Rating: 
Summary: Well worth reading AND buying
Review: I purchased this book on impulse, as I was looking for new reading, and what the heck, it was only two dollars US.I was pleasantly surprised. The book has a well-constructed, tightly woven plot. Esmay Suiza is much more interesting than Honor Harrington; David Weber's series is perhaps more technically perfect, but he often spends too much time dwelling on technical details and neglects to tell a good story. There is none of the "Oh, the heroine is perfect, superhuman, and can overcome anything" sense found in latter novels of the Honor Harrington series. Moon manages to keep the suspense going and her prose is quite lyrical at times. One can empathize with Esmay Suiza - she's kind of a female Miles Vorkosigan (no intent to imply unoriginality intended). Moon also spends some time on the implications technology has for society (re: the rejuvenation technique, as she does throughout the novels set in the Familias Regnant universe), and this is one of my favorite aspects of science fiction. I'd say, definitely pick this one up.
Rating:
Summary: A colorful character with a fun plot
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It started out a little slow for me but the pace quickens and the fun expands. The main character is fleshed out and has alot of action (and inner struggles). Buy it!
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent, Well-Written Science Fiction of the Finest Sort
Review: I remembered reading this book back when it first came out and in searching for something to read, pulled it off of my shelf again. This is excellent science fiction that is both captivating to read and well developed. The main character, Esmay Suiza, has traits that everyone will relate to and suffers through difficulties that, while cloaked in space fantasy, seem all too familiar. There are enough sub-plots to keep everyone enthralled and the twists are not overly predictable. Elizabeth Moon writes convincingly with visual details that never becomes weighty or overbearing. I would have to place this book with the immenently enjoyable Foundation Series from Asimov. It is a joy to read and provides a wonderful escape into science fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Very interesting depending on your gender...
Review: I was very impressed by the book, but I think most males would probably pan the book simply because it does not relate as well to a man. Just as I would have a hard time understanding how prostate cancer affects a man, I believe a man would have a hard time understanding how a rape can affect a girl. Since the rape is one of the major threads of this story, I think a male probably would not enjoy it very much. The military parts are well written (by the way, I do like Jerry Pournelle) and descriptive, and the personalities in the book are fully developed without being unbearably complex. Overall, a good read.
Rating:
Summary: THIS WAS A GREAT BOOK . IT WAS ADVENTUREOUS , THRILLING.
Review: I WOULD DEFINATLY READ IT AGAIN . IT HELD MY ATTENTION BETTER THEN MOST.
Rating:
Summary: A Book that can capture your attention from the beginning
Review: I'll have to admit that I don't really read books, but my school had made a required reading period every Friday, so I grabbed that book that I had planned to read for months and when I started reading I became engrossed with the style and reserve in Moon's writing. I couldn't stop reading it. I enjoyed her style of switching from place to place throughout the book. Her use of a character that wasn't even a command officer, who took control of a ship in battle and won is something that was probably made to grab the reader's attention. Anyhow, the book continues to go into her growth as a person and then reverts back to the thrill of battle, what more could you ask for in a book? I'M NOT GOING TO SPOIL THE BOOK FOR YOU, BUT I WILL SUGGEST THAT YOU READ THIS BOOK. WHAT I'VE WRITTEN IS JUST A TID-BIT OF WHAT IS IN THE BOOK!
Rating:
Summary: New direction, still fun, for the Familias Regnant stories
Review: I'm definitely hooked by the Familias Regnant books. _Once A Hero_ is the fourth, and it's in a way a direct sequel to the last Heris Seranno book, _Winning Colors_, though it starts off in a new direction. It continues the story of an important minor character from _Winning Colors_, Lieutenant JG Esmay Suiza. Esmay is a technical track officer from an out of the way planet who was thrust briefly into a command role, and became a hero, in _Winning Colors_. _Once A Hero_ picks up immediately with the Board of Inquiry and Court Martial which follow that action. Esmay is very insecure about her ability, and tends to try to melt into the background, hard to do when you're a hero. She goes off to her home planet for much-deserved leave, and finds out a terrible secret about her childhood. Then she is posted to a Deep Space Repair facility, explicitly to keep her away from combat and notoriety. All this is quite interesting, and it becomes a story about the growth and self-discovery process of this young woman. Very Heinleinesque, in a way. Esmay is very well depicted, and her slow process of learning to use her real abilities is nicely done. There's a bit of almost cliched "when will she =finally= see a psychiatrist about her childhood trauma" dithering, but that still works OK. The thing is, that's only half the book. The other half (pasted into the middle, more or less, of the book), is a space opera plot about the evil Bloodhorde and their scheme to steal the DSR for it's technology. This part is pretty good standard action, with Esmay again becoming a hero and showing her command stuff, and with some very fun if kind of unbelievable action scenes. I liked it but it seemed uneasily grafted to the even more interesting story of Esmay's personal growth. I'd have preferred a quieter story with Esmay only slowly realizing her abilities, instead of having them thrust upon her by more desperate action. Still, it's great fun and I'll be looking up the next book, _Return Engagement_, real soon.
Rating:
Summary: If you like Honor Harrington...
Review: If you like David Weber's Honor Harrington series and are in the search for another good "Space Opera" series look no further! Elizabeth Moon's Esmay Suiza books definatly fit the bill. Their truely remarkable!
Rating:
Summary: TOTALLY AWESOME
Review: Imagine if you can would the end product would be if Elizabeth Moon and David Weber ever got together and ended up having their respected book characters actually meeting in space.
A force to be recond with in the sci-fi world of book writing.
Rating:
Summary: TOTALLY AWESOME
Review: Imagine if you can would the end product would be if Elizabeth Moon and David Weber ever got together and ended up having their respected book characters actually meeting in space.
A force to be recond with in the sci-fi world of book writing.
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