerk told me that he thought this series was vastly inferior to Moon's previous work. Needing an 'escapist' read, I ignored him and was glad I did.
I enjoyed this 5-book series much more than in previous Moon novels. They are a bit unrealistic/genius types, but it's a fun space opery read, following multiple characters/strands separately and then deftly weaving the stories back together.
I enjoyed this 5-book series much more than in previous Moon novels. They are a bit unrealistic/genius types, but it's a fun space opery read, following multiple characters/strands separately and then deftly weaving the stories back together.
April 6, 2018
“Command Decision (Vatta’s War #4)� continues the military scifi adventure story of Ky Vatta as she attempts to build a unified space force to stand against the pirates.
Rafael "Rafe" Madestan gets much more of a lead role in this book, as he uncovers evil at the heart of InterStellar Communications Corporation (ISC) and works to save the company in the face of the loss of it’s communications monopoly.
Ky continues trying to build a fleet, and works closer with the Mackensee Military Assistance Corporation after she acquires medical staff at a planet that makes slaves of captured spacers.
I found the extensive Rafe storyline less enjoyable than that of Ky, and overall this book had more of a transitional feel to it than the prior books. Sort of like the middle book of a trilogy, it was setting things up for the next book.
I continue to enjoy the series very much, and I did enjoy the 15 hours of “Command Decision�, but this book had too much Rafe and not enough Ky for me. I was glad to see Stella coming into her own as acting CEO of Vatta. Recommended with a strong 4* rating.
Rafael "Rafe" Madestan gets much more of a lead role in this book, as he uncovers evil at the heart of InterStellar Communications Corporation (ISC) and works to save the company in the face of the loss of it’s communications monopoly.
Ky continues trying to build a fleet, and works closer with the Mackensee Military Assistance Corporation after she acquires medical staff at a planet that makes slaves of captured spacers.
I found the extensive Rafe storyline less enjoyable than that of Ky, and overall this book had more of a transitional feel to it than the prior books. Sort of like the middle book of a trilogy, it was setting things up for the next book.
I continue to enjoy the series very much, and I did enjoy the 15 hours of “Command Decision�, but this book had too much Rafe and not enough Ky for me. I was glad to see Stella coming into her own as acting CEO of Vatta. Recommended with a strong 4* rating.
March 14, 2009
I finally got hold of this book, and, thus, have finished reading the Vatta's War book. I must TAKE EXCEPTION with others in the "Good Readers" sphere who grow impatient with Ky's moral struggles about killing. These are struggles that virtually every one who's ever served in the military find very real, and continually worrying about them keeps them human, and moral. Impatience with this aspect of Ky's character comes from a lack of awareness of a certain, necessary part of the milatry mindset.
I won't summarize the whole plot, but will suffice it to say that this is the story of how Ky got her fleet, preparatory to the big "finale" in VIctory Conditions. And, as always, Moon writes action as well as anyone in the business.
I won't summarize the whole plot, but will suffice it to say that this is the story of how Ky got her fleet, preparatory to the big "finale" in VIctory Conditions. And, as always, Moon writes action as well as anyone in the business.
January 12, 2016
Reread..
August 27, 2019
Nice solid SiFi series. well written and plotted. enjoyable read. Recommended
April 15, 2024
Series re-read continues to be enjoyable. These still feel a bit thin on characters especially on non pov characters. But the pov characters remain fun. And the story moves along in multiple ways in this one. So it is not all space fights or boarding actions or economic warfare or assassinations. There is nice mix and quite believable. Okay so Kylara remains too good at what she does, as does Rafe and Stella and even the dog. The details are still good. Just a fun quick read, though going to have to read other stuff before continuing with the series.
December 8, 2020
All the threads are coming together. The characters were spread apart & now they're interacting more which is great fun. While I love the setting, it's the characters that are the real draw & now they're really coming into their own. On to the final book!
December 27, 2023
I was in the mood to reread these and so I binged the series.Ìý I love it so.Ìý I wish all military SF was so fun.Ìý Kylara "Ky" Vatta is an excellent character to root for.Ìý Part of what I love about the series is that she starts out being rather naïve but grows and changes into a lovely powerhouse.Ìý But just because she is powerful, doesn't mean that she doesn't care about the greater good.Ìý I also love Ky's cousin Stella and their goofy Aunt Grace, neither who end up being as originally expected.Ìý The highlight of this series for me is always the characters, their interactions, and the way the author twists the plot with unexpected, but rational, consequences.Ìý I have not reread the sequel series vatta's peace but now I want to.Ìý Arrr!
***
Ahoy there me mateys! This here be a combined review of the fourth and fifth books of the Vatta’s War series. While I try to post no spoilers, if ye haven’t read books one through three and ye keep reading this log then ye have been forewarned and continue at yer own peril . . .
Well book four started out in an odd fashion. Book three ended suggesting a certain direction and then that didn’t happen. I really wanted to visit a specific planet. Alas. I also know I said that book three felt like a placeholder but this one did too. That said I actually enjoyed this one better. This book follows primarily Rafe and Ky. But the other favourites still make appearances. I continue to adore Aunt Grace. I love the flamboyant ship captain. He makes me so happy. Those who have read prior books will know exactly which one. Ky of course remains the highlight even though she doesn’t get all the page time. This book certainly picked up the pace!
