What do you think?
Rate this book
The Serrano Legacy #4
Once a Hero
When Esmay Suiza found herself in the middle of a space battle, the senior surviving officer, she had no choice but to take command and win. She didn't want to be a hero, but Once A Hero....
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
108 people are currently reading
911 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Moon
140 books2,612 followersElizabeth 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 married Richard Moon, a Rice classmate and Army officer, in 1969; they moved to the small central Texas town where they still live in 1979. They have one son, born in 1983.
She started writing stories and poems as a small child; attempted first book (an illustrated biography of the family dog) at age six. Started writing science fiction in high school, but considered writing merely a sideline. First got serious about writing (as in, submitting things and actually getting money...) in the 1980s. Made first fiction sale at age forty--"Bargains" to Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword & Sorceress III and "ABCs in Zero G" to Analog. Her first novel, Sheepfarmer's Daughter, sold in 1987 and came out in 1988; it won the Compton Crook Award in 1989. Remnant Population was a Hugo nominee in 1997, and The Speed of Dark was a finalist for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and won the Nebula in 2004.
She served in the USMC from 1968 to 1971, first at MCB Quantico and then at HQMC. She married Richard Moon, a Rice classmate and Army officer, in 1969; they moved to the small central Texas town where they still live in 1979. They have one son, born in 1983.
She started writing stories and poems as a small child; attempted first book (an illustrated biography of the family dog) at age six. Started writing science fiction in high school, but considered writing merely a sideline. First got serious about writing (as in, submitting things and actually getting money...) in the 1980s. Made first fiction sale at age forty--"Bargains" to Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword & Sorceress III and "ABCs in Zero G" to Analog. Her first novel, Sheepfarmer's Daughter, sold in 1987 and came out in 1988; it won the Compton Crook Award in 1989. Remnant Population was a Hugo nominee in 1997, and The Speed of Dark was a finalist for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and won the Nebula in 2004.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews
August 24, 2022
Though it is nowhere near perfect, Elizabeth Moon's Once a Hero is an enjoyable space opera romp. I may not have been familiar with the story up to the start of the novel, but I understood it relatively well nonetheless. Those who aren't too crazy about interstellar adventures should read something else, but galactic nuts will find plenty to love about it.
February 25, 2008
I'm having a hard time reconciling the reviews for this book with this book. My standards for Space Opera are not especially high, but this thing is an incoherent mess.
It starts out as a military courtroom drama, referring back to the events of (I hope) another book. It morphs into a clumsy soldier returns home/ fish out of water story, turns into a military maintenance procedural before becoming a fairly unambitious actioner, before changing back into a trauma recovery story with a romance stapled to it.
"…Dazzling…"–Booklist
"Where?" Me.
It starts out as a military courtroom drama, referring back to the events of (I hope) another book. It morphs into a clumsy soldier returns home/ fish out of water story, turns into a military maintenance procedural before becoming a fairly unambitious actioner, before changing back into a trauma recovery story with a romance stapled to it.
"…Dazzling…"–Booklist
"Where?" Me.
January 18, 2018
I loved this book. I like my sci-fi with a few space battles, some time on-planet, and a little romance. This had them all. I'm hoping that Esmay is in more of the books in this series, although she isn't a Serrano.
December 25, 2018
In this quite entrancing space adventure, we have Esmay Suiza as the main character. Now, those like myself who read previous books by this author will have met Esmay as a side character in Winning Colors (The Serrano Legacy, #3) where she was a key factor in the resolution of that adventure. The first time I started this book I could not get into it, because having read three adventures with Heris Serrano I was really wanting more of the same and at first meeting Esmay is nothing like Heris.
Giving myself a bit of a break, meant I could come back and thoroughly enjoy this book. The story is complex, well written and the different story arcs complement each other, coming together at the end seamlessly. The main character, Esmay, while different enough from Heris Serrano actually has a great many similarities the more we read about her. They are both scarily together women with amazing abilities. While Esmay's backstory is different enough to be individual there is still the family expectations and the horse theme running through this, as the other Serrano Legacy books. As with previous books, there are a range of secondary characters, also well written and good writing. Very good, solid writing that pulls you into the scene.
The descriptions of the DSR Koskiusko are fascinating and very well done; a great big 'ship' that is a cross between a ship and a maintenance space station, massive and filled with all the things and people needed to fix space stations. Brilliant setting! Anyone with any experience with actual armed forces maintenance facilities will find it especially believable,I suspect, for any number of reasons.
Thoroughly enjoyed it, will read more.
Giving myself a bit of a break, meant I could come back and thoroughly enjoy this book. The story is complex, well written and the different story arcs complement each other, coming together at the end seamlessly. The main character, Esmay, while different enough from Heris Serrano actually has a great many similarities the more we read about her. They are both scarily together women with amazing abilities. While Esmay's backstory is different enough to be individual there is still the family expectations and the horse theme running through this, as the other Serrano Legacy books. As with previous books, there are a range of secondary characters, also well written and good writing. Very good, solid writing that pulls you into the scene.
The descriptions of the DSR Koskiusko are fascinating and very well done; a great big 'ship' that is a cross between a ship and a maintenance space station, massive and filled with all the things and people needed to fix space stations. Brilliant setting! Anyone with any experience with actual armed forces maintenance facilities will find it especially believable,I suspect, for any number of reasons.
Thoroughly enjoyed it, will read more.
