Rating: 
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!
Rating:
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!
Rating:
Summary: Choose this book
Review: Pilot's Choice, the latest offering from Sharon Lee and Steve Miller embodies all of the qualities one expects from this amazing team: wit, style, action, romance, comedy and characters that will live in your head long after you have finished reading. They have that rare and wonderful ability to balance the reader on a knife edge of tension, drawing the reader into the story so firmly that you can't turn the pages fast enough - and then relieving the tension with a belly laugh. Often while reading along at a breakneck pace I will stumble over a turn of phrase so eloquent, or dialogue so elegant, tidbit so pithy I have to read it over and over a few times to roll it off my tongue and savor it - and then of course take off again. Is Pilot's Choice a work of science fiction? Fantasy? Space Opera? Romance? Comedy of Manners? The answer is of course yes, to all. You owe it to yourself to give this book a try. Or start with Partners in Necessity and then read Pilot's Choice. Either way, you will want to read them all and put them on your comfort book shelf with your Bujold, Cherryh, and Schmitz. It just doesn't get any better than this.
Rating: 
Summary: Delightful pair of SF romances
Review: Pilots Choice contains two prequels to the early Liaden novels Agent of Change and Conflict of Honors. One tells the story of the romance of the parents of the hero of the first, and the other the story of the romance of the parents of the hero of the second. Both books are primarily science fiction romances (in contrast to the earlier books, which are more purely Space Opera, with elements of romance). I detected the distinct influence of Georgette Heyer (acknowledged by the authors in an afterword). Local Custom is the first book. It tells of Anne Davis, a Terran Professor of Linguistics who had a fling with a Liaden Master Trader, Er Thom yos Galan, some three years prior to the action of the novel. A son resulted, of whom Er Thom knows nothing. Back on Liad, Er Thom is being urged to take a contract wife and provide his clan with a child, but he can not bring himself to take any interest in any Liaden women. He decides to return to Anne to say farewell once and for all, and provide himself with emotional closure. Instead, he finds that his feelings for her (and hers for him) are as intense as ever. Also, he finds he has a son, whom she has named Shan yos Galan. By Liaden custom, that son belongs to his Clan -- surely Anne will see it that way -- surely anyone would? Anne misunderstands, but agrees to visit Er Thom's family. Once there, she faces the hostility of his prickly Aunt, who cannot tolerate the thought of a Terran in the family; as well as danger from those proud Liadens who object to her linguistics studies; and finally, the horror of realizing that Er Thom believes that Shan will stay on Liad. The resolution comes when all sides come to some accommodation with the local customs of the others. The second novel, Scout's Progress, in many ways a direct sequel to the first, finds Er Thom's beloved cousin Daav, an ex-Scout and a Master Pilot, also facing the necessity of a contract marriage. He is somewhat resigned to this, despite disliking his arranged mate, and despite facing the hostility of her family to the presence of a Terran in his extended household. At the same time the brilliant mathematician Aelliana Caylon, daughter of an impoverished Clan, is facing abuse from her vain brother, who resents her abilities. Her only thought is to escape to Terran space, where the strict social rules that govern Liadens do not apply -- but how? Then, rather improbably, she finds herself with a spaceship -- and the Master Pilot who ends up helping her get her pilot's license is -- well, you've guessed it. It's clear that these two novels are in the Romance mode, and they share some of the weaknesses of the typical Regency Romance. For one example, the place of the lower classes on Liad is rather glossed over (just as with the lower classes of England in 1814 in a typical Regency); for another, the heroes are all strikingly talented; for a third, plenty of coincidence intervenes in their favor. But take these as conventions of the genre and let them pass. The stories also have the strengths of the better Romances: engaging characters, involving love stories, a fairly believable strict social structure against which to mildly rebel. I found them compulsively readable, and very, very enjoyable: indeed, they are my favorites of the Liaden novels to date.
Rating:
Summary: You'll keep coming back...
Review: PILOTS CHOICE is a compilation of two independent novels, LOCAL CUSTOM and SCOUT' PROGRESS. What can be said of these two stories?! For those of you, like me, new or unfamiliar to the Liaden Universe created by Ms. Lee and Mr. Miller all I can say is be welcome! Loaded with romance, adventure, action and just a bit of comedy these stories have everything for the escapist in you. The universe created here is wonderfully new and fresh. The characters interesting, likable and extremely well constructed. The romance, yes I like romance so there, is hart tugging, believable and, well, fun! Although these are two independent novels they SHOULD be read together and I'll bet after you finish you won't be able to wait to get your hands on PARTNERS IN NECESSARY (even better than PILOTS CHOICE!) These are great stories that shouldn't be missed. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! You bet! PS: If you can't find a copy try bn.com.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good! Very, Very Good!
Review: PILOTS CHOICE is a compilation of two independent novels, LOCAL CUSTOM and SCOUT' PROGRESS. What can be said of these two stories?! For those of you, like me, new or unfamiliar to the Liaden Universe created by Ms. Lee and Mr. Miller all I can say is be welcome! Loaded with romance, adventure, action and just a bit of comedy these stories have everything for the escapist in you. The universe created here is wonderfully new and fresh. The characters interesting, likable and extremely well constructed. The romance, yes I like romance so there, is hart tugging, believable and, well, fun! Although these are two independent novels they SHOULD be read together and I'll bet after you finish you won't be able to wait to get your hands on PARTNERS IN NECESSARY (even better than PILOTS CHOICE!) These are great stories that shouldn't be missed. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! You bet! PS: If you can't find a copy try bn.com.
Rating:
Summary: serious, but great fun
Review: Pilots Choice is actually two novels about two cousins and their interactions with family, friends, and society. Both novels are also love stories. _Local Custom_ focuses on Er Thom yos'Galan and Anne Davis. One Liaden, one human, they have to overcome cross-cultural misunderstandings. _Scout's Progress_ is about Daav yos'Phelium and Aelliana Caylon. Both are struggling to balance personal happiness with the constraints of society's and families' expectations. The Liaden novels (others are _Partners in Necessity_ and _Plan B_) are space opera in the best sense. Tightly plotted, interesting characters, neat fights, great fun. I've read and re-read all the books multiple times. They're 'comfort' books for when you're feeling blue or just want to revisit some characters that you wish you could call in a crisis.
Rating:
Summary: Sensitive relationships, good sci-fi, great read
Review: Pilots Choice is an excellent book -- actually two book's worth of story. The relationships are subtle and feel real, the science fiction underpinnings are never awkwardly presented and the writing is plain good. If there's anyone writing "whole story" science fiction right now it must be Lee and Miller. Read this and then get your hands on their other work and you'll see masters of the craft at work.
Rating:
Summary: I love Liad
Review: Plan B is every bit as satisfying as the other books in this series. A must read for sci-fi fans who enjoy great characterization, romance, and family entanglements.
Rating:
Summary: New Classics
Review: Pliots' Choice is really two books - (Yay for Steve and Sharon!!!:}) )These two tales of Korval introduce the parents of several of the protagonists of their first three novels. Superbly written, intelegent ploting, complex characters and scenearios create a uniquely alien society, which will draw you in . . . You will end up hooked, waiting desparately for your next fix;). No BS, just the best! WORTH THE MONEY. BUY IT. BUY IT NOW!!!
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