Liaden fans, help me out

[CRussel]

The important thing to keep in mind about the Liaden Universe books is that they are, first and foremost, about people. Whether Liaden, Xtrang, or Terrans (who are, ultimately, from the same stock), it's always the people that drive the story.

The authors freely admit being influenced by Georgette Heyer and Lord Peter Wimsey. Not SF for the MilSF junkie who wants pages and pages of technical detail, but that doesn't stop there being great battles. In fact, there is an ongoing battle with the Department of the Interior that drives many of the events.

[jgaiser]

I'm a MilSF junkie, but love the Liaden universe -- thanks to a number of kind folks on this thread. Pick up The Agent Gambit from Baen. Two of the earliest written novels in one book and I can almost guarantee you'll be hooked.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by jgaiser

I'm a MilSF junkie, but love the Liaden universe -- thanks to a number of kind folks on this thread. Pick up The Agent Gambit from Baen. Two of the earliest written novels in one book and I can almost guarantee you'll be hooked.

Fair enough, I'm a Liaden junkie who also reads (and enjoys) some MilSF. But I definitely skip over the lengthy "technical details" that some authors feel are required for my understanding.

Meanwhile, on the new Trade Secrets -- wow. I never really thought about all the consequences of where Jethri was going, but I'd so glad that Lee & Miller did a followup book! I'm really enjoying it. Highly recommended.

[bfisher]

Originally Posted by Xanthe

Taking all the books of the series as a whole:

• The stories are set on various planets, but the "homeworld" of the series is Liad, a non-Terran world. Space travel and trade is normal and unremarkable. The series isn't hung up on providing hard science explanations for why things work they way they do (no pages and pages of tech details like in the Weber books) but the actions and activities are presented in a believable fashion so the reader doesn't get hung up on incongruities.
• Humans seem to be the prevalent species but there are three main subgroups - Liaden, Terran and Xtrang.

• Think of Liadens as the aristocratic type - they exist within a well-defined social code, and are organized into familial clans. The leader of the clan is called the "delm" and he controls the lives within the clan. Liad is a modern society.
• Think of Terrans as the scrappy mongrels of the universe, consisting of all the folks who are not Liaden or Liaden-affliliated. They probably all originated from Earth sometime in the past. Terrans have separate cultures but in the whole are a modern society, but the degrees of civilized behavior vary - especially in comparison to the Liadens.
• Think of the Xtrang as a warrior caste. We know that they are human, warlike, and feared by everyone, but we don't know why their culture is driven to conquer. They are the bogeyman to Liadens and Terrans alike but for the most part have only a peripheral role. They are a modern, militaristic society.

• The universe in which the majority of the books are set is, it appears, not necessarily the one where the ancestors of its current residents resided. Scientists are postulating that there might be common ties between the three human groups; there is strong resistance to that line of thought on Liad.

• There aren't a lot of the typical scifi non-humanoid aliens running around. No folks with cat-heads, for example. But the non-humans that there are, are a sheer delight - the Clutch Turtles, the Tree, Jeeves, for example.

• The points of intersection between the Terrrans and the Liadens seem to be the Trade/Pilot Guilds (self-explanatory), the Juntavas (think galactic crime empire so huge it has its own legal system), and the Liaden Scouts (the folks who are the natural-born explorers and questioners within Liaden society who, as a result, tend to chafe under its Code).

Also the Turtles - definitely non-human and with distinctly different technology, but who are starting to interact with Liadens.

[Xanthe]

I

Originally Posted by bfisher

Also the Turtles - definitely non-human and with distinctly different technology, but who are starting to interact with Liadens.

That scene involving Sheather, the "elder" door and the eggling (lol) totally charmed me, and made me really appreciate the sensibilities of the Clutch.

It's interesting to learn more about the Clutch because the more that is revealed the more you realize how much Liadens and Terrans have underestimated and misunderstood them.

[artifact]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Meanwhile, on the new Trade Secrets -- wow. I never really thought about all the consequences of where Jethri was going, but I'd so glad that Lee & Miller did a followup book! I'm really enjoying it. Highly recommended.

Arrgh! I was trying to hold out til November but you got me to cave in a day and a half.


artifact

[bfisher]

Originally Posted by Xanthe

I

That scene involving Sheather, the "elder" door and the eggling (lol) totally charmed me, and made me really appreciate the sensibilities of the Clutch.

It's interesting to learn more about the Clutch because the more that is revealed the more you realize how much Liadens and Terrans have underestimated and misunderstood them.

One of the most engaging aspects of the Liaden universe.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by artifact

Arrgh! I was trying to hold out til November but you got me to cave in a day and a half.


artifact

Sorry about that. But this way you can get the audio book when it comes out. (OK, I admit, I'll be getting all three versions. eARC, audio, and released eBook.)

[Xanthe]

I've got one of my Audible credits earmarked for it.......

[CRussel]

Yup, me too.

[Xanthe]

The audio book will be released the same time as the print book.

They are also signing a contract to release "The Tomorrow Log' in audio format. Yay!!

(via Steve Miller's FB page)

[CRussel]

Yup, saw that (via their Infodump.) Hopefully the Audible book will be the same reader as the Balance of Trade Audible book. (Kevin T. Collins) Though actually, I've been happy with all four of the readers that did the existing Audible books.

[BeccaPrice]

Is The Tomorrow Log the book that has two stories in it, one of which ends half way through and that will never be finished for various reasons?

[BaenSidhe]

No clue what book you're describing, but The Tomorrow Log is a stand alone novel about a hero with pet robotic spiders and a heroine who is sort of a ninja (sorry, too much Wen Spencer lately ). It's set in a universe that could be the Liaden universe, but there is no mention of Liadens in the book so it could be a different universe, depending on what the authors decide. As a child, the hero was kicked off a colony ship by the captain. The heroine has come looking for the hero because the Tomorrow Log says he is supposed to be the new captain of the colony ship. And other stuff happens....

There was supposed to be a sequel to The Tomorrow Log but Steve got sick and Meisha Merlin went under. I wish they would write that sequel, but there's probably going to be a four to five year wait to see if they'll even consider it.

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

Is The Tomorrow Log the book that has two stories in it, one of which ends half way through and that will never be finished for various reasons?

[Xanthe]

I had that sequel on pre-order with Amazon when Meisha Merlin went under and the whole book publication collapsed. I didn't know that Steve being sick was also involved in that mix.

Hopefully that story will be continued again one day. Hey, if we finally are getting Jethri's story again, there's always hope.