Victory Conditions (Vatta's War)

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Editorial Reviews:

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

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

Customer Reviews: Read 19 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

Solid Conclusion to an Entertaining Series March 4, 2008
20 out of 20 found this review helpful

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

Trading in Danger
Marque and Reprisal
Engaging the Enemy
Command Decision

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

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

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

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

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

5 out of 5 stars

Admirable Series Conclusion February 21, 2008
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Another fine book from Elizabeth Moon, who brings military experience and knowledge and a bit of a civilian sensibility to her military sf. So what you get tends to have an air of realism and lacks the tone of military "good/civilian bad" that sometimes marks sf of this genre.

The action scenes are great, the dialogue well done and the pacing rapid (sometimes too rapid - I would have preferred a bit more lead in to the final battle).

This is clearly volume 5 of a 5 book series, so new readers beware! Start with book 1 - Trading in Danger - and get to this stirring finale and you will be well rewarded.

4 out of 5 stars

Rush to finish February 28, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

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

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

3 out of 5 stars

Solid finale too the series, but weaker than the others April 7, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

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

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

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

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

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

5 out of 5 stars

Excellent final Vatta's War science fiction February 21, 2008
4 out of 9 found this review helpful

The ISC war against Gammis Turek and his pirate empire has enabled Kylara Vatta to rise rapidly in the admiralty to where the relatively youthful officer commands forty spacecraft. However, she knows the enemy is brutal and brilliant with his latest threat being Slotter Key, her homeworld.

Ky learns rank may have privilege, but it also has difficult decision making responsibility. She knows she will send soldiers to their deaths but also realizes the war could devastate her family like her Aunt Grace and Vatta Enterprises. Still as she feels haunted by those who died and will die under her command, she feels strongly failure to act will lead to even more deaths by Turek and his horde. Combat is inevitable; she knows what she must do though it weighs on her mind, but hopes her actions will make her side victorious.

The key to the final Vatta's War is the strong cast not just the heroine who bring to life and death the full facets of the impact of war on everyone. The story line is fast-paced yet no critical thread is left dangling while the cast drives the saga. Fans of the series will relish Elizabeth Moon's finish as Ky concludes that the conditions for victory mean deaths for friends and family.

Harriet Klausner

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