Most Popular Books by Elizabeth Moon

Thoughtful, provocative, poignant, unforgettable, The Speed of Dark is a gripping journey into the mind of an autistic person as he struggles with profound questions of humanity and matters of the heart. In the near future, disease will be a condition of the past. Most genetic defects will be removed at birth; the remaining during infancy. Lou Arrendale, a high-functioning autistic adult, is a member of the lost generation, born at the wrong time to reap the rewards of medical science. He lives a low-key, independent life. But then he is offered a chance to try a brand-new experimental “cure” for his condition. With this treatment Lou would think and act and be just like everyone else. But if he was suddenly free of autism, would he still be himself? Would he still love the same classical music—with its complications and resolutions? Would he still see the same colors and patterns in the world—shades and hues that others cannot see? Most important, would he still love Marjory, a woman who may never be able to reciprocate his feelings? Now Lou must decide if he should submit to a surgery that might completely change the way he views the world . . . and the very essence of who he is. Tenth anniversary edition • With a new Introduction by the author Praise for The Speed of Dark “Splendid and graceful . . . A lot of novels promise to change the way a reader sees the world; The Speed of Dark actually does.”—The Washington Post Book World “[A] beautiful and moving story . . . [Elizabeth] Moon is the mother of an autistic teenager and her love is apparent in the story of Lou. He makes a deep and lasting impact on the reader while showing a different way of looking at the world.”—The Denver Post “Every once in a while, you come across a book that is both an important literary achievement and a completely and utterly absorbing reading experience—a book with provocative ideas and an equally compelling story. Such a book is The Speed of Dark.”—Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel “A remarkable journey [that] takes us into the mind of an autistic with a terrible choice: become normal or remain an alien on his own planet.”—Mary Doria Russell, author of The Sparrow “A powerful portrait . . . an engaging journey into the dark edges that define the self.”—The Seattle Times

"Filled with fast-paced action and well-conceived characters.”—Booklist Kylara Vatta is the only daughter in a family full of sons, and her father’s only child to buck tradition by choosing a military career instead of joining the family business. For Ky, it’s no contest: Even running the prestigious Vatta Transport Ltd. shipping concern can’t hold a candle to shipping out as an officer aboard an interstellar cruiser. It’s adventure, not commerce, that stirs her soul. And despite her family’s misgivings, there can be no doubt that a Vatta in the service will prove a valuable asset. But with a single error in judgment, it all comes crumbling down. Expelled from the Academy in disgrace–and returning home to her humiliated family, a storm of high-profile media coverage, and the gaping void of her own future–Ky is ready to face the inevitable onslaught of anger, disappointment, even pity. But soon after opportunity’s door slams shut, Ky finds herself with a ticket to ride– and a shot at redemption–as captain of a Vatta Transport ship. It’s a simple assignment: escorting one of the Vatta fleet’s oldest ships on its final voyage . . . to the scrapyard. But keeping it simple has never been Ky’s style. And even though her father has provided a crew of seasoned veterans to baby-sit the fledgling captain on her maiden milk run, they can’t stop Ky from turning the routine mission into a risky venture–in the name of turning a profit for Vatta Transport, of course. By snapping up a lucrative delivery contract defaulted on by a rival company, and using part of the proceeds to upgrade her condemned vehicle, Ky aims to prove she’s got more going for her than just her family’s famous name. But business will soon have to take a backseat to bravery, when Ky’s change of plans sails her and the crew straight into the middle of a colonial war. For all her commercial savvy, it’s her military training and born-soldier’s instincts that Ky will need to call on in the face of deadly combat, dangerous mercenaries, and violent mutiny. . . . “Compelling . . . a superior novel . . . Trading in Danger [has] originality and intelligence.”—SciFi

Paksenarrion--Paks, for short--refuses her father''s orders to marry the pig farmer down the road and is off to join the army. And so her adventure begins--the adventure that transforms her into a hero remembered in songs, chosen by the gods to restore a lost ruler to his throne.

