Trading In Danger: Vatta's War: Book One

Very well written. Was left hunting for the next book in the series. I always like a character who is developing in their role. If done well, by the author, it gives you an understanding "what makes them tick.' Highly recommend

Elizabeth Moon is a very talented writer, she keeps you entertained, uses action and suspense in all the right places.
She makes it almost imposable to put down the book. could not wait for the next book in the series.

Before this book, I had never read an Elisabeth Moon novel. I got so engrossed in this novel. Loved the story line and characters and can't wait to see what happens next to Captain Kylara Vatta and Crew. It was a little thin, but I'm hoping there will be more pages worth in the next book of this series.

I give "Two Thumps-up"! Well done! Bring on more of Kylara Vatta, her ship, and her crew!

The story is original, believable, and entertaining. I would like to see Captain Vatta on the big screen if done right this could be an introduction of a new woman heroine. Some of the scientific interfaces in space may need more refinement but overall a good story.

The author is clearly needlessly enamored with the lead character and the reasons seem transparent. She is a girl with a military background (much like the author) and is therefore unusually capable and constantly amazes everyone she encounters. It's gets stale as chapters drone on.

There is an amazing amount of good sci fi out there, this book is worth skipping.

This review is for the whole first series (4 books), which I forced myself to sit through because it was what I had brought with me to listen to in the car.

Coming so late to this series, I can say little that others have not already said, including being flabberghasted at how anyone could give this 5 stars, even IF you consider these books as being aimed at children in their early teens. I was far beyond this level of immaturity when I was that age.

There is little in the way of plot or character motivation, so chapter after chapter is filled with repetitive conversations between different characters about anything that actually does happen, no matter how trivial. Examples: going on a long trek to look for china (dinnerware, not the country...which I doubt they could find), and trying to arrange the extraction and sale of terrier (dog) sperm. Both of those activities consume far too high a word count and have absolutely no effect on the overall plot-like substance that hovers somewhere off-screen from time to time.

Unfortunately, the majority of those conversations barely qualify as employing junior high-school level logic in relation to the wider world and rate even lower on the vocabulary scale. What makes that even worse (if you have the audiobook) is the narrator has a habit of mispronouncing common words far too frequently, and in a surprising number of those cases, substituting another word entirely (sounds similar but with fewer syllables) that is inappropriate for the context. (Side questions: How does that not register in your brain before, or even after, it comes out of your mouth? No one else heard any of that or had a desire to fix the problems?) And the general tone of the line readings makes the young heroine and her somewhat older cousin sound like vapid Valley girls. It's impossible to take either of them seriously.

There are scant few adult characters that can be taken seriously as competent human beings who have learned something (or even anything) during the years we must presume they've been functioning in society, earning a living, and generally taking care of themselves. Most of those people are not directly interacting with our heroine. Those that do interact with her (especially outside of her crew), are written as belligerent, dismissive, illogical, incompetent...I could go on, but the point is that our young heroine does absolutely nothing remarkable (unless you count remarkably stupid and she was lucky to survive it), so everyone else has to be utterly idiotic so that she can appear barely competent by comparison; usually by the simple fact that she does something, anything, where others refuse to take action even when faced with the critical need to do so.

I won't go into all the writing tics that became distractingly repetitive, at least when you're listening rather than reading, (such as using 'er...' incessantly in the dialog to indicate hesitation), but if Ms. Moon's characters were legally prevented from answering any question with 'yes' alone, or in combination with repeating what the questioner said in some form, but rather were required to say something else that actually forwards the conversation, if not the plot, that one change alone could have made a big difference.

After all that, I do have to say that I LMAO at someone else having said that this was a Harlequin Romance in space...without all the sex. After I quit l laughing I had to say, "Thank God for that last bit because it would have been unendurably limp."

Bottom line: If you're coming to these books as late as I did, and are looking for an inspiring heroine in an exciting space opera, to paraphrase Obi-Wan, this is not the series you're looking for.

