Marque and Reprisal

August 2, 2004
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.

May 1, 2005
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, thistitle will delight many types of readers." -Christine C. Menefee, Fairfax County Public Library, VA"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2004
Kylara Vatta is back, and in this fine space adventure demonstrates Moon's knack for putting her characters up to their sternsheets in alligators. She and a motley crew are heading for home when she learns she has no home. Terrorists have attacked the Vatta estate, and the planetary government isn't prepared to help. With very little but her wits and a few new recruits--her madcap cousin Stella, an ex-marine, and an adventurer named Rafe who is clearly worthy to drink with Han Solo--Ky keeps herself alive. With the help of a letter of marque and reprisal, which allows her to take prizes, she tracks down the perpetrator and bests him in a terrifying zero-g duel. A third novel about Ky seems virtually inevitable and should be highly welcomed by those who have reveled in the first two. Gifted fantasist Moon is clearly beginning to rival Lois McMaster Bujold at space operatics.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)