The Better Part of Valor (Confederation, #2) by Tanya Huff

The Better Part of Valor (Confederation, #2) Reviews

• 
  Dana Stabenow

  Even better than the first in the series (Valor's Choice). Torin Kerr and her three-specie space-going marines lead a team of civilian scientists and a pain-in-the-ass reporter into an enormous alien vessel they call Big Yellow. Their only handicaps are a glory-hound commanding officer the brass want to shine so as to placate his species' representatives in the galactic Parliament, and, uh, oh yes, the enemy ship that unexpectedly shows up, loaded and ready for bear. Turns out they've got people on board Big Yellow, too. It's like a haunted house story, only, you know, on a big, sentient banana with transmogriphic powers, with nothing but the cheery presence of absolute zero and fighters exchanging missile fire on the other side of the hatch.
  
  The dialogue is what makes this series so much fun to read, both the spoken and the unspoken. On their shuttle detaching to make the initial journey to Big Yellow:
  
  "Torin had long suspected the Navy pilots of feeding sound effects through the comm system. In a universe that included furniture in a tube and spreadable broccoli there was no other reason for the clamps to sound as though they'd been broken off rather than released."
  
  Spreadable broccoli puts you right down in the place and the time, doesn't it? Whether you want to be there or not.
  
  
• 
  Mike (the Paladin)

  The last time we saw Sgt. Kerr she was somewhat obliquely telling a General what she thought of officers "I can't be an officer, my parents were married". It was however not quite "oblique" enough.
  
  The Sgt. has been given a "special" assignment.
  
  From here we launch off on another action packed military adventure. Sent to protect a team of (seemingly suicidal) scientists she takes her Marines off to the borders of enemy space to examine a huge and completely alien ship.
  
  This book like it's predecessor does a pretty good job of giving a science fiction picture of the military (very fiction, but nothing bad). It lays out a good plot with some nice "sub rosa" plot points that will undoubtedly haunt "us" as we go on.
  
  There is (for me) a bit of a false note as a "love story" is shaping up and to me that usually just ends up bogging down the plot...at least it can.
  
  Still this is a good read, I enjoyed it, plan to follow it up and can recommend it. Enjoy.
• 
  Emily

  another 3.5 star read. entertaining, but forgettable.
• 
  Mardel

  Even though I read this about a month ago, taking a very long time to review, I enjoyed the hell out of this book. In fact, I went into a serious reading frenzy. Taking a chance, I had bought the first four novels in this series (two of them in the omnibus edition, giving me a two for the price of one deal). I'm usually not really into military fiction, it's just not really my usual reading interests. However, I've found myself almost obsessed with this particular series. It must have something to do with the strong female figure, in charge even as she's subordinate to her superior officers combined with Tanya Huff's unique sense of humor, writing style and the way she writes her dialogue. In about three weeks I had read all four of my Valor novels, and it only took me that long because I had a few other obligations and grandchildren. As of now, there's only one more book in the series waiting for me to buy...
  
  This series - Confederation series - It is far, far into the future. So far, in fact that there are many planets that have been colonised, terraformed, or discovered - all in different phases of advancement. It is so far advanced, that a lot of terms and phrases we take for granted don't make any sense because of technical advance, such as "rubber-stamp it". Nobody seems to know what an actual rubber stamp is, or what it was used for. One of the characters in the first two novels is full of these type of sayings. One of the fun quirks of Huff's writing. There are also entire universes (I might have the wrong term) at war with each other. The Marines are still the marines, but they do a lot of space travel, of course, to get back and forth. The Navy is the branch that runs the space ships - kind of like the navy has water ships now, just a different venue. The Navy and the Marines have, naturally, a kind of rivalry going on - I'm sure they do now in fact.
  
  In the first book - Valor's Choice, Torin Kerr, a Staff Sargeant in the Marines was part of a diplomatic mission gone wrong. One of her final actions involved punching the general - it needed to be done- but she also made a comment referring to parentage. Apparently he has remembered this. In The Better Part of Valor, the General orders her away from her regular platoon into an investigation of an apparently abandoned huge spaceship. Either he's punishing her for her previous actions, or he's using her skills - trusting that she's the best person for the job, since they are going into an unknown situation. Never know with a general.
  
  Seems a salvage operator (space style salvage operators - keeping open space clean by recycling broken and destroyed spaceship pieces and detritus) left suzumi space (similar to FTL travel) finding this large vessel just floating. Scans revealed no life forms. A scientific team is going to take a look at it, study it with the marines in attendance for safety. Torin is assigned a group of marines who have all been hand selected from a wide variety of other platoons. Their's is a top-secret mission to keep scientists safe while they try to find out what exactly this huge bright yellow ship is. Because it doesn't even scan as any metal or plastic that they've ever come across before. Unfortunately, complications arise almost immediately.
  
