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Summary: Thank Heavens! Tree and Dragon continues.
Review: I still have copies of the original paperbacks, very well read, I must add. I kept wondering what happened. I am glad that Meisha Merlin jumped on the bandwagon and can hardly wait to continue the series. The current book is actually a prequel and you have to fall in love with characters that you know only by hearsay in the previous novels. This helps them come alive and is a timely piece. What fun! It is so great to learn about such a different culture and interesting people. I heartily recommend this book and be sure to get the others, too. They are addicting.
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Summary: mills and boons in space
Review: I was prepared to like this -- and it had its moments. However, the plot was a little empty, the style a bit wooden or strained at points-- especially in the representations of toddler-speak which were a little off -- and its psychology and plotline suggested Mills and Boons. On the plus side, the world-building was fairly good/interesting. While concepts or terms particular to the world probably do require a degree of tactful 'explanation', I did think this was too foregrounded here, with the result that one is always confronting the 'world-as-construction', not quite sinking into it as one does, for example, with Bujold's Vorkosigan series.
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Summary: More Liaden Universe--please
Review: I was upset when after the first three Liaden Universe novels, the publisher dropped this great writing team. I even wrote asking for more--the only time I have ever done this. Then Meisha Merlin Publishing was smart enough to bring Lee & Miller back. This latest addition is wonderful-read it through twice before I had to give it to my husband who is a fan also. Looking forward to many more Liaden tales. Ge'shada!
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Summary: two of the best in the whole liaden series
Review: I've considered the Liaden universe series one of my lifetime favorites for years now. The two stories in Pilot's Choice are definitely two of the best and most enjoyable. As another reviewer mentioned, there is real joy in the characters and in watching them find their way together, though it hurts to see the obstacles and miscommunications that make those journeys painful. That's just part of a story where you are really immersed and connected with the characters.
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Summary: Meisha Merlin Does It Again!
Review: If for nothing but the Liaden books, i would praise Stephe Pagel and his Meisha Merlin press to the skies; but wait! -- there's more! However, what we're here for is to talk about Liadens and Terrans and their interactions. Indeed, there is a strong flavour of Georgette Heyer's Regency romances in most of the Liaedn Universe material -- a bit less so in "Agent of Change" and "Carpe Diem", which are a bit more action novels and less contemplative than "Conflict of Honors" or the two halves of the present book, both of which play out their conflicts primarily in the area of melant'i and interpersonal relationships. The first, "Local Custom", makes clear, in a way that the references in "Conflict" didn't really, just what a shocking misalliance Er Thom yos'Galan made for himself, and what a scandal and problem not just for him but for his entire Clan it must be. Luckily all is well and works out in the end, because Korval is going to *need* Shan and his sisters. While "Local Custom" is, shall we say, Important, and quite enjoyable, i found it more of a light read and less Deeply Interesting than "Scout's Progress", the second half of the book. One of Heyer's more useful plots is the one in which one or other or both of the main protagonists is unaware of the true identity of the other; this is the basic McGuffin that makes "Scout's Progress" go. Aelliana Caylon is a *painfully* unworldly woman, eldest daughter of a Clan of second rank. If she were not able to contribute to the clan's coffers through her work as a mathematics instructor, she would be expected to contract repeated profitable contract marriages. ((This is even nastier than the situation in Heyer, wherein a young woman might well expect to be forced into a loveless marriage for her family's benefit -- but only once.)) Matters are, of course, made worse by the scheming of her elder brother, the nadelm. Her brother, Ran Del Caylan, is a true villain. He is nasty because he *can* be. And hse has not get enough money f her own to flee him and also to be able to survive afterward. But Things Change when Aelliana, fleeing Ran Del, falls in with some of the Scouts that she teaches Advanced Mathematics, and goes with them to a new, elaborate gambling house... And she wins a ship. Now all she needs is to learn how to fly it. And that is where a former Scout she meets as he is working as a amintenance tech at the port facility where her new ship is berthed. His name is Daav; she -- unworldly as she is -- never happens to discover his Clan or House. Meanwhile, Daav yos'Phelium is being pushed into a contract marriage for the benefit of Korval which neither he nor the lady want or welcome. The working-out of their relationship, and the flowering of Aelliana as she realises that she is *not* the useless incompetent that her brother has her more than half-convinced that she is -- and the hideous danger that comes upon her as a result -- make this my second-favourite Liaden story (after "A Conflict of Honors"). ((Also, it, like the first story in this volume, painlessly feeds us a few necessary Large Expository Lumps regarding how the overall Liaden system functions, Korval Clan history and just what pilot quals and training are like.)) ((At least one other reviewer has remarked that they don't know what to recommend to the reader who finishes these stories and wants more, more or less similar, freading material, aside form the actual Regency Romances of Georgett Heyer - i might recommend the "Mageworlds" books of MacDonald & Doyle, the series begins with "The Price of the Stars"...))