Ahoy there me mateys! I have been wanting to read a book by this author forever and was going to start with the novel, cold welcome. I heard about the book from the review from one of me crew and immediately added it to the list. Where it sat. It sat there long enough for that same crew member to be able to review the second book in the series. By luck or coincidence, I had just picked up cold welcome to read when I saw Sarah’s review of book two which ended with “This is recommended for fans of science fiction thrillers – though ideally, you should first read the Vatta’s War series and Cold Welcome.” I hadn’t realized there was another series and I trust Matey Sarah. So I immediately put cold welcome on the back burner and got ahold of this one instead.

I absolutely loved it. I sat and read avidly and completed the book in one session. The novel started out with a bang. The protagonist, Vatta, is expelled for military school but doesn’t know why. How cool is that? Sent home in disgrace, her wealthy family gives her a pity mission. She has to Captain a cargo ship to a port where she will deliver the cargo and then sell the ship for scrap. Her crew are all older and it is supposed to be a milk mission to let time pass and Vatta’s disgrace fade out of the media spotlight. But Vatta has other ideas which of course don’t go according to plan.

Vatta was a fantastic protagonist – intelligent, clever, calm-under-pressure, and resourceful. But she does make mistakes and has fears and concerns. I loved watching her grow during the course of the book. I thought the other crew members were excellent characters too if mostly in the background. The plot was excellent and fun. This was a perfect read in a perfect moment. I will certainly be reading more of this series. Arrr!

Elizabeth Moon’s start to the “Vatta’s War” series is a prime example of what I like to call “Logistics SF,” but it’s a lot more trading than danger.

“Trade and profit” is practically the motto of the wealthy Vatta family, who run an interstellar shipping company, and that’s the subject matter of most of the book. That oft-repeated phrase — “trade and profit” — becomes Kylara Vatta’s own personal principle after she is discharged from military school over an incident chalked up to her youth and gullibility. Naturally, she wants to prove herself.

Her caring father does not want to see her ashamed over a silly incident, so he gives her the task of captaining an old ship on a simple and easy mission. Kylara agrees and soon realizes she can use this as an opportunity to turn things around in her life.

It’s a nice coming-of-age transformation. She starts out a young, naive girl and ends up a sharp ship captain.

One of my core issue with the book is that I don’t like “Logistics SF.” What is Logistics SF, you ask? Well, you know how most fast-paced adventure books skip over all the logistical stuff of the hero or heroine traveling a great distance or doing preparations or performing grunt work? (For example: John Ringo’s Live Free or Die.) Lots of SF authors breeze past that and jump straight to the action and adventure. Logistics SF slows it down and tries to find the adventure in the details. Trading in Danger does just this, and does it well. But I care less about logistics than the big-picture, game-changing stuff. Give me action! Give me adventure!

My other core issue with Moon’s book is that. . . darnit, there’s just not a lot of conflict. The entire crew of Kylara’s ship likes her and believes in her from day one. Even though she has no experience being a ship captain and only got the job because she’s the Vatta patriarch’s daughter. Seriously? Did no one else have their eye on that captain’s seat? None of these seasoned spacer pros are the least bit resentful they are now under the command of an inexperienced young woman?

Not to mention the bad guys. The mercenary soldiers who board Kylara’s ship at the end are actually quite lenient and reasonable. The scuffle at the climax of the book is more of a personal matter than a battle. It is symbolic of the overall lack of action throughout the book.

In short: Kylara Vatta is a compelling character with a nice character arc over the course of the book, but the story rings a little too close to real life (where few thrilling events actually happen) for my taste. I was hoping for a mixture of commercial activity and gripping battle sequences. What I got was trade and profit, and more trade and profit. I knock off one star for overall lack of conflict and another star for lack of battle sequences. It is, after all, called the Vatta's *War* series. Maybe there's more of it in the next books.

