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The Serrano Legacy #4-5
The Serrano Connection
1. Elizabeth Moon is a New York Times best-selling author.
2. This volume combines the third and fourth in her popular Serrano/Suiza space adventure series.
3. Advertising in Locus, Romantic Times, more
4. Simultaneous hardcover and trade paperback editions
5. Co-op available.
Two Full-Length Novels of Space Adventure:
Once a Hero: Esmay Suiza wasn’t a member of a great Navy family like the Serranos. She’d had to make her way on grit alone, which meant it wasn’t likely she’d make admiral, but all she wanted was to be part of the Fleet. But then she ended up a raging space battle, and was the only one who could stop a superior office turned traitor. She had never wanted to be a hero, but fate had other ideas. . . .
Rules of Engagement: Brun Meager is a young woman from a rich and powerful family, which had a lot to do with why Esmay Suiza didn’t get along with her, not to mention both having an amorous interest in Barin Serrano. When Brun was abducted by a repressive religious militia movement that makes the 21st century Taliban look like a bunch of Unitarians, Esmay was suspected of having connived in the capture to eliminate a rival. To clear herself, it looked like Esmay would have to locate and rescue Brun. Time to be a hero again. . . .
2. This volume combines the third and fourth in her popular Serrano/Suiza space adventure series.
3. Advertising in Locus, Romantic Times, more
4. Simultaneous hardcover and trade paperback editions
5. Co-op available.
Two Full-Length Novels of Space Adventure:
Once a Hero: Esmay Suiza wasn’t a member of a great Navy family like the Serranos. She’d had to make her way on grit alone, which meant it wasn’t likely she’d make admiral, but all she wanted was to be part of the Fleet. But then she ended up a raging space battle, and was the only one who could stop a superior office turned traitor. She had never wanted to be a hero, but fate had other ideas. . . .
Rules of Engagement: Brun Meager is a young woman from a rich and powerful family, which had a lot to do with why Esmay Suiza didn’t get along with her, not to mention both having an amorous interest in Barin Serrano. When Brun was abducted by a repressive religious militia movement that makes the 21st century Taliban look like a bunch of Unitarians, Esmay was suspected of having connived in the capture to eliminate a rival. To clear herself, it looked like Esmay would have to locate and rescue Brun. Time to be a hero again. . . .
768 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
104 people are currently reading
292 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Moon
137 books2,618 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.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
October 5, 2021
Worth reading. Very sad at the end. Read this, if you've read the prequels.
August 20, 2012
Omnibus collection continuing the arc in Heris Serrano.
Once A Hero:
Some things about this I like a lot. The structure is great, particularly at the beginning - opening with the aftermath of a battle, slowly unfolding all its implications, and building our understanding of the hero as her role in it is scrutinized, was a great way to get me right on board. There's some great trope inversion, too - it appears for a moment if the hero is going to rush off to rescue her love interest, but she doesn't, and it's more realistic and actually more powerful. And there are the usual wealth of smart, snarky characters of both genders.
I don't love the central rape issue - I never do. And while it's handled well - I think the exploration of family denial is well-done and important - Moon doesn't really do "subtle" and I am so, so sick of that theme. And the last few chapters of the book are unadorned transcripts of the hero's therapy sessions plus her not-super-gradual healing. It's well over the line into "preachy". It doesn't ruin the book by any means, but it does make it sort of fizzle out.
Rules of Engagement:
I liked this a lot less, mostly because it's been done better (primarily in The Haindmaid's Tale which should make clear my problems.) The space politics parts are fine, the battles are excellent, and the climax is surprisingly great, but the build-up isn't good enough to balance the horror. The brightest spot is the nice old lady who everyone tells everything to, who unravels a couple of plots just by paying attention. She's sort of who I want to grow up to be.
Once A Hero:
Some things about this I like a lot. The structure is great, particularly at the beginning - opening with the aftermath of a battle, slowly unfolding all its implications, and building our understanding of the hero as her role in it is scrutinized, was a great way to get me right on board. There's some great trope inversion, too - it appears for a moment if the hero is going to rush off to rescue her love interest, but she doesn't, and it's more realistic and actually more powerful. And there are the usual wealth of smart, snarky characters of both genders.
I don't love the central rape issue - I never do. And while it's handled well - I think the exploration of family denial is well-done and important - Moon doesn't really do "subtle" and I am so, so sick of that theme. And the last few chapters of the book are unadorned transcripts of the hero's therapy sessions plus her not-super-gradual healing. It's well over the line into "preachy". It doesn't ruin the book by any means, but it does make it sort of fizzle out.
Rules of Engagement:
I liked this a lot less, mostly because it's been done better (primarily in The Haindmaid's Tale which should make clear my problems.) The space politics parts are fine, the battles are excellent, and the climax is surprisingly great, but the build-up isn't good enough to balance the horror. The brightest spot is the nice old lady who everyone tells everything to, who unravels a couple of plots just by paying attention. She's sort of who I want to grow up to be.
November 19, 2008
(This is an omnibus of Once a Hero and Rules of Engagemnt.)
