Cold Welcome (#1)
Summoned to the home planet of her family’s business empire, space-fleet commander Kylara Vatta is told to expect a hero’s welcome. But instead she is thrown into danger unlike any other she has faced and finds herself isolated, unable to communicate with the outside world, commanding a motley group of unfamiliar troops, and struggling day by day to survive in a deadly environment with sabotaged gear. Only her undeniable talent for command can give her ragtag band a fighting chance.
Yet even as Ky leads her team from one crisis to another, her family and friends refuse to give up hope, endeavoring to mount a rescue from halfway around the planet—a task that is complicated as Ky and her supporters find secrets others will kill to protect: a conspiracy infecting both government and military that threatens not only her own group’s survival but her entire home planet.
Reviews
“Once again, Moon’s great strength is her characters, particularly the soldiers and how they comport themselves when under great stress.”
“Abounding with a new set of piratical baddies, ramped-up military slang, assorted betrayals, and echoes of Shackleton’s incredible cold-weather trek, this lengthy space opera alternates among Ky in the planet’s coldest regions and a spooky tunnel environment, Aunt Grace’s political and economic machinations in the planetary capital, and Rafe’s paramilitary derring-do, all typical though flamboyant elements of Moon’s sci-fi mystery-action saga.”
“A tensely told story of survival against the odds, as Vatta battles against the natural elements, a quarry that wants her dead and a traitor in her midst. Nebula award-winning Moon excels at depicting an independent leader of men and women who is open to doubt and soul-searching.”
“A gripping page-turner with enough twists and turns to satisfy even the most hardened sf reader, this is a great return to the tales of the Vatta family.”Booklist
“Moon’s time away from the sci-fi limelight has done nothing to dilute her appeal. Cold Welcome encompasses all the brilliant science fiction, military drama and human situations she is famous for including in her works.”RT Book Reviews
“A rousing adventure of survival, betrayal, and some fascinating new discoveries.”
“The action heats up on all fronts at the same time and the story clips along at a pace that keeps the reader flipping pages at a rapid pace.”
“Like much of Elizabeth Moon’s fiction, the characters shine. One of Moon’s strongest qualities is her ability to depict extremely tense situations with relative realism; these are smart, strong-willed people who are sometimes at odds with each other.”
“[Moon’s] brand of military SF is (while it doesn’t eschew serious themes) firmly rooted in conjuring up a ripping yarn — something at which she’s brilliantly gifted.”SFX Magazine
“COLD WELCOME was a satisfying and interesting read and will be a series that I want to follow.”SFcrowsnest
“This is an awesome novel and I just plain read my eyes out!”
“As Moon’s readers have come to expect, the novel combines a strong female lead with a good insight into military and political affairs. While the book will probably be of most interest to those who’ve followed the Vatta’s War series that this novel continues, it stands very well on its own legs. You might very well find yourself wanting to go back and find the others after reading this one. Recommended.”Asimov’s