Friday Memes: Diviner's Bow by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller

 Happy Friday!

Book Beginnings is hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader. She asks that the first sentence is posted along with the author and title of the book and the reader's initial thoughts on the sentence, the book, or anything else it inspires. 

Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower.org also provides a linky for sharing first lines and connecting with others. This meme asks that the chosen books be PG or marked as Mature if they are not. 

Beginning:

It was beautiful, in the way that orderly things are beautiful. More, it would save lives.

They had lost so many lives.

Friday 56:

Majel sighed, and finished his drink.

He would need to read the law as written. If there was any ambiguity, it would have to be dealt with before the Haosa Councilor took their chair. 

Today I am spotlighting the latest book in the Liaden Universe series by Sharon Lee and the late Steve Miller. Diviner's Bow is the direct sequel to Trader's Leap. It is the 27th book in the Liaden Universe. Here is the description from Amazon:

A world divided cannot stand.

A people divided cannot thrive.

The Oracle has Seen the end of Civilization, and the end of the Haosa, too. Reactions to this are—mixed.

On the one hand, foresight is a notoriously erratic Gift. On the other, can Civilization—or the Haosa—afford to assume that the prophecy is an error?

And if the Oracle has Seen truly—is it possible to alter the future?

While well-meaning people struggle to implement change that might, at least, mitigate a disaster, others are looking toward the profit they can make from the end of the world.

In the meantime, the Tree-and-Dragon Trade Team has concluded its whole port inventory, and is about to propose Colemeno as a trade-hub and anchor to a brand-new route. Padi yos’Galan is preparing to step into new roles, personally, and in trade.

And the lives of two small children may be the thread that binds the future—or unravels it.

ARC Review: Salvage Right by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller

Salvage Right
Author: Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
Series: Liaden Universe (Book 25)
Publication: Baen (July 4, 2023)

Description: A door never closes, but a window opens . . .

With origins in the Old Universe, the malevolent, acquisitive intelligence of Tinsori Light sought to infect others with itself, and send those agents out into the wide new universe to infect even more.

For centuries, two heroes stood between Tinsori Light and the vulnerable universe—Light Keepers Jen Sin yos'Phelium and Lorith of the Sanderat.

Just when it seemed that they—merely human—must fail, Tinsori Light, enfeebled by aged systems, succumbed to the stress of a unique spatial event . . . and died, leaving the station a shell.

Luckily, the light keepers have back-up. A mismatched team of arcane specialists are on-station, working non-stop to preserve the Light, build trustworthy systems, and open the refurbished station for business.

In fact, ships are already incoming, and it becomes a matter of urgency to sort friend from foe. In particular, the Lyre Institute wishes to acquire Tinsori Light, and will do anything, spend anyone, to achieve that goal.

My Thoughts: The 25th book in the Liaden Universe series is primarily set on Tinsori Light. It is time for a cleanup operation. Since Ren Zel repaired the tear in the universe, Tinsori Light is now fixed in this universe. The malevolent intelligence that guided the Light in its goal of infecting the new universe has died and Tocohl has grabbed the reins of the station. 

Light Keepers Jen Sin yos'Phelium and Lorith of the Sanderat are no longer alone trying to prevent the Light from carrying on its evil plans. Hazenthull and Mentor Tolly Jones are also on site. So is Seignur Veeoni and her aide and bodyguard M Traven. 

All of them and many more new arrivals are trying to stabilize the Light, clean out any remnants of the old system, and get the station ready for doing business. However, things aren't going to be easy. There are still remnants of the old system trying to reassert dominance. But worst of all, the Lyre Institute is determined to claim the station as its own. 

This was another excellent episode in the Liaden Universe. It ties up a number of loose ends left in Neogenesis. My personal feeling is that Neogenesis should be read before this one so that a new reader can get some handle on the large cast of characters. Long time fans will enjoy meeting characters they have grown to care about again in this episode. It turns out to be a major Clan Korval reunion before the story ends. 

The authors see this book as a chance for the characters to get some redemption and the hope of a happy life. I agree with that and know that I am satisfied by the way things are on the former Tinsori Light which will now go on as Catalinc Station. 

Favorite Quote:

He rolled onto his back, wincing. 

"How you doin' there, Pilot?" Tolly asked.

"I have once again established that my head is harder than hullplate. Apparently this must be verified periodically." He took a breath.

I bought this eARC from Baen in March. You can buy your copy of the finished book here. I pre-ordered mine last October.

Friday Memes: Salvage Right by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller

 Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Beginning:

The cycle was almost done.

Mere moments now until he found if his mad scheme had borne fruit. 

No, Jen Sin yos'Phelium corrected himself; his scheme was no less mad than the problem to which it was a solution. Together, they represented a complete, balanced equation; perfectly serviceable, if not precisely elegant.

Friday 56:

"We're volunteers, right?"

"I understand."

"Course you do. Now, it's good you're worrying about rates and contracts and like that. I'm warmed to hear your thoughts're tending in that direction. But here's what I'm thinking -- that's above both our pay grades. Right now, the Family's spending for the mutual good. Ghost Station -- beg your pardon, sir -- Tinsori Light's been a hazard to navigation for a lot too many years. Gettin' it regularized and working for this sector -- that's good for everybody."

This week I am spotlighting Salvage Right by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller. It is the latest in the Liaden Universe series. I bought the eARC from Baen Books March 22, 2023, and my hardcover and Kindle copies will be arriving soon. Here is the description from Amazon:

A door never closes, but a window opens . . .

With origins in the Old Universe, the malevolent, acquisitive intelligence of Tinsori Light sought to infect others with itself, and send those agents out into the wide new universe to infect even more.

For centuries, two heroes stood between Tinsori Light and the vulnerable universe—Light Keepers Jen Sin yos'Phelium and Lorith of the Sanderat.

Just when it seemed that they—merely human—must fail, Tinsori Light, enfeebled by aged systems, succumbed to the stress of a unique spatial event . . . and died, leaving the station a shell.

Luckily, the light keepers have back-up. A mismatched team of arcane specialists are on-station, working non-stop to preserve the Light, build trustworthy systems, and open the refurbished station for business.

In fact, ships are already incoming, and it becomes a matter of urgency to sort friend from foe. In particular, the Lyre Institute wishes to acquire Tinsori Light, and will do anything, spend anyone, to achieve that goal.

Book & Audio Review: A Liaden Universe Constellation Volume 4 by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller

A Liaden Universe Constellation Volume 4
Author: Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
Narrator: Kevin T. Collins
Series: Liaden Universe Constellation (Volume 4)
Publication: Baen Books; 1st edition (June 3, 2019); Tantor Audio (August 23, 2022)
Length: 343 p.; 13 hours and 23 minutes

Description: BOOK 4 in the multivolume Liaden Universe® short fiction collection. Tales of the Liaden Universe® brought together for the first time. Space opera and romance on a grand scale in a galaxy full of interstellar trading clans.

