Staff Sergeant Tobin Kerr was a battle-hardened professional. So when she and those in her platoon who had survived the last deadly encounter with the Others were yanked from a well-deserved leave for what was supposed to be "easy" duty as the honor guard for a diplomatic mission to the non-Confederation world of the Silsviss, she was ready for anything. At first, it seemed that all she'd have to contend with was bored troops getting into mischief and breaking in the new second lieutenant who had been given command of her men Sure, there had been rumors of the Others—the sworn enemies of the Confederation—being spotted in this sector of space. But there were always rumors. The key thing was to recruit the Silsviss into the Confederation before the Others either attacked or claimed this lizardlike race of warriors for their own side. And everything seemed to be going perfectly. Maybe too perfectly.
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"I've been indulging in an orgy of military sf reading since February, when Patrick at Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego got me hooked on it. This is one of the best by far, a splendid blend of characterization, setting, plot and hand-to-hand combat. I'd follow Staff Sergeant Torin Kerr anywhere. "
— Dana (4 out of 5 stars)
Huff delivers the goods. Valor's Choice...is incredibly fun.
— Science Fiction Weekly" The dialogue was horrible "
— Edward, 2/13/2014" Ok, this was a fun book, but the language was awful. Wish I could have had a filter put into the audio book I was listening to. Space Military Opera. "
— Kent, 2/7/2014" Awesome book. All Tanya Huff's books have strong female characters. Sarge is the ideal most soldiers strive for. You get a look at the thought processes behind the facade which adds depth and makes for a fast paced, thoroughly enjoyable read. "
— KathyP, 2/3/2014" 2.5 stars. Pretty decent military interactions/dialogue, but a bit light on the combat side. Glosses over some inter-species interactions. Still, she briefly made her point about the military culture overwhelming the different cultures of the the serving species. I'll probably try the rest of the series -light reading for the beach or airplane. "
— Lee, 1/31/2014" It was almost good. Too much talk, not enough action. Even during the action there was not enough action. At least the characters didn't suck. Perfect airplane book. "
— Megan, 1/23/2014" I'm not into military stories but I liked this easy read. It moved along quickly with clear races and characters. The lead female is strong and smart. The plot doesn't get bogged down with scifi minutia or by trying to bring in too many side stories and characters. "
— Michele, 1/22/2014" space marines stand firm, excellent characters "
— Helen, 1/11/2014" Wow. Fantastic book. It's actually two novels in one book, but the two stories work pretty well together. Torin Kerr is a fantastic protagonist. Lots of action and some humor. I'm not usually into military science fiction, but this is a notable exception. Good stuff. "
— SixBeforeLunch, 12/12/2013" Not a lot of mystery or intrigue to this book just some really good science fiction story telling. Gotta love a strong female lead it made this book a very enjoyable read. "
— Nick, 11/10/2013" Started off a bit slow and confusing but smoothed out eventually. A nice Space war novel ala David Drake (Hammer's Slammers). "
— Terry, 9/4/2013" Loved it, great story and good characters. "
— Dawn, 4/21/2013" Audiobook : the first half wasn't catching my interest almost gave up on the book. Action did get better . glad i didn't give up on it. "
— SinisterAgentMulder, 11/21/2012" I'm a fan of military sci-fi and historical fiction, so this book was very enjoyable to me. Great humor as well! That said, it was fairly straight forward and predictable. "
— Sumnerkai, 10/30/2012" Author has a snarky sense of humor. Fascinating military/space/sci-fi novel based on an actual historic battle with an alien twist. Staff Seargeant Kerr is amazing at dealing with ignorant officers and clueless civilians both. "
— Betsy, 10/25/2012" Rip roaring space opera with a riff on Rorke's Drift, lizard people and interstellar marines. Some things really never change, whether it is Welsh people or plasma rifles. "