To get away from a messy love life, space heiress Brun Meager heads for a trip among the stars, only to land in an even bigger mess when she is captured and raped. The perpetrators are the New Texas Godfearing militia. A sequel to Once a Hero.

Fleet Lieutenant Esmay Suiza never wanted to become a hero. After a traumatic, war torn childhood and years of being plagued by nightmares, she is content to spend her years with the Fleet following orders and staying under the radar. Even after she finds herself the leader in a fierce battle against a treasonous captain, and the center of a subsequent military trial, Suiza wants nothing more than to return to the ranks. Then she''s promoted and sent to the deep space repair ship Koskiusko. Suiza once again finds herself in the heart of danger. The Bloodhorde, a violent group of barbarian warriors, has made plans to sabotage her ship and clear the path for a full invasion. Suiza is thrust into command, leading the revolt against the invaders before a second wave of brutality threatens the lives of her fellow soldiers. From New York Times bestselling and Nebula Award-winning author Elizabeth Moon comes a riveting, action packed science fiction tale of war with an unforgettable hero.

This collection of stories, by three of the best science-fiction writers today, showcases the talents of Anne McCaffrey, Elizabeth Moon and Jody Lynn Nye.

The Compton Crook Award winning Deeds of Paksenarrion comes to an epic conclusion. Paksenarrion finishes her journey from sheepfarmer''s daughter to warrior hero. Includes a new introduction by author Elizabeth Moon. THE EPIC CONCLUSION TO THE DEED OF PAKSENARRION SERIES Paksenarrion—Paks for short—was somebody special. Never could she have followed her father’s orders and married the pig farmer down the road. Better a soldier’s life than a pig farmer’s wife, and so, though she knew that she could never go home again, Paks ran away to be a soldier. And so began an adventure destined to transform a simple sheepfarmer’s daughter into a hero fit to be chosen by the gods. Now an accomplished warrior in her own right, Paks takes on a holy quest that will test her limits. For the gods are no longer pleased with Paksenarrion, and their wrath may well spell her destruction. Features an all-new introduction by the author! About Elizabeth Moon: “Excellent plotting and characters support the utterly realistic action sequences: swift, jolting, confusing, and merciless. It’s a corker!”—Kirkus Reviews “Moon has created a richly imagined universe of different cultures, replete with intriguing characters and the sense of unlimited possibility that characterizes the most appealing science fiction.”—School Library Journal “Rip-roaring action and intriguing science and tactics . . . [a] grand space opera tour de force.”—Publishers Weekly "[T]he first work of high heroic fantasy I''ve seen that has taken the work of Tolkien, assimilated it totally and deeply and absolutely, and produced something altogether new and yet incontestably based on the master... [Moon''s] military knowledge is impressive, her picture of life in a mercenary company most convincing. I''m deeply impressed."—Judith Tarr

Nebula Award–winning author Elizabeth Moon makes a triumphant return to science fiction with a thrilling series featuring Kylara Vatta, the daring hero of her acclaimed Vatta’s War sequence. After nearly a decade away, Nebula Award–winning author Elizabeth Moon makes a triumphant return to science fiction with this installment in a thrilling new series featuring the daring hero of her acclaimed Vatta’s War sequence. Summoned to the home planet of her family’s business empire, space-fleet commander Kylara Vatta is told to expect a hero’s welcome. But instead she is thrown into danger unlike any other she has faced and finds herself isolated, unable to communicate with the outside world, commanding a motley group of unfamiliar troops, and struggling day by day to survive in a deadly environment with sabotaged gear. Only her undeniable talent for command can give her ragtag band a fighting chance. Yet even as Ky leads her team from one crisis to another, her family and friends refuse to give up hope, endeavoring to mount a rescue from halfway around the planet—a task that is complicated as Ky and her supporters find secrets others will kill to protect: a conspiracy infecting both government and military that threatens not only her own group’s survival but her entire home planet.