I never put spoilers in my reviews. This book can be as enjoyed by both women and men.
I had things to do today and now it's tonight and I've finished the book I was only going to start a few hours ago. I ate and drank, not sure what, but that's it because I couldn't stop reading even while eating.
Well written, by an author who knows her stuff. Having read most of her Paksworld books I already knew she's an excellent author; seamlessly blending believable world building, finely drawn characters and rich dialogue with a master hand. That is excellent fantasy and this is excellent science fiction.
In most of her books her primary character is a strong, intelligent female in a non-traditional role and the few that aren't feature them. While often required to stand fast in order to find and hold their place, there is no overt feminism, the characters are simply themselves.
She should be required reading for all young women as they would realize whole world's of choices are open to them they were previously unaware of. They've only to decide, then do. Thank you, Ms. Moon.
Enjoy the excitement, I did. Hmmmm, I have the 2nd book in this series, I don't need to sleep tonight, do I?

Great story, looking forward to more. I have barely slept for three days, and faintly resented a co worker for popping in to have lunch. I wanted some lite romance, not one for the xrated stuff (more of a Jane Austen romance girl) but by the end was routing hard for a strong capable female. And not even needing a man to help out.

I have to laugh because I have been reading Lindsay Buroker's books and the captain never seems to sleep, up for 48 hours, this is so much more realistic, I found it funny that she was always going to the bathroom, napping and taking a shower. Perhaps as a reminder from the author for the reader to do the same.

Kylara Evangeline Dominique Vatta is a likeable enough heroine, if a bit on the stereotypical side. She's young and enthusiastic, perhaps a bit too trusting, and prone to fits of hot-headedness. The youngest of five siblings, and the only girl in a wealthy and successful family, all Ky really wants is to make a name for herself. Lacking any real experience, she often is forced to rely on her own instincts and intuition, which turn out to be surprisingly good most of the time. In other words, Kylara is just the kind of person we love to cheer for.

I like the way Ky handles herself in tough situations, although some of those situations are a little too contrived for my liking. In the naval academy, Ky tries to help a friend who, as it turns out, was trying to discredit the military, and she is expelled. That punishment was way more severe than necessary, but the scene does serve to show us that Ky is a good-natured person who truly wants to help people whenever possible. Later on, Ky inadvertently takes her ship and crew into a star system where war is breaking out. Many of the events that transpire from this don't make much sense logically, but again they serve to give us more insights into Ky's nature, namely that she is a capable captain and will do whatever is necessary to protect her ship and crew.

The real saving grace to Trading in Danger is the audio production. Graphic Audio specializes in turning books into full cast dramatizations, complete with music and sound effects. This particular production was beautifully done, with sound and music that truly enhance the story rather than distracting the listener.

As to the cast, what you have basically is a main narrator, and several voice actors who read the parts of the various characters. The main narrator, and I believe also the voice of Kylara, is Cynthia Holloway, who did a more than adequate job. The other actors are too numerous to name here, but I'm happy to say that they are all named in the recording. That makes me happy because sometimes full-cast audio productions neglect to name the actors, so thank you for that Graphic Audio.

Trading in Danger wasn't the best story, what you might call a space opera I suppose, but there's plenty of fast-paced action to keep you listening. And the cinema quality sound enhancements are definitely worth a listen.

Originally posted at FanLit.

"Of course we didn't do autopsies. We know exactly what killed them -- I killed them!"

Kylara Vatta, daughter of the head of the most prestigious shipping empire in the universe, didn't want to follow in her family's footsteps -- trading is boring and Ky wants adventure and her own life outside of her family's control. So she opted for a military career. But with only a few months left in the officer's academy, she was set-up, betrayed, kicked out, and publicly shamed. When she returns home in disgrace, Vatta Transport is happy to have her back in the fold. Her first assignment is to captain a derelict spaceship straight to the junkyard, but Ky has Vatta blood in her veins and can't pass up an advantageous business opportunity that arises unexpectedly. When this leads her into various forms of danger, and when scammers and mutineers think they can take advantage of the young and inexperienced captain, Ky finds that her time spent in the military academy wasn't wasted after all.