For more than thirty years, the Liaden Universe® novels by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller have captivated readers with their unique blend of action adventure, science fiction, and romance. In addition to twenty-one novels (and counting) Lee and Miller have written dozens of shorter works based in the Liaden Universe®, featuring the strong characterization, detailed world-building, wit, and derring-do that readers of the series adore.

This fourth volume collecting Lee and Miller’s shorter Liaden Universe® stories features four novelettes, two novellas, and two short stories—including the celebrated linked stories, "Block Party" and "Degrees of Separation." 

Sure to delight longtime fans and newcomers alike, these tales highlight why the nationally best-selling Liaden Universe® novels are treasured by space opera aficionados, with detailed world-building, strong characterizations, compelling romance, and edge-of-the-chair action in stories that range from cosmic to comic.

My Thoughts: Here are the stories included in this volume and my brief thoughts about them.

Street Cred talks about the differences between contracts on Liad and on Surebleak when two Liadens grieving losses writes a contract to kill the Road Boss and then expects someone on Surebleak to carry it out. 

Due Diligence tells the story of Chi yos'Phelium and Daav's father. I liked this story a lot and was glad to find out about this period in Chi's life. 

Friend of a Friend tells the story of someone coming looking for Quin and finding Villy instead who isn't going to put his friend in danger no matter how scared he is.

Cutting Corners tells a story about the past of one of Theo's teachers at Anlingdin Academy on Eyelot and introduces us to Beeslady and its pilot.

Block Party tells the story about some Liaden refugees newly come to a changing Surebleak and making a new home for themselves.

Degrees of Separation tells the story of how Don Eyr meets Serana and eventually finds his way to Surebleak.

Excerpts from Two Lives tells the story of the Rosa Ring which we first heard about in a song sung when Miri and Val Con were marooned on an interdicted world.

Revolutionists takes place sometime between Jethri's time and Daav and Val Con's time. It is about a revolution on a space station just coming out of Rostov's Dust. 

This was a mixed bag of stories fitting into a variety of time periods. I really enjoyed Due Diligence. I found Revolutionists a little baffling. I think this is the first story set in that period of history. I would have liked more context for it. 

Favorite Quote:

"My name is Chi," she said, with an informality that might yet equally come from a pilot shopping for a bedmate, or a wolf casing a mark.

"My name is Fer Gun," he answered, matching her tone.

"In fact your name is Fer Gun pen'Uldra," she said calmly. "I have a proposition to put before you."

I bought the Kindle copy in 2019 and the audiobook in 2022. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: A Liaden Universe Constellation Volume 4 by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller

A Liaden Universe Constellation, Volume 4
Author: Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
Narrator: Kevin T. Collins
Series: Liaden Universe Constellation
Publication: Baen Books; 1st edition (July 16, 2015); Tantor Audio (July 26, 2022)
Length: 416 p.; 15 hours and 4 minutes

Description: BOOK 3 in the multivolume Liaden Universe ® short fiction collection. Tales of the Liaden Universe® brought together for the first time. Space opera and romance on a grand scale in a galaxy full of interstellar trading clans.

A dozen recent Liaden Universe short works are added to the collection in the third volume of A Liaden Universe Constellation. Ranging from comic to cosmic, only one of these works was first published before 2011. These welcome new additions bring the collected Constellation of Lee & Miller Liaden short stories to 45 works in three mega-volumes.

The nationally best-selling Liaden Universe® novels are treasured by space opera aficionados for their wit, world-building, strong characterizations, tender romance, and edge-of-the-chair action.

Since 1995, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller also created shorter tales, illuminating additional facets of the Liaden experience. Here is a vast tapestry of tales of the scouts, artists, traders, priestesses, sleight of hand magicians, and pilots who fill the Liaden Universe® with the excitement, action, and romance that readers of the hit series have come to adore. Contains all new entries published after 2011.

My Thoughts: This collection includes twelve stories of varying length. Together the stories tell more about favorite characters and/or illuminate different part of the massive Liaden Universe.

Code of Honor is Tommy Lee's story and tells about his life with the mercenaries and what happens when he is called home.

Guaranteed Delivery tells about Aelliana and Daav's fourth courier assignment.

Intelligent Design tells how Jeeves came to be Korval's butler.

Out of True tells about when Clay and Squithy meet the norbears and take them out into the greater galaxy,

Roving Gambler is a Quin story.

King of the Cats is a crossover, non-canon story about Kinzel calling Val Con to his world to help him rescue some cats.

Kin Ties tells what happens when Ren Zel dea'Juden and Anthora go back to Cassiaport on Korval's business and meet a woman bent on her grandfather's revenge.

Eleutherios tells the story of one Bedel on a strange and damage world.

The Rifle's First Wife is the story about how Diglon Rifle came to marry a Liaden Scout. 

The Space at Tinsori Light tells about Jen Sin yos'Phelium, pilot of Korval, who, injured, finds his way to Tinsori Light.

Landed Alien tells what happened to Kara ven'Arith after Theo was expelled from the Academy and before they met again on Codrescu Station.

Moon's Honor is a Lute and Moonhawk story. In this one, she becomes his apprentice when the Head of her Circle sends her out to get some experience of the world outside of Temple.

All of these stories were entertaining. They include stories that tell us more about characters who appear in the main line stories. They also include stories from other parts of the wide Liaden Universe. I especially enjoyed Out of True this time because I've now met the characters again in the Jethri novels.

It is good to have all the stories collected in one volume since they were originally published in a variety of places from chapbooks to the Baen website.

Favorite Quote:

Whoever had come, whoever had heard, and heeded his call. That one he would serve, as well as he was able, for as long as he could.

I bought this one. The Kindle copy in 2015 and the audiobook in 2022. You can buy your copiy here.

Book & Audio Review: A Liaden Universe Constellation Volume 2 by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller

A Liaden Universe Constellation Volume 2
Author: Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
Narrator: Kevin T. Collins
Series: Liaden Universe
Publication: Baen Books; 1st edition (December 15, 2013); Tantor Audio (June 28, 2022)
Length: 538 p.; 19 hours and 44 minutes

Description: Fifteen short tales of the Liaden Universe brought together for the first time. Space opera and romance on a grand scale in a galaxy full of interstellar trading clans.

Thirty-three shorter tales of the Liaden Universe brought together for the first time in two mega-volumes. Fifteen tales complete Volume Two!

The nationally bestselling Liaden Universe novels are treasured by space opera aficionados for their wit, world-building, strong characterizations, tender romance, and edge-of-the-chair action.

Since 1995, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller also created shorter tales, illuminating additional facets of the Liaden experience. Here is a vast tapestry of tales of the scouts, artists, traders, priestesses, sleight of hand magicians, and pilots who fill the Liaden Universe with the excitement, action, and romance that fans of the hit series have come to adore.

