Rating: 
Summary: Come on guys it's not that bad
Review: I have only recently discovered,or perhaps I shoud say re-discovered Ms. Moon. I had read her earlier fantasy series and thought they were ok, but nothing to write home about. Ove the holidays I picked up Once A Hero on a wim and I was hooked her Familias Regnant series. I do love a good Space Opera and this is one of the better ones going. I will admit that Change of Command does have a tendancy to suddenly grow subplots, but I found myself getting sucked into them and only being anoyed later that the main plot was crawling along. How can you not love the brassy big haired Lone Star ranger? I'd like to read a book about her case file. I'll be browsing my local bookstores for Ms. Moon's next book. I think she is going someplace fun with the loose ends at the end of this one.
Rating: 
Summary: NOT an aimless story!
Review: I have to disagree with the many reviews accusing this book of having too many plots and solving none, which almost got me to put off ordering it until the next book in the series came. That would have been a mistake.True, the book is full of plots, and many of them are just setting stage for a sequel. But in setting stage, the book does build things to satisfaction. We see a view of the Compassionate Hand that suddenly make them look like the good guys. We see Brun finally maturing, developing herself into someone that will, I predict, become very important in _directing_ events, instead of being caught on them. We see Luiza and Barin finally maturing their relationships, and also maturing into more senior officers, that will be throughly needed in the future. The main plot, who killed Brun's father, is indeed solved in this book, as are the matters of retribution and dealing with his successor. Now, this book does leave the familias in shambles. Leaderless, with a serious mutiny in his hand, and beset by division in the familias. It also leaves Luiza and Barin in a tight spot in their relationship, this time by no fault of their own. The stage set in this book definitely leaves one eager for the next. I think those who criticized this book were just too enthranced by this stage to recognize this book's internal plots.
Rating: 
Summary: Wait for the paperback...or until the next one comes out...
Review: I like Elizabeth Moon's books, and this series (i.e, the Esmay Suiza series) in particular, at least, until this book. Why this book? Well, first , this book just ends in the middle of the story, making sure that you have to buy the sequel just to figure out how it ends (this is the main reason why Robert Jordon books frustrate me...you're left hanging until the sequel to find out what's going on, if you're lucky). Second, this book tries to weave several different plots together, at the expense of ignoring what is (at least what I thought was) the main characters and plotline. Third, the different plot lines and all the jumping around tends to muddle any flow that the book has. So, if you want to continue reading this series (and the first two books, Once a Hero, and, Rules of Engagement, are quite good) you should read this book, but wait until the paperback, or the sequel, comes out (when you have to know what happens in this book to figure out the sequel).
Rating: 
Summary: And then what happened?
Review: I read the other reviews here on Amazon before I ordered this book, but decided to buy it anyway. I'm glad I did, but... Moon is a great story teller--she builds many characters and situations and gives you the feeling that there's an endless font of imagination there waiting to tell us another tale. This book opened a plethora of story lines and piqued my imagination concerning where each one was headed. This time, though, Moon didn't finish *any* of the story lines she started. The book ends, and you don't know what's happened to *anybody*. Poop. That doesn't mean it wasn't a fun book to read, but I really expect a book to resolve some of the situations it sets up--and this one didn't. That wouldn't be enough to stop me from buying a future book in the series, but I do think it was a questionable approach. If I weren't already a loyal Moon reader, and this had been the first book I'd ever read by her, it would also probably have been my last because the plot line was so totally unresolved.
Rating:
Summary: More loose ends than Don King's Haircut
Review: I think Ms. Moon must have been uninspired and yet pressed by her editor for a sequel to the otherwise worthwhile Esmay Suiza branch this series. If you have been following this series you will have to read this one (kind of like the second Dune book) but don't expect much satisfaction out of it. Ms. Moon, if you're reading this take your time on the next one. We'll still be here.
Rating:
Summary: A bit of Monty Python ?
Review: I think you have to read the previous books to slot into this one. It does have a lot of characters and needs to be longer. However there is still a degree of thriller writer about Ms Moon. The book does build on earlier characters but one thing is beginning to nag. The Regular Space Navy has had, over the series; mutinies, turncoats, bribery and corruption, criminal elements and disastrous rejuvination techniques. I keep expecting the Monty Python sketch where an admiral declaims to a reporter that, "There is definitely no canibalism in the Royal Navy" whilst a rating chews on a leg in the background.
Rating:
Summary: Change of Command
Review: I waited for "Change of Command" to come out in the paperback edition, and I am really glad I did. This book is so clearly meant to set up/stimulate a desire to buy "Against all Odds" that the entire book could easily be seen as being an "advertisement" or a marketing ploy to make us REALLY want "Against." I certainly desire "Against," but after "Change ..." I will definitely wait for paperback edition, and perhaps the used paperback edition. I really hate feeling like I got scewed, but the marketing strategy for this series, now that it is popular, really makes me feel that way. "Change" is the first E. Moon book I have read where I felt "cheated," as if this books' purpose was to get me to spend money now, and then more money later, just to get the next book so I would have some sense of closure. Baen is certainly not the first bookdealer to use "suck you in" marketing, but I thought better of both Baen Books and Elizabeth Moon.
Rating:
Summary: Too Many Main Characters Spoil the Book
Review: I was disapointed by this book for two reasons. First: there was very little of Esmay in it, and I kept expecting her to pop up. The book can not be said to have centered on any particular character. In addition some interesting characters were given little time and attention. Second: The story hopped around too much, making in difficult to follow. I would just be getting interested in one situation when BAM! we were half a galaxy away in a totally different situation. I kept expecting all (or most) of the subplots to come together in the end but they never really did. I do look forward to the next book which, I hope will continue the story of Esmay and Barin's adventures. I would like to see the reactions of their families to what they did at the end of the book! I hope Barin gets to meet Esmay's family!
Rating:
Summary: Suffers from lack of a major storyline
Review: I wasn't as disappointed in this book as some reviewers, but agree that it isn't the most exciting or interesting of the Esmay Suiza books. Incidentally, some of the other reviewers don't seem to be aware that these books are actually sequels of sorts to another series focusing on Heris Serrano (Hunting Party, Winning Colors, etc.). Esmay Suiza plays only a modest role in this, and there is very little blood and thunder. Also, as my review title suggests, there is no one predominant story line. Finally, we get a lot more insight into "The Compassionate Hand", and I found it puzzling--They do not seem at all to be the same bunch of villains in the previous stories. They are interesting, just seem very different. The book suffers from lack of a satisfying climax or satisfying problem resolution, but it does end with another story very well set up. I may have to wait for the paperback on the next story, though.
Rating:
Summary: Needed another editing session.
Review: I'd say this is the second worst book of the series, but it wasn't as bad as Rules of Engagement, yet it is in need of some serious help. I'd say that this book did have a lot more promise than the one previously mentioned, but it got lost some where in all the extra stuff that the author was trying to stuff into the book without making it look like she was doing so. So what we end up with is a bunch of little stories and sections of ideas that get lost in the overall theme of the book and contribute to the reader feeling lost and wondering why they purchased the book.
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