Space Opera Fans discussion

The April 2024 Reader Pick is Alliance of Equals by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. Please use this thread to post questions, comments, and reviews, at any time.

Official description:
Beset by the angry remnants of the Department of the Interior, challenged at every turn by opportunists on their new homeworld of Surebleak, and somewhat low on funds, Clan Korval desperately needs to reestablish its position as one of the top trading clans in known space. To this end, Master Trader Shan yos'Galan, aboard Korval's premier trade ship, Dutiful Passage, is on a mission to establish new business associations and to build a strong primary route that links well with existing Loops and secondary routes.

But reestablishing trade and preserving the lives of the few remaining members of the clan aren't all of Korval's problems. Matters come to a head as Dutiful Passage, accustomed to being welcomed and feted at those ports on its call-list, finds itself denied docking, and blacklisted, while agents of the DOI mount armed attacks on others of Korval's traders, under the very eyes of port security systems.

Traveling with Dutiful Passage on this unsettling journey is Padi yos'Galan, the master trader's heir and his apprentice. Padi is eager to make up for time lost due to Korval's unpleasantness with the Department of the Interior. She is also keeping a secret so intense that her coming of age, and perhaps her very life, is threatened by it.

This book is a reasonable entry point to the Liaden Universe, so don’t be shy if you haven’t read any of those yet.

We discussed this book in 2019:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I’ve read it several times and look forward to rereading it again, then rereading the next in the story arc about Padi (Trader's Leap), in preparation for Ribbon Dance which is out as eARC and will be published this summer.

I read this book in 2019 and enjoyed it. Here is my brief review. I like this story arc better than most of the Liaden books sited on Surebleak. I may not read it again this month, although I might reconsider that if I decide to read Ribbon Dance.

I’m starting my reread of this book. Here’s my review from the first time I read it:

Another excellent book in the Liaden Universe. There is no need to have read the other books before reading this one, as enough bits of the backstory are included.

There are three main story lines in this volume, and the point of view switches between them rather often. The chief story is about Padi, who is about 16yo as the book starts and is apprentice trader to her father Shan. The second storyline involves Tolly and Haz, and the third is about Daav and Aelliana.

Solid character driven space opera. Highly recommended. I can't wait for the next one!

As usual when I haven’t seen the name of Uncle’s ship in several months, it gives me a chuckle when I read it.

Teresa wrote: "As usual when I haven’t seen the name of Uncle’s ship in several months, it gives me a chuckle when I read it."

Uncle is one of the most fascinating characters in the whole Liaden universe.

Please take me off this group

As requested, I have removed Phoenix from our group, but it is easy to remove yourself from any group you are in. Odd.

Teresa wrote: "As requested, I have removed Phoenix from our group, but it is easy to remove yourself from any group you are in. Odd."

Phoenix will rise again! Bad mythology joke, sorry.

I was looking at the reading order on their website and the first few suggestions are kind of confusing.

https://korval.com/publication-list/c...

To wit:

Novels that may be read with no prior reading in the Universe:

Agent of Change, Conflict of Honors, Local Custom, Scout’s Progress, Balance of Trade, Fledgling, Crystal Soldier, Necessity’s Child, Dragon in Exile, Alliance of Equals

Novels that are direct sequels:

Agent of Change, Carpe Diem, Plan B, I Dare, Dragon in Exile, Alliance of Equals, Neogenesis, Accepting the Lance, Trader’s Leap, Ribbon Dance

So Agent of Change and Alliance of Equals are standalones but *also* direct sequels? And Agent of Change was the very first book they wrote? Uh-oh. I’m already over my head. 😆

It kind of sounds like one could start pretty much anywhere and be fine, with a few exceptions. Is that generally correct?

Lee and Miller try hard to provide just enough backstory that you won’t be completely lost if you jump in just about anywhere. When they started writing this was common for SF books, because bookstores didn’t bother to keep back catalog books stocked.

The Liaden Universe is a large sprawling set of stories, and even the first couple of books published included passing mentions of backstory that hadn’t yet been written.

I started my read. I just passed the point where Padi is grumpy because she is being made to take daibri'at classes, which sound a lot like yoga.

Teresa wrote: "Lee and Miller try hard to provide just enough backstory that you won’t be completely lost if you jump in just about anywhere. When they started writing this was common for SF books, because bookst..."

When I started reading these books back in 2002 or thereabouts (Meisha Merlin Publishing, so definitely a while ago!), there was no published backstory that I was aware of. I got the chapbooks whenever I could find them to try to fill in some of the gaps.

I haven’t finished my reread yet. I keep getting distracted by other books, usually during one of the sections set in the Jumble Shop. I suspect that is due to remembering what’s going to happen in that thread. I’m being stubborn and not just skipping over those sections, at least so far.