My Thoughts: This second collection of Liaden Universe short fiction was great for filling in some of the blanks in the main line novels and fleshing out events that were formative for many of the characters but only briefly mentioned.

Veil of the Dancer tells about Inas Bhar's childhood and the first steps the lead her to become Natessa the Assassin and ultimately Pat Rin's lifemate. 

The Beggar King tells the story of Clarance O'Berin's arrival on Liad to be the Juntavas boss. It also tells how he and Daav become as friendly as they can be given that they are working for opposing sides.

Lord of the Dance takes place on Surebleak and tells the story of Pat Rin's final acceptance of the fact that he is truly a pilot of Korval.

Fighting Chance tells how Miri gets off Surebleak the first time and joins the mercenaries. Prodigal Son tells weatherman Ichliad Brunner's story which incidentally tells the story of Miri's heroism at Klamath.

Hidden Resources tells what happens at Runig's Rock while the clan children along with Lady Kareen and Luken bel'Tarda are sheltering there while the adults in the clan make a new home after being thrown off Liad.

The other stories also tell about other people caught up in Korval's adventures or just trying to lead their lives in peace. I liked Skyblaze because I had often wondered what happened to the taxi driver who drove Cheever McFarland to Korval and who later ferried mercenaries from Higson's unit when Korval attacked the Department of the Interior on Liad. It was a great story about someone who was just a "spearholder" in the mainline, but whose life was changed by the events, nonetheless.

All of the stories were entertaining. I thought that they could be introductions to the Liaden Universe for new readers. It is hard to judge that though because I've read the Liaden Universe stores over and over again since I discovered them in the 1990s. I loved finding out more about characters I already love.

Favorite Quote:

"You, my daughter. You're about to begin the adventure of your life. Be bold, which I know you are. Be honest as you can. Trust Angela. If you find love, embrace it."

I bought this one using some of my banked Audible Credits. You can buy your copy here.

Book & Audio Review: A Liaden Universe Constellation Volume 1 by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller

A Liaden Universe Constellation, Volume 1
Author: Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
Narrator: Kevin T. Collins
Series: Liaden Universe Collection (Book 1)
Publication: Baen Books (December 8, 2013); Tantor Audio (June 7, 2022)
Length: 522 p.; 18 hours and 55 minutes

Description: Thirty-three shorter tales of the Liaden Universe brought together for the first time in two mega-volumes. Seventeen tales to start with in Volume One!

The nationally bestselling Liaden Universe novels are treasured by space opera aficionados for their wit, world-building, strong characterizations, tender romance, and edge-of-the-chair action.

Since 1995, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller also created shorter tales, illuminating additional facets of the Liaden experience. Here is a vast tapestry of tales of the scouts, artists, traders, priestesses, sleight of hand magicians, and pilots who fill the Liaden Universe with the excitement, action, and romance that listeners of the hit series have come to adore.

My Thoughts: This is a collection of seventeen stories set in the Liaden Universe. This is the first time that I have listened to the stories. They aren't new to me. I read them first in chapbooks published by the authors and again when they were collected and published by Baen.

There are a wide variety of stories. Quite a few of them are origin stories that provide more depth on the characters who are stars in the main series. We learn how Val Con meets Edger and becomes his brother. We learn how Ren Zel came to be clanless and a pilot on the Dutiful Passage. There are a couple of stories that star Pat Rin and a couple more that tell the backstory of Priscilla Mendoza and how she came to leave Sintia.

There are a few stories that star Moonhawk and Lute and give more of their history. There is a story about Er Thom and Daav when they are first separated sending Daav to the Scouts and Er Thom to his mother to learn to be a trader. Still another story tells what happens when Daav saves the day when Nev'Lorn is attacked by the Department of the Interior.

The stories were all wonderful as stories, but for fans, filling in some of what happened outside of the main stories adds a whole bunch of depth and richness to an already complex and intriguing Liaden Universe.

Favorite Quote:

One of the questions that readers often ask writers is, "Where do you get your ideas?"

There are a couple of ways to reply to this, depending on your writer. In general, answers range from Harlan Ellison's now-classic, "I get my ideas from a post office box in Schenectady," to the more factual, and most often disbelieved, "Ideas are easy," to the in-your-face, "Do you mean to say that you don't have ideas? For God's sake, tell me how to make them stop."

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Fair Trade by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller

Fair Trade
Author: Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
Series: Liaden Universe (Book 24)
Publication: Baen (May 3, 2022)

Description: Jethri Gobelyn has risen far: from despised youngest on a Terran family Loop ship to second trader on premier Liaden tradeship Elthoria under the guidance of his unlikely foster-mother Norn ven'Deelin Clan Ixin. Master Trader ven'Deelin has taught Jethri much, and she expects great things from him. Indeed, one might say she demands them.

Jethri has inherited a mission from his father, a plan that will allow family Loop ships like the one he grew up on to survive the encroachment of Rostov’s Dust. In this, he’s backed by several prominent Looper families who are scheduled to meet and plan at the South Axis Trade Fair.

In what seems to be a fortunate pairing of missions, Master Trader ven'Deelin sees Jethri become lead trader on his own small ship, which is scheduled to arrive at the South Axis Fair.

Unfortunately, that “fortunate coincidence” may instead be a test of Jethri’s loyalties, as he’s thrust into a tangle of gray-trading, mistaken identity, misinformation, and galactic politics. . . .

My Thoughts: This is the third book starring Jethri Gobelyn ven'Deelin who has come far from being an unwanted extra on his birth ship to becoming a fully trained and competent trader. This story sees Jethri gaining his own ship through the offices of his mother foster Master Trader Norn ven'Deelin Clan Ixin and Master Trader pin'Aker Clan Midys who both expect great things of him. 

They send him to the South Axis Trade Fair which is a gathering of Terran traders. This is an ideal location for him to talk about the Envidaria - a document talking about the future of trade which was first written by Jethri's father Arin who died when Jethri was a child. 

But the Envidaria is not a universally popular document. Members of the Combine and TerraTrade don't want anything to upset their very comfortable current situation. And, after all, the coming of Rostov's Dust won't affect very many worlds. Jethri disagrees and needs to get very political if he is going to be able to save the Loopers, and family ships, and the planets who will be disrupted by the coming Dust. 

Jethri has allies. Freza and Brabham from the Balrog have been working on Arin's plan since long before Jethri even knew about it. And other Loopers are also signing on to make the changes needed to survive the coming of Rostov's Dust. He also has enemies at the Trade Fair including Senior Technical Administrator Bory Borygard of TerraTrade who knew Jethri's father and disliked the Envidaria because it would disrupt his comfortable life.

Jethri has obstacles outside the congress too. While his master and mentor want him to be raised to the rank of Master Trader, the Liaden Trade Guild has enough members who don't want a Terran to be admitted to their ranks to throw a number of obstacles in Jethri's way. 

Outside this main story of Jethri at the Trade Fair, we have the story of Dulcimer and her crew. They used to trade on the dark side with contacts who look like earlier versions of the Juntavas. But with the death of their parents, the new captain wants to shift their focus to the clean, legal side of trade. They also have a pod of norbears onboard which is causing conflict between those who want to keep them there and those who want to space the animals. Squithen Patel is the one who communicates best with the norbears but is otherwise a very low-ranked member of the crew. She was a very interesting character. The hints at the story of how the norbears came to be on Dulcimer is a story I want to know. 

There is also another plot line concerning the Elsavair and her crew who seem to be earlier versions of the Bedel. They trade in Old Tech and have deals with the Uncle who happens to be Jethri's actual uncle being the brother of his father Arin. Jethri is particularly sensitive to Old Tech, a tweak his uncle and father built into his genetics, and ends up buying some disturbing devices from the Elsavair including a device worn like a hood which is a teaching tool that almost overwhelms him. 

My only complaint about this story was that, while progress was made on a number of fronts, nothing was finished. It does make me eager for the fourth book in Jethri's story which is still mainly residing in the authors' brains as I finish this book. 

Favorite Quote:

We are both an opportunity and a curiosity. You are a ship-born Looper who holds a ten-year Terran Combine trade key and a Liaden-trained trader. Who would not wish to meet such a marvel, especially here at the great congress of Terran traders. More, you have liberated a trade document that is likely to change how business is done among the very traders who form this congress.

I bought this eARC at Baen Books. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Trader's Leap by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller

Trader's Leap
Author: Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
Series: Liaden Universe (Book 23)
Publication: Baen (December 1, 2020)

Description: The only bridge between past and future is a leap of faith.

Pursued by enemies, exiled Liaden clan Korval is settling into a new base on backworld Surebleak. Moving is expensive, as is war, and Korval is strapped for cash. Delm Korval has therefore instructed Master Trader Shan yos'Galan to design and implement new trade routes, quickly.

But this is no easy task.Dutiful Passage is targeted by Korval's enemies, denied docking at respectable ports, and cheated at those less respectable. Struggling to recuperate from an attack on his life, while managing daughter Padi’s emerging psychic talents, Shan is running out of options—and time. His quest to establish the all-important trade route puts him at odds with his lifemate, while doubting crew desert the ship. Facing the prospect of failure, Shan accepts the assistance of chancy allies and turns the Passage toward a port only just emerging from Rostov's Dust and awash with strange energies.

Without trade, Clan Korval will starve. Will a trader's leap of faith save everything—or doom all?

My Thoughts: This twenty-third book in the Liaden Universe focuses on Shan, Priscilla, Padi and the Dutiful Passage though it doesn't begin with them. 

We begin on a planet we haven't seen before which is divided into two main cultures - Civilization and the Haosa - and which has recently had an attack by Reavers who wanted to kidnap and steal the power from some of the people. There is a lot of psychic talent on the planet and the Oracle is telling them that Great Ones are coming.

Back on the Passage we find Shan trying to recover from the depletion of his psychic talent after he healed and was healed by Tarona Rusk - a dramliza in the service of the Department of the Interior. We also find Padi who is learning about her new and unwanted dramliza powers which are getting in the way of her desire to become a Master Trader.

Shan's mission is to find new and profitable trade routes to benefit his clan but he is having trouble because of the continuing interference of agents of the Department of the Interior. He does have some hope when he connects with a representative of the Carresens-Denobli family who are another non-Liaden trade family which a long history. He also has more luck when he determines to explore a new region of space which has recently come out from behind Rostov's Dust. 

We also get to see Tarona Rusk on her new quest to destroy the Department - get revenge on the Department - the co-opted and used her for their gain. And we see one of the other results of Shan's healing of Tarona in that the talents that survived the severing of Rusk's control have their own plans for the dissolution of the Department of the Interior.

And finally, we see the results of the final defeat of the ancient enemy that forced the escape from the old universe and how that effects Moonhawk and Lute and their current vessel Priscilla and descendant Shan. 

This was an engaging and entertaining story that I just gulped down and which will stand up to any number of rereads. Of course, there are threads left dangling and questions left unanswered for long-time fans of the series. But this story also brings to an end some of the long-running plot threads. Hopefully, we have seen the last of the Department of the Interior. And there are so many new possibilities for Korval...

Favorite Quote:

"Is Trader Denobli your father?"

"No, worse! He's my mother's double-brother - from the Carresens and Denobli! Great deeds are expected of me daily, if not by the hour."

He shook his head and looked at her.

"The master trader - is he your father?"

"He is, indeed, and I am his heir. You understand, great deeds are not expected from me, for it is no great thing to achieve the amethyst, when so many others have done so."

Trader Vanz did not withhold his laugh.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from Baen Books. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: A Liaden Universe Constellation Vol. 3 by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

A Liaden Universe Constellation Vol. 3
Author: Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
Series: Liaden Universe
Publication: Baen Books; 1 edition (July 16, 2015)

Description: BOOK 3 in the multivolume Liaden Universe ® short fiction collection. Tales of the Liaden Universe® brought together for the first time. Space opera and romance on a grand scale in a galaxy full of interstellar trading clans.

A dozen recent Liaden Universe short works are added to the collection in the third volume of A Liaden Universe Constellation. Ranging from comic to cosmic, only one of these works was first published before 2011. These welcome new additions bring the collected Constellation of Lee & Miller Liaden short stories to 45 works in three mega-volumes.

The nationally best-selling Liaden Universe® novels are treasured by space opera aficionados for their wit, world-building, strong characterizations, tender romance, and edge-of-the-chair action.

Since 1995, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller also created shorter tales, illuminating additional facets of the Liaden experience. Here is a vast tapestry of tales of the scouts, artists, traders, priestesses, sleight of hand magicians, and pilots who fill the Liaden Universe® with the excitement, action, and romance that readers of the hit series have come to adore. Contains all new entries published after 2011.

My Thoughts: This is the third collection of Liaden short stories and novellas in the series called Liaden Universe Constellation. It contains twelve stories and, surprising to me since I thought I never missed a story, had a couple of stories that I hadn't read before.

I liked Intelligent Design which tells the story of how an AI former war machine came to be the butler for Korval. There was also a story which starred the Bedel on a world other than Surebleak. I liked Roving Gambler which stars Quin and tells us a lot more about him than we learned in other stories where he appeared. I also enjoyed King of the Cats which combined two of the authors' fantasy worlds by combining Val Con and Kinzel on Kinzel's world. 

This collection also included Moon's Honor which is another Lady Moon Hawk and Lute story and talks about their meeting. I thought it gave quite a different take on them than Crystal Dragon - the novel where they also make appearances. I prefer their appearances in the short story and wish that novel starring them could have sold and therefore been written.

All in all, it was an enjoyable collection. I'm glad to have a convenient source of all of the stories on my Kindle. 

Favorite Quote:

Whoever had come, whoever had heard, and heeded his call. That one he would serve, as well as he was able, for as long as he could.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: A Liaden Universe Constellation Vol. 2 by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

A Liaden Universe Constellation Vol. 2
Author: Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
Series: Liaden Universe
Publication: Baen Books; 1 edition (December 15, 2013)

Description: BOOK 2 in  The First Liaden Universe ® Collection. Fifteen short tales of the Liaden Universe® brought together for the first time. Space opera and romance on a grand scale in a galaxy full of interstellar trading clans.

Thirty-three shorter tales of the Liaden Universe® brought together for the first time in two mega-volumes. Fifteen tales complete Volume Two!

The nationally best-selling Liaden Universe® novels are treasured by space opera aficionados for their wit, world-building, strong characterizations, tender romance, and edge-of-the-chair action.

Since 1995, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller also created shorter tales, illuminating additional facets of the Liaden experience. Here is a vast tapestry of tales of the scouts, artists, traders, priestesses, sleight of hand magicians, and pilots who fill the Liaden Universe® with the excitement, action, and romance that readers of the hit series have come to adore.

My Thoughts: This collection of 15 previously published stories adds depth and detail to the Liaden Universe. Some of the stories feature characters who have a bigger role in other Liaden Universe books. We have the history of Inas Bhar who becomes Natesa the Assassin and Pat Rin's lifemate. We have a story about how Clarence O'Berin came to Liad and met Daav. We find out what happens when Val Con and Nelirikk go to Vandar to rid it of the Department of the Interior. We see what happened when Plan B was called by Kareen had a meeting she didn't want to miss. We have a story set in Runig's Rock where the Clan children are hidden until it is time to call them home.

Some of the stories are about side characters who make a brief appearance in the novels. We have a story that takes place at the same time the Clutch turtles visit Shaltren told from the point of view of a pilot/ship owner coming to rescue a friend. We learn about the people Pat Rin bought rugs from to stock his new store on Surebleak. We have the story of the taxi driver who took Cheever to Korval and also drove mercenaries around when Korval fired on the planet. 

I was less familiar with these stories than the ones in Volume 1 and enjoyed learning more about the Liaden Universe. I also like the idea that I have all the stories in one convenient location on my Kindle. 

Favorite Quote:

"If Clonak was half as stupid as he acts, something with lotsa teeth would've had him for lunch a long time ago."

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: A Liaden Universe Constellation by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

A Liaden Universe Constellation
Author: Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
Series: Liaden Universe Collection - Book 1
Publication: Baen Books (December 8, 2013)

Description: Thirty‑three shorter tales of the Liaden Universe® brought together for the first time in two mega‑volumes.  Seventeen tales to start with in Volume One!

The nationally best‑selling Liaden Universe® novels are treasured by space opera aficionados for their wit, world‑building, strong characterizations, tender romance, and edge‑of‑the‑chair action.

Since 1995, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller also created shorter tales, illuminating additional facets of the Liaden experience. Here is a vast tapestry of tales of the scouts, artists, traders, priestesses, sleight of hand magicians, and pilots who fill the Liaden Universe® with the excitement, action, and romance that readers of the hit series have come to adore.

My Thoughts: This is a collection of seventeen stories from the Liaden Universe that were first published in the authors' chapbooks. While they provide new insights for long-time fans of the Liaden Universe series like me, they are also a great introduction to the character-driven science fiction the authors are know for.

There are a couple of stories about Val Con yos'Phelium as he is before we meet him in Agent of Change. One of the stories tells about one his first missions where he meets Edger, the Clutch turtle, and how they came to be brothers. Another tells of a skimmer race on Liad when he and Shan outrage Lady Kareen.

There are stories of Pat Rin yos'Phelium which tell about him balancing for a man who committed suicide, deciding on what he wants to do with his life since he is neither a pilot nor a dramliz. I especially liked the story where he and Nova are sorting some rugs for Luken Bel'Tarda and he learns some interesting things both about Nova and about how Bel'Tarda became part of Korval.

I liked the stories about Moonhawk and Lute even if I can't figure out how, or if, they fit into the Liaden Universe. I also enjoyed the story about Priscilla and why she was exiled from her home planet of Sintia. Another story is also related to Priscilla's as it tells about the events that led to her exile from a different point of view.

All of the stories were engaging and interesting.

Favorite Quote:

One of the questions that readers often ask writers is, "Where do you get your ideas?"

There are a couple of ways to reply to this, depending on your writer. In general, answers range from Harlan Ellison's now-classic, "I get my ideas from a post office box in Schenectady," to the more factual, and most often disbelieved, "Ideas are easy," to the in-your-face, "Do you mean that you don't have ideas? For God's sake, tell me how to make them stop!"

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook: Crystal Dragon by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

Crystal Dragon
Author: Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
Narrator: Kevin T. Collins
Publication: Audible Studios (Sept.4, 2012)
Length: 15 hours and 35 minutes

Description: You can't go home again...

What do you do when home is a conspiracy that's been discovered and destroyed? When home is a planet in a star system that's gone missing? When home means working for the destroyers of galaxies? When home is a spaceship that's calling out to the enemy? Cantra 'yos Phelium isn't a quitter, but she has more than a little problem: the Enemy has accelerated its attacks and how do you fight an Enemy whose major form of attack is the de-crystallization of everything around itself? A smuggler with a rogue soldier for a co-pilot, and a tree with an attitude for crew, Cantra's the only one who can get close to the man who holds equations that might, that just might - thwart the Enemy. All she has to do is help a young pilot from a missing world, juggle a slippery promise she never quite made to a pair of wizards, and then forget who she is along with everything, and everyone, she's ever known.

My Thoughts: I enjoyed listening to CRYSTAL DRAGON. It is one of the Liaden books that I don't reread very often. I find the sections that have to do with the formation of the dramliz and their conspiracy to defeat the Iloheen hard to understand and hard to connect with. Once the story switches to Cantra and Jela and to Tor An yos'Galan, I enjoy the story much more.

This continues the story begun in CRYSTAL SOLDIER and concerns itself with trying to find the mathematician Liad dea'Syl who might have the math that will let some humans survive the war begun by the Iloheen - called the sheriekas by the humans.

Cantra and Jela have to infiltrate an assemblage of scholars which requires Cantra to forger herself and assume the personality of a traveling math scholar. they find a situation filled with treachery and self-interest.  It is also the location where they meet Tor An who has come to report that the Ring Stars have disappeared. Since that is where his whole family lives, Tor An is devastated and wants someone else to also care. He finds the military uninterested in one more loss of planets and concerned with withdrawing into the inner worlds in hopes of surviving.

Jela has long been associated with one part of the military that sees what is happening and is still trying to do something to stop the enemy's invasion.

This is also the story where the planned evacuation of Solcintra occurs and tells about the contract with the houses of Solcintra and the formation of Clan Korval. It introduces some family lines that still continue into the rest of the books including the dea'Gauss.

I liked the action in the story. I liked the characters especially Jela. I liked that he becomes the Founder of the Clan despite falling in rear guard action that lets Cantra, the tree, and his unborn child escape. I really liked Cantra who is both smart and honorable and who keeps her promise to Jela to guard his tree.

The narration was well done and really pulled me in and kept me listening even to the confusing parts.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook: Crystal Soldier by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

Crystal Soldier
Author: Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
Narrator: Kevin T. Collins
Publication: Audible Studios (Sept. 4, 2012)
Length: 13 hours and 51 minutes

Description: Centuries in the past, mankind fought a seemingly unbeatable adversary from sector to sector across the Spiral Arm until the war ground to a standstill and the Enemy withdrew. Believing that they had won, the citizens of the galaxy rebuilt. The Inner Worlds, which had escaped the worst of the war's ravages, became even more insular, while the Rim worlds adopted a free and easy way with law and order. Now, hundreds of years after their withdrawal, the Enemy is back - and this time they'll be satisfied with nothing less than the extinction of the galaxy.

My Thoughts: This story is the beginning of the Liaden Universe. Characters who are legends in the new (in the timeline) Liaden books are the main characters in this one with all their strengths and flaws.

The story begins with an M series soldier named Jela on a planet that is dry and desiccated. His ship was damaged and he was forced to land and hope for retrieval by his own forces. M type soldiers are generalists and explorers which means that Jela decides to explore while waiting for pickup and begins following a trail of fallen trees. He follows and watches the trees become smaller and smaller on their way down from the hills to what was once a river and now is just a dry bed. There at the end of his trail, with him running out of food and water, Jela comes upon a living tree - the sole survivor of its species.

When Jela is finally rescued, he brings the tree with him. He made it promises as they waited for pickup by his crew. Jela feels that the tree is able to communicate with him. It also provides him with edible seedpods.

Jela and the army he is part of have been fighting the enemy for all of his life. They are losing the war. The enemy has weapons that eat planets and they are determined to remove all life from the universe and remake it to their specifications.

Jela is chosen to be part of a last-ditch effort to slow the enemy down. It is on this mission that he meet Cantra yos'Phelium.

Cantra is a smuggler and the last of a line that was eliminated by its creators. She is on the run from those creators and trying to keep a low profile. She stops on a planet and decides that she needs some company which leads her to having dinner with Jela who was expecting someone else to dine with him. Warned by one of the servers that they are under observation, they end up having to fight off various enemies before they are able to escape from the planet bringing the server - a batch created slave named Dulsey - and Jela's tree with them.

After visiting the planet where Cantra has a cargo to drop off and running afoul with her buyer, they decide to take Dulsey to the one place where she might be safe. Cantra knows where the Uncle makes his home since he helped her get away from the creators who wanted to repossess her. The Uncle is trying to find a way to make the enemy's tech into weapons that humans can use to defeat the enemy. Jela doesn't believe that is possible or desirable. Uncle doesn't want to let either Cantra or Jela go since they could be useful to his plans. This leads to still another fight and another narrow escape for our heroes.

The story was filled with danger and action and intriguing characters. I loved seeing Jela and Cantra as humans rather than as icons. The narration was well done. I also enjoyed the interview of Kevin T. Collins done by Steve Miller which gave a lot of interesting information about how narrators work and also about how authors work.

The cliffhanger ending mean that CRYSTAL DRAGON has just gone on my "read NOW" list.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook: Trade Secret by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

Trade Secret
Author: Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
Narrator: Kevin T. Collins
Publication: Audible Studios, Nov. 6, 2013
Length: 15 hours

Description: Star-spanning galactic trader Jethri Gobelyn's story continues in the seventeenth entry in the Liaden Universe series by master storytellers Sharon Lee and Steve Miller.

In a universe full of interstellar intrigue and burgeoning commerce novice Terran trader Jethri Gobelyn, adopted by a Liaden clan after an ill-directed bow of honor insulted the scion of a major Liaden house, is alive and whole to tell the tale. Convinced that the adoption has saved his life and made his future he settles into a comfortable and even elite routine, a Trader's Ring his goal.

Even as Jethri's initiation into the mysteries and joys of Liaden Festival bring him to manhood, he's forced to face Necessity and the facts of life: his adoption has also invigorated a net of unfinished Balance far more complex and potentially deadly than a simple Terran blood feud. He must embrace his Terran birthright as well as his Liaden connections while leaving behind the safety of the great Liaden trade ship Elthoria to defend his honor and that of shipmates past and present.

Forced to sit Second Board as a back-up pilot on a Liaden Scout ship, Jethri's convinced he's already at wit's end - when several familiar faces threaten all that he knows of himself, and all that he wishes to do.

My Thoughts: This is the sequel to BALANCE OF TRADE and tells of the further adventures of Jethri Gobelyn on his journey to become a master trader. A lot of this story concerns politics begun by his father Arin Gobelyn and involves the mysterious Uncle and secrets that have been kept from Jethri all of his life.

When he is returned items he inherited from his father by the mother who threw him off his birth ship and seems to want to forget both Arin and Jethri, he comes into conflict with the Scouts who are devoted to locating and destroying all Old Tech and who would really like to know Arin's secret.

When the logbook and fractins he loaned the Scouts are stolen, he goes off with Scout Ter'Astin to try to recover them and to get Balance in the Liaden way. Of course, he is also dealing with his new partner Tan Sim who was sold off by Clan Rinork in the hopes that he would fail as a trader. Tan Sim drops a number of legal issues into Jethri's lap which requires him to contract the services of a Terran lawyer to sort them out and give Jethri a needed legal education as it relates to trade.

Meanwhile, Bar Jan chel'Gaibin is also busy trying to get Balance from Jethri and from Jethri's sister Khat and the rest of the crew of Gobelyn's Market for perceived slights which brings him into conflict with his mother's secret and probably shady plots and causes all sorts of problems for Jethri.

Luckily, Jethri is making friends of his own both among the Liadens and among the Terran traders.

This was an entertaining story which had a lot of politics in it. I like watching Jethri grow up during this one.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook: Balance of Trade by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

Balance of Trade
Author: Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
Narrator: Kevin T. Collins
Publication: Audible Studios, Sept. 4, 2012
Length: 15 hours and 29 minutes

Description: Assistant Trader Jethri Gobelyn was an honest, hardworking young man who knew a lot about living onboard his family's space-going trade ship; something about trade, finance, and risk-taking; and a little bit about Liadens. It was, oddly enough, the little bit he knew about Liadens that seemed like it might be enough to make his family's fortune, and his own, too. In short order, however, Jethri Gobelyn was about to find out a lot more about Liadens...like how far they might go to protect their name and reputation. Like the myriad of things one might say-intentionally or not-with a single bow. Like what it would take to make a Liaden trade-ship crew trash a bar. Like how hard it is to say "I'm sorry!" in Liaden. Pretty soon it was clear that as little as he knew about Liadens, he knew far less about himself. With his very existence a threat to the balance of trade, Jethri Gobelyn needed to learn fast, or else help destroy all he held dear.

My Thoughts: I listened to this story and enjoyed entering into Jethri's world again. Because it is out of the main line of most of the series. I have only read this one a couple of times. I enjoyed seeing what the universe was like when Liadens and Terrans were first brushing against each other in the trade arena.

Jethri is the youngest on his family ship and, according to his mother who is also the captain, he is unneeded and unwanted. He has been learning how to trade from his uncle and is getting quite good at it. When his mother wants to trade him to another family that doesn't give him any scope to grow as a trader, he has no choice but to find his own place on a different ship.

When he discovers a scam that seems to be putting a Liaden Master Trader in danger of losing reputation, he goes to her and tells her about it. In Balance, she decides to accept him as her own apprentice. Jethri would be the first Terran to become a member of the Liaden Guild of Traders. But there are those who don't want to open their association to Terrans.

As he tries to learn how to properly get along with Liadens he makes a friend and also makes an enemy of another Liaden family. His Master Trader decides that he needs to know more about Liadens and drops him off on a world to spend time with her foster mother for some intensive education in Liaden culture.

Part of the culture clash between Terrans and Liadens has to do with Old World Technology. Liadens hate all of it and the Liaden Scouts are quick to confiscate any they find. This is problematical with Jethri because he has a piece of Old World technology - a fractin - that is his good luck charm and he has a device that he thinks is a weather forecasting device which turns out to be something very different. Jethri also learns some things about his deceased father and her father's quest to learn more about Old World Tech that changes what Jethri thinks about himself.

This was an entertaining story with great characters and interesting world building. Kevin T. Collins did a great job narrating and choosing distinct voices for the many characters.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook: Local Custom by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

Local Custom
Author: Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
Narrator: Bernadette Dunne
Publication: Audible Studios, Sept. 4, 2012
Length: 11 hours and 27 minutes

Description: Each person shall provide his clan of origin with a child of his blood, who will be raised by the clan and belong to the clan. And this shall be Law for every person of every clan . . .

Master trader Er Thom knows the local custom of Liaden is to be matched with a proper bride, and provide his prominent clan Korval with an heir. Yet his heart is immersed in another universe, influenced by another culture, and lost to a woman not of his world. And to take a Terran wife such as scholar Anne Davis is to risk his honor and reputation. But when he discovers that their brief encounter years before has resulted in the birth of a child, even more is at stake than anyone imagined. Now, an interstellar scandal has erupted, a bitter war between two families—galaxies apart—has begun, and the only hope for Er Thorn and Anne is a sacrifice neither is prepared to make . . .

My Thoughts: This episode in the Liaden Universe is definitely a romance - a cross-cultural romance. Er Thom yos'Galan is a Liaden trader and a member of the very prominent Clan Korval. When it comes time to make a contract marriage to give his clan his heir, he decides that he needs to see Terran scholar Anne Davis one last time since he hasn't been able to get her out of his mind or heart despite not seeing her for the past three years.

Anne has a surprise for him though. She chose to have his child and name him Shan yos'Galan. This brings up all sorts of problems for Er Thom. He knows that any yos'Galan child needs to be seen by the Delm of Korval. But Anne, who has studied Liaden literature and has corresponded with a Liaden scholar, doesn't realize the implications of having a yos'Galan child. In her culture the child's last name is a way of honoring the father of her child.

Anne needs to go to Liad because the scholar she was corresponding with about a common root language between Terran, Liaden and Yxtrang has died with his files in particular disarray. His colleagues have asked Anne to organize and publish his work as a last gift to the scholar. Unfortunately, there are some Liadens who are determined that this work not be published.

I liked this story very much. I could easily see how two different cultures would clash in this way - each believing that they understood the other's point of view. It was a very emotionally intense story well told by Bernadette Dunne who used a variety of interesting voices for the characters. Her ability to portray the emotions in the various situations was masterful.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook: I Dare by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

I Dare
Author: Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
Narrator: Andy Caploe
Publication: Audible, Sept. 4, 2012
Length: 20 hours and 51 minutes

Description: The dynamic conclusion to the Agent of Change series in Lee and Miller's Liaden Universe!

Val Con yos'Phelium: a Scout, former Agent of Change, husband, brother to Turtles, and designated heir to Clan Korval's fortune and mission... Whether you considered him respectable or not, no one would call him a gambling man. When he reappears demanding Balance and retribution, he looks exactly like the kind of leader his clan has been producing for generations. On his capable shoulders the fate of his Clan, his world, and his civilization....

Pat Rin yos'Phelium: fond father, bon vivant, ne'er-do-well... and a professional gambler. The enemies of Korval have offered Pat Rin the Ring that would make all of Korval's holdings his own and a Juntavas Judge has offered Pat Rin a world....

When he appears with hired guns in tow, no one is expecting him and no one knows what he'll do. Pat Rin is a gambling man, and on his wild-card shoulders the fate of his Clan, his world, his civilization....

This long-awaited culmination of the Agent of Change sequence of Sharon Lee and Steve Miller's internationally acclaimed Liaden Universe novels pits unexpected friends and unexpected enemies against each other in a war that spans planets and races - and threatens to bring interstellar violence to the very surface of fabled Liad.

My Thoughts: This was a huge story at almost 21 hours of listening. It gathers together the plot threads from the four earlier books in the same time period and is told from a number of viewpoints and locations.

Pat Rin, believing that the rest of his clan is dead, has gone to ground on Surebleak with his pilot Cheever McFatland and Juntavas Judge Natessa the Assassin to forge his balance for the Department of the Interior. A lot of the action takes place on Surebleak where, first, Pat Rin has to become a Boss and consolidate power. Second, he decides that he has to do more than that and become the sort of leader who is good for all the people who live on Surebleak.

Val Con and Miri are still on Lytaxin and both are in need of Clutch healing. Joining them on Lytaxin are Shan and Nova yos'Galan. Nova bringing word of the existence of Plan B and the work of their enemies on Liad.

Daav yos'Phelium also rendezvouses with the Clan on Lytaxin after years of his absence while crafting his own balance for the loss of his lifemate on a variety of Terran worlds.

Anthora has been left on Liad to help keep Korval's presence there and to protect the tree that Korval serves. The Department of the Interior is very interested in capturing her as she is the only one of Korval who looks like an easy target. However, the Department underestimates the skills of the most powerful dramliza currently alive. And Anthora has the help of Ren Zel who is the First Mate on the Dutiful Passage and a dramliza of frightening powers himself.

The story culminates with a battle to destroy the Department on Liad which results in bombing a large hole in the center of Solcintra and exile for Clan Korval from Liad. Luckily, Daav had been sent on a mission to the Clutch turtles who think removing a mile high tree, a house, and various other belongings of Clan Korval is something well within their capacities.

Just as they are getting ready to leave Liad with their belongings in tow and take up their new residence on Surebleak, Daav's daughter Theo shows up with a problem that is "kind of complicated" and the story ends.

Rereading as I am doing now, I know what happens next. But I can still clearly recall the effect that ending had on me when I first read it in 2002. So many questions... So much frustration... It would be eight or nine years before the story would continue.

Again the narration was excellent both for developing unique voices for the characters and for suiting the mood of the various parts of the story. I didn't like Pat Rin's voice because I thought it was awfully nasal and had a bit of a lisp but it was unique to him and totally recognizable.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: Plan B by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

Plan B
Author: Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
Narrator: Andy Caploe
Publication: Audible, Sept. 4, 2012
Length: 14 hours and 2 minutes

Description: Pursued across space by the ultra-secret Department of the Interior, hunted by the galaxy-wide Juntavas syndicate, former Agent of Change Val Con yos'Phelium and his ex-soldier lifemate Miri Robertson have commandeered the only spaceship on Vandar and fled, seeking help from Miri's newly discovered kin on Lytaxin. Elsewhere, Clan Korval is in action. Scattered across space by the newly invoked Plan B, certain clan members pursue the search for the long-missing Val Con

First Speaker Nova yos'Galan returns to Lufkit, seeking clues, as Dutiful Passage, Korval's premier tradeship, arms itself for war - and discovers treachery. Back on Lytaxin, Miri's homecoming is interrupted by a full-scale Yxtrang planetary invasion. Then things start to get really interesting....

My Thoughts: This story was published after a ten year gap during which clamor for more stories in the Liaden Universe was rampant on the newly burgeoning internet. It weaves together stories about a number of the characters introduced in the first three Liaden Universe books.

Val Con and Miri have stolen the ship of the agent sent to find Val Con on the interdicted world of Vandar. They are determined to go to Miri's kin on Lytaxin. Unbeknown to herself, Miri is a descendant of the line direct of Clan Erob. Miri is used to thinking of herself as terran and this comes as a not-very-welcome surprise to her.

They arrive on Lytaxin in the aftermath of a local political uprising and are there for the Yxtrang invasion that follows it.  Miri finds herself involved in the military response to the invasion. Only the remnants of the mercenary forces who fought the uprising are still on planet when the Yxtrang arrive. Luckily, some of the remaining are members of Miri's old unit.

Val Con also discovers that a captured Yxtrang is the same man that he met and talked with years earlier when both were exploring an otherwise unsettled plant. Nelirikk Explorer has had a hard time since. Being captured by the enemy was enough to make him No Troop and a despised hanger-on in his force. He was captured when his troop sent him out on a survey mission with defective goods and no intention to retrieve him. Val Con does manage to convince him to throw in with the new Lytaxin forces and become sworn to Clan Korval. Nelirikk's main job is acting as Aide to Miri.

Meanwhile, Shan and Priscilla have their own problems. With Plan B in force, they must offload cargo and some crew and outfit the Dutiful Passage as a warship. They find that one of the new weapons pods they loaded in has been sabotaged by the Department of the Interior with the intention of destroying the ship. They also need to figure out Val Con's message which tells them to meet him where Miri's people live. When they finally get to Lytaxin, it is in the middle of the Yxtrang invasion and Shan finds himself taking refuge on the planet while Priscilla becomes ship's captain and battles theYxtrang in space.

Nova is also busy searching for Val Con. Her quest takes her to Commander Lizardi who has recently seen Val Con and Miri and then to Fender to hire mercenaries to go to Lytaxin to rescue her brother Val Con and his lifemate Miri. There they meet Suzuki who was Miri's commander before her retirement and who is hiring mercenaries to go to Lytazin and rescue the rest of her mercenaries. The turtles are also on the hunt for Val Con and Miri and follow much the same path as Nova.

The story is filled with action with battles in space and on Lytaxin. This doesn't even count the problems that Anthora is having back on Liad when the Department of the Interior focuses its attention on her.

I liked the narration. Andy Caploe did a good job making all of the various voices distinct and recognizable. His reading was also great at showing the building tension in the story.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: Conflict of Honors by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

Conflict of Honors
Author: Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
Narrator: Andy Caploe
Publication: Audible, Sept. 4, 2012
Length: 11 hours and 59 minutes

Description: Sixteen-year-old Priscilla Delacroix was declared legally dead by her mother, High Priestess of the Goddess. Banished to survive on her own, Priscilla has roamed the galaxy for ten years as an outcast—to become a woman of extraordinary skill. . . .

An experienced officer assigned to the Liaden vessel Daxflan, she's been abandoned yet again. Betrayed by her captain and shipmates, she's left to fend for herself on a distant planet. But Priscilla is not alone. Starship captain Shan yos'Galen is about to join Priscilla's crusade for revenge. He has his own score to settle with the enemy. But confronting the sinister crew will be far easier—and safer—than confronting the demons of Priscilla's own mysterious past.

My Thoughts: This story is one of the first written in the Liaden Universe. It was published in 1988. It tells the story of Priscilla Delacroix y Mendoza and Shan yos'Galan.

Priscilla was exiled from her home world of Sintia when she was sixteen. She had been in training to be a priestess of the Goddess and carried the ancient spirit Moonhawk. She was a witch in training and a very powerful one.

Since her exile she had worked a variety of positions on a large number of spacecraft. When the story begins, she is the cargo master on the Liaden ship Daxflan. It is a bad ship. Terrans are treated badly as are the Liaden crew. When she is coshed on the head and left in a deserted warehouse, she finds herself hired by Shan yos'Galan on the Dutiful Passage.

Priscilla wants revenge for her mistreatment on Daxflan and for having her reputation smeared. Shan has his own reasons for wanting balance with the trader on Daxflan. Priscilla finds herself on a well-run ship, captained by an honorable captain, and crewed by a number of people who could become friends.

This is the story where the reader learns a lot about Liaden culture as Priscilla learns it. It is also a romance as Shan and Priscilla fall in love. Beyond the romance, it is an action adventure story about revenge with all sorts of dangerous situations.

The narrator did a good job creating distinct voices for the characters and showing the mood of the story.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.