  From the moment they enter the ship, strange things begin to happen. First an explosion occurs, caused by the scientists deciding to drill into the wall. It kills almost all the scientists. Then Torin and the salvage operator fall through the floor - slowly.
  
  After this, they have to find their way to a new port, since the shuttle they came on and the airlock were destroyed in the initial blast. Their way seems to be complicated and yet when they most need it the most, they get a break in the form of a shortened passageway, or a sudden room. Creepily, the compartments and passageways start to feel familiar - they seem to have been taken right from their memories. Torin and the salvage operator finally get together with the remnants of their crew and they all, including a reporter who has invited herself along the expedition, continue to try to make their way to another airlock, without the aid of any outside communications - they've been left without contact and with few supplies. It soon becomes apparent that there is another almost similar group going through the same thing - the confederation's eniemies called "the others".
  
  Something mysterious is going on. The twists and turns they went through along with the story of what was going on in the ship that they came on, the discovery of the enemies on the other side of the huge abandoned ship. It all added up to one hell of a novel. I found it a very engaging and entertaining novel. As usual wlith a Tanya Huff novel, I found all the characters fascinating - the irritating characters as well as the characters that were doing their best to get through their situation. There was a great variety of personalities. I enjoyed the dialogue between the characters very much. Loved it.
  
  As soon as I finished The Better Part of Valor, I was grabbing The Heart Of Valor, #3 off my shelf. I am really looking forward to reading the fifth in the series and hope that Tany Huff has plans for more.
• 
  Jamie Collins

  Re-reading this series, I enjoyed this second book as much as the first one, even though I’m not a big fan of this kind of plot: exploring a mysterious alien spaceship which appears to be deliberately setting up traps and challenges. I also dislike aliens with technology so advanced that it’s indistinguishable from magic; it’s the sci-fi equivalent of introducing gods, or the fae, in a fantasy novel. Characters with godlike powers tend to ruin a story for me.
  
  But otherwise this is really good. I liked the interaction between the marines and the navy and the scientists and the annoying furry little reporter, who becomes a fun recurring character. I enjoyed the subplot where, for political reasons, the general is anxious to make a particularly obnoxious officer look heroic. I liked the attraction between Kerr and Ryder.
  
  It’s interesting that we don’t know what Staff Sergeant Kerr looks like. We know she isn’t short, and we can assume an athletic build, but there’s no other description of her. The cover for this paperback book has such a terrible representation of the aliens that it can’t be taken as reliable for Kerr.
  
  There is plenty of humor, and the body count isn’t as high as in the first book, but there are poignant moments, like Werst mourning for a fellow marine:
  

  "Why is it the big, fukkin', friendly ones who die, Staff?"
  "They're not the only ones who die, Werst, it's just we miss them more than the short, fukkin', cranky ones."
• 
  Lizzy

  ** 3.5 stars **
  
  I certainly enjoyed
  The Better Part of Valor, the second foray into military science-fiction in
  Tanya Huff’s
  Confederation series.
  
  We meet Staff Sergeant Kerr again, as she participates in a unique and secret assignment: a mission to explore an alien ship found in space seemingly abandoned. She, once more strong and always moving forward, and her new marines, all hand-picked from different platoons, are commanded by a glory-seeking Captain. They are accompanied by a group of scientists; the salvage operator responsible for the discovery; and an annoying reporter news team. What a group!
  
  From the moment they border the immense alien ship complications arise almost immediately, and we are launched into an action filled military, space-opera adventure. Huff’s novel is full of twists and turns, great characters and witty dialogue.
  
  I recommend it. Enjoy!
  
• 
  Lilia Ford

  3.5
  
  This was my least favorite of the Confederation series, though it was a satisfying enough read and is crucial for setting up the books that follow.
  
  For a review of the series as a whole, see
  my review of Valor's Choice.
  
• 
  Wealhtheow

  Staff Sergeant Torin Kerr is tapped to lead a group of Marines, a fame-hungry Captain, and a band of scientists and reporters through an alien spacecraft. The spacecraft, nicknamed Big Yellow, exerts a disturbing degree of control over everything in its vicinity: it can stop missiles, control communication, and even read the minds of Kerr and her fellow explorers. Luckily, Kerr is as usual incredibly competent.
  
