Liaden fans, help me out

[Victoria]

Thanks Charlie! I think the Miri they settled on was exactly who she was meant to be.

[Luffy]

Who is this Liaden?

[CRussel]

Oh, my, Luffy. You have a huge treat in store! The Liaden Universe(r) is the universe in which Sharon Lee and Steve Miller have written some 23 novels and dozens of shorter works. There are several "entry points" into the universe, depending on your tastes and preferences. The first published book was Agent of Change. The first book, chronologically is Crystal Soldier (but that's really a precursor and not the best place to start, IMHO.) If you like YA novels, the start of the "Theo Arc" is Fledgeling, and then there's the Jethri pair (with a new one coming) that starts with Balance of Trade. Or, you could start with the Romances, probably Local Custom.

Really, there aren't any bad places to start. If a bit of action-packed space opera is your preference, go with the published order. But for a good deal more about the underpinnings of Liaden society and its rules and norms, the romances are not a bad choice. And for a view from the Terran side, starting with the Jethri books is not a bad way to go, and the good news is that the first one was written as a "one-off", so stands mostly alone, though it has a direct sequel that was written many years later. And Theo starts out in yet another, very different, place, but ends up becoming very much a part of the main line story. Fledgeling and Agent of Change are both free, so there's some rationale to starting with one of them.

Wherever you start, you'll find yourself with a fascinating series that is character driven, and you'll find several of us here who will happily discuss anything and everything Liaden.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Victoria

Neat! This is a new one for me - thanks Jon!

Your welcome. Happy to help.

What's put me off the series was finding a reading order.

[Luffy]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Oh, my, Luffy. You have a huge treat in store! The Liaden Universe(r) is the universe in which Sharon Lee and Steve Miller have written some 23 novels and dozens of shorter works. There are several "entry points" into the universe, depending on your tastes and preferences. The first published book was Agent of Change. The first book, chronologically is Crystal Soldier (but that's really a precursor and not the best place to start, IMHO.) If you like YA novels, the start of the "Theo Arc" is Fledgeling, and then there's the Jethri pair (with a new one coming) that starts with Balance of Trade. Or, you could start with the Romances, probably Local Custom.

Really, there aren't any bad places to start. If a bit of action-packed space opera is your preference, go with the published order. But for a good deal more about the underpinnings of Liaden society and its rules and norms, the romances are not a bad choice. And for a view from the Terran side, starting with the Jethri books is not a bad way to go, and the good news is that the first one was written as a "one-off", so stands mostly alone, though it has a direct sequel that was written many years later. And Theo starts out in yet another, very different, place, but ends up becoming very much a part of the main line story. Fledgeling and Agent of Change are both free, so there's some rationale to starting with one of them.

Wherever you start, you'll find yourself with a fascinating series that is character driven, and you'll find several of us here who will happily discuss anything and everything Liaden.

I had to smile at your enthusiasm. What you said has piqued my curiosity. I have a feeling that it's a bit kitschy. Correct me if I'm wrong. There are YA books that I like, but I dislike most of the well known franchises.

I've been gearing myself to cut down on book purchases. So regarding Liaden, the loss is mine to bear. I have a lot of books already. I WILL give one of the books you've mentioned a try, but not until next year. Thanks for being a friend

[Victoria]

Originally Posted by Luffy

I had to smile at your enthusiasm. What you said has piqued my curiosity. I have a feeling that it's a bit kitschy. Correct me if I'm wrong. There are YA books that I like, but I dislike most of the well known franchises.

I've been gearing myself to cut down on book purchases. So regarding Liaden, the loss is mine to bear. I have a lot of books already. I WILL give one of the books you've mentioned a try, but not until next year. Thanks for being a friend

I have to second Charlie’s recommendation, even if you wait until next year . The world building and character development are very engaging.

If you’re iffy on YA, I concur with Charlie’s suggestion to start with Conflict of Honors. (For what it’s worth, I don’t find the writing overly sentimental, if that’s what you mean by kitschy. )

[Victoria]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Your welcome. Happy to help.

What's put me off the series was finding a reading order.

