The Better Part of Valor

Rating:
Summary: Marine Corps Continues to Shine
Review: As an ex-Marine, I was blown away with how real the Corps was displayed and revealed in this exciting story of the Staff Sergeant with an attitude that never gave up, always took care of her Marines, knew how to handle the brass, and knew what it took to adapt, survive and succeed. The action was so graphically described, I had to duck to keep out of the line of fire. The setting in the alien spaceship of unknown origin and its many tricks and challenges was brilliant. The byplay between the Civiian Salvage Operator and the Staff Sergeant was titillating, cool and warm, all at the same time. I hope there is more to come from these wonderful characters.

Rating:
Summary: Where'd that ship come from?
Review: Better Part of Valor, by Tanya Huff, is the second in what appears to be an ongoing series of books about Staff Sergeant Torin Kerr, and her adventures in the Marines. It's just as enjoyable as the first book, Valor's Choice, but it unfortunately has the same problems as the first one did (with one exception). Torin is just as fascinating, but the characterization of the other Marines is just as thin. Still, if you like military sci-fi, then you should enjoy this one as well.

After their mission to Silviss (as detailed in Valor's Choice), Kerr told General Morris exactly what she thought of him and the "mission" he had sent her platoon on. This, of course, is a mistake, and he doesn't take too kindly to it. In response, she's separated from her platoon and put in charge of a makeshift squad of Marines who have been charged with safeguarding a scientific expedition. It seems that a mysterious craft has appeared. It's seemingly a derelict and it is huge. The expedition is sent to get inside the ship and see what is in there. Kerr is in charge of the escort. To make matters worse, Confederation politics has saddled her with a commander who is there to look good rather then because he is competent.

What is the secret of this ship? Was it created by the Others, the enemy of the Confederation? Is it something completely different? If not the Others, then what alien race could have produced something so massive and unintelligible? What's its agenda? And whose side is it on? Kerr must not only figure this out, but she also must figure out how to keep her troops alive, and how to keep her commander alive when he seems determined to get them all killed.

There is one confusing thing about this book if you've read the first one. That book ends with Kerr on decent (though definitely not good) terms with General Morris. All of sudden, though, at the beginning of this book, this has changed. It's made clear in Better Part of Valor that this attitude is because of Kerr's actions at the end of the mission in the first book, but there's no indication in the first book that there is any problem. It's a trifle jarring, but nothing really to worry about. I just thought I would mention it because it affects how the series holds together. Too many of these little continuity errors cropping up has destroyed many a series.

All in all, this book is just as good as the first one. Kerr is still a fantastic character, though this book gives her a bit more depth as she has to handle an attraction to one of the civilians brought into the group, Ryder. She doesn't like him and his attitude, but she's still very drawn to him, and the constant interplay between the two characters is very neat. Unlike the first book, where the only thoughts you saw were Kerr's, you get to see other characters' thoughts as well. Thus, you get to see how Ryder reacts to Kerr's no-nonsense approach to things, and how he tries to play upon her attraction to him. It really is interesting to see the verbal dance between the two of them.

The other standout aspect to this book is the suspense. The puzzle of the alien ship is very intriguing, and surprise builds on surprise once they are inside it. Kerr must constantly deal with changing circumstances, especially once they are cut off from their support ships. You are constantly wondering what's going to happen next, and what secrets the ship holds. You seriously wonder which characters (other than the obvious, of course) are going to survive, which really adds to the tension level.

The characters on the outside of the ship (Captain Carveg, General Morris, Lt. Commander Sibley, and most of the others) are very interesting as well. They're not very three-dimensional, but they fulfill their purposes admirably, with great dialogue and appropriate action. Much of the action takes place outside of Kerr's view, and it's a credit to Huff that she makes it just as interesting without making you wish to get back to Kerr's story. You can feel the frustration as every rescue attempt they make is countered by the alien ship.

While this book avoids the predictability problem of the first book (which was too closely based on an actual historical event and the movie made from it), it suffers again from the thin characterization of the Marines. It's offset a little by the fact that there are only twelve of them, but it still makes it hard to tell them apart. Add to that the scientific team and others, and the problem still adds up. It takes a while to get the various characters and their respective species straight, which can make for a confusing read.