  I liked this just as well as the first Kerr book, with one very annoying exception: scavenger Craig Ryder. I think he's supposed to be a sexy Han Solo type, but he comes across as a try hard would-be-alpha loser. The book keeps throwing him and Kerr together (oh no the two of us are trapped in a tiny space, our bodies pressed against each other!) and I don't like it. I was hoping he'd disappear after the end of this book, but alack, he shows up in the next one too.
• 
  Donna

  I loved the first of these. Maybe I picked this one up too soon after, or maybe my expectations were just too high.
  
  I was disappointed to see that we got a mostly new supporting cast. I liked the team from the first book, and I wanted to see more of Torin's second lieutenant. These different characters had their moments too, but it was hard to attach to them knowing that, if the pattern held, they wouldn't be a continuing presence.
  
  The action sometimes felt difficult to follow, and I never got that same sweeping sense of stakes. Yes, their lives were all in danger, but the bigger picture felt kind of washed out. And finally, the entire romance plot was underwhelming. There were no sparks there, so it would have been nice to see them develop a friendship instead.
• 
  Alealea

  I'm not particularly found of military sf but for Tanya Huff and Staff Sergent Kerr, I'm so making an exception.
  
  Fast read, interesting multi species cast. Very colorfull.
  
  Having gulped all five books in one go, it seems to me the writer had a lot of fun picking tropes apart.
  This one : weird empty ship lost in space ^^
  
  
• 
  Nooilforpacifists

  A comedown from this last novel. And that’s only partly because the battle on which she models this story was a total CF. It’s mostly because not much happens—save creepy crawlies in the dark—for the first half of the book. And because the novel never gets beyond theorizing the point of “Big Yellow.”
  
  Cute ending, however.
• 
  Timothy Boyd

  Good enjoyable Military SiFi. Good action that makes the story flow quickly. Good read. Recommended
• 
  Angela

  The Better Part of Valor is the second book in Tanya Huff's foray into military SF, the Confederation series. I've been liking these well enough; the heroine, Staff Sergeant Torin Kerr, is tough and fun and rather aptly described in editorial reviews of this novel as akin to Ripley in the Alien flicks. Huff's generally light hand with characterization is present here, as well as a pretty decent albeit not terribly unusual selection of alien species. The good parts about her collection of non-human characters come in with their interactions with humans and each other--as is generally the case for all of Huff's characters.
  
  This time around we have Torin on tap to lead a recon mission into a newly discovered alien ship, with the complications of a pompous media hero as her commanding officer, an enemy vessel showing up with plans of its own--and a handsome civilian salvage operator, the man responsible for the discovery of the alien vessel, showing quite a bit of interest in her. Things go splody, higher-level officers go grr at one another, and Craig Ryder is rakishly charming; I liked that he was clearly Australian, yet Torin could not identify his accent. Little touches like that, signs of our own culture that are obvious yet in her timeframe no longer nearly so much, help flesh out Huff's universe as one that could conceivably be in our future.
  
  Also, I was deeply amused that she had a very minor character very clearly named after Julie Czerneda. Hee. ^_^
  
  All in all, a fun read. Some issues with stuff that got by in copyediting--there was one bit where Torin comes up with a nickname for the alien vessel and it is promptly used in an immediately following scene over on the main ship, without her communicating the nickname back--but these were only minor and didn't take away from the story. Three stars.
• 
  Ryan

  Everything I said about the first book, in terms of quality, still applies here. It's very similar to the first book; enough so that I'm really not surprised that the two of them were released in a single volume.
  
  What this one explores a bit more than the first one does is that looks more at the alien species that share in the Confederation with humanity. I remember years ago hearing a sci-fi author opine that it was curious that while humanity could produce both Gandhi and Hitler within a generation of each other, depictions of extraterrestrial species could often be as simplistic as "all Klingons are feirce warriors" or "all Twi'lek are sexy dancers". It's a trap that many writers fall into, but one that Huff manages to avoid here, and her work is stronger for it. The Krai, di'Tayken, and other alien species feel fleshed out as alien species, with plenty of variety in their outlook, personality, and interpersonal relations.
  
  In terms of plot, this one is fairly straightforward - Torin and a group of Marines are sent to investigate a ship belonging to a previously-uncontacted alien intelligence, which proceeds to challenge them by presenting them with scenes from their past, and a group of the Others that they're at war with. Fairly straightforward mil-SF stuff, made special by the stong characterization of Torin and the rest of the Marines she works with, as well as Huff's sparse yet mellifluous prose.
• 
  Contrarius

  This is bascially more of the same as the first book, except that this one takes place on a huge alien ship instead of an alien planet.
  
