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40th out of 310 books
—
347 voters
Victory Conditions (Vatta's War #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 s...more
For Ky, it’s not just about liberating the s...more
Hardcover, 384 pages
Published
February 19th 2008
by Del Rey
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This is so like me--to read the last book in a series first. This novel totally rocks; no one writes action sequences--eg battles, stuff blowing up, etc.--better than Moon. I mean that literally; if I didn't think she'd find it insulting, I'd dub her the Tom Clancy of hard SF; she may be even better at action sequences than he. I read this book embarrassingly fast, getting into the war, the political instrigue, and the great battle scenes.
It's vintage Moon. You have a galactic society based larg...more
It's vintage Moon. You have a galactic society based larg...more
The conclusion of the Ky Vatta series. A satisfying conclusion to a good sci-fi series. You'll probably like this series if you like lot's of action. Moon is sparse enough with her space battles that they are never boring. The battles are well written and well conceived, factoring in spaceships that have lightspeed communications as well as those that can communicate faster than light. Moon also understands many of the possible problems inherent in space battles, and conveys them clearly. There'...more
The final installment to the Vatta's War series is one of the best books of the series. I found the ending satisfying, if a bit heartbreaking.
Ky has earned quite a reputations as a commander of a space force, yet it hasn't come without some tragedy. She's also been dealing with grief from family death, the loss of a way of life and being the cause of death of others - even though they may have been enemies, it doesn't feel that great to know she's the cause of so many deaths. She's also been a b...more
Ky has earned quite a reputations as a commander of a space force, yet it hasn't come without some tragedy. She's also been dealing with grief from family death, the loss of a way of life and being the cause of death of others - even though they may have been enemies, it doesn't feel that great to know she's the cause of so many deaths. She's also been a b...more
Sep 23, 2010
Benjamin Thomas
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction,
science-fiction-military
No, this isn't a blog entry about my Swedish campaign game in Empire Total War. Rather "Victory Conditions" is the name of the 5th and final book in Elizabeth Moon's "Vatta's War" series. This is a science fiction series that I started unexpectedly last year. You see, I was on a business trip and had run out of reading material. Now that's not a bad thing in my brain because it means I get to go to the bookstore and buy something that looks good to me right then and there. Since I have such a ba...more
This is the fifth and final book in the Vatta's War series.[return][return]It's difficult to summarize this book without delving into too many spoilers, but here we go: the war against space pirates escalates as other worlds begin to take the threat seriously. Ky Vatta, under tremendous strain, works with an ever-expanding fleet and an ominous deadline. Meanwhile, the other cast members deal with terror plots and espionage, along with business and legal dealings.[return][return]This was a fittin...more
A remarkably fast read, with all the ends tied up nicely. Moon is the first author I've read whose space battles include discussions of debris fields and how shields help with that. I was also intrigued by the idea that the brain implants could become overloaded with unmaleable memories that, over time, become a problem for regular human consciousness. The very end seemed a bit sparse, but I'm probably just being greedy.
Genre: Space Opera/Military Sci Fi
This is probably the weakest book of the Vatta’s War series, it wrapped everything up all neat and tidy but it took too many short-cuts. Despite the relationship between Gammis Turek (pirate leader) and Lew Parmina (former head of ISC, biggest company in the known universe) being critical to the success of the pirates in earlier books, it’s never explained WHY they were working together, or even that they WERE directly working together. It’s hinted at a lot, but...more
This is probably the weakest book of the Vatta’s War series, it wrapped everything up all neat and tidy but it took too many short-cuts. Despite the relationship between Gammis Turek (pirate leader) and Lew Parmina (former head of ISC, biggest company in the known universe) being critical to the success of the pirates in earlier books, it’s never explained WHY they were working together, or even that they WERE directly working together. It’s hinted at a lot, but...more
The fifth and last book in the series, this one wraps up all the storylines neatly. Everything ended, in my mind, in a satisfactory manner - meaning that not every woman in the book wound up with A MAN at the end who was going to carry them off to a spaceship/castle and yadda yadda yadda. The most beautiful woman, in fact, winds up strong and in control of herself, with no need of a relationship. I enjoy twists like that. Someone we thought to be a doormat turns out to have hidden strengths; som...more
I've finally finished the Vatta's war series with this novel. Overall, I enjoyed the series, though I like other books by Elizabeth Moon much better. Its strong points are that it is well crafted, and fans of RPGs and RTS games will enjoy the way the protagonist builds up a powerful war fleet from the modest beginnings of a single, obsolete tramp freighter. Less appealingly, it is a rather formulaic military space opera. Many of the characters are two-dimensional and the villains exist only to p...more
Satisfying conclusion to the set in that most of they mysteries are explained, most of the loose ends have been tied, most of the characters have a clear sense of what awaits them over the next few years. But, as I predicted, I do want more. Kinda. I'm not sure who I'd want to be the focus in the next set - not Ky, nor Stella, nor Grace, nor Toby, despite the fact that I want to learn more about all of them.