October 21, 2015
Much better than the first three books - and much darker. I suppose I'd put in a trigger warning for rape or childhood sexual assault on this, but it is not at all graphic, just a very difficult thing Esmay learns she needs help to deal with it. I quite like that this is an SF book strongly proclaiming that getting help for mental health is not a weakness. Some excellent military SF elements included too: watch for the EVA walk on the outside of a ship during FTL! Really cool visuals in that, plus once again, Moon shines when she's writing about battle tactics. The DSR setting was very interesting and I hope later books might revisit it (unlikely though...).
September 17, 2008
This was the first of the Familias books I read, and in many ways the best. Not necessarily a good thing. In some ways, this book is an attempt to breathe new life into the series, leaving the played out tales of Heris Serrano behind and moving to a newer and less defined character. It suffers from having to do all the development work in a single book. There are a number of all-too-obvious foreshadowing elements, but these don't ruin the story. I enjoyed the book for what I enjoy other Moon books for, her knowledge of a life that's alien to me, and her ability to present it in a novel.
May 10, 2015
As with too many military sci fi, this book uses sexual violence as a cop out for actual character depth.
January 5, 2016
Reread..
April 10, 2012
After a break, I'm continuing with the Serrano Legacy series by Elizabeth Moon. The first three books on Heris Serrano--though good--were a bit of a disappointment. I was pleased to find this book, continuing the series with a bit character from WINNING COLORS, was much better and more scifi opera in the style of her later Vatta's War series.[return][return]Esmay Suiza didn't intend to be a hero. But when her spaceship was captained by a traitor, she and others rose in mutiny. Esmay ended up as captain, making a decisive victory against incredible odds. However, in the aftermath, no one knows how the no-ambition ensign did it; Esmay herself is befuddled. When reassigned to a new ship, trouble finds her yet again, and this time Esmay must confront her deepest fears in order to stay alive--and mentally sound.[return][return]Elizabeth Moon writes great science fiction. Esmay is a complicated character. Like Heris Serrano, she's extremely stoic, but Esmay has her reasons--and it's interesting how the reader discovers those reasons along with her. At times, the psychological aspects did seem to drag on too long, but the rest of the book relied on constant action and suspense. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
September 9, 2025
Elizabeth Moon went off on a tangent in this one, and well done to her. Esmay Suiza is a lovely heroine, I’ll be happy to read about her adventures for the next book (or books, I’m not sure where this is going). She’s also managed to get horses into this book too; I’m fine with that too, I quite like horses. Apart from her quirky heroines this one is another rip-roaring space opera of the classic type, well written and with an ingenious plot. Super!
April 25, 2022
This science fiction novel is a guilty pleasure. I read it over and over. The heroine, Esmay, has left her backwards planet and patriarchal society to join the space navy. On her first cruise she finds herself the highest ranking surviving officer, takes command, and performs spectacularly in combat. She has never sought command so decides this is a fluke — until the next crisis, where again she leads brilliantly. By the end of the novel she has figured out that she is a survivor of childhood trauma and this has led her to continually question and doubt herself. In the happy ending she starts therapy and soon is on her way to healing and embracing her destiny as a space navy hero. Alas, my own experience is that fifteen years of therapy is not enough to completely heal childhood trauma... but I love the fantasy that a sufficiently skilled shrink and futuristic psych meds work much faster and better. If that’s not your cup of tea then just read this for the adventure.
December 30, 2012
I'm starting to think that no one appreciates this book the way I do. I love, love, love this book. Why? It speaks to me, of greatness thrust upon you, of vulnerability, of the family you are born to and the family you acquire, of overcoming trauma, of seeing the big picture, and of taking control of your own life.
When I first read this book, I identified with the main character, as someone who had experienced too many of the same events she did, and needed to learn some of the things she did. When I re-read this book, I learned more about myself as I learned more about Esmay.
When I first read this book, I identified with the main character, as someone who had experienced too many of the same events she did, and needed to learn some of the things she did. When I re-read this book, I learned more about myself as I learned more about Esmay.
May 28, 2018
3.5 stars
A nice space opera, and Esmay is a sympathetic heroine. She is a hero by accident, the best kind, in my opinion. Her personal demons, stemming from her childhood trauma, makes the story even more interesting, as she struggles between her leadership abilities and her deep-rooted feelings of personal inadequacy. The novel is immensely readable and not dated at all despite its respectable (for sci-fi) age – it was published in 1997.
There were two things that concerned me in the book. First – the story seems a bit too abstracted from reality. There is a fight erupting on Esmay’s ship. People are dying, but the narrative gallops ahead without even a hiccup, as if nobody notices the dead bodies: neither the characters, nor the author. As if they’re not real. Thankfully, those corpses are not real for us, the readers, but they should be real for the protagonist. Second – lots of attention, too much in my opinion, is paid to the geography of the ship, its various wings and corridors. I got lost in all those names and connections and stopped paying attention to them very early in the novel. Unfortunately, the author seems fascinated with them.
Otherwise, a solid sci-fi novel. Recommended to anyone who likes sci-fi.
A nice space opera, and Esmay is a sympathetic heroine. She is a hero by accident, the best kind, in my opinion. Her personal demons, stemming from her childhood trauma, makes the story even more interesting, as she struggles between her leadership abilities and her deep-rooted feelings of personal inadequacy. The novel is immensely readable and not dated at all despite its respectable (for sci-fi) age – it was published in 1997.