As for the final book, I adored it and thought it be an excellent conclusion to the series. Ky truly is a fantastic leader and I loved watching all of her experience and hardships come together and led to success. Part of the fun of this installment was watching the author’s surprise resolutions for many of me favourite characters. Three in particular made me incredibly happy. Which three ye ask? Spoilers matey, spoilers.
I did want to point out a specific aspect of these novels which is how post-traumatic stress gets dealt with. First of all people actually have realistic issues after experiencing horrible things. Secondly, suffering people are supported and get help to deal with their problems. Characters actually take time to process their situations and talk about feelings and emotions. The emotional toll doesn’t just disappear magically. Now granted it is an advanced society where there is medical treatment that current science cannot provide. But there are also meds, therapy sessions, and taking time to heal, reflect, and rest. It was a refreshing viewpoint for military sci-fi.
I am so very glad to have read this series and highly recommend it to me crew. I have already made plans to get the companion series, vatta’s peace, in me mitts. Arrr!!!
Side note: Much thanks to me matey, Sarah @ brainfluff, for pointing me in the right direction in terms of the recommended readin� sequence for these books!
Check out me other reviews at
***
Ahoy there me mateys! This here be a combined review of the fourth and fifth books of the Vatta’s War series. While I try to post no spoilers, if ye haven’t read books one through three and ye keep reading this log then ye have been forewarned and continue at yer own peril . . .
Well book four started out in an odd fashion. Book three ended suggesting a certain direction and then that didn’t happen. I really wanted to visit a specific planet. Alas. I also know I said that book three felt like a placeholder but this one did too. That said I actually enjoyed this one better. This book follows primarily Rafe and Ky. But the other favourites still make appearances. I continue to adore Aunt Grace. I love the flamboyant ship captain. He makes me so happy. Those who have read prior books will know exactly which one. Ky of course remains the highlight even though she doesn’t get all the page time. This book certainly picked up the pace!
As for the final book, I adored it and thought it be an excellent conclusion to the series. Ky truly is a fantastic leader and I loved watching all of her experience and hardships come together and led to success. Part of the fun of this installment was watching the author’s surprise resolutions for many of me favourite characters. Three in particular made me incredibly happy. Which three ye ask? Spoilers matey, spoilers.
I did want to point out a specific aspect of these novels which is how post-traumatic stress gets dealt with. First of all people actually have realistic issues after experiencing horrible things. Secondly, suffering people are supported and get help to deal with their problems. Characters actually take time to process their situations and talk about feelings and emotions. The emotional toll doesn’t just disappear magically. Now granted it is an advanced society where there is medical treatment that current science cannot provide. But there are also meds, therapy sessions, and taking time to heal, reflect, and rest. It was a refreshing viewpoint for military sci-fi.
I am so very glad to have read this series and highly recommend it to me crew. I have already made plans to get the companion series, vatta’s peace, in me mitts. Arrr!!!
Side note: Much thanks to me matey, Sarah @ brainfluff, for pointing me in the right direction in terms of the recommended readin� sequence for these books!
Check out me other reviews at
October 23, 2014
Another good read. The universe didn't get any more complex & the story line continued quite logically, except for the 'hidden' person I mentioned in my last review. I found the reasons for that & the character's reasoning behind it to be weak. It wasn't the person I suspected, either.
Again, the book has plenty of action & good characters. Well worth the few hours it takes to read.
Again, the book has plenty of action & good characters. Well worth the few hours it takes to read.
September 29, 2020
Oh wow, remember how I thought
Engaging the Enemy
was boring and plodding? Command Decision is the complete reverse of that. With this book, Elizabeth Moon revitalizes the Vatta’s War series. She advances the storyline considerably, for everyone involved. The result is a slick, faster-paced adventure that leaves the galaxy on the brink of hope—and war.
As usual, spoilers for previous books but not this one.
Command Decision opens not with Kylara Vatta but rather Rafe Dunbarger. Once Ky’s protege and an undercover operative for ISC, Rafe has returned to his homeplanet of Nexus II to confront his estranged father—CEO of ISC. Except his father is nowhere to be found, and something strange is happening, requiring Rafe to go deeper undercover and discover a conspiracy and a coup in progress. When we finally catch up with Ky, she and the other two ships forming her nascent space navy are looking for supplies. They run into some obstacles, eventually having to pick a fight with pirates to defend a one-time ally of Ky’s. The end result: Ky demonstrates her command chops once again and makes more friends, even as she definitely becomes more than a thorn-in-the-side for her piratical enemies. Meanwhile, back on Slotter’s Key, Ky’s Aunt Grace is now in government—what fun! And on Cascadia, Stella is discovering a knack for steering the newest incarnation of Vatta Enterprises, even if she doesn’t want to admit it to herself.
