Steve Miller (1)Reseñas

Mouse and Dragon by Sharon Lee is part of the science fiction series entitled The Liaden Universe but this particular book has more in common with a romance novel than science fiction. Continuing on from the last book I read, Scout’s Progress, we delve deeper into the relationship between Daav yos’Phellium, leader of Clan Korval and Aelliana Caylon.

After the horrific ending of the last book, Aelliana is placed in the hands of the Healers who bring her back to full health and even work on removing some of the past trauma scars. It is discovered that she and Daav are meant to be lifemates, but Aelliana has been so damaged from the abuse that she suffered at the hands of her family that she needs to work on herself first. This book shows how she grows from a timid, fearful girl into a strong, confident woman capable of piloting a space ship. I loved this couple and how they allowed their connection to grow naturally.

This is a difficult review to write without spoilers but overall this was a much slower moving book that others in the series as there wasn’t a lot of action. I did enjoy the setting of this one and learning a lot more about the manners and expected behavior of Liadens. Mouse and Dragon had some very moving scenes, and I look forward to continuing with the intricate plots and colorful characters.

New to Lee's books as I am, I'm still sorry to hand this one two stars. The quality of the writing still notched higher than most, and the customs and characters had their moment. I could almost hear the heartbeat of a vast and well constructed universe behind the story, but I feel the plot failed to achieve its potential. Parts were confusing, unexplained and the pacing was uneven.

Final Word: A lesser installment to a wonderful series.

Great book, but dont read this one first.

A story of the Yxtrang ambassador who appeared as a minor character in one of the novels. In this novella he works with a mercenary captain to uncover a plot on a space station.

re-read 8/8/2023

At long last Korval strikes down the remnants of the DOI. Meanwhile, democracy comes to Surebleak as an election is held to determine leadership between Boss Conrad and the mysterious Boss Surebleak.
re-read 8/8/2023

This is not a book that will make sense in isolation, in the author's usual pattern this book takes up right after the events of The Gathering Edge. There are a lot of story threads and characters in this that tie up loose ends.
There is some exciting action as Admiral Bunter and Tolly Jones are trapped by the Lyre Institute. The Bechimo and her crew finally return to Surebleak to gain a judgement to legalize AL.

book re-read 8/7/2023

The crew of the Bechimo are hiding out in a pocket of "safe space". They encounter the fresh wreckage of an ancient starship and rescue 3 survivors. The ship was escaping the ancient cataclysm at the end of the old universe and had been trapped in time. The survivors are two genetically engineered soldiers who are carrying out the last mission of their unit.

re-read 8/2/2023

3.5* for the book as a whole.

"To Cut an Edge" - 4* - this story about the time Val Con and Edger met would not be as interesting to a reader who had not already read "Agent of Change". However, for those who had read that novel, it is very satisfying.

"A Day at the Races" - 3* - This short story takes place a bit later and primarily involves the relations between Lady Kareen and Val Con, Shan and Nova (to a lesser extent). I find Pat Rin's relationships with his relatives unclear, even in the light of having read all the novels upto date...

I enjoyed these 2 short stories very much but I am glad that I had previously read all the novels first.

This entry in the Liaden series takes the reader back in time to when Shan yos'Galen is a child. The difficulties his parents face are due to the fact that, while they love each other, they are of different races (one Terran and one Liaden) and so have different 'local customs' and thus often misunderstandings occur.

Sept. 2019 reread: I am increasing my rating to 4.5*

Very exciting continuation of the story of Daav and Aelliana!

I much preferred the second story "Certain Symmetry", involving Pat Rin set just after the conclusion of "A Day at the Races", to the first one "The Wine of Memory" involving Moonstone and Lute.

This entry in the Liaden series gives the reader the story of how Cantra yos'Phelium met Jela (and how Jela found his tree). It works well as a background to readers already familiar with the series or as a starting point.

3.5*

I found it hard to decide how to rate this as parts of it I liked very much and others not much at all. The sections about the Iloheen were hard for me to envision and confusing while the sections about Cantra & Jela were excellent. Perhaps when I have finished the series, those sections I found difficult will make more sense but for now, I comprise with a 3.5 star rating.

May 2018 reread:
I enjoyed this entry in the Liaden series even more now that I have read Mouse and Dragon. Plotwise, the two stories are completely separate but I had come to know more about one important character and Liaden culture which made me appreciate Theo's blossoming abilities more.

3.5*

This book follows "Fledgling" and brings Theo's part of the story up to the end of "I Dare".

3.5☆ for this novella. While I suppose that it would be intelligible for a reader unfamiliar with this series, it's much more enjoyable for someone who has read at least the Agent of Change section (Agent of Change, Carpe Diem, Plan B and I Dare).

I note here that I have also read a few short stories from the series: "Eleutherios" (found in Baen Free Stories 2013); "Landed Alien" (found in Baen Free Stories 2012); and another novella "Due Diligence" (found in Liaden Universe Constellation Vol. 4)

This entry in the series continues from Theo Waitley's point of view - an interesting one indeed! It occurs concurrent with that of "Necessity's Child" and others so there are some aspects that might be viewed as spoilers, though it is questionable to my mind how one might avoid these in such a densely layered sequence that these books in the series attempt to convey.

4.5*

Review pending

3 short stories giving the background of Priscilla and her home planet of Sintia.

2021 reread:
Before starting in on the newest book of this series, I thought that I would go back and refresh my memory. Though not the first in the internal chronology of the Liaden Universe, this book was the first in publication order and a great place to start. Even knowing (as I do now that I have read 22 of the 23 novels in this series) what was to come, it is an exciting story!
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Interesting world & great protagonists. I look forward to reading more of this series!

3.5*

A good follow-up to Agent of Change (though I doubt that it would work well as a stand-alone).

2021 reread: I am loving this series all over again in preparation for reading the latest entry.
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Great follow-up to Carpe Diem and a big surprise in the final paragraph makes me eager for the next one!