There were two things that concerned me in the book. First – the story seems a bit too abstracted from reality. There is a fight erupting on Esmay’s ship. People are dying, but the narrative gallops ahead without even a hiccup, as if nobody notices the dead bodies: neither the characters, nor the author. As if they’re not real. Thankfully, those corpses are not real for us, the readers, but they should be real for the protagonist. Second – lots of attention, too much in my opinion, is paid to the geography of the ship, its various wings and corridors. I got lost in all those names and connections and stopped paying attention to them very early in the novel. Unfortunately, the author seems fascinated with them.
Otherwise, a solid sci-fi novel. Recommended to anyone who likes sci-fi.
September 27, 2015
Call me completely dumb, but I read a full 300 pages of this novel before giving up because it had gotten so progressively STUPID. God, it was a stupid and boring novel. This was my first Elizabeth Moon novel and I had always heard pretty good things about her, but this was not a good introduction to her work for me. When I bought this, I didn't know that this was the fourth book in a large series. It would have helped to read the preceding book and from what I could tell, the preceding book would have been a lot better.
In the preceding book, protagonist Lieutenant Esmay Suiza had survived a mutiny on a warship where her captain had turned traitor along with several other ship captains and there was a battle on the ship leaving her senior officer. She took the ship back to the ongoing warship battle and won, beating all odds. In this book, she's court marshaled for mutiny and is exonerated. She goes to her home planet on leave, has a horrible time, can't wait to get back to Fleet, and upon arriving, instead of being assigned to another warship, she discovers she's assigned to a monstrously huge repair spaceship. It has 18 levels and is the size of an orbital space station. It has 25,000 personnel, a captain who hates her, and multiple admirals. She's assigned to Hull and Architecture, a department she has no experience in, and yes, that's about the most exciting department on this ship. And so begins an entire book of descriptions of inventory racks, getting lost on various levels, eating in mess halls, taking tubes to various levels, other departments, such as Scan, Tactical, blah, blah, blah. Oh my God, is it boring. She has to go get inventory number GS5077658SL or crap like that and find plan FR564972, etc. How many pages of that shit can you read? Fortunately some action finally occurs. Except that it's beyond stupid. They find out about a damaged warship in another sector that they want to repair, so they "jump" without escort to get it, find dead and wounded people on it, transfer all of the bloody but strangely unwounded (after all) people to the sick bay, and start working on the ship, which will apparently take months to repair. Two warships that were with the damaged one leave them to go back to their previous destination, leaving the repair ship alone. Understand that their enemies lack good technology and would like nothing more than to capture this type of ship so they could use it for themselves. And so the 25 wounded crew members of the ship they just got are an enemy commando team. And a couple of hours after they've been in sick bay, the authorities on the repair ship, get them up, give them clothes and IDs and assign them to various departments to work because they desperately need their help. They desperately need the help of 25 people who don't know anything about their ship when they already have 25,000 people? Yeah, that's logical. How freaking stupid is that? When Esmay's assigned person comes, she gets a bad feeling about him, shares it with her boss, and immediately concludes that it's an enemy commando team that attacked the ship they took in, killed its personnel, put on their uniforms, are acting as Fleet personnel, and are now spread all over the repair ship ready to take it over. She just knew it. She knew the plan. Somehow. It's amazing. It's beyond comprehension that she would be able to come to that conclusion just by interacting with one person from that ship. It literally makes no sense whatsoever. It's stupid as hell. Of course, it turns out that she's right, but it's virtually impossible for anyone to come to that conclusion based on just her instinct. And then the enemy commando team of 25 people steal a few dull dinner knives from the mess hall while eating, get together, and laughingly plan to take over the ship, killing as many people as possible with these "weapons" even though they face 25,000 people. Meanwhile, the captain and admirals have been alerted to everything by Esmay and are planning on taking over the oncoming enemy warships when they arrive, even though they have no weapons. Then they're going to blow up their own ship and people to keep it out of the hands of the enemy. I read a little bit further. The bad guys take a hostage, Esmay's love interest. They kill a few people. But I just stopped because the book had gotten so fucking stupid, I just couldn't continue. I can't believe how boring and how dumb this book and this premise is. I've just finished reading the first 10 Honor Harrington books, which I've compared this book to because of the theoretically strong female protagonists, but David Weber can write a believable, compelling story and Honor rocks. Moon is a weak writer who chooses boring things to write about and writes unrealistic scenes and scenarios and makes her books unbelievable as a result. If she had just made some adjustments, changed some things, it could have been better, maybe much better, I'm not sure. But she didn't and as a result, the book sucks. I'm not going to give any more books in this series a chance. There may be some good ones, but I'm not risking it. Not recommended.