The fate of the galaxy is placed in the hands of Lunzie, who discovers the true nature of a new friend; Fordeliton, who is dying of a mysterious poison; Dupaynil, who is exiled; and Aygar, who tries to prove himself. At the publisher''s request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

Finalist for the Hugo Award • “Ofelia—tough, kind, wise and unwise, fond of food, tired of foolish people—is one of the most probable heroines science fiction has ever known.”—Ursula K. Le Guin For forty years, Colony 3245.12 has been Ofelia’s home. On this planet far away in space and time from the world of her youth, she has lived and loved, weathered the death of her husband, raised her one surviving child, lovingly tended her garden, and grown placidly old. And it is here that she fully expects to finish out her days—until the shifting corporate fortunes of the Sims Bancorp Company dictates that Colony 3245.12 is to be disbanded, its residents shipped off, deep in cryo-sleep, to somewhere new and strange and not of their choosing. But while her fellow colonists grudgingly anticipate a difficult readjustment on some distant world, Ofelia savors the promise of a golden opportunity. Not starting over in the hurly-burly of a new community . . . but closing out her life in blissful solitude, in the place she has no intention of leaving. A population of one. With everything she needs to sustain her, and her independent spirit to buoy her, Ofelia actually does start life over–for the first time on her own terms: free of the demands, the judgments, and the petty tyrannies of others. But when a reconnaissance ship returns to her idyllic domain, and its crew is mysteriously slaughtered, Ofelia realizes she is not the sole inhabitant of her paradise after all. And, when the inevitable time of first contact finally arrives, she will find her life changed yet again—in ways she could never have imagined. . . . “Pure satisfaction from cover to cover.”—Anne McCaffrey

With most of her family dead, slaughtered in a series of brutal attacks aimed at destroying the Vatta interstellar shipping empire, Kylara Vatta struggles to rebuild her family business and recruit allies to her cause, working to bring together a ragtag group of traders to strike back against an entire fleet of pirates.

Elizabeth Moon’s thrilling Vatta’s War series, featuring the no-holds-barred space-faring heroine Kylara Vatta, has secured her reputation as a master of first-rate military science fiction. Now Commander Vatta is back–locked and loaded and ready to win the fight against the marauding forces of ruthless space pirate Gammis Turek. For Ky, it’s not just about liberating the star systems subjugated by Turek and defending the rest of the galaxy’s freedom. There’s also a score to be settled and payback to be meted out for the obliteration of the Vatta Transport dynasty . . . and the slaughter of Ky’s family. But the enemy have their own escalation efforts under way–including the placement of covert agents among the allies with whom Ky and the surviving Vattas are collaborating in the war effort. And when a spy ring linked to a wealthy businessman is exposed, a cracked pirate code reveals a galaxywide conspiracy fueling the proliferation of Turek’s warship fleet. Matching the invaders’ swelling firepower will mean marshaling an armada of battle-ready ships for Ky to lead into combat. But a violent skirmish leaves Ky reeling–and presumed dead by her enemies. Now, as Turek readies an all-out attack on the Nexus system–a key conquest that could seal the rest of the galaxy’s doom–Ky must rally to the challenge, draw upon every last reserve of her strategic skills, and reach deep if she is to tear from the ashes of tragedy her most decisive victory.

The galactic order has been shattered, and amidst the chaos heroes will rise...and fall—as Hugo Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Moon brings her stellar Familias Regnant saga to a spectacular conclusion. Across Regnant space, the fight to put down the mutinous factions of the Fleet continues. Though the initial assaults have been contained, the mutineers are still at large. And the dangerous seditious elements are not limited to the military alone. Within the Familias, the aged leaders of the great septs continue to hoard the mysterious rejuvenation drugs that may allow them to rule forever. And that is something that the ambitious younger generations of the ruling families can no longer abide... Heroic Fleet loyalist Esmay Suiza has been coldly ousted from the service after her elopement to Barin Serrano is discovered and her religious status comes under suspicion. But she''s not about to back down from her sworn duty, and races to confront the members of the Grand Council—one of whom owes her a great service... But unbeknownst to anyone, a powerful leader in the ranks of the Fleet has already turned against them, and their common enemy is determined to destroy the Familias Regnant in a final conflagration... "SF readers will delight in the twisting, thorny adventure in the compelling continuation to this popular series." -- Publishers Weekly "Fans of David Weber''s "Honor Harrington" series will appreciate Moon''s space opera of high politics and military adventure."— Library Journal "A fun fast-paced mix of space and soap opera."— Locus "A triumphant coda."— Booklist