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Summary: Good fusion of sf and romance
Review: If your tastes run toward well-told science fiction tales with more than a hint of romance, look no further. Unlike most books that claim to fuse two genres but do a lousy job on one or the other, these two novels perfectly fuse romance and sf.
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Summary: A delightful return to Liad
Review: In Pilot's Choice, we are treated to not just one, but two enchanting adventures set in the Liaden Universe. Newcomers to Liad needn't worry about coming into a series already in progress. Both stories take place in a time set prior to the events in Partners in Necessity and Plan B, and both are equally capable of standing completely on their own. Of course, once you've delved into the deft world building of Lee and Miller, you won't want the stories to end! Long time fans will be delighted by this return visit, which is rich with back-story and subtext. Many questions and subtle hints which peppered the previous four books are answered in this omnibus. Plus, you just won't believe how adorable "toddling" Shan is. This is a must-read for any connoisseur of well-crafted stories, richly layered world building, and solid, spot-on characterization. Don't let the genre label fool you, Lee and Miller craft books that simply refuse to be pigeonholed. They're not just SF, or fantasy, or romance ... they're just good, old fashioned storytelling. Trust me, you won't be able to put them down.
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Summary: joy to world
Review: joy to world, Miller and Lee are in top form (with better editing then Plan B) as the saga of KORVAL continues in another time. We meet the most interesting of people and see the traits that we have come to expect from Clan Korval in new and difference light. As names becomes people and those people cherished friends. (and we get to read parts of grandmother"s Cantra logs.) We see the conflict of duty and love, and we see the difference in local customs as two people view the same event with difference worldviews, of not just their sexes but their entire culutral background. And that words in one tongue, do not hold the same meaning in other. This is a book for a bad day when Joy is needed to bring balance back into your. I have not spoken of the plot or the weave of this book for it is one of those that should taken cold and allowed to warm the soul with tears,laughter and great joy Robert L Callawy
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Summary: Explorations of a unique culture
Review: Pilot's Choice is a book in the Liaden Universe series. It takes place prior to all the previously published novels, and focuses on the parents of the main characters in Agent of Change, Conflict of Honors, Carpe Diem (available in the omnibus Partners of Necessity), and Plan B. I was most struck by the tone of the stories. Local Custom explores the romance between Anne Davis, human linguist, and Er Thom yos'Galen, Liaden pilot and master trader. They love each other deeply, but differences between their culture make it very difficult to come to a happy resolution. The sense of helplessness and frustration is palpable through the story, as both main characters are rocked by actions of others with power over them. While reading this first story I was drawn deeply into the lives of the characters and the hope that they could end up happily together. Scout's Progress is the story of the independence of Aelliana Caylon. She is a mathematical genius whose independence and grace has been stunted by the cruelty of her brother. A series of circumstances leads her to believe early on that she must leave Liad. Daav yos'Phelium (foster-brother and clan head to Er Thom, introduced in the first story) is longing for a place where he can lay all his clan responsibilities to rest. The two meet up at a Liaden shipyard where Daav's true identity is known but not spoken of. Watching Aelliana gain confidence and Daav wrestle with the frustrations of his position was truly heartbreaking yet exhilerating. This book has quickly became my favorite in the Liaden Universe series. I believe it would be a good introduction for someone who has not read any of the other books, as it takes place a generation before them. Anyone who likes well written fiction, who likes romance, or who likes character-driven and culturally-focused science fiction would be well pleased by the stories in this book. I'm planning to introduce several of my friends to this volume.