Moon’s near-obsession with logistics proves more asset than liability in this volume. Things are constantly looking up for Vatta and its allies, yet Moon is always careful to take slightly more than she gives. Got some shiny missiles for your ships, Ky? How about a big ol� space battle to deplete those reserves? And some more bad news about your ship while we’re at it? Finally proving yourself as a commander? How about a reminder that starting an interstellar, multi-government space navy is a nigh-impossible and impractical undertaking? If there’s anything I like more than a book just stacking the odds against its characters and slamming them with one challenge after another, it’s a book going out of its way to give its characters everything they want only for those things to be totally useless in the conflicts ahead.
Can we also celebrate, once again, Moon’s talent for both the military and the science fiction aspects of military SF? There’s a lot of focus in Command Decision on the nature of a military or paramilitary organization: the requirements for discipline, the need for a commander to delegate certain tasks, and the nature of permissible risks. Similarly, Moon has a great handle on how much science she needs to drop into her science fiction. There are some great developments regarding the shipboard ansible technology, but Moon keeps the technobabble to a minimum. So you can read the book as semi-hard SF, albeit without as much exposition as one might expect, or as semi-soft SF, albeit with a little more realism when it comes to the nature of accelerating and decelerating and the limitations of lightspeed on acquiring information in a big ol� space battle. However you interpret it, Moon’s writing is exactly what I was looking for, as usual: exciting and entertaining. It’s just like a cup of tea that really hits the spot.
And unlike the previous book, this book just flies along. Ky and her allies get into one scrape or situation after the other. Rafe finds his family, but that’s only the start of his troubles. Not as much Stella in this one—she is mostly a bridge character here, to connect others together. Perhaps my only real complaint for this book is that, in some ways, it is much more of a setup for the next (and final?) instalment of the series. I cannot wait to see what Ky gets up to next—but I will hold off, just a little longer than I did between these two books, because I don’t want it to be over just yet.
My reviews of Vatta’s War:
� Engaging the Enemy | Victory Conditions �
As usual, spoilers for previous books but not this one.
Command Decision opens not with Kylara Vatta but rather Rafe Dunbarger. Once Ky’s protege and an undercover operative for ISC, Rafe has returned to his homeplanet of Nexus II to confront his estranged father—CEO of ISC. Except his father is nowhere to be found, and something strange is happening, requiring Rafe to go deeper undercover and discover a conspiracy and a coup in progress. When we finally catch up with Ky, she and the other two ships forming her nascent space navy are looking for supplies. They run into some obstacles, eventually having to pick a fight with pirates to defend a one-time ally of Ky’s. The end result: Ky demonstrates her command chops once again and makes more friends, even as she definitely becomes more than a thorn-in-the-side for her piratical enemies. Meanwhile, back on Slotter’s Key, Ky’s Aunt Grace is now in government—what fun! And on Cascadia, Stella is discovering a knack for steering the newest incarnation of Vatta Enterprises, even if she doesn’t want to admit it to herself.
Moon’s near-obsession with logistics proves more asset than liability in this volume. Things are constantly looking up for Vatta and its allies, yet Moon is always careful to take slightly more than she gives. Got some shiny missiles for your ships, Ky? How about a big ol� space battle to deplete those reserves? And some more bad news about your ship while we’re at it? Finally proving yourself as a commander? How about a reminder that starting an interstellar, multi-government space navy is a nigh-impossible and impractical undertaking? If there’s anything I like more than a book just stacking the odds against its characters and slamming them with one challenge after another, it’s a book going out of its way to give its characters everything they want only for those things to be totally useless in the conflicts ahead.
Can we also celebrate, once again, Moon’s talent for both the military and the science fiction aspects of military SF? There’s a lot of focus in Command Decision on the nature of a military or paramilitary organization: the requirements for discipline, the need for a commander to delegate certain tasks, and the nature of permissible risks. Similarly, Moon has a great handle on how much science she needs to drop into her science fiction. There are some great developments regarding the shipboard ansible technology, but Moon keeps the technobabble to a minimum. So you can read the book as semi-hard SF, albeit without as much exposition as one might expect, or as semi-soft SF, albeit with a little more realism when it comes to the nature of accelerating and decelerating and the limitations of lightspeed on acquiring information in a big ol� space battle. However you interpret it, Moon’s writing is exactly what I was looking for, as usual: exciting and entertaining. It’s just like a cup of tea that really hits the spot.
And unlike the previous book, this book just flies along. Ky and her allies get into one scrape or situation after the other. Rafe finds his family, but that’s only the start of his troubles. Not as much Stella in this one—she is mostly a bridge character here, to connect others together. Perhaps my only real complaint for this book is that, in some ways, it is much more of a setup for the next (and final?) instalment of the series. I cannot wait to see what Ky gets up to next—but I will hold off, just a little longer than I did between these two books, because I don’t want it to be over just yet.
My reviews of Vatta’s War:
� Engaging the Enemy | Victory Conditions �
June 6, 2022
his instalment:
-Ky makes progress putting her space Defence Force together, and successfully engaging with pirates
-Stella determines new ways to fill the Vatta accounts using young Toby’s smarts and innovative ideas.
-Rafe discovers and deals with a threat to his family, and begins the huge job of cleaning up Interstellar Communications (IC)
-Grace is now part of Slotter Key government (who would have thought?) and is figuring out ways to deal with the continued threats against the planet, and specifically, against her family.