Trading in Danger is the first installment of Elizabeth Moon's VATTA'S WAR military science fiction epic. I don't think this series will appeal to everybody, but it happened to hit a sweet spot for me. I like Kylara Vatta, an intelligent ethical rules-bound military officer with a soft heart who, due to her new circumstances, is beginning to discover that she has a rebellious streak, not to mention a disconcerting appreciation for quickly solving problems with violence. Ky is a little passive and occasionally bewildered in this installment, but this is her first adventure. I'm assuming that Moon plans to show us some growth in this area as Ky begins to adapt to her new lifestyle. Kylara's crew and family members are also likeable -- especially elderly Aunt Grace who bakes unappetizing but invaluable fruitcakes.

The plot is engaging, unpredictable and mostly quick-moving though some of the dialog gets repetitive as Ky explains what's going on to multiple characters who show up at different times. I enjoyed the focus on transportation, though this may be a personal thing. My husband runs a small freight logistics company, so there's a lot of talk about contracts, cargo, carriers and consignees in my little world, and I was fascinated by how this might scale up to apply to an entire universe. Surprisingly, this was one of my favorite aspects of the story but, again, that's just me. (It would be such an awful pun to say "your mileage may vary" so I won't.)

Trading in Danger is "soft" science fiction, or "space opera" -- it's a little fluffy, focusing on drama and political intrigue, not physics. There's talk about FTL drives and ansibles (there's a nod to Ursula K. LeGuin), but no explanation of how they work. I love physics but have to admit that I get bored by long dry theoretical or technical discussions of astrophysics and quantum mechanics. Trading in Danger is a quick and easy read for when you're in the mood for some non-challenging science fiction. It ends on an intriguing note -- Ky has some difficult choices to make about her relationship to her family business. Should she stay with Vatta or go rogue? Whatever, I'm still on board and ready for the ride.

I'm listening to VATTA'S WAR in audio format. These were produced in 2008 by Tantor Audio and are read by Cynthia Holloway who does a nice job. I like her voice and she inflects the narrative perfectly (though she always mispronounces the word "peripheral"). I recommend the audio version.

Kylara Vatta, senior cadet at the Space Academy on Slotter Key, finds herself dismissed for going outside the chain of command to help a classmate who misuses her kindness for his own purposes. Back she goes to her family, the Vattas of Vatta Transport, who want to get her off Slotter Key and out into space as quickly as possible. Both to give the scandal she has unwittingly caused time to die down, and to put 21-year-old Ky to work doing what her father - the company's CFO - has always wanted her to do. Commanding Vatta ships, even though the first one he gives her is headed for the scrap yard at its final journey's end.

A milk run for a newbie skipper, being babysat by officers mostly old enough to be her parents. Kylara understands this is what she's been handed, but soon enough she sees her chance to make it far more. Off on a side trip to generate some trade and profit of her own, without her family or the company knowing where she has gone, Ky finds herself stuck with a blown out drive in a star system overtaken by civil war. Suddenly it's not a milk run anymore. People are getting killed, and the former Cadet Vatta has to put her military training to use unless she wants to join them. Can she get herself and her crew out of this mess, young and inexperienced though she is?

I avoided starting this series after hearing from so many readers and reviewers who, despite liking Elizabeth Moon's other books, found Kylara Vatta a disappointment. I'm glad I finally gave its debut novel a try, though, because I actually liked the protagonist. I enjoyed her growth as the story progressed, and as usual I found Moon's world building engrossing and her other characters both realistic and interesting. For me, a definite winner. I'm now planning to follow the series.

--Reviewed by Nina M. Osier, author of 2005 EPPIE science fiction winner "Regs"

This book is well-written in a technical sense, but it commits a cardinal sin for me with these kinds of "young person in over their head on an adventure" kinds of stories: the main character has basically no initiative. On top of that, several plot threads just sputter out as nothingburgers, along with characters being introduced just to be discarded again by the narrative later with no impact on anybody else.

