Rating: 
Summary: Great Story Telling -- Great Characters
Review: "Once A Hero" and the earlier novels of the Heris Serrano series ("Hunting Party," is the first) are great. Moon comes from a family of Marines, went through officers training school herself, has degrees in history and biology, is a volunteer medical technician, loves horses, and believes women can fulfill military roles. All of this brings color and originality to her novels; which remind me of the "Horatio Hornblower" novels -- which is saying a lot.
Moon depicts some of the best space battle scenarios I've read. No alien beings. The stories involve more than battles; there are mysteries to solve and villainy afoot of more than one variety.
Moon admires the abilities of women in and out of uniform and reminds us not to underestimate them in a pinch. Nor to underestimate the advantages and disadvantages of family relationships. She enjoys throwing the cultures of space fleet officers and upper class society together, just to see what they both might learn.
Moon notes the limitations that female ship captains might face in finding mates and romance, much less raising children. But, while these women are open to romance if it materializes, they are not looking for it.
On economics, Moon is better than most, admires good business sense and accumulation of wealth, depicts a basically capitalistic society, but doesn't have the proper understanding of capitalism, nor appreciate how free markets would work against some of the social and medical disparities she projects. Still, these are not the main focus of the novels. The main focus is on dedicated women, courageous and competent. You'll like `em.
Rating: 
Summary: Good (but not excellent)SciFi
Review: "Once a Hero" is good fantasy. The plot is ok and I do not agree to most of the critics mentioned below. I do, however, wonder why they have an important psych-department on board ship, but apparently no Marines that could deal with intruders. The main character is an interesting person and it is developed in a way that makes it coming alive for the reader. Probably Esmay is a more realistic character than Elizabeth Moon's Paksenarrion in the "Deeds of P."-trilogy. But that leads to the most serious shortcoming: In my opinion Moon did not do as well in describing a scifi-world as she did in discribing the fantasy-world in "Sheepfarmers daughter". Part of the atmoshpere-feeling I had there was missing here. Summarizing I would say, that Once a Hero is good SciFi, but not as dense as Moon`s fantasy, and not as technically perfect as for example David Weber's phantastical Honor Harrington series.
Rating: 
Summary: bad editing
Review: A good adventure marred by bad editing. For example: Why would the Bloodhorde mine the ship, but then also put themselves aboard? I thought we'd discover that the mine was a feint, but after it is defused, we NEVER hear about it again. Other reviews have pointed out further inconsistencies, but this is the most glaring. Re: the debate about rape in the reviews, it is not the rape per se that put me off, but the clunky, heavy-handed description of treatment and the weak ending related to this. As a psychotherapist, I have to say that this section was poorly written and edited as well.
Rating:
Summary: The best book i have read in a long time!
Review: A great story of a suprising officer. lt Suiza is a woman who doesnt believe she anything special and is quite happy being just a lt. throughout the book she learns about herself the truth of her past and life gives her a little push and she finds she can push back. I was with this chariter from the beginning to the end cheering her on all the way.i loved this charicter so much i had to rush out and buy the sequel.
Rating:
Summary: Well done story for both genders
Review: A reader below thinks most men would not like this book because it deals with rape, and they would have trouble "understanding" its affects. I find such comments very disturbing, especially when the audience for this book is science fiction readers: readers who presumably are interested in reading about and understanding people and situations other than themselves and what they have experienced. Rape is central to this book, and the author goes to a great deal of trouble to explain, very successfully, how it affects people, why it is so devastating, and what a person and those around the rape victim could do (and should not do) to help the rape victim get better. She even shows how a male could have a similar experience and problems. If a person -- male or female -- wants to have a better comprehension of rape -- and wants to read a pretty good military adventure story, too -- I would highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Well done story for both genders
Review: A reader below thinks most men would not like this book because it deals with rape, and they would have trouble "understanding" its affects. I find such comments very disturbing, especially when the audience for this book is science fiction readers: readers who presumably are interested in reading about and understanding people and situations other than themselves and what they have experienced. Rape is central to this book, and the author goes to a great deal of trouble to explain, very successfully, how it affects people, why it is so devastating, and what a person and those around the rape victim could do (and should not do) to help the rape victim get better. She even shows how a male could have a similar experience and problems. If a person -- male or female -- wants to have a better comprehension of rape -- and wants to read a pretty good military adventure story, too -- I would highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: a solidly crafted novel
Review: Apparently, there are 3 novels that take place before Once A Hero: Sporting Chance, Hunting Party and Winning Colors. I was not aware of these books focused on Heris Serrano when I bought Once A Hero. And there are 3 books that take place after: Rules of Engagement, Change of Command and Against All Odds. In Once A Hero, Esmay Suiza is the leading woman. She is a young lieutenant on trial for her involvement with a mutiny that took place in the previous novels. Fortunately for her, she was a hero and the Court Martial is supposedly a formality. It is nonetheless stressful on Esmay and tests her self-confidence while forcing her to examine her choices. I enjoyed her strength of character as she reviews her testimony and role in the incident. It was also a good introduction to Fleet, this book's space military. After the trial, she goes to visit her home planet of Altiplano. Esmay comes from a wealthy and powerful family of General's, her father being one of them. We get a taste of a different society in which male and female roles are traditionally well defined. In contrast to Fleet's court martial, her home planet hails her ceremoniously as a hero. Because she is a woman, her success in the military would not have been possible on Altiplano, making the warm welcome all the more meaningful to her. While she is there, a tragic hidden past and a family betrayal are revealed. Esmay must face some hard truths. She returns to Fleet to continue in the navy and is reassigned to a space station. Esmay becomes acquainted with the station and the duties required of her position in the technical track. She struggles with her true desire to be command track and reflects on how the violent crime against her when she was a child has impacted her personality and behavior. She also tries to modify her ingrained sense of courtesy. A potential love interest, Barin Serrano, explains that things considered rude on Altiplano are perceived differently in the Fleet culture and are affecting her image. A whole new part of the story develops in which an attempt is made by the evil Bloodhorde to take over the space station and Esmay is given an opportunity to draw upon her abilities to make important command decisions and stand out as a hero once again. There are several things I didn't like about the book...the manner in which the enemy is defeated came off as silly to me. There are some repetitive comments about how people think Esmay has promise and why won't she come out of her shell and when will it happen. Also, the subject of sexual violence seems a very serious issue to address and while it didn't bother me, I can see how this portion of the story or its treatment may not appeal to everyone. I did love the details. I really imagined the space station, the special suits, the ships and what life in space would be like. I loved Esmay's dedication, hard-working attitude and rise to success. I did go on to read the next book in this series and found it lacking in comparison to Once a Hero.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice combination of space setting, heroism and personal grow
Review: Apparently, there are 3 novels that take place before Once A Hero: Sporting Chance, Hunting Party and Winning Colors. I was not aware of these books focused on Heris Serrano when I bought Once A Hero. And there are 3 books that take place after: Rules of Engagement, Change of Command and Against All Odds. In Once A Hero, Esmay Suiza is the leading woman. She is a young lieutenant on trial for her involvement with a mutiny that took place in the previous novels. Fortunately for her, she was a hero and the Court Martial is supposedly a formality. It is nonetheless stressful on Esmay and tests her self-confidence while forcing her to examine her choices. I enjoyed her strength of character as she reviews her testimony and role in the incident. It was also a good introduction to Fleet, this book's space military. After the trial, she goes to visit her home planet of Altiplano. Esmay comes from a wealthy and powerful family of General's, her father being one of them. We get a taste of a different society in which male and female roles are traditionally well defined. In contrast to Fleet's court martial, her home planet hails her ceremoniously as a hero. Because she is a woman, her success in the military would not have been possible on Altiplano, making the warm welcome all the more meaningful to her. While she is there, a tragic hidden past and a family betrayal are revealed. Esmay must face some hard truths. She returns to Fleet to continue in the navy and is reassigned to a space station. Esmay becomes acquainted with the station and the duties required of her position in the technical track. She struggles with her true desire to be command track and reflects on how the violent crime against her when she was a child has impacted her personality and behavior. She also tries to modify her ingrained sense of courtesy. A potential love interest, Barin Serrano, explains that things considered rude on Altiplano are perceived differently in the Fleet culture and are affecting her image. A whole new part of the story develops in which an attempt is made by the evil Bloodhorde to take over the space station and Esmay is given an opportunity to draw upon her abilities to make important command decisions and stand out as a hero once again. There are several things I didn't like about the book...the manner in which the enemy is defeated came off as silly to me. There are some repetitive comments about how people think Esmay has promise and why won't she come out of her shell and when will it happen. Also, the subject of sexual violence seems a very serious issue to address and while it didn't bother me, I can see how this portion of the story or its treatment may not appeal to everyone. I did love the details. I really imagined the space station, the special suits, the ships and what life in space would be like. I loved Esmay's dedication, hard-working attitude and rise to success. I did go on to read the next book in this series and found it lacking in comparison to Once a Hero.
Rating:
Summary: Elizabeth Moon should stick to writing fantasies
Review: Before one sits down to write a space opera, one should have at least a nodding acquaintance with the key elements of a good one. Moon's science is laughable. She apparently has no knowledge of things military, either, as her military characters act, speak, and think in ways that are not credible. I'd have given this book 2.5 stars if that option was offered, because this is a purely average book. If you want good science fiction, read Heinlein or Pournelle. Ms. Moon should stick to writing fantasies.
Rating:
Summary: Another fun romp in the Familias Universe
Review: Esmay is a hero who doesn't know how, or why, she did it. Or how to explain why she had such a natural command. Throughout the novel, she spends a great deal of introspection focusing in on herself -- and as a result, we learn about her culture, the military culture, and she is a real person. It sets up future novels beautifully, and is tied directly to the previous 3 novels in this universe.
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