Victory Conditions

Vatta's War, Book 5

By: Elizabeth Moon

Narrated by: Cynthia Holloway

Length: 15 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

For Kylara Vatta, it's not just about liberating the star systems subjugated by Gammis Turek and defending the rest of the galaxy's freedom. There is 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 galaxy-wide 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.

©2008 Elizabeth Moon (P)2009 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Rip-roaring action and intriguing science and tactics distinguish Nebula-winner Moon's fifth and final Vatta's War installment.... A fine and fitting conclusion to Moon's grand space opera tour de force." ( Publishers Weekly)

A must listen

Elizabeth Moon did her usual excellent timing of the storyline. The narrator was perfect .

Mispronunciations galore, again.

I'm sure Miss Holloway is a great person. As a narrator, however, she is not great. Her inability to pronounce words correctly, or consistently, almost ruins the experience of listening to the book. She switches back and forth between "Vatta", and "Batta", "Vig-you-rus-lee" in liue of vigorously, etc..

I've really enjoyed the adventure

I've read the first 5 books and they are all excellent. Book 6 & 7 aren't available on Audible yet or I'd continue. I'll be watching for book 6 & 7 to become available on Audible.

Wait, What?

I think the biggest shame here is that when we get to the point where the good guys finally get the fleet they’ve been working for since the beginning, the reader gets so little pay off. The fleet is an amorphous entity that flutters about having little consequence to the events except that the drama plays out on a greater scale in the background of the protagonists’ emotional issues. Planning and tactics are extolled but never in much detail and in a story that fixates on building up to a titanic struggle, this conclusion ultimately lacks depth in a very disappointing way.
Regrettably, this shallowness is not compensated for by a correspondingly better treatment of the characters. Quality has not improved, merely quantity, in a narrative that spreads across a fleet, and three star systems and involves more than half a dozen character perspectives. The heroes, who often simultaneously are to have undergone dramatic changes while remaining fundamentally the same, are likable enough. The resolution of what felt like a tacked on romantic tension was not as appalling as it could have been, but still felt like a vexing element of the plot.

Great story Line

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

Weakest book in a very good series

While still quite good, the writing in this book is weaker than in previous installments in the series. Characterization and plot felt rushed and a bit forced, perhaps in an attempt to wrap up the story after four previous volumes. That said, the momentum of the series was sufficient to carry this book as well.

On a brighter (?) note, in this volume the narrator was slightly less horrible than in previous volumes, though still bad enough to make her an active detriment. The presence of Cynthia Holloway as narrator would be sufficient to cause me great pause in purchasing any book I had not previously read.

Finally, some action. But too little and too late.

This is the final book in the Vatta's War quintet, and I can honestly say I'm glad that there are no more. The reader is simply awful. Stilted, with no sense of dramatic flow and truly terrible voices for some characters. The final book should have been the most exciting and satisfying as Ky finally gets the fleet she needs and the battles happen. But instead, we get additional characters who add little to the story and yet we STILL have to hear their angst and stupidity play out. This entire series could have been quite good as a trilogy. But it simply hasn't stood the test of time. It's YA space opera, but it's not _good_ YA space opera.

A Fitting End

This fifth book concludes the first series, Vatta's War. Those who enjoyed the previous books will likely do the same with this one as well - it's much of the same.

Story: All the pieces are in place now: Vatta has her navy of ragtag ships, the support of the ISC, and her cousin's and Aunt's clever behind-the-scenes machinations. Unfortunately, she is also greatly outnumbered and with only the on-ship ancible real-time communication giving her an advantage. But it is time to face Turek and prevent the pirate from destroying peace and order among the populated worlds.

The ending is what you would expect - again, this isn't high science fiction and there is not a lot of depth to the characters. But we do get resolution between the Kylara-Vatta issues and some space battles.

In all, fun bubble gum sci fi you don't take too seriously and just enjoy the ride. Of note, I listened to the audio version and the narration is very hard to listen to - the characterizations are simplistic and odd and have an impact on the enjoyment of the story. I suggest listening to a sample first.

Too much repetition

Nice story, but to many times characters just retell what happened in previously books. Feels like a conclusion on the series

Holloway's Narration Distracts from Space Opera

Elizabeth Moon's satisfactory conclusion to her Vatta's War series is marred by Cynthia Holloway's uninformed narration.

Come on! When you're reading a Sci Fi book, it's important--vital--to understand the words your are paid to pronounce and the context in which you say them. So, when "nanites" becomes "nan-i-tees," for example, well, it's a Sci Fi fan's nightmare.

Chalkboard, fingernails, flinch, flinch, flinch!

Her voice characterizations are quite good--I appreciate her craft. So, then, in this case, perhaps the real blame goes to the director and editor. Again, no excuses acceptable.

We SF fans are a picky bunch--it's the technical details--or at least the approximation of them--that matters. Without that, one might as well read historical fiction or something.