It’s an exciting continuation of the Vatta storyline, and despite the fact that people keep mistaking Ky’s compassion for being softheaded and naïve, she keeps proving why she did so well in the Slotter Key Academy, and, if her education there hasn’t been sabotaged, would probably have ended up impressing the Slotter Key Space Force.
Stella still can’t fully accept that Ky’s abilities run to the martial, but the two women work together much better now as they each rebuilt Vatta’s fortunes according to their strengths and inclinations. It’s a good development, and, in fact, Stella’s money-making scheme actually gives Vatta a tremendous advantage, while also forcing IC to confront their complacency, and give Ky quite the advantage in her fight against the pirates, which I’m guessing will be a big part of the last book in the Vatta’s War series.
-Ky makes progress putting her space Defence Force together, and successfully engaging with pirates
-Stella determines new ways to fill the Vatta accounts using young Toby’s smarts and innovative ideas.
-Rafe discovers and deals with a threat to his family, and begins the huge job of cleaning up Interstellar Communications (IC)
-Grace is now part of Slotter Key government (who would have thought?) and is figuring out ways to deal with the continued threats against the planet, and specifically, against her family.
It’s an exciting continuation of the Vatta storyline, and despite the fact that people keep mistaking Ky’s compassion for being softheaded and naïve, she keeps proving why she did so well in the Slotter Key Academy, and, if her education there hasn’t been sabotaged, would probably have ended up impressing the Slotter Key Space Force.
Stella still can’t fully accept that Ky’s abilities run to the martial, but the two women work together much better now as they each rebuilt Vatta’s fortunes according to their strengths and inclinations. It’s a good development, and, in fact, Stella’s money-making scheme actually gives Vatta a tremendous advantage, while also forcing IC to confront their complacency, and give Ky quite the advantage in her fight against the pirates, which I’m guessing will be a big part of the last book in the Vatta’s War series.
January 6, 2025
I really loved this one. Lots of threads from the overall plot pulling together in a great way, and the pace stayed very high.
I've seen a couple people describe this series as "competency-porn scifi" which I've never heard of before, but I think it fits - in general, the main characters are clever, careful, and make solid, interesting decisions based on the info they have. It doesn't always work out, because of course that's how things go - we can do our best and still fail - but it mostly works out. This isn't a series where the plot is driven by bad decisions made by the main characters. I can't think of any time in the series where a character has taken action that I thought was idiotic (I say "taken action" because Stella frequently has a narrative that I think is idiotic, but at least she's fairly dependable in actions).
I'm glad I finally picked this series up, I'll be putting it up there with Tanya Huff's Valor/Confederation series as some of my favorites in this genre.
I've seen a couple people describe this series as "competency-porn scifi" which I've never heard of before, but I think it fits - in general, the main characters are clever, careful, and make solid, interesting decisions based on the info they have. It doesn't always work out, because of course that's how things go - we can do our best and still fail - but it mostly works out. This isn't a series where the plot is driven by bad decisions made by the main characters. I can't think of any time in the series where a character has taken action that I thought was idiotic (I say "taken action" because Stella frequently has a narrative that I think is idiotic, but at least she's fairly dependable in actions).
I'm glad I finally picked this series up, I'll be putting it up there with Tanya Huff's Valor/Confederation series as some of my favorites in this genre.
May 17, 2017
short review of the series (huge novel split into 5) under Trading in danger
/review/show...
/review/show...
April 3, 2013
Originally posted at FanLit.
Command Decision is the fourth installment in Elizabeth Moon’s VATTA’S WAR series. Things are starting to look up for Kylara Vatta, her cousin Stella, and their Aunt Grace. Ky, who has proven herself a skilled military commander and is gaining respect, still has to deal with a lot of bureaucratic silliness, but she sees more action in this book. Stella has (thankfully) rebounded from her pity party and is now the capable CEO of Vatta Enterprises. Young Toby turns out to be a genius with the on-board ansibles and is able to provide engineering skills. Grace has destroyed the corrupt Slotter Key government and put herself in a high-level position.
However, the pirates who destroyed the Vatta family are still a major threat to the entire universe � they’re knocking out ansibles and taking over planetary governments and nobody is doing anything about it. That’s because 1. There is no interstellar space navy to deal with the pirates and 2. ISC forbids planets to fix their own ansibles. Thus there is no communication between the different planetary systems, which means governments can’t get information about what’s happening on other planets and they can’t coordinate efforts to mount an effective defense.
Ky, realizing this problem, hopes to gather enough allies to destroy the pirates. They need to strategize and get themselves equipped with excellent weapons and communications systems, so in Command Decision expect the usual rounds of meetings, video conferences, equipment installations, etc. There are also a few exciting military engagements. Elizabeth Moon adds some levity by bringing Ky a rich flamboyant ship captain who’s living out his romantic dream of being a space hero even to the point of dressing and speaking the part. Kudos to Moon for not taking this subplot in the direction I thought she was going to take it.
