Liaden fans, help me out

[CRussel]

Doesn't really matter. But going with the publication order rule says Dragon Ship first.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by Xanthe

Reading order question : which one first, Necessity's Child or Dragon Ship?

Well, even though Dragon Ship was published first Necessity's Child takes place first chronologically if that matters, but I'm not sure it really makes much difference as Child is fairly stand alone. If I was reading the other Theo books I'd keep going into Dragon Ship.

[Xanthe]

I'm listening to the Theo audio books, so Dragon Ship it is. Thanks!

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Xanthe

Reading order question : which one first, Necessity's Child or Dragon Ship?

Don't think it matters.
Dragon ship is on the Theo Watley branch
Necessity's is on the Plan B/Surebleak branch

[Xanthe]

Finished listening to Dragon Ship, and my, my, my, I am sure interested to find out what's all going to happen next. That last bit of flotsam that entered that piece of "safe space" answered a "I wonder what happened to?" question that has been at the back of my mind for a while.

Cue that Paul Simon song....

[CRussel]

No snerkers, but I agree, it does raise all sorts of fun questions as it answers one.

[AnemicOak]

Just a heads up.

Trade Secret will be part of the November Bundle over at Baen eBooks, available for download around October 15th. Should mean an eArc will be coming soon.

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.

[CRussel]

Yes, the eArc is overdue already. Weeks ago, Toni said "Any day now", so I have to assume that there were significant revisions needed. IAC, I'm checking daily. But while I'm waiting, I'm taking the opportunity to read the Prince Roger or Empire of Man series again. Totally different, but such a guilty pleasure.

[Xanthe]

What to do, what to do - get the e-ARC, or wait for my pre-ordered book?

Hmm... I can probably stave off the gotta-reads by listening to the audio version of "Balance of Trade" in October....

[pdurrant]

I shall wait patiently for the ebook in mid October. I do have about 290 unread ebooks to keep me amused until then...

[jbcohen]

The Laiden Universe will be up shortly on my reading list will someone please set the back ground of the Laiden Universe. Here are some questions that will help show what I mean by the back ground. Does this series take place on one planet (as David Weber's Safehold series does) or do the characters travel between planets (as does the characters in David Weber's Honorverse)? Are humans masters of the universe (as they are in the Warhammer 40k books) or are we conquered people (as we are in Eric Flint's Crucible of Empire)?

[gbm]

If you can not wait, here is the long awaited eARC.

Trade Secret - eARC by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller.


bernie

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Just a heads up.

Trade Secret will be part of the November Bundle over at Baen eBooks, available for download around October 15th. Should mean an eArc will be coming soon.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by gbm

If you can not wait, here is the long awaited eARC.

Trade Secret - eARC by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller.


bernie

Yup. Already bought, and I was just headed here to post.

[Xanthe]

Originally Posted by gbm

If you can not wait, here is the long awaited eARC.

Trade Secret - eARC by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller.


bernie

AAARRRRGHHH!!!

[Xanthe]

Originally Posted by jbcohen

The Laiden Universe will be up shortly on my reading list will someone please set the back ground of the Laiden Universe. Here are some questions that will help show what I mean by the back ground. Does this series take place on one planet (as David Weber's Safehold series does) or do the characters travel between planets (as does the characters in David Weber's Honorverse)? Are humans masters of the universe (as they are in the Warhammer 40k books) or are we conquered people (as we are in Eric Flint's Crucible of Empire)?

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).