Oh, that’s too bad Jon; I have a sense you might enjoy them. If you ever feel like taking a plunge, Charlie’s reply to Luffy has some self-contained story arcs that you can just read in chronological order.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by Victoria

I have to second Charlie’s recommendation, even if you wait until next year . The world building and character development are very engaging.

If you’re iffy on YA, I concur with Charlie’s suggestion to start with Conflict of Honors. (For what it’s worth, I don’t find the writing overly sentimental, if that’s what you mean by kitschy. )

Not at all kitschy, if my understanding of that lovely Yiddish word is accurate. And by all means, start with Conflict of Honors. Though if money is a concern, try Agent of Change as a starting point. It was the very first book published, and it's FREE. (No, really. Completely free as part of the Baen Free Library.) And while it's chronologically in the late-middle somewhere, it introduces the two main characters in the mainline plot to each other, and sets out the underlying conflict that drives much of the latter books.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

YWhat's put me off the series was finding a reading order.

Don't let that hold you back, Jon. I know you really like things to be in their proper order, but this is a universe, not a series. It gets messy sometimes. But try one of the starting points I suggested, and I think you'll be able to deal with that messiness. And I think you'll like it. Perhaps start with Balance of Trade? It was written as a stand-alone, and has only a single sequel written 30 years latter. Or go with the Published Order, starting with Agent of Change. And don't worry about fitting in the short stories in their proper place -- in most cases they don't really affect the mainline, though virtually all of them are "canon". I save the shorter works for when I want something quick. Or when, as in the case of the taxi driver, the character's story is compelling and I really want to find out what happens to her. (But that won't come up for a while wherever you start reading.)

[JSWolf]

The problem I have is while I've found different reading orders and yes I could go with one of them, they don't include the shorts. So if someone has a reading order that includes the shorts even if it's a date published order, please post it or a link to it. Thanks.

[CRussel]

I'll make it easy, Jon. Read Agent of Change, the first book. If you hate it, fine, you won't care. If you like it, and want more, THEN come back here and we can discuss next steps.

But, if you'd go to Korval.com, as I suggested 18 messages earlier in this thread, you'd find the Publication List. Which has all the books and all the stories. With dates the stories first appeared, and where.

All of the stories are either compiled in one of the four Liaden Universe Constellation volumes, or in chapbooks for the newer ones.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by CRussel

I'll make it easy, Jon. Read Agent of Change, the first book. If you hate it, fine, you won't care. If you like it, and want more, THEN come back here and we can discuss next steps.

But, if you'd go to Korval.com, as I suggested 18 messages earlier in this thread, you'd find the Publication List. Which has all the books and all the stories. With dates the stories first appeared, and where.

All of the stories are either compiled in one of the four Liaden Universe Constellation volumes, or in chapbooks for the newer ones.

I've been to korval.com and found the list to be useless as there is no reading order that also has the shorts. The shorts are separate and that's not what I want.

Do you have a reading order list that has the shorts in the correct order as well? The shorts are not to be separate. They are to be integrated into the list in the correct places.

[gbm]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I've been to korval.com and found the list to be useless as there is no reading order that also has the shorts. The shorts are separate and that's not what I want.

Do you have a reading order list that has the shorts in the correct order as well? The shorts are not to be separate. They are to be integrated into the list in the correct places.

There are several good starting points in this series;

https://www.baen.com/images/series/l...eve-miller.png

bernie

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I've been to korval.com and found the list to be useless as there is no reading order that also has the shorts. The shorts are separate and that's not what I want.

Do you have a reading order list that has the shorts in the correct order as well? The shorts are not to be separate. They are to be integrated into the list in the correct places.

Jon -- is it too much to ask that you take two lists, ON THE SAME PAGE, complete with dates, and merge them yourself??? Really?? Sorry, I'm not going to do it. Please, go read something else.

[Luffy]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Jon -- is it too much to ask that you take two lists, ON THE SAME PAGE, complete with dates, and merge them yourself??? Really?? Sorry, I'm not going to do it. Please, go read something else.

LOL!.