Military space opera with strong female protagonists and a recognition that sheer willpower isn't enough treatment for PTSD. What's to not like?
Military space opera with strong female protagonists and a recognition that sheer willpower isn't enough treatment for PTSD. What's to not like?
February 2, 2021
Well, that escalated quickly.
I loved the first three (or the first omnibus, depending on how your copies are divided up) of this series because it was just good fun. Excellent characters, fun adventure, but you never had to worry about anything really bad happening to anyone.
These two books completely turned that assumption on its head. Quite a lot of bad things happen to people we like very much in these books, even if a lot of it happens off-screen. They don't focus on Heris or Cecelia, and tend to jump around between characters more than I would like.
They were still fun, but not nearly as fun as the first three.
I loved the first three (or the first omnibus, depending on how your copies are divided up) of this series because it was just good fun. Excellent characters, fun adventure, but you never had to worry about anything really bad happening to anyone.
These two books completely turned that assumption on its head. Quite a lot of bad things happen to people we like very much in these books, even if a lot of it happens off-screen. They don't focus on Heris or Cecelia, and tend to jump around between characters more than I would like.
They were still fun, but not nearly as fun as the first three.
February 20, 2016
This omnibus volume has books 4 & 5 of the Serrano/Familias series. The Serranos are less prominent in these; Esmay Suiza is the main character here although she shares the stage with Brun in #5. Rape plays a big part of the plot of both these books, and there are some scenes in #5 that are very hard to read. Brun's character doesn't seem to have sustained the growth she experienced in the first 3 books; I wondered whether these were written out of order somehow. Rejuvenation and its effects is also less of an issue here, although it does play a part in the bad guys' motivation.
I really like the way this series portrays a far future universe where humans have colonized huge swaths of space, with lots of different cultures that you can see growing out of different aspects of our own. The fundamentalist religious society that oppresses women is a reasonable extrapolation of some American groups, even though post-9/11 readers will obviously think first about the other side of the world. Moon wrote this long before 9/11 and explained them as people who believed in a mythological view of old Texas. The dominant Familias society seems more like a cross between a Star Trek starfleet future and an Olde England aristocratic (maybe Victorian or Edwardian) past. Based on a few events in these two books, as well as the arc of the first three, I think it may be headed for trouble in the next two.
Not so much a review as a ramble. I did enjoy these, less than the first three but still enough that I'm going to start #6 tonight.
I really like the way this series portrays a far future universe where humans have colonized huge swaths of space, with lots of different cultures that you can see growing out of different aspects of our own. The fundamentalist religious society that oppresses women is a reasonable extrapolation of some American groups, even though post-9/11 readers will obviously think first about the other side of the world. Moon wrote this long before 9/11 and explained them as people who believed in a mythological view of old Texas. The dominant Familias society seems more like a cross between a Star Trek starfleet future and an Olde England aristocratic (maybe Victorian or Edwardian) past. Based on a few events in these two books, as well as the arc of the first three, I think it may be headed for trouble in the next two.
Not so much a review as a ramble. I did enjoy these, less than the first three but still enough that I'm going to start #6 tonight.
December 23, 2019
Dealing with rape, abduction and mutilation, I have to say Ms Moon handled the situations with tact, grace and care. Thanks so much, from those of us with triggers in this area. I was able to read this novel and and very glad I did.
March 3, 2019
This is an omnibus of Once a Hero and Rules of Engagement.
The first one focuses on Esmay Suiza, a young woman who found herself in command of a starship as a junior lieutenant during a mutiny and now is assigned to a deep space repair vessel following the court-martial. I really enjoy Esmay's story and how she developed.
The second book jumps between several stories/POVs and has more of the politics of the societies in which the characters operate. Esmay is now taking courses at a Fleet school where she interacts with rich girl Brun Meager. Brun decides to go off on her own, which leads to bad things. This was pretty good, but not up to the first one.
The first one focuses on Esmay Suiza, a young woman who found herself in command of a starship as a junior lieutenant during a mutiny and now is assigned to a deep space repair vessel following the court-martial. I really enjoy Esmay's story and how she developed.
The second book jumps between several stories/POVs and has more of the politics of the societies in which the characters operate. Esmay is now taking courses at a Fleet school where she interacts with rich girl Brun Meager. Brun decides to go off on her own, which leads to bad things. This was pretty good, but not up to the first one.
May 18, 2022
Favorite read
This is an anthology of the first two books of Esmay Suiza's series. It tells how she rises to fame as the hero of Xavier and explores her personal challenges with her it. There are many unexpected twists in the story that grab the reader's attention. I highly recommend this book.
This is an anthology of the first two books of Esmay Suiza's series. It tells how she rises to fame as the hero of Xavier and explores her personal challenges with her it. There are many unexpected twists in the story that grab the reader's attention. I highly recommend this book.
May 1, 2019
Awsome need more I love your writing
September 18, 2019
I love you, Elizabeth Moon!
April 24, 2023
The usual great reads, but Rules of Engagement is quite grim in spots.
