About the Author

Elizabeth Moon grew up on the Texas border, served three years of active duty in the USMC (1968-71), and now lives with her husband, also a veteran, near Austin, Texas. She has published more than twenty-five novels, including Nebula Award winner The Speed of Dark, Hugo finalist Remnant Population, and the enduring epic fantasy series The Chronicles of Paksenarrion. She has published more than fifty short-fiction pieces in anthologies and magazines and in four of her own short-fiction collections, most recently Moon Flights and Deeds of Honor. When not writing, Moon enjoys photographing native plants and wildlife, knitting socks, and cooking.

Reviews

After her debut in Moon's somewhat lackluster Trading in Danger (2003), capable young Kylara Vatta, now captain of a dilapidated space freighter, lets loose in this rip-roaring sequel. With most of her immediate family back home on Slotter Key blown to smithereens in a dastardly sneak attack and communication lines down, Ky must first find out who's responsible then kill the villains out to drain Vatta blood. But this military SF tale is no mere shoot-'em-up. Ky thinks as well as she fights, coolly weighing commercial alternatives and handily using such human resources as her undercover operative cousin Stella and precocious teenager Toby Vatta, as well as the hard-currency diamonds that arrived with Stella in Aunt Gracie's legendary fruitcake. Though mildly tempted, Ky also sees through fetching chick-magnet Rafe (he of many aliases), son of the top of InterStellar Communication's command and now a covert agent with his own complex agenda. The charm lies in Moon's deft characterizations, especially the exorcism of Ky's guilt over her family's deaths. There's plenty of shipboard and dockside action, plus authentically grungy space-station settings. Former Marine Moon has a genuine hoorah series going for her. Agent, Joshua Blimes. (On sale Sept. 28) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Adult/High School-This swashbuckler continues the saga of a family's interstellar trading empire. Though the story stands on its own, it begins where Trading in Danger (Del Rey, 2004) ends, with young Ky Vatta preparing to complete her assignment. Meanwhile, back on her home planet of Slotter's Key, the Vatta Transport Ltd. headquarters is being attacked and most of her family is dying. As the only remaining Vatta with any military training, Ky becomes her clan's best hope for survival. A letter of marque arrives from Slotter's Key, giving her the legal status of privateer, but her small merchant vessel is antiquated and unarmed, and her entrepreneurial and military talents are once more put to the test. She is joined by a cousin, a secret intelligence agent whose cover is a bad reputation; a teenage nephew who is the sole survivor of an attack on a Vatta ship; and their new partner, a charming trickster with many talents and secrets. Ky sets an ambitious agenda, vowing to find any surviving family members, regroup and save their business empire, identify the enemy, and achieve revenge. She and her crew are both ingenious and courageous as they save their world. The winning heroine struggles with her conscience (she likes fighting more than her culture approves) but never loses her sense of humor. The universe of the Vattas is freshly imagined and abundant in believable detail and exotic possibility. Successfully combining several science fiction subgenres, this title will delight many types of readers.-Christine C. Menefee, Fairfax County Public Library, VA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

"An utterly satisfying adventure . . . In Kylara Vatta, Moon has created another tough and complex heroine."--Scifi

"The intrigue-filled plot lends a marque of distinction."--Entertainment Weekly "Excellent plotting and characters support the utterly realistic action sequences: swift, jolting, [and] merciless."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "A gripping, action-packed book."--Omaha World-Herald