Marque and Reprisal

Vatta's War, Book 2

By: Elizabeth Moon

Narrated by: Cynthia Holloway

Length: 14 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

Although the exciting military career she hoped for never got off the ground, Ky Vatta ended up seeing plenty of combat when she took the helm of one of the commercial transport vessels in her family's fleet...and steered it into a full-blown war. Now the lessons she learned in that trial by fire are about to pay off - because this time, the war has come to her. Someone has launched a full-throttle offensive against Vatta Transport Ltd., Ky's father's interstellar shipping empire. In short order, most of Ky's family is killed, and subsequent attacks sever vital lines of communication, leaving Ky fighting, in every sense, to survive.

Ky is determined to identify the ruthless mystery enemy and avenge her family's name, but she needs not only firepower but information. And she gets both in spades - from the band of stranded mercenaries she hooks up with; from her black-sheep cousin, Stella, who has been leading a secret life; and from Stella's roguish ex-lover, Rafe. Together they struggle to penetrate the tangled web of political intrigue that is wreaking havoc within InterStellar Communications, on whose effective operation their own livelihoods - and perhaps lives - depend.

But the infighting proves to be infectious, and it isn't long before Ky's hired military muscle are turning their suspicions on the enigmatic Rafe, whose wealth of knowledge about ISC's clashing factions and startling new technologies has begun to make him smell like a rat...or a mole. With swift, violent destruction a very real possibility, the last thing Ky needs is a crew divided against itself - and she's prepared to take whatever measures are necessary to ensure that Vatta stays in business, as well as in one piece.

What she is not prepared for is the shocking truth behind the terror - and a confrontation with murderous treachery from a source as unexpected as it is unrelenting.

©2004 Elizabeth Moon (P)2008 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Excellent plotting and characters support the utterly realistic action sequences: swift, jolting, confusing, and merciless. Equally significant, Moon doesn't neglect violence's aftermath." ( Kirkus Starred Review)

Fun Sci Fi

I've read the entire first series (5 books) and two books in the second series now and have come back to write reviews on the individual books. I can say that the series is fun - accessible sci fi that doesn't take itself too seriously and neither should readers. There is action, a bit of romance, and though you'll never believe any character or situation could be real, it is still an enjoyable read. It is a bit simplistic and the characters aren't exactly nuanced or fully of depth. But it is good fun and should be looked at as bubble gum sci fi.

Where the first book introduced us to protagonist Ky Vatta, this second book begins the series-long story arc of Kylara avenging the attacks that almost destroyed her family. That, and saving the universe, of course. Key characters in the series are introduced here and given POVs: cousin Stella and roguish Rafe. Meanhwhile, other characters play key roles in the form of Aunt Grace and Master Sergeant MacRobert as they battle to survive on Slotter Key.

Enemies are uncovered, allies are made, Kylara will slowly build a military, and her family will fight to recover from the devastating attacks in this volume. There are some space battles, Vatta family issues, and Kylara will have to balance making money in shipping after the Vatta shipping empire was crippled and lost support/influence/connections.

Of note, I listened to the audio version and the narrator was frustrating and hard to listen to at times. She overdid the dramatizations and a lot of the characters came off sounding incredible stupid or simplistic.

I love Elizabeth Moon!

I've read it several times. You will not be able to put it down.

A very good continuation to the series

The second book in the five-part Vatta’s War science fiction series.

This book starts soon after then first book, “Trading in Danger”. After she was drummed out of military academy, Kylara Vatta, Ky, is now the captain of a small and old trade space ship. She survived her first voyage on it, but not without losses. Ky refuses to return to the arms of her family, the wealthy Vatta who have made their fortune through interstellar trade. Instead, she’s determined to make it on her own, no matter how boring it’s going to be. But then someone tries to rob her ship and she’s attacked in public.

Someone has launched an attack against Vatta Transport Ltd. Their home is bombed killing many of the family members, including some very close to Ky. The attacks also sever interstellar communications, the ansibles. Furthermore, the government of Slotter Key is blaming the Vatta family and so shutting down their resources. Many of the other trading companies also feel that Vatta is to blame and refuse to deal with them.

The surviving family sends one of the own to find Ky and to find out who their enemy is. Ten years ago, Stella made a grievous error and was branded as the family black sheep ever since. She’s the most unlikely person to investigate anything, so she’s sent. However, she’s a determined and level-headed woman. She has already learned to work undercover, as a spy of sorts, and now her skills are put to a test. Her former lover Rafe soon joins her. He’s a lovable rogue with plenty of talents and secrets of his own.

Ky’s familiar cast returns. I enjoyed them more this time around although their attitudes towards Ky don’t change. She hires a couple of new men and while I could see what’s going to happen with (at least) one of them, it was still a nice ride. I also really enjoyed Ky and Stella’s interactions. However, Ky doesn’t really have time to mourn her family and the story has very convenient coincidences.

This was a nice continuation to the series and definitely raises the stakes for Ky and the surviving Vatta family. Now, Ky has to work with no safety net which she had in the first book.

Unpredictable Action

The story takes you to different solar systems, planets, and various space stations. And, the story holds together very well and stays believable. Actually, it’s the main character, Kai, who keeps the ship in one piece and her crew together. There’s no predicting what will happen next! Thoroughly enjoyable!
Am getting the next one!!

Good Book

This book had good surprises and a strong charter development with action, Sabatage and back stabing

Decent Hard Sci-Fi

I checked this series out on a whim, it's pretty good but a little dry. I think the audio recording is from 2008 so it's a little dated compared to more contemporary audiobooks. The first book was really slow paced and I decided to check out the second book because the description seemed more action packed. It did not disappoint, this book was better paced than the first and the characters had more depth. The first book really sets Ky up as a character but the second book really developes her and the story/world building. Overall, it was pretty good.

Marque?

Any additional comments?

Great Sci-Fi thriller, #2 in a series...our heroine avenges family loss for the benefit of the family business, with a twist of future technology. I enjoyed the book and will read #3.

A good 2nd Book

I was pleased with the narrator's work. The story had a good continuation of the original.

Excellent good fun!

This was as much fun to listen to as it was to read...most enjoyable listening!

It’s pretty good. The narrator is still not great but overall fun story

I liked it. I think it was a great follow up to the events of the first book. It was fun and exciting and I liked the procedural parts of how commerce, contracts, legal status of privateering and all that played into the decisions that Ky Vatta made.

If you don’t like procedurals you may want to skip this.