Command Decision by Elizabeth Moon
One of the things I like about this series is the way Ky’s maturity and power grow with each novel. With her successful encounters, she gains experience and levels up, so to speak. I like that she’s a competent and respected hero. But sometimes, it goes a little too far. How small is this universe where she happens to run into people she knows (who know her) all the time? How small is this universe where a multinational corporation’s CEO can appoint his inexperienced son as interim CEO and the shareholders don’t balk? How small is this universe where a single new person appointed to a governmental role on one planet can command that entire planet’s resources? In this book the Vattas go from heroic to hyperbolic, if they weren’t there already.
This book also deals more with Rafe, and less with Gracie and Stella. Toby turns out to be a very convenient genius.
The plotting in this novel didn’t thrill me as much as the other ones. It seemed a little too predictable and a little too contrived. The space battles, which should have been compelling, were hard to picture. Because the worldbuilding doesn’t advance much int his book, and the characters are still rather one-dimensional, the plot needed to carry things along. Yet, I don’t think that really happened. Not that the plot is any less involved than the other books, but because it needed to bear more weight.
I think if you liked the first three books, you’ll probably like this one as well, but for me, this is the point in the series where it starts to lose steam.
