"The Truth of Valor" book review

"The Truth of Valor" is the 5th book in the Valor Confederation series, written by Tanya Huff. The series is set in the future, and centers around Marine Sergeant Torin Kerr. In this universe, peaceful space-faring aliens find themselves at war with an enemy they only know as The Others. Because they are non-violent, they recruit humans, and other aliens, to fight for them in exchange for advanced technology.

In the previous books, Torin showed her mettle as a Marine, and was promoted through the ranks. Despite a series of conflicts that tested her, she persevered and saved the day, exposed the true instigator of the conflict with The Others, and found a love interest. At the end of the fourth book, Torin decides it's time to leave her beloved Marines and move on.

"The Truth of Valor" opens with Craig teaching Torin the salvage trade, and introducing her to her new life as a salvage operator. She is having trouble adapting to civilian life; After being part of the military machine for so long, she has a hard time adjusting to an individualistic viewpoint. However, a series of events occurs which forces Torin to fall back into the role of Marine Sergeant, and compels her to resolve her future.

This book, while good, almost has the feel of filler material to it. It gave the impression that the series was on hold, rather like Ms. Huff decided to explore a secondary story line before heading back into the real action. That said, I enjoyed the story and felt it moved the series and characters along. More of a romance than the rest of the series, there is still plenty of the same action, witty dialogue and inside jokes featured in the first four books.

If you enjoy space-opera sci-fi and Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series, I recommend you check out this series as well. If you've already read and liked the other Valor books, definitely read this one also.  Buy it on sale here.