Against the Odds

The Serrano Legacy #7

by Elizabeth Moon

In the sequel to Once a Hero and Rules of Engagement, as Fleet is threatened by mutiny, class conflict, and power struggles, Esmay Suiza-Serrano finds herself uncermoniously dismissed from Fleet and hurtled into the midst of warfare that threatens all galactic civilization. Reprint.

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Fiction, Military Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Space, Fantasy

544 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Elizabeth 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.

Reviews

[Carolyn F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread 12/03/22 I loved it. So sad. I'm hoping that the author will revisit this series. I would love to see how everyone is doing. Great book/great series. 5 stars

Previous review 08/22/22This is a really good series. Someone I thought was not so much good but more opportunistic turned all bad and took some people down with him. The ending was a little to HEA especially with Lady Cecelia. Enjoyed the book. 4 stars

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this finale to the Serrano series. Lots of ends were tied up satisfactorily and although everyone didn't live happily ever after, there was a satisfying sense of closure.

I will miss Cecelia, Heris, Brun, Esmay and Barin though. The seven books of the series were a wonderful adventure story in a well realised milieu, and I was left wanting more!

First read June 2008

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the grand conclusion to the Serrano Legacy by Elizabeth Moon. In my experience in most series, the first book is the best and the rest don't quite measure up. Not so with this series. Each book was a great read but this one, the last is definitely the best. In this one all the surviving characters from the first six books are back to finish out their stories and the overall story of the Familias Regnant. This book is the end of the Familias Regnant series, but the end is, indeed, very satisfying. It has a sense of conclusion that few other series I have read have had. I won't attempt to describe the many stories that tie together here at the end. You will have the need to read the first six books for this one to be enjoyable. If you read these books and enjoy them you should read the Vatta's War and Vatta's Peace series by Elizabeth Moon. They too are great reads.

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent conclusion to the 7 book series. Many of the core SFnal concerns that had been building up (fates of main characters, rejuvenation drugs impact on society, politics) were pretty much resolved.

All in all, I just thought this was a pretty decent SF series on the spectrum of light adventure erring on simplicity, competence, and a few reasonable space battles to spice up a character-driven thread.

I won't call it brilliant, but I will call it fairly entertaining. In other words: Not Bad.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread..

[MB (What she read) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! It is really rare for me to come across a series that is 7 books long that is so tightly plotted and complex. With great character developments, complicated plots, and suspense. Most of all, where every book builds on the other and in the final book, the strings come together for a very cathartic conclusion. Kudos to Moon, that is hard to do, and rare for me--a reader--to find.

This series builds slowly. I read the first 3 books several years ago and found them suspenseful and humorous. I had mostly forgotten the plots when I started #4 a week or so ago. Starting with #4, I wasn't blown away but gave it a 3.5. As I read #5 and #6, I went back and upgraded my stars as I came to see how she kept all the balls in the air and all the disparate parts of the plot connected. I would recommend for new readers of this series to plan on reading each book in order--and if possible, one directly after the other. I think your reading experience will be richer if you can manage that. I definitely recommend AGAINST reading this series out of order. The series was slowish to start and I really came to respect it as I saw how Moon built it up by books 6 & 7.

I also want to commend Moon for her strong women characters. There are many of them in this series, all different, all competent, all complicated, all ages from young to old, and mostly not relying on their 'beauty' or 'sex appeal' to succeed but on their COMPETENCE, knowledge, and skill. WHY is this so hard for me to find?!? Why can't more authors manage this? I wish this weren't so rare. I recommend this author to you for 3-dimensional female characters worthy of your respect.

Trigger warning: The experience and impact of rape is a huge integral part of this series. At times (books 4 & 5 in particular), this was fairly painful reading for me. I forced myself to finish these books. The way Moon used rape in the various plots is not exploitive or unnecessary--not gratuitious, but experiencing along with the characters was rough for me.) I almost didn't continue. I'm glad I did. And I think the experience as a female reader probably makes this more intense and personal than for a male reader. But I do want to warn other readers who may be affected by the reading experience.