“This is an excellent series, and Echoes of Betrayal is particularly well done. [Elizabeth Moon] is a consistently entertaining writer, and this book lives up to her standards.”—San Jose Mercury News All is not well in the Eight Kingdoms. In Lyonya, King Kieri is about to celebrate marriage to his beloved, the half-elf Arian. But uncanny whispers from the spirits of his ancestors continue to warn of treachery and murder, and a finger of suspicion points in a shocking direction. Meanwhile, in Tsaia, the young king Mikeli grapples with unrest among his own nobility after granting the title and estates of a traitorous magelord to a Verrakaien—who not only possesses the forbidden magic but is a woman. The controversial decision and its consequences put the king’s claim to the throne in peril. But even greater danger looms. A dragon’s wild offspring are sowing death and destruction, upsetting the ancient balance of power. A collision seems inevitable. Yet when it comes, it will be utterly unexpected—and all the more devastating for it. “Fans of epic fantasy . . . should enjoy this series.”—Library Journal “Rousing action and intriguing plot twists.”—Kirkus Reviews Includes a preview of the next book in the Paladin’s Legacy series, Limits of Power.

“Marvelously compelling . . . consummate military-adventure science fiction.”—SciFi In the aftermath of the cold-blooded assassinations that killed her parents and shattered the Vatta interstellar shipping empire, Kylara Vatta sets out to avenge the killings and salvage the family business. Ky soon discovers a conspiracy of terrifying scope, breathtaking audacity, and utter ruthlessness. The only hope against such powerful evil is for all the space merchants to band together. Unfortunately, because she commands a ship that once belonged to a notorious pirate, Ky is met with suspicion, if not outright hostility . . . even from her own cousin. Before she can take the fight to the enemy, Kylara must survive a deadly minefield of deception and betrayal. Praise for Engaging the Enemy “A fast-paced space adventure, with a heroine that will captivate readers.”—Omaha World-Herald “Excels in character development as well as in its fast-paced action sequences and intricate plotting.”—Library Journal “You’ll have fun with this one, for Moon keeps things moving.”—Analog

Elizabeth Moon is back with the fourth adventure in her bestselling fantasy epic. Moon brilliantly weaves a colorful tapestry of action, betrayal, love, and magic set in a richly imagined world that stands alongside those of such fantasy masters as George R. R. Martin and Robin Hobb. The unthinkable has occurred in the kingdom of Lyonya. The queen of the Elves—known as the Lady—is dead, murdered by former elves twisted by dark powers. Now the Lady’s half-elven grandson must heal the mistrust between elf and human before their enemies strike again. Yet as he struggles to make ready for an attack, an even greater threat looms across the Eight Kingdoms. Throughout the north, magic is reappearing after centuries of absence, emerging without warning in family after family—rich and poor alike. In some areas, the religious strictures against magery remain in place, and fanatical followers are stamping out magery by killing whoever displays the merest sign of it—even children. And as unrest spreads, one very determined traitor works to undo any effort at peace—no matter how many lives it costs. With the future hanging in the balance, it is only the dedication of a few resolute heroes who can turn the tides . . . if they can survive. BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from Elizabeth Moon''s Crown of Renewal. Praise for Limits of Power “It’s easy to become fully immersed in, and absorbed by, the narrative: [Moon’s] great strength lies in the patient accumulation of telling detail, yielding an extraordinarily rich picture of the world’s politics, philosophy, military structure, history, magic and alien cultures, where men and women stand as equals even in force of arms.”—Kirkus Reviews “Thoughtful and deeply character driven, full of personal crises as heartbreaking and hopeful as any dramatic invasion . . . Moon deftly avoids big literary explosions, preferring instead a slow boil that builds pressure without relief. There are plots within plots, but the complex story is never confusing. Fantasy fans will be delighted by this impressive foray.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) Praise for Elizabeth Moon “This is an excellent series, and Echoes of Betrayal is particularly well done. [Elizabeth Moon is a] consistently entertaining writer, and this book lives up to her standards.”—San Jose Mercury News “Moon’s characters navigate an intricate maze of alliances and rivalries. . . . Close attention to military detail gives the action convincing intensity.”—The Star-Ledger, on Kings of the North “A triumphant return to the fantasy world she created . . . No one writes fantasy quite like Moon.”—The Miami Herald, on Oath of Fealty

