Change of Command

November 29, 1999
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.

December 1, 1999
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 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 1999
The continuing romance of Esmay Suiza and Barin Serrano is not running smoothly, even though the New Texans have been defeated. The New Texas refugee women need a home, and so do Brun's bastard children. A political crisis is coming on, thanks to sabotage or faulty manufacturing processes in the rejuvenation drugs, which brings opponents and supporters of rejuvenation into head-on collision, especially when Lord Thornbuckle is assassinated, a political rival seeks a dictatorship within the Familias Regnant (who may not be regnant much longer), and the Benignity of the Compassionate Hand makes even more trouble for its opponents than usual. On top of which comes the possibility that Esmay's and Barin's families may be hereditary, sworn blood-enemies. Despite its multitude of subplots, this is a thoroughly excellent adventure, not excepting its portrayal of an aristocratic regime beginning to crumble. Seasoned fans of Moon's Familias Regnant universe and Serrano saga may appreciate it the most, but not by much. ((Reviewed November 15, 1999))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1999, American Library Association.)