From Publishers Weekly
Continuing her epic, intergalactic series set in the distant future (Rules of Engagement, etc.), Moon's latest novel follows the tumultuous romance of Esmay Suiza and offworlder Barin Serrano while tracking a bevy of new political intrigues among the Familias Regnant. When Bunny Thornbuckle, head of the dynastic Family, is assassinated, slimy Hobart Conselline maneuvers into power as the new council speaker and solidifies his position with harsh new laws aimed at isolating Thornbuckle's widow, Miranda, and his daughter, Brun. As a suitable new home is found for the bastard children Brun was forced to bear in Rules of Engagement, Miranda allies herself with a former aide of Thornbuckle's who has survived the assassination and is now battling opposing elements within the Family. Meanwhile, young lovers Esmay and Barin are betrothed, despite some difficulties with their military posts and the bad feeling between their families. Even with the proliferation of subplots, the novel moves slowly at times and may appeal more to readers who appreciate romance than space opera. Still, series fans should enjoy it and, with so many plot threads left unresolved--who will assume leadership of the Family? what waits in battle for the young lovers?--there's little doubt that epic will continue into the next millennium. (Dec.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
The assassination of Speaker Thornbuckle throws the Grand Council of the Familias Regnant into chaos as ambition, revenge, and greed threaten to upset the delicate political balance of the galaxy. Moon's sequel to Rules of Engagement follows the fortunes of Regular Space Service officers Esmay Suiza and Barin Serrano as they attempt to overcome the obstacles of their marriage while coping with the greater problems that beset their home worlds. Political intrigue, mutiny in space, and ideological battles of war and weapons lend variety to this fast-moving space opera set in the distant future. For most sf collections. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Kirkus Reviews
A disappointing addition to Moon's once-gripping military-family space saga (Rules of Engagement, 1998, etc.). This time, the assassination of Lord Thornbuckle, the Familias Regnant's head honcho, precipitates a series of disastrous events. First, whodunit, and why? Well, Hobart Conselline didn't arrange the murder, but he takes full advantage of it by seizing power and introducing repressive measures to cement his totalitarian grip. Elsewhere, political maneuvers (but very little action) preoccupy the Familias's powerful women. Heroine Esmay Suiza and her beloved Barin Serrano want to marry, but their families demur because of an ancient blood feud. The space navy, weakened by the withdrawal of key personnel due to problems with a rejuvenation drug, finds that Conselline's toadies now give the orders. A bad situation on a prison planet develops into a full-blown mutiny. Battle looms. End of story. Your move. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Book Description
THEIR UNIVERSE IS FALLING APART! Rejuvenants fear the backlash caused by bad drugs; they want to ensure that nothing interferes with their pursuit of long life -- or the profit that comes from promising it to others. Neighbor states fear the aggressive expansion of the Familias Regnant, fuelled by population growth and extended lifespan. Within the Regular Space Service, those who have received experimental rejuvenations fear they may have been given bad drugs on purpose. Esmay Suiza's family fears that her marriage to an offworlder will damage their position. Barin Serrano's family fears that his marriage to a Landbride of Altiplano will damage his career and their reputation. Fear begets violent reactions -- from foreign governments, from great Families determined to maintain or increase their power, from internal rivalries in the Fleet -- and nothing escapes the resultant bloodbath unscathed. As Esmay and Barin struggle to reconcile their families, others have more cosmic struggles to win.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Rejuvenants fear the backlash caused by bad drugs; they want to ensure that nothing interfered with their pursuit of long life—or the profit that comes from promising it to others. Neighbor states fear the aggressive expansion of the Familias Regnant, fuelled by population growth and extended lifespan. Within the Regular Space Service, those who have received experimental rejuvenations fear they may have been given bad drugs on purpose. Esmay Suiza's family fears that her marriage to an offworlder will damage their position. Barin Serrano's family fears that his marriage to a Landbride of Altiplano will damage his career and their reputation.

Fear begets violent reactions—from foreign governments, from great Families determined to maintain or increase their power, from internal rivalries in the Fleet—and nothing escapes the resultant bloodbath unscathed. As Esmay and Barin struggle to reconcile their families, others have more cosmic struggles to win.

