Review: The Truth of Valor, by Tanya Huff

The Truth of Valor [US][UK] is the fifth installment in Tanya Huff's tightly plotted military science fiction Confederation series (review). Narrower in scope than its predecessors, The Truth of Valor finds our favorite Gunnery Sergeant Torin Kerr madly in love with a deep space salvage operator and trying her best to learn a life that doesn't involve artillery barrages or assault rifles. Unfortunately for the new couple, space just isn't vast enough to avoid trouble... or pirates.

The Truth of Valor takes the Confederation series down to a more personal level, focusing on the relationship between Kerr and Craig Ryder as well as the emotional scars Kerr still bears from her previous adventures. For all of the novel's adrenaline filled last second escapes from certain death, it also showcases a deeper focus on the moral implications associated with the use of deadly force. While many of Kerr's battles have been both personal and emotional, they have always taken place in the context of a military hierarchy supported by the strongest of moral justifications. This time around, readers are given a glimpse of the real Kerr, separate from her military persona, but still kicking ass.

Don't let my lofty talk about the deeper issues distract you form the fact that The Truth of Valor is one hell of a ride. While the book is perhaps not the best in the series, it certainly hits many of the same high notes and is sure to delight any and all fans of military sci-fi. Tanya caters to her audience by relying on her strengths in this book. Readers familiar with the series will enjoy the cross-species interactions - and sex - as well as the playful banter and inner monologues emblematic of the Confederation series as a whole.

My main gripe, and the one I make about virtually every series i read, is that the book answers none of the series' meta questions. Much like Kerr, readers are in the dark as to the greater going's on in the universe she inhabits. No news about the war between the Primacy and the Confederation besides brief references to the fact that it is still going on. No news about the sentient poly-numerous plastic that controls the universe and instigated the war in the first place, besides a deus-ex moment at the end of the novel. I mean come on, I need some closure here!

If you haven't started on the Confederation series, none of this will be making any sense. Start with Valor's Choice and get back to me.

The Truth of Valor is your standard space pirate adventure where the good guys come close to loosing way too many times for comfort. The fast pace and low word count will make for a quick and enjoyable read. Torin Kerr is essentially the Bruce Willis of military science fiction... if Mr. Willis were a woman and lived in the future. They both always end up banged up at the end of their adventures, and the bad guys always go boom in a very satisfying explosion.

Highly recommended for readers of less lofty titles who enjoy action... in space.

News: The Truth of Valor, by Tanya Huff

One of my guilty pleasures is reading some of the wonderfully fast paced military sci-fi of Tanya Huff. Her Valor series is arguably my favorite in that self-indulgent niche, so I was very excited to learn that she has sent the fifth book, The Truth of Valor, to her publisher. She is forthcoming on her blog about future projects as well - next up seems to be Napoleonic Werewolves...

Anyway, for anyone that hasn't given the series a chance and enjoys spacey military action, the Valor series is highly recommended. Incidentally, in the same niche you will also find David Gunn and his Death's Head series, which is a bit rougher around the edges but enjoyable nonetheless.

Review: The Confederation Series, by T. Huff

The Confederation series, by Tanya Huff, is a tightly focus collection of military style science fiction. The series is comprised, so far, of four books: Valor's Choice (2000), The Better Part of Valor (2002), The Heart of Valor (2007), and Valor's Trial (2008), which are all published by DAW. Do I detect a common theme?

The Setup

Hard-as-nails hardly comes close to describing Marine Gunnery Sergeant Torin Kerr, the protagonist and focus of the series. In the first installment Kerr and her squad are assigned to a spit and polish diplomatic escort mission to a prospective member of the confederation. Little does the unit know that they are going to be battle tested against thousands of humanoid lizards in their bid to win a new ally against the Others.

The second book in the series, following Kerr's incredible success in winning over the lizards to the confederation, has her and her team assigned to a special recon mission of an alien vessel. Just to spice things up, they are sealed onboard with a squad of Others. Close quarters combat ensues between the two factions, only to discover that the ship itself is the real enemy. Apparently, a vastly powerful and sentient species that can take on the form of, well, anything has decided to take an interest in the confederation as well as the Others.

The last two installments are by far my favorite. From a training mission gone wrong to the escape from a hidden underground prison, the reader is led on a merry, adrenaline filled ride. Turning impossible situations into victory is what Sergeant Kerr does, and does well.

My Take in Brief

I truly enjoyed this series. From its quick pace, to the flawless interactions between radically different species, there is something in here for everyone. The tech aspects of the books are slightly glossed, which might disappoint some of you reading this, but they remain perfectly credible. The focus is fixed, throughout, on social and physical interactions. Coupled with some flawless military lingo you get the impression that your just out of boot-camp and looking for Kerr to save your life at every turn.

Fundamentally, this is a work of military science fiction with sprinkles of space opera. The space opera aspect is most definitely secondary to the action/military genre; it serves to get Kerr to interesting places where stuff goes boom, or squish for that matter. That said, those aspects of the book remain compelling, thanks mostly to an accurate and artful portrayal of the relationship between war and politics. The focus is on the integration of disparate alien cultures into a single unified fighting force.

I do recommend this series because it is a captivating and entertaining read. I think I went through all four books in under two weeks. The style and pace are markedly similar to the military science fiction of David Gunn, which I have recently reviewed. If you like Huff you'll want to check him out as well.

Highlights

• Realistic military lingo and power relationships.
• Distinct and fascinating cultural interactions.
• Captivating, if somewhat drawn out battles.
• Quick, smooth, and entertaining prose.
• Acts of desperation.
• Endearing characters that are nevertheless mortal.

Lowlights

• Everything that you have to sacrifice in order to get desperately epic battles in a short and fast-paced military science fiction book.

Your Take

I realize I have been focused pretty heavily of late on the military/space opera genre, so I am going to read some epic fantasy after I finish with Altered Carbon. What's your general take on the the Confederation series? Do you even enjoy military science fiction or I am boring the hell out of you?

Ratings & Links

Amazon: 3.25/5

B&N: 4.5/5

My Rating: 3.5/5

Tanya Huff's Live Journal: A couple nice recipes there!

And an exciting interview with Tanya Huff.

Piqued Your Interest?

Make sure to check out the omnibus of the first two novels, A Confederation of Valor, if you are considering the series. From what I understand the extra edits were beneficial and you get two for the price of one!