HUNTING PARTY: Heris Serrano was destined for a life in the Regular Space Service - until a treacherous superior officer forced her to resign her commission. This was the end of everything that gave her life meaning. But her new life aboard a rich old lady''s space cruiser is nothing like she expected and she is soon fighting for her life. SPORTING CHANCE: On her first cruise, Heris exposed a sinister ''hunting club'', where one of the hunters was first in line to the throne. To avoid scandal, Lady Cecelia volunteered to take her nephew the Prince home. His behaviour becomes increasingly erratic, Cecelia suspects foul play and once again Heris must investigate. WINNING COLOURS Heris has at last been offered a chance for vindication and reinstatement in her beloved Fleet - and reconciliation with her family. But it means standing alone against the military might of an interstellar criminal cartel with only a few small ships ...

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY KIRKUS REVIEWS Acclaimed author Elizabeth Moon spins gripping, richly imagined epic fantasy novels that have earned comparisons to the work of such authors as Robin Hobb and Lois McMaster Bujold. In this volume, Moon’s brilliant masterwork reaches its triumphant conclusion. The mysterious reappearance of magery throughout the land has been met with suspicion, fear, and violence. In the kingdom of Lyonya, Kieri, the half-elven, half-human king, struggles to balance the competing demands of his heritage while fighting a deadly threat to his rule: evil elves linked in some way to the rebirth of magic. Meanwhile, in the neighboring kingdom of Tsaia, a set of ancient artifacts recovered by the former mercenary Dorrin Verrakai may hold the answer to the riddle of magery’s return. Thus Dorrin embarks on a dangerous quest to return these relics of a bygone age to their all-but-mythical place of origin. What she encounters there will change her in unimaginable ways—and spell doom or salvation for the entire world. Praise for Crown of Renewal “Mesmerizing . . . [Elizabeth] Moon offers convincingly realized characters persuasively shaped by the extraordinary richness, depth and texture of the world they inhabit. . . . Such is the allure of an extremely talented writer at the the height of her powers.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Elves, demons, warped magicians, ancient artifacts, time travel, and an agrarian-based society make for an evocative story. . . . The depth of each character’s emotions . . . show the author’s writing power.”—Booklist Praise for Elizabeth Moon Limits of Power “Thoughtful and deeply character driven, full of personal crises as heartbreaking and hopeful as any dramatic invasion . . . Fantasy fans will be delighted by this impressive foray.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) Echoes of Betrayal “This is an excellent series, and Echoes of Betrayal is particularly well done. [Moon is a] consistently entertaining writer, and this book lives up to her standards.”—San Jose Mercury News “Rousing action and intriguing plot twists.”—Kirkus Reviews Kings of the North “Moon’s characters navigate an intricate maze of alliances and rivalries. . . . Close attention to military detail gives the action convincing intensity.”—The Star-Ledger “Her storytelling is as electrifying as ever, and her readers should be delighted with this new vista of a well-known world.”—Booklist