FROM THE CRITICS

Romantic Times

If you have not yet discovered the joys of reading Elizabeth Moon, now is definitely the time to do so.

Publishers Weekly

Continuing her epic, intergalactic series set in the distant future (Rules of Engagement, etc.), Moon's latest novel follows the tumultuous romance of Esmay Suiza and offworlder Barin Serrano while tracking a bevy of new political intrigues among the Familias Regnant. When Bunny Thornbuckle, head of the dynastic Family, is assassinated, slimy Hobart Conselline maneuvers into power as the new council speaker and solidifies his position with harsh new laws aimed at isolating Thornbuckle's widow, Miranda, and his daughter, Brun. As a suitable new home is found for the bastard children Brun was forced to bear in Rules of Engagement, Miranda allies herself with a former aide of Thornbuckle's who has survived the assassination and is now battling opposing elements within the Family. Meanwhile, young lovers Esmay and Barin are betrothed, despite some difficulties with their military posts and the bad feeling between their families. Even with the proliferation of subplots, the novel moves slowly at times and may appeal more to readers who appreciate romance than space opera. Still, series fans should enjoy it and, with so many plot threads left unresolved--who will assume leadership of the Family? what waits in battle for the young lovers?--there's little doubt that epic will continue into the next millennium. (Dec.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

VOYA

This sequel to The Rules of Engagement (Baen, 1998/VOYA June 1999) and Moon's sixth novel about the Space Service transports readers to the worlds of the Familias Regnant and the Lone Star Confederation. Power-hungry politicians become assassins, greedy manufacturers engage in financial machinations, and the New Texas Godfearing Militia and other space navies launch buccaneer raids. In this tale of plot and counterplot, readers are reunited with characters met in previous books. The Serranos, Esmay Suiza, Lady Cecilia de Marktos, and Brun Meager must dispose of the assassins, expose the manufacturers, capture the buccaneers, and put down a rebellion on a prison planet--all with verve seldom seen since Errol Flynn. The author maintains a breakneck pace here, flashing from incident to incident, while weaving everything together into an interlocking pattern. This adventure unfortunately ends abruptly, with the prison planet still rebelling, the scheming manufacturers not yet exposed, and the newly married Barin Serrano and Esmay Suiza in disgrace with both their families. Lovers of fast-moving space opera will have to wait patiently for the next entry in the saga. Purchase this volume where other Moon titles are popular. VOYA CODES: 3Q 4P S A/YA (Readable without serious defects; Broad general YA appeal; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult and Young Adult). 1999, Baen, Ages 16 to Adult, 312p, $21. Reviewer: Marsha Valance

KLIATT

The assassination of the Lord Thornbuckle by the New Texas Godfearing Militia triggers a cascade of power struggles among the entrenched elite, the suspicious military and the lower echelon. Those whose existence is dependent on hierarchy and the protection within it are now cast adrift and seeking new loyalties in the interplanetary maze. Exacerbating the frenzy is a bad batch of rejuvenating drugs traditionally used to extend the lives of important members of society, and those in key positions now facing senility and physical decay are unsure if this was an honest mistake or a deliberate plot. Those trying to uncover the truth are beset by layers of secrecy and paranoia. Threading their way through this minefield are Esmay and Barin, lovers from families of different statuses who oppose any loss of advantage through an inferior marriage. The Romeo-Juliet couple are sweet and the reader can cheer them on through the feuds of the scheming Familias, mutineers, and myriad personages of rank and position on both sides of the rejuvenant question. However, much of the book is done in dialogue, with characters talking about other characters, and it's difficult in places to follow the action. There is wit, stratum conflict, and an astounding amount of plotting among a huge cast of characters for those who enjoy French Revolution-type tales. KLIATT Codes: A—Recommended for advanced students, and adults. 1999, Baen, 436p, 18cm, 99-26627, $7.99. Ages 17 to adult. Reviewer: Liz LaValley; Mattapoisett, MA, May 2001 (Vol. 35 No. 3)

Library Journal