April 15, 2017
Overall, I enjoyed this series, for reasons explained in my review of the final collection, (The Serrano Succession. The one factor that bugged me is less annoying in context: Rules of Engagement, the second book in this collection, was originally published in 1998, before most citizens of Western nations had had to confront radical Islam. When, in 1998 or earlier, Moon came up with a religious cult that sexually enslaved and thoroughly oppressed women, she included "Texan" and "Militia" in the cult's name, though she did not make them clearly direct descendants of Texans or Texan culture. Even if this attenuated affiliation is somewhat slanderous, it is not as blindly misdirected as it would be if Moon had ignored contemporary evidence of a culture that actually does enslave and oppress its women.
January 4, 2010
This is a duo of the last books in the Serrano series. The stories made me think of a precursor to the Vatta's War series, which is superb. The characters in the Serrano Connection are not as well defined, as if she'd been practising. In both books, the main protagonist is female and full of angst, and the male protagonist takes second place.
I also found that the story was long-winded, taking us on detours that were not necessary. I found myself frustrated that I was sidetracked from the main story. Nevertheless, I was left with a sense of satisfaction at the end.
For those who like space opera and female protagonist, this is an enjoyable duo. I'd also recommend Vatta's War and Tanya Huff's Confederation series.
I also found that the story was long-winded, taking us on detours that were not necessary. I found myself frustrated that I was sidetracked from the main story. Nevertheless, I was left with a sense of satisfaction at the end.
For those who like space opera and female protagonist, this is an enjoyable duo. I'd also recommend Vatta's War and Tanya Huff's Confederation series.
September 25, 2013
Great book, I'd give it a little over 4 stars actually. I'd liked the first book in the series, which was a compilation of 3 books. This book, which is 2 books in one edition, was even better then the first. Good characters, interesting universe, lots of action, and solid writing. My only complaint would be that both stories had a rape component, and that is a topic which I personally have trouble with, so it did decrease some of my enjoyment of the book. However, even difficult portions of the books were covered well. You knew that events had happened; you knew that they were awful, but Elizabeth Moon certainly did not dwell on the details, only insomuch as the attacks pertained to the development of the characters. I'm looking forward to seeing where the next double book in the series takes the characters.
January 12, 2014
This was my introduction to Elizabeth Moon and I wish it hadn't taken me so long to find her. She has an easy, flowing writing style which kept me interested, even when I should have been painting the kitchen.
There is a vague similarity to Weber's Honor series, but Moon doesn't go overboard with the politics. She manages to keep the balance between space navy politics, planetary politics, space battles and romantic intrigue in both books. Her heroine was also thoroughly likeable to me.
It's also nice to get two books for virtually the price of one. The individual books are on the expensive side. I have already bought the next two in the series.
There is a vague similarity to Weber's Honor series, but Moon doesn't go overboard with the politics. She manages to keep the balance between space navy politics, planetary politics, space battles and romantic intrigue in both books. Her heroine was also thoroughly likeable to me.
It's also nice to get two books for virtually the price of one. The individual books are on the expensive side. I have already bought the next two in the series.
December 14, 2014
I had read "Once a Hero", which is something like the 4th of 7 books in the Serrarno series a long time ago on a used book. Then I got a couple more, again out of order from the Baen free library.
I quite liked them so I took a chance now at paying the author and getting the whole story by reading the three omnibus editions.
Conclusion: I did not like them as much as I remembered but they are still pretty good. They do suffer a bit of the hypercompetent scifi hero syndrome, but at least they are not guys.
I quite liked them so I took a chance now at paying the author and getting the whole story by reading the three omnibus editions.
Conclusion: I did not like them as much as I remembered but they are still pretty good. They do suffer a bit of the hypercompetent scifi hero syndrome, but at least they are not guys.
April 22, 2009
I like Elizabeth Moon's books and writing style. It was perhaps my mistake that I didn't like this one as well as I could have. Picked it up without noticing that it was Vol2, so had to jump into characters right after some major events. It worked, but there was a lot of backstory and events that were referenced that I hadn't managed to read.
May 6, 2010
Two of my favorite Moon books (although I somehow suspect I would say that after reading just about any of them...). This was a reread of both books in this volume. ONCE A HERO is one of my favorites, period--there's some stupendously layered and sensitive writing hidden amongst all that exciting action!
March 10, 2015
This omnibus contains two books in the Serrano universe, although their main character is Ezmay Suiza, who had made her appearance in the 3rd of the Herris Serrano booksw. Both books are military sci-fi, quite realistic despite the space/colonies setting, and they boast excellent characters and interesting plots. Recommended to fans of the genre.
January 23, 2016
Books 4 & 5 of 7 in the Familias Regnant universe, issued as another omnibus edition. Different main character than the first 3, but same environment and continuation of the overall story line. Again, strong female leads, dealing with their own and others shortcomings. And eventually coming out stronger and on top. Good reads!
August 28, 2009
Good space opera. Fun main char.
March 29, 2015
strong women in leadership roles in space
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews