Generations to save generations!

HERIS SERRANO
(SERRANO SERIES)
By Elizabeth Moon
  
Publisher: Baen; Omnibus edition (July 30, 2002) 
Language: English 
ISBN-10: 0743435524 
ISBN-13: 978-0743435529


Heris gave up everything to save her subordinates.  Now to pay the bills, she takes a job working as the "Captain" of a rich old lady's luxury yacht.  The job starts out bad when Heris has a run in with Cecelia's nephew, Ronnie,  immediately after leaving port.  The destination is a Hunting planet but the trip is already bad when parts of the ship begin to fail due to neglect. During repairs, a smuggling ring is discovered and Heris must deal with the fall out of that on top of the disrespectful Ronnie. 

When reaching their destination, Heris becomes part of the hunting community and the Ronnie and his friends decide to entertain themselves by leaving on an unapproved trip to one of the islands owned by Bubbles family.  The unexpected jaunt comes to a horrific conclusion as the kids become a part of an extreme hunting trip where they are the hunted.  The Hunters turn out to be Heris' sadistic Admiral and friends and the other hunted are her former shipmates, including the man she loved.  As Heris races to save those she cares for, the young wealthy children must save themselves and find who they are as they uncover plots hidden by plots.

After they heroic efforts on planet, Heris must save a planet from annihilation even as she takes on the mantle she once had to discard in order to save her crew.  Will she be in time to save everyone or will a planet on the edge of nowhere become the first in a long line of colonies destroyed by betrayal from inside the Fleet?

I really enjoyed this series of books.  The characters are well thought out and the plots are seriously in depth.  One thing I don't really like is the authors tendency to fall back on description to fill the pages.  The tactics used through the story are good but on occasion can become horse heavy.  I am not someone who follows horses and she tends to compare most things to horse training.  Its okay, but not always the best way to go about keeping your readers attention. 

I enjoy the world the author has created.  It is diverse and filled with different cultures, from the super political to the zealous religious cults and the poor underground.  I also enjoyed the way the characters grow as they find themselves and face situations that put them outside their comfort zones. 

Interesting, if a bit dry at times. 

3 stars came out tonight