It seems that letting the bad guys widely put forth their propaganda about a situation without making the truth known has consequences.

The Tree doesn't show up all that often, but has such a significant influence on events. A quote from this book, "Korval's Tree is lunatic and Korval has long since accepted its lunacies. We eat the damned pods, knowing that they change us, and very seldom knowing how. It must be admitted, however, that it very rarely kills us."

Tolly and Haz could have had their own book, or at least large segments in another book of this series. They are necessary characters, including the events in the most recent books. However, switching over to the brief point-of-view snippets featuring them in Alliance of Equals are somewhat annoying at times (possibly related to the fact that this is my third read of the book).

I think I’d have preferred three separate books, so that the storylines were separate. I vaguely recall one of the times that I reread this book just skipping the Tolly and Haz storyline. From other series where I tend to skip over a storyline during rereading I know that eventually I’ll want to reread just that storyline, skipping over the other parts.

When the secondary characters attempt to take over your story: https://youtu.be/aSO9OFJNMBA?si=MuKGV...

Trike wrote: "When the secondary characters attempt to take over your story: https://youtu.be/aSO9OFJNMBA?si=MuKGV..."

Love it!

I’m about halfway through my reread. Making good progress after deciding to just skip the scenes at the Jumble Shop. I’ll reread those when I get an itch for them. Right now my brain says “no more than two story threads!”

And finished! I love the Padi story thread and look forward to rereading Trader's Leap to follow it, whether it is the May Reader Pick or not.

The Da’av and Aelliana story thread doesn’t make much progress in this book but from memory comes to a good ending in one of the subsequent books. I like those two. Their story starts in Scout's Progress which I think is available currently in an omnibus but I’m too lazy to look up the name.

I skipped over most of the Tolly and Haz story thread. I need to be in a sturdier mental state for that one.

I’ve been rereading Trader's Leap which continues the Padi thread. I don’t think I’ve reread that book before, because most of the story seems new, with just general “oh yeah that” parts. The story so far is primarily from the POV of Padi, and the times it switches to someone else doesn’t jar my attention because I know from my first reading that the paths all cross later in this book. Since I’m at 43% I don’t think that there will be any completely separate story threads, the way that Tolly and Haz scenes were in Alliance of Equals.

Another short story or novella that I need to reread is Fortune's Favors which is likely also in Constellation 5 with the other two short stories that are backstory for Trader’s Leap. The main character of Fortune’s Favors is a minor character in Trader’s Leap.

I was at Barnes & Noble the other day and they had a genuinely random selection of Liaden books. They had the latest one,,which is something like book #22 or 23, and the second one, and the 6th one. It was kind of weird.

Baen has been publishing 25th anniversary editions methinks. Possibly 20th. So old books, now in second edition with a new foreword or something.

Teresa wrote: "Baen has been publishing 25th anniversary editions methinks. Possibly 20th. So old books, now in second edition with a new foreword or something."

Ohhh… that would explain it.

Teresa wrote: "Another short story or novella that I need to reread is Fortune's Favors which is likely also in Constellation 5 with the other two short stories that are backstory for Trader’s Lea..."

I had read from "Preferred Seating" to the end of Constellation 5, then started to read the book from the beginning. "Fortune's Favors" is the first story in Constellation 5. It features Mar Tyn, who is a Luck.

Teresa wrote: "I think I’d have preferred three separate books, so that the storylines were separate. I vaguely recall one of the times that I reread this book just skipping the Tolly and Haz storyline. From othe..."

I’ve done a reread from Agent of Change. In this context having these three plots unfolding in one book and braiding into one complete timeline makes sense. And I remember when first published, and the next book a year or more to published, I was very happy to hear progress on all these fronts. 😄

Elaine wrote: "Teresa wrote: "I think I’d have preferred three separate books, so that the storylines were separate. I vaguely recall one of the times that I reread this book just skipping the Tolly and Haz story..."

I agree that it makes sense, and I was glad of the overall progress. However, I didn't really like the constant switching between snippets of storyline. Kind of like how I imagine watching a game of bowli ball would be.

Audrey wrote: "Elaine wrote: "Teresa wrote: "I think I’d have preferred three separate books, so that the storylines were separate. I vaguely recall one of the times that I reread this book just skipping the Toll..."

Okay, I give up. What is bowli ball?

Bowli ball is a game that pilots play. They throw the ball and the nearest person to the trajectory has to catch it and throw it, without letting it hit the ground. Trouble #1 is they throw quickly, and trouble #2 is the ball has a gizmo inside that makes the trajectory change. Need fast reflexes and an understanding of how the gizmo is likely to change it on the next throw.

Sorry for the obscure reference. I guess I have been reading the Liaden Universe books a little too long. lol