★★★★ (of 5)

• Full Title: Command Decision
• Author: Elizabeth Moon
• Year: 2007 (mine was a library hardback)
• Genre: Science Fiction, Adventure
• Publisher: Ballantine Books*
• ISBN 978-0-345-49159-6 (hardback)
• Wikipedia page (series)
• Author’s Wikipedia Page

(* The publisher was also listed as Del Rey, and elsewhere in the book, Random House.)

 

Summary

As with previous sequels in this series, Command Decision begins almost immediately after the end of the previous book (Engaging The Enemy). It is the fourth book of the Vatta’s War series. It continues to follow the adventures of space captain Kylara Vatta.

Now commanding a small but growing fleet of fighting ships, Ky continues her mission of eradicating the pirates who are terrorizing human-colonized systems, while cousin Stella runs the company, friend Rafe heads home for more clandestine work, and Aunt Grace continues her work at Slotter Key.

 

What I Liked Least About It

There was less to dislike about this book than the previous two.

Here, Moon is more careful to write “so she explained what happened” instead of writing an entire conversation that describes what the reader has just read. (There are still instances of it, but they now seem plotted/planned, because Ky is obviously leaving out certain parts with certain audiences.)

There were a couple of instances where I thought I had encountered incongruities from one part of the story to another, but I can’t be certain — especially where Rafe is concerned. He could simply be recounting past events dishonestly, for example.

Also note: None of these are standalone books. I think a reader would be lost unless they began at the beginning and read the series as a whole. I’m beginning to think they function together as one huge, five-part novel, rather than individual books.

 

What I Liked Most About It

Command Decision continues to use some of the newly added and now-developed characters from books two and three, while introducing even more. Many authors I’ve read try to introduce too many characters and places in one book; I like that Moon takes her time with this and lets us get to know each place, person, and ship before bringing in even more.

Still more worlds are introduced here, or at least described more fully, including the Gretna System, which was once known for minor transgressions like padding bills or trying to cheat visitors but now that it’s isolated has become outright criminal. Minor spoiler here: they have begun taking captive ship’s crew and passengers with phony claims of crimes, and then selling these captives as “indentured servants”. Though Moon has (very) lightly touched on skin color before — for example, mentioning that Ky isn’t as fair/pale as her cousin Stella — this was the first overt mention of bigotry based on phenotype. Ky and most of her crew are unaccustomed to such treatment — to the point that someone has to explain it to them.

“Then she remembered. Some systems had been settled not by the usual mix of human types, but very deliberately by those of one phenotype or one religion. A few of these had populations with minimal melanin...”

— pg. 52

Though Ky initially decides to trade with them, believing that because “our money’s good” that there won’t be problems. Things don’t go well, and I think Moon handled the descriptions of these events masterfully.

This book moves at a faster pace than the previous one. It reminds me more of book two, but with larger space battle engagments.

 

Conclusion

Similarly to previous conclusions: If you read the other books and liked them, you'll enjoy this one.

 

 

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