In the preceding book, protagonist Lieutenant Esmay Suiza had survived a mutiny on a warship where her captain had turned traitor along with several other ship captains and there was a battle on the ship leaving her senior officer. She took the ship back to the ongoing warship battle and won, beating all odds. In this book, she's court marshaled for mutiny and is exonerated. She goes to her home planet on leave, has a horrible time, can't wait to get back to Fleet, and upon arriving, instead of being assigned to another warship, she discovers she's assigned to a monstrously huge repair spaceship. It has 18 levels and is the size of an orbital space station. It has 25,000 personnel, a captain who hates her, and multiple admirals. She's assigned to Hull and Architecture, a department she has no experience in, and yes, that's about the most exciting department on this ship. And so begins an entire book of descriptions of inventory racks, getting lost on various levels, eating in mess halls, taking tubes to various levels, other departments, such as Scan, Tactical, blah, blah, blah. Oh my God, is it boring. She has to go get inventory number GS5077658SL or crap like that and find plan FR564972, etc. How many pages of that shit can you read? Fortunately some action finally occurs. Except that it's beyond stupid. They find out about a damaged warship in another sector that they want to repair, so they "jump" without escort to get it, find dead and wounded people on it, transfer all of the bloody but strangely unwounded (after all) people to the sick bay, and start working on the ship, which will apparently take months to repair. Two warships that were with the damaged one leave them to go back to their previous destination, leaving the repair ship alone. Understand that their enemies lack good technology and would like nothing more than to capture this type of ship so they could use it for themselves. And so the 25 wounded crew members of the ship they just got are an enemy commando team. And a couple of hours after they've been in sick bay, the authorities on the repair ship, get them up, give them clothes and IDs and assign them to various departments to work because they desperately need their help. They desperately need the help of 25 people who don't know anything about their ship when they already have 25,000 people? Yeah, that's logical. How freaking stupid is that? When Esmay's assigned person comes, she gets a bad feeling about him, shares it with her boss, and immediately concludes that it's an enemy commando team that attacked the ship they took in, killed its personnel, put on their uniforms, are acting as Fleet personnel, and are now spread all over the repair ship ready to take it over. She just knew it. She knew the plan. Somehow. It's amazing. It's beyond comprehension that she would be able to come to that conclusion just by interacting with one person from that ship. It literally makes no sense whatsoever. It's stupid as hell. Of course, it turns out that she's right, but it's virtually impossible for anyone to come to that conclusion based on just her instinct. And then the enemy commando team of 25 people steal a few dull dinner knives from the mess hall while eating, get together, and laughingly plan to take over the ship, killing as many people as possible with these "weapons" even though they face 25,000 people. Meanwhile, the captain and admirals have been alerted to everything by Esmay and are planning on taking over the oncoming enemy warships when they arrive, even though they have no weapons. Then they're going to blow up their own ship and people to keep it out of the hands of the enemy. I read a little bit further. The bad guys take a hostage, Esmay's love interest. They kill a few people. But I just stopped because the book had gotten so fucking stupid, I just couldn't continue. I can't believe how boring and how dumb this book and this premise is. I've just finished reading the first 10 Honor Harrington books, which I've compared this book to because of the theoretically strong female protagonists, but David Weber can write a believable, compelling story and Honor rocks. Moon is a weak writer who chooses boring things to write about and writes unrealistic scenes and scenarios and makes her books unbelievable as a result. If she had just made some adjustments, changed some things, it could have been better, maybe much better, I'm not sure. But she didn't and as a result, the book sucks. I'm not going to give any more books in this series a chance. There may be some good ones, but I'm not risking it. Not recommended.
September 20, 2024
"Once a Hero" by Elizabeth Moon is a pretty good book. This is my first Elizabeth Moon novel. I decided to pick up one of her books after hearing an interview of her on Audible.com. Seems like a nice lady... living right here in Austin, Texas! (Actually she lives just north of Austin.)
The Story: this is military science fiction. Lieutenant (junior grade) Esme Suiza found herself in the middle of a mutiny. The captain had turned traitor and after intense fighting the most senior officer left was Esme, a tech specialist who not only gained control of the ship, but returned it to battle and won. Now she must face courts-martial. A mutiny is a mutiny. She and the other officers must justify their actions even if the actions were obviously the correct ones. You don't punish success. Do you?
Esme is brilliant and brave in battle, but at all other times she is tentative. mousy, and a "tech". Where did this towering prodigy of leadership come from and where does it go when the battle is over? That is what this story is about. Esme returns to her home planet as a hero, uncovers a terrible secret, and then must live with the truth as she is exiled to a maintenance station in the far reaches of space. It is considered a punishment station (or at least a career dead-end), but somehow she manages to shine.
Any problems with this story? It's quirky. One does not normally think of maintenance engineers as hero material, and I was a little wary of the story line when Esme was transferred to the far reaches of space, but the story never faltered. It was exciting all the way through like the Jack Campbell "Lost Fleet" novels where the main character is working through deep personal issues, but sets them aside for the sake of duty.
The ending is a little drawn out. When the action is over and victory is at hand, the book goes through page after page resolving Esme's personal issues. I enjoyed that part as well, but I'm not sure others will. So... if, after the action is over and you want to skip those last few pages, It would be just fine. I'll tell you what happened here:
Any modesty issues? I wouldn't recommend it for kids. Children were in danger. Rape was involved, but not described in detail. Parents can judge for themselves by reading the first chapter. The book goes over the same issue again and again. The F-word was used, but only once which makes me wonder why it was used at all.
I would read this book again and I am now interested in the series.
Update (2020-04-12 Apr): I edited my review again. My good opinion of the novel and the series remains the same.
The Story: this is military science fiction. Lieutenant (junior grade) Esme Suiza found herself in the middle of a mutiny. The captain had turned traitor and after intense fighting the most senior officer left was Esme, a tech specialist who not only gained control of the ship, but returned it to battle and won. Now she must face courts-martial. A mutiny is a mutiny. She and the other officers must justify their actions even if the actions were obviously the correct ones. You don't punish success. Do you?