— Margaret, 9/10/2012" Fun read, but nothing more than the stereotypical "alien invasion" plotline. Like Huff in general, it's a pretty cheesy read, but it was entertaining. "
— Caroline, 8/31/2012" Love books that can pull off great characters with a lot of action. "
— Chris, 8/26/2012" Formulaic retelling of the Battle of Roarke's Drift set in space. Letter volumes in Valor series are better reads. "
— Ron, 7/24/2012" Great military sci-fi, which takes note of real historical battles and gives them a sci-fi spin. Staff Sergeant Kerr is a great character, and she really makes the books something special. Read on the in also excellent The Better Part of Valor. "
— Lurple, 6/7/2012" I am not usually a fan of military fiction but in this case I have to say that I loved the main character, Torin Kerr, Staff Sergeant, and her interactions with her soldiers and with her superior officers. A likeable character and an entertaining plot. "
— Atenea-Nike, 2/5/2012" Meh. I couldn't tell the less major/minor characters apart. I didn't get a feel for what each alien race actually looked like or what they were actually like. Didn't care for any characters. And of course there was a race that would have sex with anything. Of course. "
— Natasha, 8/12/2011" If you are into military sci-fi this book is for you. I enjoyed it because the main character is a female Staff Sergeant in the Confederation Marine Corp. I could not put it down once I started to read it. Please give it a try. "
— Becky, 7/15/2011" space marines stand firm, excellent characters "
— Helen, 3/31/2011" Great military sci-fi, which takes note of real historical battles and gives them a sci-fi spin. Staff Sergeant Kerr is a great character, and she really makes the books something special. Read on the in also excellent <em>The Better Part of Valor</em>. "
— Lurple, 1/29/2011" Female Gunnery Sergeant in future military. Great story. "
— Tasula, 12/4/2010" My only real quibble with the book was my complete inability to understand what a Dornagain looked like, which kept drawing me up short. I'll pursue the series. "
— Julie, 11/28/2010" Never thought I would so thoroughly enjoy military science fiction, but this engaging series by Tanya Huff has me hooked on the adventures of Marine sergeant Torin Kerr who always brings her troops out alive from deadly encounters in outer space. "
— Anne, 11/21/2010" Kerr is a wonderful, strong female leading character. Great book. "
— Chris, 11/13/2010" Ok, this was a fun book, but the language was awful. Wish I could have had a filter put into the audio book I was listening to. Space Military Opera. "
— Kent, 10/31/2010" Meh. I couldn't tell the less major/minor characters apart. I didn't get a feel for what each alien race actually looked like or what they were actually like. Didn't care for any characters. And of course there was a race that would have sex with anything. Of course. "
— Natasha, 10/12/2010" Military sci-fi. Excellent. Can't wait to read #2. "
— Kathy, 9/2/2010" If you read my shelves you notice I like military sci fi. I thought until <br/>Ms Huff that my hero's had to be male... "
— Glenn, 7/23/2010" The end made me want to shout "Hoorah!" - unfortunately, I was at work at the time. "
— Jesi, 7/3/2010Tanya Huff spent three years in the Canadian Naval Reserve then earned a degree in radio and television arts from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute. She is the author of numerous short stories and more than twenty novels, including the bestselling Blood books, the Smoke series, and the Keeper’s Chronicles. She has been the guest of honor at numerous American and Canadian conventions, and her work has been nominated for several awards, including winning the Aurora Award for Best Novel. She lives in Ontario, Canada.
Marguerite Gavin is a seasoned theater veteran, a five-time nominee for the prestigious Audie Award, and the winner of numerous AudioFile Earphones and Publishers Weekly awards. She has been an actor, director, and audiobook narrator for her entire professional career. With over four hundred titles to her credit, her narration spans nearly every genre, from nonfiction to mystery, science fiction, fantasy, romance, and children’s fiction. AudioFile magazine says, “Marguerite Gavin…has a sonorous voice, rich and full of emotion.”