  It was a little annoying in its echoes of every space story ever made with mysterious intelligent ships playing mind games with the humans, and I didn't enjoy the banter or secondary characters quite as much as in the first story. Mostly still fast fun, if you like bantering dialogue and shooting things up. And the narrator of the audio version gave the obnoxious egotistical captain a very obvious James T. Kirk delivery style, which was kind of hilarious.
  
  I'm giving this one about 3.4 stars and rounding down.
• 
  Maura Paxton

  I'm going to be able to use this for Reddit fantasy bingo for the Big Dumb Object square. I think overall, BDO is not my favorite plot device even though it's a classic one. That said, The Better Part of Valor had a really intriguing plot and I hadn't guessed all the twists before the end of the book, which. I enjoyed. I'm not sure I like a new character, and I suspect he may stick around.
• 
  Jasper

  originally posted at:
  http://thebookplank.blogspot.com/2014...
  
  Two months ago I read the first book in the Confederation series of Tanya Huff and was very impressed with the story that she managed to set down. I have read a few military SF books but I think all featured an male protagonist. In her Confederation series, Tanya Huff introduces a very strong female protagonist, Staff Sergeat Torin Kerr. She doesn't hesitate one moment to speak what on her mind, she's down to her point and when push comes to shove she stands her own man. After the events of Valour's Choice, Torin spoke her mind to her superior officer... and now has to pay the price. She is set on an exploration mission of an unknown spaceship... For an full fledged army officer who likes her action this is just too boring. A question does remain: how long will it stay boring? The Better Part of Valor is the second book in the highly imaginative military SF series, Confederation.
  
  
  In Valour's Choice Staff Sergeant Torin Kerr was placed in a precarious situation regarding a diplomatic mission gone terribly wrong and revealed in the end some ulterior motives, to which Torin Kerr didn't agree with. She spoke her mind, but also did something that she shouldn't have done, she punched the commanding general. The Better Part of Valor shows it's payback time for the general. Staff Sergeant Torin Kerr is asked to please leave her current army team and go on a reckon mission with a newly assembled team. Though the initial tone of the general implies that it is payback for Torin Kerr for when she overstept the boundaries, we all know that she is one of the better sergeants out there, able to lead and keep a team together. Does the general already know that this might turn out to be more than a simple reckon mission? Are the Others in play yet again?
  
  The story of The Better Part of Valor starts of with first what I mentioned above, Torin Kerr leading the newly assembled team to the place in space where the spaceship resides. Their initial scans reveal no life forms aboard the ship and several normal compounds such as metal and plastic aren't detected either, this immediately raises a lot of questions for several team members. What is this ship made off? And where is the crew of the ship? There is no other option left for Torin Kerr and her crew to board the ship and this is the part when the action takes place. Strange and unexplainable things start to happen. In trying to advance in the ship Torin Kerr and her crew start to drill holes in the wall and this sets of an cascade of reactions featuring explosions, causalities and moreover a lot of confusion. It is in this confusion that Torin Kerr and one of her crew, Craig Ryder the salvage operator, start to fall through the floor... I told you weird stuff was happening! But this is just the first as now Torin Kerr and Craig Ryder have to find a way to leave this ship. This sounds much easier than reality proves to be, they encounter a lot of twists and turns and troubles a long the way and do find out there one of the Confederation's enemies is undergoing the same thing... No one knows really whats going on... The storyline only picks up pace as it progresses from the clear introduction to the race to the finish when the Others make there entrance. Tanya Huff shows clearly that she can contain a lot of action and tension in such a confined space. It builds and builds and will keep you glued to the pages.
  
  As for the characters of the book, the protagonist of the story Staff Sergeant Torin Kerr is her usual strong resolute self, not backing away always moving forward. I really do enjoy reading about her character, mainly in how she reacts to several other characters and of course the commanding officers. Tanya Huff has a great way in showing her personality. It switches depending on the situation from being deadly serious to joking funny and vice versa. The tone of the book is definitely serious, but introducing such light-hearted funny moment really help to create an even more solid storyline. As Torin Kerr's strong personality makes up for most of the point-of-view in The Better Part of Valor, Tanya Huff doesn't let the secondary characters: her new crew, general Morris and Craig Ryder. Craig Ryder makes a new and I think important appearance in the series. He is there as the salvage operator for Torin Kerr's mission and they get stranded as a two man team down in the depths of the derelict spaceship. Though the relation between Torin Kerr and Craig Ryder starts of rather precarious, in a more "hostile" kind off way, as the story progresses most of it starts to run it course. I think both started to realize then once you are truly on your own you can use and hand there is. There are some pretty interesting developments going on surrounding these two that can give a nice way for the future. The other character that shown in another spot on manner is the two-star general Morris. He is just the type of general you would picture in such a military style book. He might not be the most original character but I really don't care, he fits in perfectly and I can imagine his character sitting behind the desk giving order and smoking a cigar. Just as with her The Enchantment Emporium, Tanya Huff shows that she knows how to create very strong characters.
  