Esme is brilliant and brave in battle, but at all other times she is tentative. mousy, and a "tech". Where did this towering prodigy of leadership come from and where does it go when the battle is over? That is what this story is about. Esme returns to her home planet as a hero, uncovers a terrible secret, and then must live with the truth as she is exiled to a maintenance station in the far reaches of space. It is considered a punishment station (or at least a career dead-end), but somehow she manages to shine.
Any problems with this story? It's quirky. One does not normally think of maintenance engineers as hero material, and I was a little wary of the story line when Esme was transferred to the far reaches of space, but the story never faltered. It was exciting all the way through like the Jack Campbell "Lost Fleet" novels where the main character is working through deep personal issues, but sets them aside for the sake of duty.
The ending is a little drawn out. When the action is over and victory is at hand, the book goes through page after page resolving Esme's personal issues. I enjoyed that part as well, but I'm not sure others will. So... if, after the action is over and you want to skip those last few pages, It would be just fine. I'll tell you what happened here:
Any modesty issues? I wouldn't recommend it for kids. Children were in danger. Rape was involved, but not described in detail. Parents can judge for themselves by reading the first chapter. The book goes over the same issue again and again. The F-word was used, but only once which makes me wonder why it was used at all.
I would read this book again and I am now interested in the series.
Update (2020-04-12 Apr): I edited my review again. My good opinion of the novel and the series remains the same.
August 22, 2022
This book is the middle book in the series. It’s a black sheep in many ways, but also the book I love the best by far.
Unlike the other six, this book can easily be read as a stand-alone volume. The other six books have a mix of characters, military and civilian, and the primary story lines are more political in nature than anything else. This book focuses squarely on Esmay, and on the Fleet. The story is one of personal growth and adventure, the complex situations in the rest of the Families is only hinted at. There is even a different villain, as we encounter a neighbouring culture only seen close up here (the Bloodhord). It is a faster pased, tighter story than the others.
On to the book.
I love Esmay - Moon has a knack for writing complex a fully fleshed out characters. I appreciated that we got to meet her now, as a Lieutenant Junior Grade. Although her view of the world and the Fleet isn't narrow, especially after the mutiny, it is limited and I am excited to watch her grow into her potential over the next three novels. I thought that Moon handled the trauma in Esmay's past well, and appreciated the fact that she doesn't shy away from both showing the impact the trauma had on her and provided a solid path to healing.
As an engineer, I LOVED the setting, the deepspace repair ship (DSR). The technical details throughout delighted me, and I was rooting so hard for the engineers as they dealt with the climax. Although it is clear that Esmay belongs in the command track, not the technical track moving forward, I'm sad that we won't see more of DSR and the engineers who work there in the future.
Unlike the other six, this book can easily be read as a stand-alone volume. The other six books have a mix of characters, military and civilian, and the primary story lines are more political in nature than anything else. This book focuses squarely on Esmay, and on the Fleet. The story is one of personal growth and adventure, the complex situations in the rest of the Families is only hinted at. There is even a different villain, as we encounter a neighbouring culture only seen close up here (the Bloodhord). It is a faster pased, tighter story than the others.
On to the book.
I love Esmay - Moon has a knack for writing complex a fully fleshed out characters. I appreciated that we got to meet her now, as a Lieutenant Junior Grade. Although her view of the world and the Fleet isn't narrow, especially after the mutiny, it is limited and I am excited to watch her grow into her potential over the next three novels. I thought that Moon handled the trauma in Esmay's past well, and appreciated the fact that she doesn't shy away from both showing the impact the trauma had on her and provided a solid path to healing.
As an engineer, I LOVED the setting, the deepspace repair ship (DSR). The technical details throughout delighted me, and I was rooting so hard for the engineers as they dealt with the climax. Although it is clear that Esmay belongs in the command track, not the technical track moving forward, I'm sad that we won't see more of DSR and the engineers who work there in the future.
July 8, 2019
This is the fourth book in the Serrano Legacy by Elizabeth Moon. Although the story is continued in this book the cast of characters changes almost completely. Esmay Suiza who appeared shortly before the end of the last book is now the main character. Also Barin Serrano who had a very short appearance in the previous book steps forward as a main character. I was worried that with the new characters the story would suffer but it is even better than in the first three books. In this one Esmay Suiza, who was a hero in the last book, must face a court marshall for her part in a mutiny, even though everyone knows it was justified. Esmay just wants to serve in quiet obscurity but after being posted on a new ship it is attacked by the Bloodhorde. She must once again step forward and be a hero. Another great read in this series.
August 7, 2022
(Trigger warnings for off-screen childhood sexual assault and the resulting adult trauma; off-screen rape; gratuitous violence).
Military SF with Esmay Suiza, a new hero and lots of new supporting characters. It's an enjoyable fast-paced plot (modulo the warnings listed previously), but it felt like it all was contrived just to give Suiza (a junior officer), the ability to use her recently acquired expertise and command experience. One star off for that.
(r/Fantasy 2022 Bingo squares: Set in Space; Family Matters).
Military SF with Esmay Suiza, a new hero and lots of new supporting characters. It's an enjoyable fast-paced plot (modulo the warnings listed previously), but it felt like it all was contrived just to give Suiza (a junior officer), the ability to use her recently acquired expertise and command experience. One star off for that.