[Katie Bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I get that there's a mutiny on and that Moon has a lot of balls in the air. But the best authors manage to balance and control those balls; Moon doesn't quite. The plot ends up scattered and confusing, without a center or a sense of progression. Characters drift in and out. Plot threads start up out of nowhere, with no foreshadowing or sense of place.

The characters are still great. The sexist overtones that began to be introduced in the Esmay/Barin relationship made me roll my eyes, the brilliant Gary Stus that solve characters' problems keep popping up out of nowhere (in this case, the professor), and Brun's character development continues to underwhelm me. But Heris, Cecelia, and Esmay continue to be wonderful (and we even get a scene of Heris and Cecelia together, for old times' sake).

I believe this is the end of the series. Moon's way of tying it off is to dump all the (living) main characters in a bar together, give them all happy endings, and have them sing "Jerusalem" (to updated lyrics). I would have liked a slightly less abrupt & pat ending, but it is what it is.

On the whole, I have enjoyed this series, particularly for the main characters (Heris, Cecelia, and Esmay; not so much Brun) and for their interactions with each other, as well as a rich cast of secondary characters. I don't think Moon does romance very well, and her plots and pacing are of variable quality. Still, the world she creates is an interesting one, and fun to explore.

[Daggry · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was so satisfying. I wasn’t with the story *every* step of the way (there’s yet another rape victim and yet another pointless romantic pairing, which combined are worth at least half a star off) but damn close to it. As the plot threads finally weave together and tie off, we get to learn more about Council politics, neighboring cultures, contested histories, and so much more. Plus character arcs that are satisfying but not always straightforward or easy. To my surprise, the most …morally disappointing arc took me from tearing up to outright crying at the very end. To absent friends indeed.

[Alex Shrugged · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Against the Odds" by Elizabeth Moon winds up the Serrano/Suzia series. I liked it but it is really the ending of the pair of books "Change of Command" and "Against the Odds". The publishers have issued these two SciFi novels as a single omnibus book "The Serrano Succession".

The story: The Mutineers continue their riot across Familias Space and the border enemies are sharpening their swords for an attack... especially the Benighty. The Familias government has no strong leader so the Families are fighting amongst themselves. It looks like a problem with direction and the problem with the new found immortality of the leadership crowding out the ambitions of the young... which may explain the Mutineers. After all, if the admirals are all being rejuvenated, what chance do lowly captains have to become admirals in the fullness of time?

Any problems? If you have been following the series from the beginning, not really. Lady Cecelia remains a very good character. Brun matured in a reasonable manner which was good to see. Esmay Suiza got into trouble yet again. Nothing new there. But the ending was a little weird and unexpected. It seems forced and too contrived as if the author was trying to make everyone happy in the end so that one could walk away with a good feeling. Why? Was the author sure she would never come back to these characters again? I suppose so.

Also, there was half a chapter that I assume was meant to be humorous, but it went on for too long. It could have been handled in a single page of text, but it dragged on for several pages. That is, Esmay's floundering through the Fleet bureaucracy. We all know how bureaucracies are. We didn't need a detailed journey through office after office.

Finally, there is a discussion amongst the characters as to the political and economic structure of government of the Familias Regnant, and why it could not last in the long run. It had to be restructured. Establishing a constitutional government would do no good if it was a bad constitution. Some thought and buy-in had to be developed that including rejuvinates (immortals) and ephemerals (single-lifers). One essential quality was implied in the narrative, but it would constitute a spoiler here. Generally speaking, the solution would involve a leadership willing to cycle out of their leadership roles in order to allow younger leaders to bring new talents and ideas into the mix.

FYI, the above economic/political idea is something that Singapore has done in the past, so I suggest reading the non-fiction (but opinion-based) book, "Air-Conditioned Nation Revisited".

If you are a fan and have followed the series to this point it will be good. If you are not a fan, but simply picking this book up at random, you will be confused. I suggest going back to at least "Once a Hero" by Elizabeth Moon.

So... there it is. Good-bye Lt. Suiza. Good-bye Captain Heris Serrano... and good-bye Lady Cecelia. It was a good run.