  
  Space has unlimited possibilities and this is also something that Tanya Huff starts to show of in The Better Part of Valor. The world in which this story takes place is pretty cool. Besides the military fiction genre, it's also an space opera. In the first book Tanya Huff introduced several alien races that were quite remarkable. She continues with this in the sequel, though not necessarily introducing new races but further building and developing the ones that she had introduced. Also I liked the lingering presence and ever threat that the Others pose for the Confederation. In the end of the book, Tanya Huff again ups the ante, in terms of heretofore seen action, by introducing some were cool space fights with squadrons of fighter pilots I loved these scenes. The way they communed etc flew in formation attack really the stuff you want to read about! I hope Tanya Huff has plenty of more things up her sleeve for this series.
  
  The Better Part of Valor is a great sequel to Valour's Choice, it doesn't let the story falter at all but neatly picks up where it was left of and takes the Confederation series a few steps further. The books so far have been highly enjoyable to read. Tanya Huff shows that she is a great writer and knows how to write strong characters and an interesting story. Though some parts might be a bit straightforward, rescue mission etc (it's only in the beginning!), there are plenty of twists and turn riddled along the way that keep the storyline fresh and exciting. Especially when Torin Kerr and her crew makes it on the alien vessel, that is when things start to turn weird! Staff Sergeant Torin Kerr is a fantastic character to read about and she really makes the series. A whole lot of fun, highly recommended!
• 
  Nikki

  This was an enjoyable sequel to
  Valor’s Choice, with the same emphasis on military culture and the role of the NCO. The setup was similar but with an almost entirely new cast of characters and several new twists (in this case our heroine has a competent but cocky civilian on her team as well as having to cope with an utterly useless captain and the presence of an irritating reporter). The novelty is starting to wear off for me and some characters felt a bit too caricatured this time around, so I’ll take a break from this series, but I’m sure I’ll be back next time I’m in the mood for a bit of light-hearted action and genuinely funny snarky banter.
• 
  Paraphrodite

  4 stars.
  
  Another action-packed story. This time most of the action takes place whilst Torin and her troops are trapped inside an intelligent alien spaceship. This one reminds me of one of those paintball maze games or like that ever-changing maze in Harry Potter.
  
  The salvager Craig Ryder seems like a tamer version of Han Solo but did come through when it counts, so it'd be interesting to see how their relationship develops, especially since there is also Torin's Lieutenant.
• 
  David H.

  The main downside to this book was the lack of any real characters to care about outside of Torin Kerr from the previous book. That said, I really loved the addition of Ryder, and the mystery of the alien ship was very interesting though ultimately unsatisfying. However, it was nice to get a look at the Others, if only through one of their subject species.
• 
  Hollie Aldridge

  Really nice premise but found my attention wandering. There were many new charecters. The General is the same, but different commanding officer. Not sure how this book is supposed to assist the overall story.
  
  On to the next book..... good reading friends.
• 
  Bradley

  Fun and inventive. Well-written. =)
• 
  Jennifer

  I enjoyed this, though I must caution that it follows the same "formula" as the first volume. Torin Kerr is assigned to a mission that doesn't seem like it's supposed to be dangerous, but she and her team end up getting mixed up in something hinky, and she has to try to keep everyone alive while balancing annoying political concerns. This book seems to set up an overarching plot for the series by introducing unknown aliens.
  
  Even if some might think she's bland, I love the character of Torin Kerr. She's hella competent with a cheeky sense of humor, but she's humble, and her superpower is that her high expectations make people want to fulfill their own potential.
• 
  Anna (Bobs Her Hair)

  3 - 3.5 stars.
  
  Heroics and an unclear enemy running a Tryon-like rat experiment.
  
  Library eloan
• 
  Stig Edvartsen

  
  Fun mil sci-fi. I reckon this could make for a great sci-fi TV-series.
• 
  Ariel

  Torrin continues her reign of kicking alien ass and taking no shit from superiors. I continue to enjoy this serious immensely.
• 
  Kevin

  Another fun military sci-fi romp in Tanya Huff's Confederation series. This one had the frustrating annoyance of the vastly superior alien technology that's never explained, but the actual adventure was fun.