(r/Fantasy 2022 Bingo squares: Set in Space; Family Matters).
September 12, 2023
If I could edit out one terrible scene of sexual assault, this would be a five star book. But I can’t, and the stupid graphic audio made it worse. So this otherwise delightful story of a young woman overcoming trauma (not the one mentioned above) and growing into herself and her talents and strengths is tarnished down to 4 stars for me.
July 23, 2021
I enjoyed this one. It's entertaining, with what seems to be the obligatory pulse-pounding space fight at the end of the book, but this type of thing doesn't get old for me. I enjoyed that the main character is not career fleet and basically ends up dealing with culture shock/difficulty moving up in the ranks and making friends because she is from what is a marginalized culture in this setting.
CW: Child abuse and sexual assault
CW: Child abuse and sexual assault
January 21, 2024
What starts as you regular „unexpected hero in space” story, turns out to be a very insightful and partially psychological story of a hurt woman. Amazing read with even more incredible finish.
June 29, 2013
I enjoy a good SciFi novel; especially one that features a woman who is strong and can take things in stride, learning along the way, etc. I also enjoy the whole SciFi feel - the space travel, the talk of FTL travel, all the little gadgetry - nano bots, etc - that go into a book concerning the future and all the possibilities. It's even better when it's obvious that the author knows his or her science but DOES NOT ram it down our throats in the form of pages and pages of science lectures and ''learnin' ''.
Elizabeth Moon does pretty good with this - her women are strong, her science explanations are mostly short and sweet, incorporated in the story. I think she even avoids those pesky long-winded conversations when two characters are discussing theory in their sneaky way of TEACHING the reader something sciencey. EXCEPT-during some conversations with a therapist. Needed, but a little much for me. However - Her characters are pretty close to being a Mary Sue type of character.
Now, I don't think that Moon necessarily WANTS to be a young woman who is perfect in space. I'm saying Esme is CLOSE to being a Mary Sue type. Her character is so close to perfectly unassuming, not appreciating her own knowledge or strengths, possibly keeping them hidden even from her self - that it's almost nauseating.....Despite this...
I did enjoy the story for the story's sake. The narration dialog between characters were fun to read - engaging. Her main character, Esme was saved from being a complete Mary Sue by her RAGE...this rage that she kept tamping down because she had to be in complete control of herself at all times...so much in control that she picked a boring non-glorious career track that she wasn't really suited for.
Even though I found some parts of the novel to be "oh please, sure this would happen"; even though I found some of the characters oh so predictable (the grumpy supervisor, the greedy villians, the hateful captain, etc) I did enjoy the story, because no matter what, and no matter how improbable, Moon can tell a good story. It's entirely possible that part of the story was supposed to show how silly perceptions can be - Esme's self-perception, her crippling way of shying away from her own abilities, her family's perception of the way things should be, her captains's perception of her mutiny, etc. Something about her style and her characters made me want to keep reading til the end. There was some eye rolling going on while I read, for sure, but still - I want to read more from this series....
I think what got to me, was the way - even though events led to this - a fairly young and inexperienced young lieutenant ends up completely in charge of officers who rank higher than her - what about their experience? But - I remind myself that this is the story - a fiction story of the extraordinary circumstances and actions of a young woman who is fighting for her life, and is overcoming some pretty traumatic events. When I do this, it works better for me as a story.
This is a Serrano Legacy novel - there are quite a few other books in the Serrano series, however, in this particular novel, the Serranos did not have a huge presence as characters. There is the Serrano that was involved in the mutiny, but you only read about her. There is an Admiral Serrano that interacts with Esme for a short time, and then there is the young male Serrano. He befriends Esme, and is one Serrano who definitely feels the heavy mantle of the Serrano expectations and legends weighing him down, expecting so much out of him...He doesn't play a huge part - but is a good friend to Esme with just the slightest beginnings of a romance.
Elizabeth Moon does pretty good with this - her women are strong, her science explanations are mostly short and sweet, incorporated in the story. I think she even avoids those pesky long-winded conversations when two characters are discussing theory in their sneaky way of TEACHING the reader something sciencey. EXCEPT-during some conversations with a therapist. Needed, but a little much for me. However - Her characters are pretty close to being a Mary Sue type of character.
Now, I don't think that Moon necessarily WANTS to be a young woman who is perfect in space. I'm saying Esme is CLOSE to being a Mary Sue type. Her character is so close to perfectly unassuming, not appreciating her own knowledge or strengths, possibly keeping them hidden even from her self - that it's almost nauseating.....Despite this...
I did enjoy the story for the story's sake. The narration dialog between characters were fun to read - engaging. Her main character, Esme was saved from being a complete Mary Sue by her RAGE...this rage that she kept tamping down because she had to be in complete control of herself at all times...so much in control that she picked a boring non-glorious career track that she wasn't really suited for.
Even though I found some parts of the novel to be "oh please, sure this would happen"; even though I found some of the characters oh so predictable (the grumpy supervisor, the greedy villians, the hateful captain, etc) I did enjoy the story, because no matter what, and no matter how improbable, Moon can tell a good story. It's entirely possible that part of the story was supposed to show how silly perceptions can be - Esme's self-perception, her crippling way of shying away from her own abilities, her family's perception of the way things should be, her captains's perception of her mutiny, etc. Something about her style and her characters made me want to keep reading til the end. There was some eye rolling going on while I read, for sure, but still - I want to read more from this series....