[Beth Cato · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is book 7, the final volume in the Serrano Legacy series.[return][return]Chaos reigns across Familias Regnant space. The Speaker has again been assassinated. Part of the Fleet has mutinied, breaking prisoners out of high security Copper Mountain and commandeering several crafts. Common citizens feel oppressed by the rejuvenated upper class, and are unable to advance as superiors remain perpetually young and don't retire. Characters from throughout the series emerge--Lady Cecelia, Esmay Suiza, Heris Serrrano, Brun, and others--all seeking to unite the Familias before it's too late.[return][return]This book was stronger than the last, with lots of space action and events going on in several locations at once. The ending worked quite well--actually the last chapter was very touching. Still, I had some gripes. In a way, I like Esmay Suiza better when she was less mature; as a ship commander, her voice seems identical to that of Heris. Elizabeth Moon does a wonderful job of showing women in charge, both smart and sensitive, using their intuition to win battles. I do prefer her Vatta's War series simply because the writing is more mature and cohesive, and I can't say I disliked the Serrano Legacy, either.

[Cynthia Armistead · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading the entire Serrano Legacy series by Elizabeth Moon, and I'm experiencing fiction letdown syndrome. You know, when you've been totally engaged in a marvelous world that's so believable, and then suddenly, it's over! It's hard to come back to this world afterwards.

Moon mixes spaceships, horses, high-tech medicine, fencing, space battles, and religious fanaticism to create an amazingly believable universe. The Familias Regnant is a far-flung entity whose citizens follow many different belief systems. Its planets are tied together by ansibles and FTL ships, and protected by the Regular Space Service (aka the Fleet). Other societies mix more or less peacefully with the peoples of the Familias - Altiplano, The Benignity of the Compassionate Hand, various competing Texan worlds, and more. There are pirates, mutineers, assassins, and more, giving our heroes plenty of opportunities to shine.

Give this series a read. You will not be disappointed!

[lee baldwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished the series with tears in my eyes

I inadvertently bought this series AGAIN. I looked back and copyright is more than 20 years ago. Somewhere in those years I purchased the pocketbooks and some hardbound , these are long gone since I now seem to only read Kindle. Having now bought for the Kindle they will now become a permanent part of my library.

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Right...ah. Hmm. So. The book is a little more coherent than its immediate predecessor -- seems like Moon does better when there's more procedural stuff, when we're really immersed in the military aspect or at least the nitty-gritty of flying a ship. The action is vibrant, but the politicking is vague.

It's still a bit more scattered in terms of plot and POV than I'd like. A lot of things that I would have liked to have seen happened offstage; lots of stuff happened onstage that I'm not sure needed to be there (Like, pretty sure it would have been possible to excise the entire Terakian subplot with relatively minor edits. Just as an example).

The final confrontation was underwhelming -- what on earth was going on with Livadhi, that was not well set up -- and I'm bitter about a certain character death. I DON'T CARE about Barin and Esmay. Their romance is totally underwhelming. But Heris and Petris deserved a happy ending, goddamnit.

There were a lot of promising plot threads left to tug at the end of Winning Colors, but the execution of the second half of the series left a lot to be desired, for me. I don't regret having read the books, but I think in the future I will go back to pretending the series ends after book 3.

[Kazriko · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an interesting book, tying together the prior two trilogies well and putting their stories somewhat in order, but didn't really tie up all of the plot lines in the universe. It also looks like there weren't any more books after this in the series.

I'm not sure what was up with Margiu Pardalt. By the description in the book, she's obviously the one on the cover of the book, and the book opens up with a scene containing her, but then she completely fades into irrelevance, being mostly a "Bob was there, too" sort of cameo whenever she popped up.

In fact, the main chapter she's in seems like it's almost entirely disconnected from the rest of the plot. Only the thinnest of threads gives it even the slightest relevance in that a couple characters pop back up later in the book from that chapter, but don't do much of import.

[annapi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rousing climax to the series! Mutineers try to take over Fleet while loyalists struggle to defend. Heris is among the many officers who are thrown back into the chaos on whatever ship is nearby, separate from her crew. Barin and Esmay get married, to the ire of their families, and are separated when war breaks out. Brun finds herself becoming more politically active, and the Benignity is having its own internal conflict while it tries to manipulate the Familias through its agents. Lots and lots of action in a wonderful mishmash of chaos and intrigue as Moon brings this series to a close.