Rafe, whose father is the head of ISC, is also worried about the broken ansibles. Why hasn’t ISC repaired them yet? And why hasn’t he heard from his family? When he goes to his home planet to find out what’s going on, he gets a really nasty surprise. This storyline is prominent in this book and most readers will appreciate getting to know Rafe better.
Command Decision delivers what I was expecting from this series. On the positive side that’s strong heroines, likeable secondary characters, unpredictable plot, ethical dilemmas and big things (the universe) at stake. Weaknesses are some contrived plot elements, weak world-building, and repetitive narrative and dialog. For example, it is common for us to witness a series of events and then to hear one of the characters tell the events to another character and possibly even a third character. (One time this came in handy when I realized my mind was wandering and I had missed something, but before I could rewind the audiobook one of the characters called another and recapped the events I missed.) Taking out this repetition could have made the series a book shorter and, therefore, better.
At the end of Command Decision we see things winding up for what I hope will be a spectacular finish. I’m moving on to the final episode, Victory Conditions, and expect to be entertained.
Command Decision is the fourth installment in Elizabeth Moon’s VATTA’S WAR series. Things are starting to look up for Kylara Vatta, her cousin Stella, and their Aunt Grace. Ky, who has proven herself a skilled military commander and is gaining respect, still has to deal with a lot of bureaucratic silliness, but she sees more action in this book. Stella has (thankfully) rebounded from her pity party and is now the capable CEO of Vatta Enterprises. Young Toby turns out to be a genius with the on-board ansibles and is able to provide engineering skills. Grace has destroyed the corrupt Slotter Key government and put herself in a high-level position.
However, the pirates who destroyed the Vatta family are still a major threat to the entire universe � they’re knocking out ansibles and taking over planetary governments and nobody is doing anything about it. That’s because 1. There is no interstellar space navy to deal with the pirates and 2. ISC forbids planets to fix their own ansibles. Thus there is no communication between the different planetary systems, which means governments can’t get information about what’s happening on other planets and they can’t coordinate efforts to mount an effective defense.
Ky, realizing this problem, hopes to gather enough allies to destroy the pirates. They need to strategize and get themselves equipped with excellent weapons and communications systems, so in Command Decision expect the usual rounds of meetings, video conferences, equipment installations, etc. There are also a few exciting military engagements. Elizabeth Moon adds some levity by bringing Ky a rich flamboyant ship captain who’s living out his romantic dream of being a space hero even to the point of dressing and speaking the part. Kudos to Moon for not taking this subplot in the direction I thought she was going to take it.
Rafe, whose father is the head of ISC, is also worried about the broken ansibles. Why hasn’t ISC repaired them yet? And why hasn’t he heard from his family? When he goes to his home planet to find out what’s going on, he gets a really nasty surprise. This storyline is prominent in this book and most readers will appreciate getting to know Rafe better.
Command Decision delivers what I was expecting from this series. On the positive side that’s strong heroines, likeable secondary characters, unpredictable plot, ethical dilemmas and big things (the universe) at stake. Weaknesses are some contrived plot elements, weak world-building, and repetitive narrative and dialog. For example, it is common for us to witness a series of events and then to hear one of the characters tell the events to another character and possibly even a third character. (One time this came in handy when I realized my mind was wandering and I had missed something, but before I could rewind the audiobook one of the characters called another and recapped the events I missed.) Taking out this repetition could have made the series a book shorter and, therefore, better.
At the end of Command Decision we see things winding up for what I hope will be a spectacular finish. I’m moving on to the final episode, Victory Conditions, and expect to be entertained.
April 19, 2023
Läsning 2: Lite söt för min nuvarande smak.
Läsning 1: En hoppfull bok, där allt börjar ställas till rätta. Varje huvudperson får sin 1/3 av boken, och alla dessa når de positioner de behöver för att vara verkningsfulla i slutkonfrontationen, var den nu blir. Bokens budskap är att korruption inte överlever, vilket ju är intressant, eftersom det också är Voltaires gamla doktrin - när korruptionen blir för stor slutar folk att lyssna på reglerna och gör det som fungerar istället. Nu skulle jag inte jämföra boken med Voltaires tankedjup, men han rekommenderade ju faktiskt att driva politisk kampanj genom sagor, historia och satir, och avsiktligt eller inte är det vad Moon gör här.
Det som gör att jag inte ger boken högre betyg, är att den är oerhört förutsägbar. Inte i detaljerna - det är Moon för hantverksskicklig för, men mönstren är absoluta. Jag skulle mena att denna serie (som läget är i läsande stund) hade vunnit på att vara en enda lång volym, istället för 5 kortare.
Jag rekommenderar boken. Den ger många goda skratt under resan, och är lättflytande och trevligt skriven. Dock överlevern den inte fristående läsning, utan måste läsas som fortsättning på de tidigare.
Läsning 1: En hoppfull bok, där allt börjar ställas till rätta. Varje huvudperson får sin 1/3 av boken, och alla dessa når de positioner de behöver för att vara verkningsfulla i slutkonfrontationen, var den nu blir. Bokens budskap är att korruption inte överlever, vilket ju är intressant, eftersom det också är Voltaires gamla doktrin - när korruptionen blir för stor slutar folk att lyssna på reglerna och gör det som fungerar istället. Nu skulle jag inte jämföra boken med Voltaires tankedjup, men han rekommenderade ju faktiskt att driva politisk kampanj genom sagor, historia och satir, och avsiktligt eller inte är det vad Moon gör här.
Det som gör att jag inte ger boken högre betyg, är att den är oerhört förutsägbar. Inte i detaljerna - det är Moon för hantverksskicklig för, men mönstren är absoluta. Jag skulle mena att denna serie (som läget är i läsande stund) hade vunnit på att vara en enda lång volym, istället för 5 kortare.
Jag rekommenderar boken. Den ger många goda skratt under resan, och är lättflytande och trevligt skriven. Dock överlevern den inte fristående läsning, utan måste läsas som fortsättning på de tidigare.
January 16, 2014
Good story. Moon successfully expands the cast and scope of her space opera while keeping it intensely personal to her characters.
Like all books of this type, best read in order.
A good read.
Like all books of this type, best read in order.
A good read.
December 21, 2021
Alas, the library here in Albuquerque has removed the intervening volumes from the catalog, so I read the first installment, and now the fourth. I sometimes think the Albueruque library system tracks what I like, and gets rid of it; that sounds paranoid, and I really don't believe it, but time after time something that's been in good physical shape, and which isn't very old, and which I like, has vanished.
But on to the book. Kylara Vatta has very nearly made the complete transformation from Slotter Key privateer to commander of an actual military force. All she needs is government support so she can buy actual warships built for the stresses of combat, instead of converted merchant ships which are coming apart from the strain of firing ordnance at the enemy. Meanwhile, her cousin Stella is getting Vatta Transport back up and running, and Rafe Dunbarger is - reluctantly - now the CEO of ISC, the company which provides ansible service all through human space.
Communications are key. Whether the pirates whom Ky is fighting did it, or someone else did, many of the ansible platforms are down, seriously disrupting real-time communications between and in star systems. And there's new technology on the loose - ansibles that can fit aboard a ship, creating a revolution in space combat tactics. But ISC is jealous of its monopoly over interstellar communications, and Ky might have to fight not only the pirates, but ISC's feared fleet as well.
This is military space opera. It's not profound, it's not great literature - but it is great entertainment, and a book which isn't a pleasure to read isn't worth reading, no matter what great ideas it may contain. This book is a pleasure to read, and I highly recommend it.
But on to the book. Kylara Vatta has very nearly made the complete transformation from Slotter Key privateer to commander of an actual military force. All she needs is government support so she can buy actual warships built for the stresses of combat, instead of converted merchant ships which are coming apart from the strain of firing ordnance at the enemy. Meanwhile, her cousin Stella is getting Vatta Transport back up and running, and Rafe Dunbarger is - reluctantly - now the CEO of ISC, the company which provides ansible service all through human space.
Communications are key. Whether the pirates whom Ky is fighting did it, or someone else did, many of the ansible platforms are down, seriously disrupting real-time communications between and in star systems. And there's new technology on the loose - ansibles that can fit aboard a ship, creating a revolution in space combat tactics. But ISC is jealous of its monopoly over interstellar communications, and Ky might have to fight not only the pirates, but ISC's feared fleet as well.
This is military space opera. It's not profound, it's not great literature - but it is great entertainment, and a book which isn't a pleasure to read isn't worth reading, no matter what great ideas it may contain. This book is a pleasure to read, and I highly recommend it.
November 24, 2024
This was a better story especially since we get the separate theatres of Nexus II with Rafe and the fledgling armada of Ky with sideshows in Cascadia with Stella (thankfully back in good with Ky) and old Granny fruitcake kicking ass back home on Slotter Key. I thought the action here was great, character development top-rate, and intrigue fun and engaging. It is a great payoff after the excitement of and the somewhat disappointing . I can't wait to see how the SDF sets their in the last volume.
May 23, 2022
I could have sworn I logged this immediately after I finished it but it wasn't on my account anywhere so who knows?
I'm still very much in love with this series. I was a little disappointed with this one because it focuses more on Rafe and Ky than a balance between them and Gracie and Stella. We see Ky have to come to terms with her position of gaining allies and commanding their respect as a commander. While Stella needs to gain the confidence of becoming the head of the business after the revelation that shook her core foundational beliefs about her self. I was intrigued by the place everyone found themselves in at the end of this one so the next one was very much a must read.
I'm still very much in love with this series. I was a little disappointed with this one because it focuses more on Rafe and Ky than a balance between them and Gracie and Stella. We see Ky have to come to terms with her position of gaining allies and commanding their respect as a commander. While Stella needs to gain the confidence of becoming the head of the business after the revelation that shook her core foundational beliefs about her self. I was intrigued by the place everyone found themselves in at the end of this one so the next one was very much a must read.
March 28, 2025
Real combat finally begins!
Ky Vatta is as determined as ever to build the Space Defense Force into a genuine military capable of defending against more than just a few pirates. Her mind is kept busy with developing the necessary tactics for fighting with real-time communication.
Not counting on still more advanced technology under development her three main ships & three scouts all act as force multipliers. This gives them the ability to have a bigger effect than the enemy expects, despite their having similar instant communication.
Ky Vatta is as determined as ever to build the Space Defense Force into a genuine military capable of defending against more than just a few pirates. Her mind is kept busy with developing the necessary tactics for fighting with real-time communication.
Not counting on still more advanced technology under development her three main ships & three scouts all act as force multipliers. This gives them the ability to have a bigger effect than the enemy expects, despite their having similar instant communication.
September 28, 2018
2.5 stars
This does a good job at showing Ky's reacting to things without letting things overwhelm her. I liked the appearance of Ransome, and Ky having to deal with insinuations that her head has been turned by his handsome face - it's a common problem, and it's good to see Ky dealing with it.
I did gain new respect for the Slotter Key president, when he said "Responsibility goes up; authority goes down. If I let her do it, it's on my head." It's a good lesson for political leaders.
This does a good job at showing Ky's reacting to things without letting things overwhelm her. I liked the appearance of Ransome, and Ky having to deal with insinuations that her head has been turned by his handsome face - it's a common problem, and it's good to see Ky dealing with it.
I did gain new respect for the Slotter Key president, when he said "Responsibility goes up; authority goes down. If I let her do it, it's on my head." It's a good lesson for political leaders.
October 20, 2024
This series has been fun but didn’t need to take 5 books. At this point I’ve gotten all I want from it. The characters and story were good, but I’m not a big fan of sci fi in which there is interstellar travel and communication but the rest of life and technology seems barely advanced from what we have now. It just doesn’t make sense to me that they’re doing FTL travel and still using ID cards on lanyards for building security!
November 26, 2017
Already getting the next book..
Great military scifi... pirates, politics, explosions, assassinations, abductions... you know, all the good stuff jammed into a single book.
Great military scifi... pirates, politics, explosions, assassinations, abductions... you know, all the good stuff jammed into a single book.
August 21, 2018
Yes! This is what I signed up for when I started this five book series!!
April 4, 2022
I enjoyed the action in this book - we see a lot more of Raf and we see a lot of Ky's plans progress. It also had a lot less whining than book 3 - Stella has become someone I now like.
April 22, 2024
This serious is so well written, well paced, and realistic that I try to read every chance I get.
February 11, 2021
Rafe discovers his family is missing and when they are rescued, his father is incapable of leading ISC. Rafe must take over the company, eradicate inside sabateurs, and save the failing business.
Toby creates a new ansible (and other tech-y things) which spells success for Vatta, but doom for ISC.
Ky is on the outer rim of the galaxy, battling space pirates and gaining necessary combat experience.
Moon maintains the energy and pace of earlier installments. Can't wait to dive into the next one!
Toby creates a new ansible (and other tech-y things) which spells success for Vatta, but doom for ISC.
Ky is on the outer rim of the galaxy, battling space pirates and gaining necessary combat experience.
Moon maintains the energy and pace of earlier installments. Can't wait to dive into the next one!
January 26, 2019
Dans l'ensemble un bon tome, on continue sur la lignée des précédents. Bon c'est un peu sans grosses surprises vu qu'on connait déjà le principe de la série et qu'elle nous mène exactement la ou on l'attendait mais ça reste très sympa à lire.
Pour ceux qui ne connaitraient pas : Dans cette série de science fiction on suis Kylara Vatta, le mouton noir de sa riche et influente famille de marchands interstellaires, qui après avoir échoué à l'école militaire se retrouve, contre sa volonté, à devoir assurer la rotation d'un vaisseau en fin de vie pour faire ses preuves. Mais les choses vont très vite tourner de façon totalement inattendue et elle aura fort à faire rien que pour survivre ...
L'intrigue principale continue son déroulement. D'un coté Ky cherche toujours des alliés et surtout des informations sur les pirates, Stella gère toujours le coté commercial de la flotte et remet petit à petit l'entreprise à flot et Rafe est de retour sur Nexus II pour essayer de trouver ce qu'il se passe vraiment dans sa famille et dans le réseau de communication.
Mes passages préférés ont été dans ce tome ceux de Rafe. Déjà c'était un bonheur de retrouve le jeune homme après qu'il ai été mis de coté dans le tome précédent. Et en plus je dirais que ce qui lui arrive apportait un coté nouveau à l'ensemble qui était le bienvenue.
Du coup j'avoue que je les attendais avec impatience à chaque fois, j'avais même des fois limite tendance à lire plus rapidement d'autres passages pour que ceux ci arrivent plus vite.
C'est vrai que l'autrice à le don pour faire en sorte que les mauvaises concordances arrivent toujours au pire moment. J'avais déjà remarqué ça dans les tomes précédents et c'est encore le cas ici, et toujours pour des raison à la con (comme un fonctionnaire qui décidé de n'en faire qu'à sa tête ou une rencontre imprévue).
Je pense que c'est ce point la qui m'a le moins plu de l'ensemble. Quand ça arrive je me suis exclamée "non ! pas encore ..." parce que je trouvais ça un peu gros.
Bon, je dis ça avec beaucoup de recul (ça fait plus d'un mois que j'ai lu ce livre) mais sur le coup ça ne m'a pas non plus gâché ma lecture, c'était juste un peu trop facile parce qu'on reprend toujours le même schéma.
Dans ce tome on sent bien que la conclusion n'est pas bien loin. Les ennemis ne sont plus très loin et les confrontations directes de plus en plus fréquentes et brutales. Le camps de nos héros fait de plus en plus de progrès et remonte bien la pente. J'ai hâte de savoir le fin mot de l'histoire, de découvrir enfin qui est derrière tout ça et que Ky et les autres personnes leur règlent vraiment leur compte une bonne fois pour toute.
Au final malgré un petit coté déjà -vu dans le principe de l'intrigue, j'ai tout de même bien apprécié ma lecture. Les personnages sont encore dans les ennuis jusqu'au cou mais ils commencent à faire leur petit chemin et a reprendre des forces en vu de l'affrontement final.
16/20
April 4, 2020
To read more reviews like this, check out my blog !
Quote:
Review:
Command Decision takes up where Engaging the Enemy left us. Kylara is still running around creating her independent space defense force. Which means worrying about funds, going against pirates, and looking for allies. There is more to it than that, but that takes up a large portion of the action of the book.
The best decision in the book is the include the addition of a Romantic. He is super rich, and funds a lot of Ky's activities. And hes is a pure Romantic at heart. Not Romantic like he wants to find someone to love, but Romantic in the sense that he has idealized being a Privateer to the point where he is a ridiculous caricature. He is "cannon fodder", he goes off and does the strangest things, all because he wants to be some great military guy. And succeeds. And genuinely I think he might be the best part of the book. Kylara spends a lot of time trying to manage the Romantic into doing what she wants, and only what she wants and no more. And fleecing him for all the money her morals let her get away with. It is great.
Meanwhile, Ky's cousin, Stella, has set up a new headquarters on a planet where manners are everything. She is setting up new trading lines and trying to return things to working order. And Toby, their cousin and ward, has made it known that he knows how to recreate the shipboard ansibles AND improve them, And that it won't be too difficult to do, he thinks. Stella immediately sees the potential and goes about trying to produce these and sell them herself, looking up the copyrights the ISC has filed on them, and seeing if there is any way to get in on this sweet, sweet communications money.
Which brings us to Rafael. He left Ky at the end of the previous book to check up on ISC headquarters. They have been out of contact with each other for way too long, and the ISC aren't fixing the problem with the ansibles being down. When Raf gets home, he finds that his family isn't there anymore, people are watching the house, and trouble is afoot. He has to sort out just where his family is, how to rescue them, and then take care of the problem.
Overall, Command Decision is a lot of the same shit as last time, but it did move the story a bit further. In some ways it had less substance, in others it had more. However, I'm starting to remember why I didn't care too much for this series the first time I read it. I just kind of..blinked and the story was over and I was left wondering what just happened because I couldn't remember any specifics without actually looking through the book. And that was mostly because the specifics weren't really much to get attached to.
Quote:
“Oh, no danger there. No danger at all. My people are more efficient in pursuit of honor than anything else. I chose them for that.�
Could anything so handsome, so decorative, so…so enthusiastic…possibly be useful? Ky wondered.
Review:
Command Decision takes up where Engaging the Enemy left us. Kylara is still running around creating her independent space defense force. Which means worrying about funds, going against pirates, and looking for allies. There is more to it than that, but that takes up a large portion of the action of the book.
The best decision in the book is the include the addition of a Romantic. He is super rich, and funds a lot of Ky's activities. And hes is a pure Romantic at heart. Not Romantic like he wants to find someone to love, but Romantic in the sense that he has idealized being a Privateer to the point where he is a ridiculous caricature. He is "cannon fodder", he goes off and does the strangest things, all because he wants to be some great military guy. And succeeds. And genuinely I think he might be the best part of the book. Kylara spends a lot of time trying to manage the Romantic into doing what she wants, and only what she wants and no more. And fleecing him for all the money her morals let her get away with. It is great.
Meanwhile, Ky's cousin, Stella, has set up a new headquarters on a planet where manners are everything. She is setting up new trading lines and trying to return things to working order. And Toby, their cousin and ward, has made it known that he knows how to recreate the shipboard ansibles AND improve them, And that it won't be too difficult to do, he thinks. Stella immediately sees the potential and goes about trying to produce these and sell them herself, looking up the copyrights the ISC has filed on them, and seeing if there is any way to get in on this sweet, sweet communications money.
Which brings us to Rafael. He left Ky at the end of the previous book to check up on ISC headquarters. They have been out of contact with each other for way too long, and the ISC aren't fixing the problem with the ansibles being down. When Raf gets home, he finds that his family isn't there anymore, people are watching the house, and trouble is afoot. He has to sort out just where his family is, how to rescue them, and then take care of the problem.
Overall, Command Decision is a lot of the same shit as last time, but it did move the story a bit further. In some ways it had less substance, in others it had more. However, I'm starting to remember why I didn't care too much for this series the first time I read it. I just kind of..blinked and the story was over and I was left wondering what just happened because I couldn't remember any specifics without actually looking through the book. And that was mostly because the specifics weren't really much to get attached to.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 299 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.