I think what got to me, was the way - even though events led to this - a fairly young and inexperienced young lieutenant ends up completely in charge of officers who rank higher than her - what about their experience? But - I remind myself that this is the story - a fiction story of the extraordinary circumstances and actions of a young woman who is fighting for her life, and is overcoming some pretty traumatic events. When I do this, it works better for me as a story.
This is a Serrano Legacy novel - there are quite a few other books in the Serrano series, however, in this particular novel, the Serranos did not have a huge presence as characters. There is the Serrano that was involved in the mutiny, but you only read about her. There is an Admiral Serrano that interacts with Esme for a short time, and then there is the young male Serrano. He befriends Esme, and is one Serrano who definitely feels the heavy mantle of the Serrano expectations and legends weighing him down, expecting so much out of him...He doesn't play a huge part - but is a good friend to Esme with just the slightest beginnings of a romance.
April 8, 2019
Book 4 in the Serrano series shifts focus to Esmay Suiza, the young junior officer who ended up in command of the Despite after its traitor captain and her cohorts were defeated in book 3. Esmay went back to the aid of Herris Serrano when the Benignity attacked the planet Xavier, and although she made mistakes in the heat of the battle, they succeeded in defeating the invaders.
Esmay and the other mutinous officers of the Despite have to go through an inquiry and court-martial, and once they are exonerated, she goes back to her home planet, Altiplano, for a short vacation before her next assignment. The Kosciusko is a Deep Space Repair vessel, and though Esmay has no experience with the work she is assigned to, she is content to settle down and learn new skills.
But Esmay is a born leader, and her superiors see it too. When the Bloodhorde tries to capture their vessel, Esmay must step up as the only officer with any practical combat experience and find a way to defeat this enemy.
I'm binging again, and enjoying it - Esmay is just as compelling a character as Herris Serrano, and though the story had a few slow parts, it was all needed to build her character's background. I love the detail Moon puts in her books - you can almost believe the author must have herself served on such a ship, so vivid are the descriptions. Four solid stars.
Esmay and the other mutinous officers of the Despite have to go through an inquiry and court-martial, and once they are exonerated, she goes back to her home planet, Altiplano, for a short vacation before her next assignment. The Kosciusko is a Deep Space Repair vessel, and though Esmay has no experience with the work she is assigned to, she is content to settle down and learn new skills.
But Esmay is a born leader, and her superiors see it too. When the Bloodhorde tries to capture their vessel, Esmay must step up as the only officer with any practical combat experience and find a way to defeat this enemy.
I'm binging again, and enjoying it - Esmay is just as compelling a character as Herris Serrano, and though the story had a few slow parts, it was all needed to build her character's background. I love the detail Moon puts in her books - you can almost believe the author must have herself served on such a ship, so vivid are the descriptions. Four solid stars.
November 7, 2020
Beware the Baen book cover! Aside from the main character being a woman, there's not a lot of white-knuckle wiz-bang 'splosions in this military-sf story. In fact, it's almost better described as "military slice-of-life sf," since most of the story is about our protagonist adjusting to life after surviving a mutiny, reassignment to a deep-space repair vessel, and coming to terms from some really harsh childhood trauma. To be sure, there's a space-barbarian threat that takes up a little less than half the book, but the wartime-action scenes are more suggestive rather than explicit in their level of detail. I thought it worked quite well; there's not a lot of genre innovation here, so it's all about how Moon chooses to put the well-known pieces together. (One thing I did note is that, for a book published in 1997, the presence and use of computers is actually pretty well done; which fits, since apparently Moon was a computer specialist in the U.S. Marine Corps.) A particular non-genre bright spot is the no-nonsense "psychotherapy positivity": our protagonist has trauma to work through, and pretty much everyone in Fleet who knows something's up tells her to get help, no shame. It's this sense of follow-through that elevates Esmay Suiza's arc above the more seedy "trauma as ersatz character development" trope.
A solid 4-star recommendation!
A solid 4-star recommendation!
March 5, 2018
Many years ago, I read The Adventures of Paksenarrion, which I enjoyed so much I named my cat after the heroine. For some reason, I did not search out every other book written by the author, and indeed, over time forgot the author's name until I was recently reminded, and informed she also wrote sci-fi.
This book is nothing like what I expected, and far better than anything I could've hoped for. Apparently it's part of a series (which I realized after finishing it), so it's possible the recent history of events which so influence Esmay Suiza (protagonist) in the first part of the book are covered in depth in one of the earlier books. Here, they are explained, but in terms of dealing with the aftermath: for the first section of the book, I kept wondering if the ebook has somehow been programmed out of order and I'd missed all the action.
But the author believably maneuvers Suiza into the midst of another ship conflict, providing the desired adventure and fast paced plot. It was the aftermath that I thought was possibly the most fulfilling, positive, and surprising ending available. I was genuinely delighted by the last 100 pages or so, and would highly recommend it to any fan of sci-fi
This book is nothing like what I expected, and far better than anything I could've hoped for. Apparently it's part of a series (which I realized after finishing it), so it's possible the recent history of events which so influence Esmay Suiza (protagonist) in the first part of the book are covered in depth in one of the earlier books. Here, they are explained, but in terms of dealing with the aftermath: for the first section of the book, I kept wondering if the ebook has somehow been programmed out of order and I'd missed all the action.
But the author believably maneuvers Suiza into the midst of another ship conflict, providing the desired adventure and fast paced plot. It was the aftermath that I thought was possibly the most fulfilling, positive, and surprising ending available. I was genuinely delighted by the last 100 pages or so, and would highly recommend it to any fan of sci-fi
February 20, 2018
TRIGGER WARNING: sexual assault.
i wish i’d had warning this book would be such a trigger. it’s written so well that things i have never experienced were traumatising me. and the subsequent therapy sessions in the book equally healed me.
a total departure from the Serranos. Lt. Suiza is the young woman whose story we follow and she is utterly charming. this book was extremely enjoyable for the great characters, inventive environment (a massive city sized repair ship). and exciting story. however there are two very violent scenes which not all readers may cope with. i found the book worth reading through despite the violent scenes because the book ends with some very good advice and therapy which is therapeutic to read. but i won’t re read this title. i just hope for more from Lt Esmay Suiza. i really like her. more than any of the previous characters.
i wish i’d had warning this book would be such a trigger. it’s written so well that things i have never experienced were traumatising me. and the subsequent therapy sessions in the book equally healed me.
a total departure from the Serranos. Lt. Suiza is the young woman whose story we follow and she is utterly charming. this book was extremely enjoyable for the great characters, inventive environment (a massive city sized repair ship). and exciting story. however there are two very violent scenes which not all readers may cope with. i found the book worth reading through despite the violent scenes because the book ends with some very good advice and therapy which is therapeutic to read. but i won’t re read this title. i just hope for more from Lt Esmay Suiza. i really like her. more than any of the previous characters.
October 8, 2023
One of these days Moon will write a book that doesn’t make my heart race and glue my eyeballs to the page. Today is not that day. At the heart of this adventure, Esmay remains a wonderful character. The exploration of her trauma is one of the best I’ve read; the exploration of the DSR vessel she’s serving on….was not.
I’m peeved beyond words that sexual assaults during armed conflict are always happening to women characters. In this book, there are two (one in the past). Why opt for that particular form of violence/trauma? If you claim realism (sexual assault being a fact of conflict), then sometimes it needs to be men so attacked. Given that’s not the case, maybe it’s a failure to imagine what else formative and awful can happen to women and girls? Regardless, did not like. Cannot go five stars.
I’m peeved beyond words that sexual assaults during armed conflict are always happening to women characters. In this book, there are two (one in the past). Why opt for that particular form of violence/trauma? If you claim realism (sexual assault being a fact of conflict), then sometimes it needs to be men so attacked. Given that’s not the case, maybe it’s a failure to imagine what else formative and awful can happen to women and girls? Regardless, did not like. Cannot go five stars.
March 17, 2016
Slight bit cartoonish, but a good read nonetheless.
Esmay Suiza introduced in the previous novel as the green as grass junior lieutenant who stopped the mutiny on her ship and came back to help is now the main character. Being naturally reserved both in character and culture she rather disliking her newfound status as a Hero.
After endless scrutiny on the military side, a far more personal story begins. A story with a few clicés, but gripping and intense. You dive into her past and slowly discover her past alongside her while she tries to improve herself in the present.
And slowly discover what she could be (or already is...)
A good story with a some cartoonish-ish villains. If you can look past that than this is an excellent novel.
Esmay Suiza introduced in the previous novel as the green as grass junior lieutenant who stopped the mutiny on her ship and came back to help is now the main character. Being naturally reserved both in character and culture she rather disliking her newfound status as a Hero.
After endless scrutiny on the military side, a far more personal story begins. A story with a few clicés, but gripping and intense. You dive into her past and slowly discover her past alongside her while she tries to improve herself in the present.
And slowly discover what she could be (or already is...)
A good story with a some cartoonish-ish villains. If you can look past that than this is an excellent novel.
January 2, 2020
Interestingly enough, this book in the series "The Serrano Legacy" has very little to do with Heris Serrano, or any other Serrano. Instead we follow Esmay Suiza, the junior lieutenant that brought a ship back in a previous book. I would often find such detours annoying, but I really like this book and was about to give it five stars until some cheesy elements in the end tried to pull it down. Well, I'll give it five stars anyway.
Esmay Suiza is a female space officer from a planet which doesn't care for rejuvenation, barely care for space, and absolutely not care for female military. With that background she doesn't quite fit in, with rare flashes of absolute brilliance. Now she has to answer for her actions in front of a court martial, and they are not her friends.
Esmay Suiza is a female space officer from a planet which doesn't care for rejuvenation, barely care for space, and absolutely not care for female military. With that background she doesn't quite fit in, with rare flashes of absolute brilliance. Now she has to answer for her actions in front of a court martial, and they are not her friends.
June 17, 2022
A very solid science fiction story with strong female characters in lead roles. Esmay Suiza is dealing with the aftermath of unexpectedly putting down a mutiny and being hailed a hero, or suspected as a member of the mutiny. Her family welcomes her home, awarding her the medal of honor she dreamed of as a child, along with land and a herd of horses so she can now stay home and be a proper woman on Altiplano. Instead she flees back to the stars, and is assigned to a two year tour on a maintenance ship, considered a punishment assignment by most. But when hostiles infiltrate the ship, Esmay takes action and ultimately proves to herself that she belongs in charge.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews