05-30-2013, 07:27 PM | #151 |
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I'm not sure I'd call the whole duology the weakest. I really like Crystal Soldier, as there where so many "Ah Ha" moments. I'm not much enjoying the tower of scholars thing in Crystal Dragon. Reviews I've read say the finish is great, so I'll just keep pushing through.
Last edited by jgaiser; 05-31-2013 at 10:32 AM. Reason: Too many Crystals. First instance should have been Soldier |
05-31-2013, 01:08 AM | #152 |
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I think the weakness of the Crystal Dragon is the whole concept of "recrystalization" of the universe. I still don't have a good mental visual of that. Cantra is also the least sympathetic (or at least self-identifiable IMO) main character in the series, I think, so that can be a problem.
But what I did like about it, since I read it after the Agent of Change story arc, was how all the little back stories were filled in - old tech, the founders of Clan Erob (Rule Tiazen and that red-headed gambler?), the basis of the High Houses, the origins of the Xtrang, etc.. And for me, just getting the beginning story of the the Tree is enough of a reason to read the duology. |
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05-31-2013, 08:50 AM | #153 | |
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06-01-2013, 04:21 PM | #154 |
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Getting tired of me yet?
Crystal Dragon has now started to pick up with Cantra's rescue and Master dea’Syl's rescue. And I found another reading order list even more obsessive. Right down to certain chapters: http://pdprojects.info/liadread/2013...order-draft-2/ |
06-01-2013, 04:34 PM | #155 | |
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Truly, that is the most compulsively meticulous reading order I've seen to date. And not one I would recommend. It breaks up the stories too much. |
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06-01-2013, 04:41 PM | #156 |
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Yeah.. I'm not going there.
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06-02-2013, 04:45 PM | #157 |
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Boy, that list sure is a labor of love.
Now, if the author of the list took all those segments and combined them into one humongous ebook, then I might attempt it. All it needs now is to be precisely graphed out on a timeline.... I was just looking at my Audible.com account and I've got some credits piled up; I think I just need Audible's version of "Local Custom" - I've already got the CD version of it - and then I'll have all of the audiobook versions available. I'm really enjoying having access to my Audible library on my Nook HD. |
06-03-2013, 02:43 PM | #158 | |
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I'm fine with reading them in the order recommended to me at the beginning of the thread. |
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06-03-2013, 07:17 PM | #159 |
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I've got nothing against the original order, but thought it would be fun to read in a somewhat chronological order. And actually, I'm kind of glad I had already read the Agent of Change arc, because there so many ah-ha moments during the the two Crystal books.
Anyway, finally finished Crystal Dragon and throughly enjoyed that last half. Now on to a couple of short stories/chap books |
06-03-2013, 09:53 PM | #160 |
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Glad you liked the second half. And I agree, chronological order doesn't work for the first time reading the series. You miss too much.
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06-03-2013, 11:50 PM | #161 |
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I think that either the Regencies ("Local Custom", "Scout's Progress") or else the Agent of Change arc should be the first reads in the Universe, with the other following, and then everything else read in whatever order you like afterward. I would also suggest, with the Agent of Change arc that reading "Conflict of Honors" (Priscilla & Shan's introduction) actually works better than reading "Agent of Change" first, because it gives a better sense of the Liaden culture and what Val Con's life would have been like before he became an AofC.
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06-05-2013, 08:46 AM | #162 |
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Interesting idea (to start with Conflict of Honors). I kind of like it. Or there are those who argue that Fledgling is a good entry point, allowing one to read Theo's arc independently. I'm less sure about that. What's clear is that there are multiple different entry points.
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06-05-2013, 12:48 PM | #163 |
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When I started the series, I read "Local Custom", "Scout's Progress", and "Conflict of Honors" in that order. "Scout's Progress" was second because Daav had been mentioned in LC, and CoH I read because it was about Shan grown-up.
I've since gone back and re-read the series with "Agent of Change" first and then "Conflict of Honors" and then "Carpe Diem" and I thought that CoH broke up the flow of the story that way. I think it's better to read CD right after AoC, and then go right into "Plan B" and then "I Dare". |
06-05-2013, 07:15 PM | #164 |
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I'm glad I started reading in the order you outlined in post 2 when I started the series last summer. I was planning to read Agent of Change first, since that's what most people suggests, but I think Local Custom and Scout's Progress were a nice introduction to the universe, and they are still my favourites
After finishing the Department of Interior story arc I took a break from the series (I was a bit tired of how easy everything became for the characters with their mate bonds). I've just started the stories in Unibus I, and I plan to read the rest more or less in publication order. Except for taking your advise and reading Balance of Trade after the two Crystal books. This of course depends on how many short stories I feel like read in a row (I've started telling my self "-but you could just start Crystal Soldier and read the chap books in between"...) Last edited by tilia; 06-05-2013 at 07:18 PM. |
06-05-2013, 10:42 PM | #165 | |
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