The other problem is the ambiguous ending. While I'm a fan of the occasional ambiguity, in this book it made the book seem like almost a waste. There really wasn't much of a payoff, which is a shame. It's still not bad, and you will enjoy reading it, but it's a bit of a let-down. The characterization of Kerr and Ryder make it worth the trip, but I wish Huff had ended it a little better.

My recommendation for this book is very similar to my recommendation for the first. If you like military SF, then you will like this book. It really brings home the "Marine" feeling. However, if you don't like the genre, there's nothing here that will make you want to start.

Rating:
Summary: Where'd that ship come from?
Review: Better Part of Valor, by Tanya Huff, is the second in what appears to be an ongoing series of books about Staff Sergeant Torin Kerr, and her adventures in the Marines. It's just as enjoyable as the first book, Valor's Choice, but it unfortunately has the same problems as the first one did (with one exception). Torin is just as fascinating, but the characterization of the other Marines is just as thin. Still, if you like military sci-fi, then you should enjoy this one as well.

After their mission to Silviss (as detailed in Valor's Choice), Kerr told General Morris exactly what she thought of him and the "mission" he had sent her platoon on. This, of course, is a mistake, and he doesn't take too kindly to it. In response, she's separated from her platoon and put in charge of a makeshift squad of Marines who have been charged with safeguarding a scientific expedition. It seems that a mysterious craft has appeared. It's seemingly a derelict and it is huge. The expedition is sent to get inside the ship and see what is in there. Kerr is in charge of the escort. To make matters worse, Confederation politics has saddled her with a commander who is there to look good rather then because he is competent.

What is the secret of this ship? Was it created by the Others, the enemy of the Confederation? Is it something completely different? If not the Others, then what alien race could have produced something so massive and unintelligible? What's its agenda? And whose side is it on? Kerr must not only figure this out, but she also must figure out how to keep her troops alive, and how to keep her commander alive when he seems determined to get them all killed.

There is one confusing thing about this book if you've read the first one. That book ends with Kerr on decent (though definitely not good) terms with General Morris. All of sudden, though, at the beginning of this book, this has changed. It's made clear in Better Part of Valor that this attitude is because of Kerr's actions at the end of the mission in the first book, but there's no indication in the first book that there is any problem. It's a trifle jarring, but nothing really to worry about. I just thought I would mention it because it affects how the series holds together. Too many of these little continuity errors cropping up has destroyed many a series.

All in all, this book is just as good as the first one. Kerr is still a fantastic character, though this book gives her a bit more depth as she has to handle an attraction to one of the civilians brought into the group, Ryder. She doesn't like him and his attitude, but she's still very drawn to him, and the constant interplay between the two characters is very neat. Unlike the first book, where the only thoughts you saw were Kerr's, you get to see other characters' thoughts as well. Thus, you get to see how Ryder reacts to Kerr's no-nonsense approach to things, and how he tries to play upon her attraction to him. It really is interesting to see the verbal dance between the two of them.

The other standout aspect to this book is the suspense. The puzzle of the alien ship is very intriguing, and surprise builds on surprise once they are inside it. Kerr must constantly deal with changing circumstances, especially once they are cut off from their support ships. You are constantly wondering what's going to happen next, and what secrets the ship holds. You seriously wonder which characters (other than the obvious, of course) are going to survive, which really adds to the tension level.

The characters on the outside of the ship (Captain Carveg, General Morris, Lt. Commander Sibley, and most of the others) are very interesting as well. They're not very three-dimensional, but they fulfill their purposes admirably, with great dialogue and appropriate action. Much of the action takes place outside of Kerr's view, and it's a credit to Huff that she makes it just as interesting without making you wish to get back to Kerr's story. You can feel the frustration as every rescue attempt they make is countered by the alien ship.

While this book avoids the predictability problem of the first book (which was too closely based on an actual historical event and the movie made from it), it suffers again from the thin characterization of the Marines. It's offset a little by the fact that there are only twelve of them, but it still makes it hard to tell them apart. Add to that the scientific team and others, and the problem still adds up. It takes a while to get the various characters and their respective species straight, which can make for a confusing read.

The other problem is the ambiguous ending. While I'm a fan of the occasional ambiguity, in this book it made the book seem like almost a waste. There really wasn't much of a payoff, which is a shame. It's still not bad, and you will enjoy reading it, but it's a bit of a let-down. The characterization of Kerr and Ryder make it worth the trip, but I wish Huff had ended it a little better.

My recommendation for this book is very similar to my recommendation for the first. If you like military SF, then you will like this book. It really brings home the "Marine" feeling. However, if you don't like the genre, there's nothing here that will make you want to start.

Rating:
Summary: I was hoping to see all of the characters of the previous
Review: book. Oh, well.
Still, interesting comments on the leadership. Good action scenes and an ending twist you would not belive. However, the romance angle should have been drowned at birth.

Rating:
Summary: Cliché confetti
Review: Huff has turned out a lot of type here, but no substance. The clichés number in the 2-3 per page range, the banter between characters is right off prime-time sit coms, the characters are shallow and the whole story line (investigation of a gigantic alien ship) has no resolution in the end.

The only up side, that manages to earn this one a single star, are the alien characters. They are colorful.

Other than that, I found this book to be a fairly colossal waste of time and, just to reach the end, I was reduced to skimming whole chapters looking for something to motivate me to read more.

If you want a great break-out novel, you need to check out something else, like `War Child' by Lowache. There are some realistic, colorful and interesting aliens... Here you just get well-covered drivel and not very well covered either.

Rating:
Summary: Cliché confetti
Review: Huff has turned out a lot of type here, but no substance. The clichés number in the 2-3 per page range, the banter between characters is right off prime-time sit coms, the characters are shallow and the whole story line (investigation of a gigantic alien ship) has no resolution in the end.

The only up side, that manages to earn this one a single star, are the alien characters. They are colorful.

Other than that, I found this book to be a fairly colossal waste of time and, just to reach the end, I was reduced to skimming whole chapters looking for something to motivate me to read more.

If you want a great break-out novel, you need to check out something else, like 'War Child' by Lowache. There are some realistic, colorful and interesting aliens... Here you just get well-covered drivel and not very well covered either.

Rating:
Summary: Lightweight Science Fiction
Review: I was less taken with this two-book series than most of the others who have commented. As several reviewers have noted, "The Better Part of Valor" is the second book of Huff's "Confederation" series. The two books do contain a few of the same characters, but are a series only in the sense that the "Nancy Drew" mysteries were a series; each story is pretty much independent of the other. While the story line is more interesting than "Valor's Choice", (basically a long drawn out battle of the Alamo with alien combatants), both books are pretty lightweight - Huff fluff.

The underlying premise behind this series is that there is a Confederation which originally consisted of a number of species sentient far longer than humankind who had evolved beyond the need to settle conflict by violence and organized combat. That is, until the arrival of the "Others" 150 years or so ago, an enemy which exercised it's predatory imperialism through merciless warfare and returned all the Confederation's diplomats "in a number of very small pieces". Since the original members of the Confederation were psychologically unable to fight, several younger species, including humans, were sought out and invited into the Confederation, primarily to be warriors to fight the advance of the Others. However, beyond providing the backdrop of a looming threat, the Others aren't an active factor in the first book and only play minor roll in "The Better Part of Valor".

Vaguely reminiscent of Arthur C. Clarke's "Rendezvous with Rama", the story begins with the assembling of a top secret expedition to investigate a huge (approximately 13 miles by 4.5 miles) artifact that appears to be a derelict vessel belonging to no known species. The company consists of several multi-species groups: a Marine detachment, scientists, the crew of the navel battle cruiser; and also the civilian salvage operator (CSO) who discovered the object because of a navigational error, a suspiciously improbable accident given the enormity of the universe. Staff Sergeant Torin Kerr, the heroine and only character of much substance, is the NCO in charge of the 12 member contingent of marines.

After gaining entry to the alien craft, the boarding party, consisting of the squad of marines, ten of the scientists, two reporters and the civilian CSO, are immediately trapped inside; obviously they are not on a dead ship as floors become quicksand, mazes of corridors morph from one configuration to another, areas within the ship become replicas of familiar places out of the memory of various individuals, etc. Eventually they discover there is also a party of Others on board and the race is on to be the first to get to a distant air lock. It becomes clear that a contest between the Confederation and the Others is being staged.

Reading this series I got a feeling a little like you do looking at one of those paint by the numbers pictures, as if it was written by some sort of fill in the blank process. As "literature", it isn't in the same league of, say, Theodore Sturgeon - or even Arthur C. Clarke. There is lots of dialogue, which could be all right, but much of it is juvenile, inane and way, WAY too Hollywood to represent real conversations of soldiers in combat. Although author Huff seems to want to be BAD, I thought it comical that she couldn't go all the way and make (...) a four letter word. The writing is such that I often had to slog through sessions of dialogue unsure of which character was doing the talking. Perhaps more than prosaists in other genre, many Science Fiction writers are prone to give their characters unpronounceable names and make up their own words (for which I sometimes never figure out the meaning). I nearly always find these practices annoying; Huff is not immune to this tack.

There are a variety of alien species, which could add a lot of real meat, but their development is so diaphanous as to leave you with little conception of what they were like - even some who are important characters; even the members of Kerr's own squad. No good word pictures of what they look like, their societies and technology, their worlds; little other than some of the characters are alien and look different from each other.

Finally, as others have mentioned, the story has no satisfying conclusion. The great quest of the story is to investigate this strange vessel, discover its technology, origin and, hopefully, the reason it is there. But the story answers none of theses questions nor even provides more than uncertain glimpses of what the Others may be like. The last sentence of the book seems to imply there will be another chapter of this series - don't think I'll bother with it.

Rating:
Summary: greta military SF
Review: In the distant future, Earth has joined the Confederation in return for becoming a fighting arm of the empire along with other sentient species. Staff Sergeant Torin Kerr is proud to be a marine fighting the Others, a race that covets confederation territory while refusing to negotiate with the delegates of the Confederation. In a life or death battle with the Others, she has come to the attention of General Morris.

The General assigns her a top-secret mission to investigate a spaceship that is neither Confederation nor Other in a far corner of the galaxy. When Kerr boards the alien ship, she learns the hard way that it is sentient and doesn't like anyone shooting it. Trapped on board the ship with a group of the Others, Torin must find a way to escape or die trying.

Fans of military science fiction will want to read THE BETTER PART OF VALOR, a thriller that is every bit as exciting as STAR WARS. Tanya Huff's latest work is so action packed and colorful it would make a great movie. Torin is a great heroine while the realistic species provide an authentic spin to this vigorous fantastic futuristic tale.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: The Better Part of Valor Rocks!
Review: It is so cool! My couselor at camp lent it to me telling me that it's a good book. I looked at it cautiously because I don't usually get into sci-fi. When I started reading I realized that it was so much more than that. Torin is so stiff from war, and then this guy Ryder pops up in her face and she doesn't even let herself be attracted to him. Torin has to make sure: her ego filled captain looks good throughout the mission, all of the civilians are safe along with her crew, and that she keeps under control with a sarcastic Ryder. I am probaly going to buy this book and Valor. I reeeeaaaaaly hope that you read it. Also if your a kid be warned that they curse alot and sexual things are written.

Rating:
Summary: Remember the First Part of the Quote
Review: On this, her second outing, Marine Staff Sergeant Torin Kerr is ordered by General Morris to run reconnaissance on a deserted alien ship while making sure that her glory hound of a commanding officer does not get himself killed. She is also burdened with a group of civilian scientists, the civilian salvage hunter who discovered the ship adrift in space and a news team. Staff Sergeant Kerr is not happy.

Never fear though, Torin Kerr is her usual cool, collected and competent self, as she copes with surprise inspections, interspecies politics and the unexpected interest of a member of the opposite sex.

Craig Ryder had been looking for space salvage when he discovered a huge yellow artifact that appears to be an alien spacecraft. He takes his information to the authorities and bargains his knowledge for an opportunity to return with the authorities to the derelict. A party made up of a group of scientists containing most of the species of the Confederation and a dozen top-notch marines is assembled. The Scientists are there to figure out what the derelict is, the Marines are there to make sure the scientists survive, Torin is there to make sure the Marines survive. Craig Ryder is there to protect his interest in the salvage. Captain Travik, the glory hound commanding officer is there to appear heroic and a credit to his species.

Not surprisingly things blow up in everyone's face and it's up to the Staff Sergeant to put everything back together.

My only flicker of discontent with this book is the fact that Torin is too competent, too much in control. Otherwise, it is a fun book with lots of twists and turns. The ensemble cast of characters is familiar without being too cliched. Just when you think you know what is going to happen Huff throws another grenade and the whole picture changes, which makes for some exciting reading.