Cold Welcome by Elizabeth MoonMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is book six of the Vatta series, even though it says it is book one. Or, more accurately, this is the start of a new series, Vatta’s Peace, which continues the 5 book series Vatta’s War. Unlike some series that switch names/start anew, this specific series continues with the same main characters. I can think of, basically, two reasons why the series went from ‘Vatta’s War’ to ‘Vatta’s Peace’, and those two reasons are: the first series had little time in between books – Vatta’s Peace starts ‘years’ (unspecified) later; plus, the second reason, the first book in the Vatta’s Peace series was published slightly less than 10 years after the last book in Vatta’s War. Peace and War? Is that a reason? Well . . . it is somewhat misleading – the Vatta family still faces external conflict and something of a war is continuing. It has been years since ‘major conflict’, but those years occur between the series, not overlap this series here.
As with the prior books in the Vatta multi-series, there are multiple main characters, and multiple points of view in this book here. Just like in the prior series, none of the ‘other side’ are prominent characters, though, just like in the prior series, they occasionally have their thoughts expressed from their point of view. Briefly. The main characters in this go around: Grand Admiral Ky Vatta; CEO (elect) Stella Vatta (smaller role); Rector Grace Vatta (Rector being what someone in the USA would recognize as
The story? The story opens with a big giant plot hole, but let’s move beyond that: Ky Vatta has returned to Slotter Key for the first time in many years – because the family business needs her on hand for the changing of the CEO – from Stella’s Mother (Helen I believe), to Stella. Which is vaguely confusing since the prior series seemed to be heading towards Stella taking over the entire enterprise with a very last minute conversation between Grace and Helen wherein Grace basically told Helen to stop being a cry-baby and help with the company (though that did not necessarily mean be CEO or acting CEO). Since I’ve already side-tracked myself, the giant plot hole is the part where Ky did not need to be on hand, physically, for the CEO title to pass from her father to . . . well, the people in between her father and Stella (during the conflict in the prior series, there were basically two CEO’s, one local to Slotter Key, one for the rest of the Universe, because Slotter Key had been cut off, at least communication, from the rest of the universe The prior series ended with a certain fight between the CEO’s for sole CEO title). And then, in-between the two Vatta series, Stella’s mother, Helen, was (and still is) the CEO. Ky was, again, not required to be on hand when Helen took over – and, unlike the prior situation involving Stella and other guy, communication with Slotter Key had been reestablished by the time Helen took over. *shrugs* Eh, whatever. Didn’t need to be on hand before now, has to be on hand now (and yes, I do recall that some company shares were changing hands).
To restart the ‘story’ segment: For the first time in many years, Ky Vatta has returned home. She’s there for the Vatta Enterprise’s changing of the CEO. While in the shuttle-craft from orbit to planet – the shuttle-craft crashes. The book then proceeds to record Ky’s attempts to keep herself and the other shuttle passengers (about 20, 26 people) alive. While also hopping around to other locations and other characters.
The book, unfortunately, was something of a struggle to get through. Though I did – and was relatively happy with everything . . . all the way up to the conclusion. Which kind of pissed me off and made me feel vaguely rage-y. For many reasons. Rage-y enough to desire taking on a goose. And as many, I’m sure, know, Geese are savage stubborn, aggressive, assholes.
Rating: 3.45
January 18 2018
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