Kylara Vatta is just about to graduate at the top of her class from her planet's space academy when her helpful nature is taken advantage of by a younger cadet with a grudge against the military. Exactly what happened, and why it's a Bad Thing, is never really explained, but Ky ends up taking the heat and is thrown out. Luckily (or not), she's the younger daughter of a wealthy space mercantile company and her father and uncle pack her off on a routine voyage -- her first command, though a very small one -- to remove her from the public eye and the reach of the media. And, since she's a Vatta, her elders are pretty sure she'll stray from the job they gave her in search of trade and profit, since they all did the same thing their first time out. Sure enough, Ky and her ship and her small crew (the senior members of whom have been given a certain amount of babysitting to do) take on a contract that leads them off their assigned mission, and into a suddenly erupting war zone. And the action proceeds from there, more or less satisfactorily, most of the time. Moon has a military background herself and is quite capable of producing headlong adventure with strong female characters (the Deed of Paksenarrion trilogy comes to mind), but this one seems rather bland, somehow. The style is meant to be introspective from young Ky's point of view -- will she ever get people to take her seriously? -- but comes off being superficial, somehow. There's no real science here, either, the technology of FTL and all that being passed over in jargon, but that's a tradition in SF juveniles. So while this is a perfectly readable way to spend a Saturday afternoon, it's not at all memorable and not even close to the author's best.

Vatta the teenager makes a politically embarrassing move trying to help, and gets tossed out of Fleet Space School on her clueless angsty ear. Her infinitely rich family makes up for it by giving her a trading space ship. In typical 'coming-of-age' protagonist fashion, she proceeds to 'hijack' her own family ship for commerce instead of taking it to the scrap yard (as instructed).

Vatta gets infinite breaks. I wondered if her secret name was really 'Mary Sue' because trading opportunities miraculously align. She takes some POW's on her ship as a temporary prison but her crew is not armed, and she does not watch the prisoners closely. This might fly if Moon didn't write her up as a 'great military academy student' when she acts so dumb about prisoner rebellion. I think you can guess what happens. So after a bunch of predictable cliches, angst, and Vatta getting her way (and more money) despite what should happen, the book ends.

This book did not win any of the Hugo/Nebula awards that show up by Moon's name on the cover. It is best avoided unless you are in the mood for a conquering Sue-archetype.

I really enjoyed reading about Kylara and thought that the author did a great job. I also liked that there are no sex scenes. It's actually refreshing to read about a capable young woman free from explicit romantic entanglements. The story starts off with Ky getting booted out of the space academy and moving into the family business (trade). I don't want to spoil the book, but she will encounter, pirates, assassination attempts, and a deep seeded plot to undermine interstellar trade. I've already started book 2 and am looking forward to reading the rest of this series. I will definitely be recommending this book to our teenagers and adults alike.

Kylara "Ky" Vatta was thrown out of the Academy for trusting the wrong person. She returned home, avoiding media, to regroup herself. Her father, Gerard Vatta of Vatta Transport, decided Ky needed to go away until the media circus calmed down a bit. So she was sent as captain to take an old space craft on its last journey, to Belinta first and then to the scrap yard. She had a very small crew, but they were all veterans of space.
At Belinta, Ky learned that the planet had ordered agriculture "ag" equipment over a year ago from Sabine Prime which was picked up by another transport company and never delivered. Belinta was desperate for the equipment. No one named Vatta had ever turned down a chance to profit and Ky was no different. Ky hoped to earn enough money so that her ship could be repaired instead of scrapped. Once the personal contract was signed, she was off to Sabine Prime.
Sabine Prime gave Captain Vatta a bit of trouble, but not much, at first. Ky needed a new FTL drive before she could go anywhere. It was a vital part of the ship. Then she needed to purchase the ag equipment. The problem was figuring out how to get the money. FTL drives were very expensive. It all became worse when chaos erupted. Someone blew up the ISC's ansible platforms, so communications was all but gone. Then war ships came in. Ky's ship had no weapons and, with no FTL drive, no way to leave. She and her crew were defenseless and in the middle of a war between Sabine Prime and mercs!
**** Very good beginning to what appears to be a series or trilogy. The plots are all tied up by the end, but many sub-plots are left dangling. I would very much like to find out how one or two of them end up, especially the one from the academy.
The beginning of the book reminded me a bit of the Honor Harrington series by David Weber. Young woman, military back ground, done horribly wrong, underestimated, and very cunning. Yet by the half way mark, Ky had definitely separated herself from Honor in my mind. Ky has her own way of dealing with things and any emotional trash is put on hold until the crisis is over. All-in-all, VERY GOOD novel. I hope the sequel comes out quickly. ****
Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

When she's kicked out of the military academy, Kylara (Ky) Vatta is quickly assigned to be Captain of one of her family's aging merchant ships. The journey will keep her out of the public eye, and give the Vatta family a chance to see what Ky can do on her own. Although Ky had been certain she would pursue a career in the military, she quickly turns to the family creed of making money. Unfortunately for Ky, a civil war in the system where she goes to pick up agricultural machinery and problems with her faster-than-light drive lead her to more adventure than most of her academy cohorts will ever see.
TRADING IN DANGER starts slowly as Ky deals with her rejection at the academy, her first command (almost babysat by extremely senior crewmen and crewwomen) and her grandmother's notorious fruitcake. Once mercenaries attack the system where she is taking on cargo and intersystem communications are lost, the pace picks up as Ky is forced to deal with irrational crewmen, mercenaries who would as soon shoot as ask questions, and passengers who have their own ideas of what to do and aren't ready to take Ky's decisions as final.
Author Elizabeth Moon delivers a satisfying story and an intriguing character in Ky Vatta. There did seem to be a number of loose ends that Moon could have integrated more fully into the story, however. The spaceship model seems just a little too perfect. How could the Master Sergeant have guessed exactly what Ky would need? And how did Ky persuade herself not to crack the obvious code that he left her? I also expected a bit more of a bang from the frequently mentioned fruitcake. This type of 'artifact' is common in first drafts but an author with Moon's skills normally eliminates them before the novel sees the printing press.
Despite its slow start and some extraneous pieces, TRADING IN DANGER is a generally satisfying read and Ky makes an interesting and multidimensional character.

While I may not be the primary target demographic for Moon's works, I strongly recommend to any who like to root for the underdog, have an interest in space and space warfare in particular. Moon pioneered the space battles across light minutes and with FTL ships.
All her characters are well developed and relate-able and in this work and the earlier Herris Serrano the majority serve as inspiration to young women (coming of age) to defy stereotype restrictions that society places on them.
Perhaps I withheld five stars because, even after the crisis I think I would like a bit more story on Ky and Toby Vatta and SDF

Just my 2¢

Somehow Elizabeth Moon has this amazing ability that allows her to write books of similar outlines but do it so well that each one is so incredibly different from its predecessor that you don't realize the recycled basic mold until you turn the last page and close the book with a satisfied sigh.

Trading in Danger is good stuff. Its got all the elements of a good space opera. Central character who's a flawed hero: Enter Kylara Vatta, newly disgraced ex-military academy dropout who's hoping to redeem herself on her milk run with one of the Vatta family's trading Ships.

Ky's bearing and personality is reminescent of David Weber's Honor Harrington, and leads one to think that Ky is the younger version of Honor personified.

Naturally, her milk run turns into an adventure when things start happening around her. Before the book is done we get a taste of space war, piracy, mutiny, conspiracy and rollicking adventure that culminates in Ky having to make an important decision about her future.

The book ends on an endearing note with a surprising lift for Ky courtesy of her Aunt Gracie. Those who have read Moon's Serrano series might be amused at the parallels that can be drawn between Ceceilia de Marktos (an Aunt herself!) and Gracie in this book.

Seems to me that Moon probably had an eccentric but lovable aunt messing with herself sometime or other! Because Aunts always make amusing cameos in her novels.