I dunno what to say to you, dear potential reader. Obviously if you've read the first fo...more
I dunno what to say to you, dear potential reader. Obviously if you've read the first fo...more
This book concludes the Vatta’s War series. Moon rather predictably ties up the loose threads and (not really a spoiler) the good guys win.
I enjoyed reading it, but nothing really surprising jumped up at me. While the series is worthwhile entertainment, it will never be remembered as groundbreaking or fantastic. The universe Moon has crafted is a bit too cute, a bit too orderly. The idiosyncrasies of the various cultures are a bit too manufactured and corny and the series suffers from it. There...more
I enjoyed reading it, but nothing really surprising jumped up at me. While the series is worthwhile entertainment, it will never be remembered as groundbreaking or fantastic. The universe Moon has crafted is a bit too cute, a bit too orderly. The idiosyncrasies of the various cultures are a bit too manufactured and corny and the series suffers from it. There...more
Book 5 of 5 in the Vatta space-opera is not as strong as the rest, but it does tie-up all the loose ends and finish off everything. Really, the book is fairly lackluster, but I liked books 2 and 3 so much that I was just looking for closure here. For those who don't remember, this series starts out as a YA coming-of-age-r for our heroine (Kylara Vatta) who has been thrown out of the Space Defense Force Academy for being gullibly nice, ends up on one of her family's trading ships (they're a big m...more
As a conclusion to Vatta's War, I found Book 5 a bit of a letdown, especially the last battle. Moon introduced a stronger romantic element in the plot but I thought it was clumsily done, including the ending.
I'd definitely recommend the series, but be prepared for a bit of disappointment in the last book.
I'd definitely recommend the series, but be prepared for a bit of disappointment in the last book.
As a whole, the series was fantastic. Solid characterizations, good plot lines, and cohesive story elements. However, this final book was a bit of a let down. The entire series was spent building up to a final confrontation, with the tension of that pending confrontation shaping this final book. Regrettably, that final confrontation felt more like a whimper than a bang once I finally reached it. What should have felt like a moment of triumph instead felt somewhat contrived and secondary. What ca...more
Victory Conditions brought Vatta's War to a satisfying, action-heavy conclusion, though it felt to me like the weakest book of the series.
The main characters, especially Ky, Rafe, Stella, still got plenty of story, and they are still engaging in their own ways.
This was easily the most action-packed book in the series; that's probably to be expected in a finale. The series started, back with "Trading in Danger", with so much emphasis on character and story details, and a very slowly developing s...more
The main characters, especially Ky, Rafe, Stella, still got plenty of story, and they are still engaging in their own ways.
This was easily the most action-packed book in the series; that's probably to be expected in a finale. The series started, back with "Trading in Danger", with so much emphasis on character and story details, and a very slowly developing s...more
Fantastic ending for this book! Although I was screaming in my head "Why!?!" about halfway through.
Ky's space force is working well together. The government at Slotter Key has added a bunch of privateers for her to work with and other governments are adding a few ships. Stella's found she's pretty good as a CEO and Toby has found romance. Aunt Grace is moving pieces as she's able. Rafe is trying to become what's needed at ICS even though he wants to just leave.
I wish there were more books in t...more
Ky's space force is working well together. The government at Slotter Key has added a bunch of privateers for her to work with and other governments are adding a few ships. Stella's found she's pretty good as a CEO and Toby has found romance. Aunt Grace is moving pieces as she's able. Rafe is trying to become what's needed at ICS even though he wants to just leave.
I wish there were more books in t...more
The finale of the the Vatta Wars series is a real page turner. I enjoyed it, despite some flaws. If you enjoyed the previous books, you'll enjoy this one, too. And if you haven't read any of them and are a fan of space opera, you'll probably enjoy this series.
Overall, however, every book felt like a first draft, which is a shame. Had the author polished these a bit more, or had her editor called for another revision, these could be classics that I would have rated five stars. As is, the story is...more
Overall, however, every book felt like a first draft, which is a shame. Had the author polished these a bit more, or had her editor called for another revision, these could be classics that I would have rated five stars. As is, the story is...more
Another good ride just finished, as Elizabeth Moon wrapped up her Vatta’s War series with ‘Victory Conditions’ (Del Rey, $26, 398 pages). Beginning at the beginning (‘Trading in Danger’) is pretty much mandatory, as the characters and plot transform and deepen through the five-book process.
The setup is that a young merchant’s daughter gets booted out of the space academy for reasons unclear, and then there’s a sudden spate of violence throughout the galaxy. This isn’t particularly subtle stuff,...more
The setup is that a young merchant’s daughter gets booted out of the space academy for reasons unclear, and then there’s a sudden spate of violence throughout the galaxy. This isn’t particularly subtle stuff,...more
While I liked this book, I realized after reading a book I really loved last night that overall, the series was just mediocre for me. I thought the first book was the best. I enjoyed this as a wrap-up to the series but I didn't find myself wishing the series would continue, but instead found I was a bit glad there weren't more, as I would have wanted to read them to see where the story went, but was never fully immersed in the series or driven to get them read and stay up late to find out what h...more
Originally posted at FanLit. http://www.fantasyliterature.com/
Victory Conditions is the fifth and final book in Elizabeth Moon’s VATTA’S WAR saga. This has been a solidly entertaining story with appealing characters and an unpredictable plot but it never quite pulls itself past its classification of “space opera.” If space opera is what you’re looking for, VATTA’S WAR delivers and this last installment, Victory Conditions, brings the Vatta story to a satisfying end. If you haven’t read the first...more
Victory Conditions is the fifth and final book in Elizabeth Moon’s VATTA’S WAR saga. This has been a solidly entertaining story with appealing characters and an unpredictable plot but it never quite pulls itself past its classification of “space opera.” If space opera is what you’re looking for, VATTA’S WAR delivers and this last installment, Victory Conditions, brings the Vatta story to a satisfying end. If you haven’t read the first...more
Very close to four stars, and a good tie up of the Vatta's war series. Moon's tactical-ish descriptions of a large battle are very good. They maintain the excitement level while describing the difficulties of maintaining some semblance of order amidst the chaos of battle. Her stories are optimistic but tinged with some of the realism of warfare. They also give insight into the complexity of maintaining an organization, both civilian and military. She is a pragmatic author in regards to the Vatta...more
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Victory Conditions is the final book of the Vatta's War series.
Elizabeth Moon deftly pulls all the plots together in a plausible trajectory in a high-stakes battle for Nexus, the communication center for humanity.
While the battle ends, and it's clear that the war is about over, enough hooks were left in place so that the series could be carried on if Elizabeth chooses to do so. It would be interesting to see how the next generation learned from the mistakes of their parents.
Nevertheless, the en...more
Elizabeth Moon deftly pulls all the plots together in a plausible trajectory in a high-stakes battle for Nexus, the communication center for humanity.
While the battle ends, and it's clear that the war is about over, enough hooks were left in place so that the series could be carried on if Elizabeth chooses to do so. It would be interesting to see how the next generation learned from the mistakes of their parents.
Nevertheless, the en...more
This, the final book in the "Vatta's War" 5-book series, was a disappointment. It is not consistent with the first four volumes of the story, with discontinuities and illogical situations. The book is choppy, not at all as smooth as the first four books. In fact, it becomes downright sappy and juvenile in some places. Story transition from earlier books in the series is not complete, and loose ends are tied abruptly at the end. Some editing errors observed. The author seemed to be in a hurry to...more
This final book in the series of 5 fairly rushed into the conclusion, which I thought was a shame. The big bad never really got developed, but occasionally we'd get short segments unraveling his plans by the good guys. Otherwise each of the main players gets their turn for their stories within the series. And this final chapter took at least one surprising turn that I won't be specific about.
However, there was altogether far too much relationship stuff which seemed bolted or forced in at times -...more
However, there was altogether far too much relationship stuff which seemed bolted or forced in at times -...more
This is the final book in the Vatta's War Series.
Overall this is solid sci-fi action. Nothing exceptional, just fine. It would probably be hard to follow if I hadn't read the previous books, but all the characters are growing nicely into their roles, and the plot rolls along to a satisfying conclusion. It's a quick read, and I enjoyed it.
Except for one thing.
The very end is just terrible. The end of the plot about a pirate fleet taking over systems and disrupting communication is fine, obvious,...more
Overall this is solid sci-fi action. Nothing exceptional, just fine. It would probably be hard to follow if I hadn't read the previous books, but all the characters are growing nicely into their roles, and the plot rolls along to a satisfying conclusion. It's a quick read, and I enjoyed it.
Except for one thing.
The very end is just terrible. The end of the plot about a pirate fleet taking over systems and disrupting communication is fine, obvious,...more
In this last book of the series, I felt the characters came into their own, growing and maturing with the series, into their final mature forms.
They felt very real as everything didn't always go their way and also finally paid back some emotional debt they have been accruing from past books.
This is a great series if you like space opera. And as I've said before, if you find you like the first book, just but all the rest as you'll want to jump into the next as soon as you put the one you're readi...more
They felt very real as everything didn't always go their way and also finally paid back some emotional debt they have been accruing from past books.
This is a great series if you like space opera. And as I've said before, if you find you like the first book, just but all the rest as you'll want to jump into the next as soon as you put the one you're readi...more
The moment Ky Vatta has been preparing for has finally arrived. Her ships may not be up to spec, but the support of warships and crew from several systems has enabled her to feel more confident than she might otherwise be about the inevitable confrontation with pirate Gammis Turek. There is one problem: ISC is still extraordinarily suspicious of the Vatta family, fearing their connections with traitor Lew Parmina.
The company isn’t ready to back temporary CEO Rafe Dunbarger, especially with his i...more
The company isn’t ready to back temporary CEO Rafe Dunbarger, especially with his i...more
I read this entire series over the past week, and, until the final volume, it was acceptably mediocre. Victory Conditions, however, is just terrible.
Space Opera inevitably descends into munchkin power gaming, and this is a prime example of how not to do it. Dei ex machina, painfully predictable plot coupons, and, when a whole bunch of minor characters who had spanned much of the series die violently, a three page gesture towards sorrow in an attempt to give the lead character some depth. Feh.
Space Opera inevitably descends into munchkin power gaming, and this is a prime example of how not to do it. Dei ex machina, painfully predictable plot coupons, and, when a whole bunch of minor characters who had spanned much of the series die violently, a three page gesture towards sorrow in an attempt to give the lead character some depth. Feh.
This book was definitely a let down after the 4th. The 'discovered' romance was weak and annoying. The final space battle felt sluggish and lacked any sense of real danger or momentum. There was just no epic quality.
And this book really fell prey to some of Moon's strongest failings as a writer - she visualizes characters as amazing/strong and *exceptional* - but we never see it. Instead, we see a lot of secondary characters talking over and over about how exceptional/wonderful/intimidating/per...more
And this book really fell prey to some of Moon's strongest failings as a writer - she visualizes characters as amazing/strong and *exceptional* - but we never see it. Instead, we see a lot of secondary characters talking over and over about how exceptional/wonderful/intimidating/per...more
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Elizabeth 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 marrie...more
More about Elizabeth Moon...
She served in the USMC from 1968 to 1971, first at MCB Quantico and then at HQMC. She marrie...more
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