[Daniel Bratell · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's been a long trip but here we are at the last of the Serrano Legacy books, where Elizabeth Moon tied many of the loose ends together.

I am not completely happy with how it all ended though. A combination of events and behaviour that was hard to believe (no, love struck people do not have to lose every single brain cell) and events that were glossed over makes it seem rushed. A "let's get it over with" book. A pity, but there were some really good books on the way so it's what it is.

The book is better than the previous one, but not enough to tempt me into adding a third star.

[Melissa Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this series along with Vatta’s War off eBay, in paperback. I’ve just finished a race through reading, now to go back and read it again slowly, as I know I rushed through the introduction of new minor characters and threads the first time.

Overall, I’ve enjoyed the whole series. Kate, the Ranger, is a charming addition in this book. I like the resolution for the Nutex women and children.

I’m giving this 5 for entertainment and satisfaction. It’s not literature but it is excellent for space opera. Thank you Elizabeth Moon for many many hours of escaping into this universe!

[Lucy Takeda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read and reread the Honor Harrington series at least four times. This series comes close to complexity and characters you care about. Warning: like Harrington, some of those characters you adore do get killed.
Some of the wealthy Families that have access to rejuvenation drugs want to stay in charge, making money. Other folks that don’t agree begin a mutiny. There are several conflicts between personalities. loyalties, and treachery. I happen to adore the “ little old ladies” that end up being deadly.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really the second half of Change of Command. Still dealing with the Mutiny of some of the Fleet Forces who were associated with Admiral Lepescu in book 1. Brun comes into her own as a politician. Lady Cecilia and Miranda, the widow of the assassinated head of the Familias, get into trouble. Esmay and Barin try to get together. More exciting read than the last book. This is the last book of the series which began with Sporting Chance

[Emily VA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, aside from one more, relatively brief, offscreen rape victim, this book is one of the more satisfying series conclusions I’ve read. Plot threads are all neatly tied off. Earlier books are echoed and transmuted in interesting ways. Character arcs are satisfyingly concluded, and the audio choir singing chariots of fire at the end managed to bring me to tears.

4.5 stars, minus 0.5 for the rape, rounding up for the tears at the end.

[Dalen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid ending book to the series that provides emotional closure to the main cast (Heris, Cecelia, Brun, Esmay, and Barin) while not feeling overly cheap. It's not perfect (some of the characters introduced to solve problems are a little too neat at times), but overall it managed to wrap up most of the plotlines and leave the reader with a sense that they'll be able to work things out despite some significant losses.

[Kate H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a big fan of fantasy and science fiction novels especially if they are long and have several books in the series. I really enjoy a series of books that I can immerse myself in and I first picked up an Elizabeth Moon novel because it was long and part of a multi-novel series. I continue to read her books because I find them engrossing and highly enjoyable.

[John Carey · Rating 3 out of 5]

To melancholy

Didn't seem like the same author for the second half of the book. I've read most of this authors work with most of her work fitting a certain formula that's fun to read,this one seemed to just want to go into protocols for rank, saying farewells. It was like some military person grieving for someone finished half the book for her.

[Elar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Series has a great amount of female heroes who get abused mentally or physically and besides that manage to come out of it on top. A little bit too much of same pattern used in story lines, but otherwise pace is good and universe is interesting.

[Ted Bade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a powerful end to this series. Moon brings together all the previous characters from the earlier books (except those that died), in a variety of adventures that combine to tell the complete story. A few old characters die, others gain more glory. I really enjoyed this novel.

[Brandon Mehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

It manages to wrap up everything the last book setup, but it doesn't feel satisfying. The tighter previous books were much better. I'll always enjoy the horse and fencing obsessiveness of the author, though.

[Falynn - the TyGrammarSaurus Rex · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favourites of the series and the author did a good job of tying up most of the loose ends. The Livadhi subplot seemed a little forced though.

[Paula Maylin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book as an ending to the series.

[Susan Sarabasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting and well written. BUT too many characters to keep track of. Of course at the end they all do come together but it felt fractured instead of whole.

[Marie-Antoinette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding

Wow Doesn’t matter how often I read this series, it just get better and better!!! I love it, well done!!