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Summary: Absolutely Wonderful - Don't Miss This One!
Review: Pilot's Choice is an omnibus of two novels: Local Custom & Scout's Progress, both of which are prequels to Partners in Necessity. Local Custom: Er Thom yos'Galan, Master Trader and Heir to Clan Korval knew his duty to his clan - to provide the Clan with a child of his own body. He also knew that he could never offer a contract wife the care and attention his honor demanded until he had seen Anne Davis one last time. Then he would seek the Healers on Liad and they would erase all of his memories of the woman who had captured his heart... Anne, a Terran and brilliant linguist had met Er Thom years before and had a wonderful affair with him, falling head over heels in love, but knowing that he would leave her, as he had. What Anne did not tell Er Thom was that she bore his child, her precious Shan. She never expected to see Er Thom again and was stunned when he walked in to her apartment. They both found that their love was as deep and fierce as it had ever been and Er Thom found that he did not know how to say goodbye. Then Shan returned home and Er Thom found himself with an even bigger problem than before. For Shan was Er Thom's heir, but as a half Liaden, half Terran, there was no guarantee that he would be accepted by the Clan and the Tho'Delm, Er Thom's mother. Er Thom knew that there would be a sacrifice to make in the time ahead of him, a sacrifice that would rip his heart to shreds. For the tho'Delm had rejected Shan and refused to even consider that Er Thom had a future with Anne and so he was faced with the difficult choice of weighing his honor and the honor of his clan against the love he could not live without... Scout's Progress: Aelliana Caylon learned the hard way that she was powerless in her Clan. At first, she tried to defy her brother, Van Eld, when he attempted to exercise his authority over her as the next Delm, but after her first and only contract marriage to Van Eld's abusive friend, Aelliana no longer rebelled. She learned to feign meekness and remain quiet except when she was teaching her advanced math class to the irrepressible pilots in training at the academy. She had value at the university and was readily acknowledged as one of the most brilliant mathematicians of her day. When one of her pilot students convinced her to play a game of chance at a new gaming palace, Aelliana used her math skills to beat the cardshark and found herself the proud owner of a ship - and her chance to leave Liaden forever... But before Aelliana could leave Liaden, she had to get her pilot's license. Luckily, she was docked at Binjali's, where the pilots were irreverent and surprising, but genuinely friendly. Before she knew it, Aelliana found herself adopted in to a kind of family where her skills were valued and her opinion was asked. She quickly found herself looking forward to her lessons with Master Pilot Daav, who challenged her to become more and to take risks. What she did not know was that her quirky co-pilot was in fact Daav yos'Phelium, the Delm of Korval and arguably the most powerful man on the planet. She also did not know that Daav was in negotiations for a contract marriage or she never would have let herself fall in love with him.... I found the Liaden culture fascinating and loved learning more about the customs and mindset of these people. Lee and Miller have done a fabulous job at creating this universe and making their characters absolutely believable. I loved all of the characters and felt that I could identify with all of them in a different way. All of them have their strengths and weaknesses and all of them had their own part to play in the game. Although the romance of the two main characters in each book is a large part of the plot, the world building, the characterization, attention to detail and the excellent quality of writing kept me absolutely riveted - I couldn't put this book down!
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