Editorial Reviews:
Here they are again, the three novels that introduced us all to the Liaden Universe over a decade ago. It is time to get reacquainted with our old friends: Edger & Sheather, Liz, Susiki, Jason & Anthora, Val Con & Miri and Priscilla & Shan. Remember how Miri and Val Con first met? How about the trouble Priscilla was in before she met Shan? Who can forget the way that Edger and Sheather have of coming to a friend's rescue or contemplating the weave of a carpet? Partners in Necessity also contains a new introduction by Anne McCaffery and a new afterword by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. The exceptional cover art is by Michael Herring.
Whether you love Bujold's A Civil Campaign, McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series, or classics like The Prisoner of Zenda, you owe it to yourself to grab Partners in Necessity. You'll see why Sharon Lee and Steve Miller have gained devoted fans since the first three Liaden novels (collected here) first appeared; they helped bring the series back with the publication of Plan B 11 years after its debut. This is swashbuckling space opera at its finest, a blend of adventure, romance, humor, and terrific world building. Meet Priscilla Delacroix y Mendoza, betrayed and stranded on a backward world by the Liaden trader she served as cargo master. Fortunately, another Liaden ship, Dutiful Passage, makes orbit and she applies for work. The captain, Shan yos'Galen, also has accounts to settle with Priscilla's former employers, and "among Liadens, revenge is something of an art form." Conflict of Honors is their story. In Agent of Change, Val Con yos'Phelium, Shan's cousin and foster brother, comes to the aid of Miri Robertson, former mercenary and bodyguard, who's being hunted by an interstellar crime cartel. Once a First-in Scout, he's become a spy for Liad, programmed to play the odds ruthlessly. He's just committed a murder. They flee together, aided by Edger, an alien shaped like a turtle. His "four-hundred pound bottle-green frame" is impressive to the Clans of Men, as are the beautiful, deadly knives of his people. He's considered a bit hasty by colleagues, but his appreciation of music is keen and he regards Val Con as a brother. In Carpe Diem, the stories of Val Con and Miri, and Shan and Priscilla come together and the story of Clan Korval, to which Shan and Val Con belong, unfolds further. Once you've sampled Lee and Miller's Liaden Universe, you'll be delighted that Plan B and Pilot's Choice are available now, with I Dare still to come. Join SF and fantasy writers from Anne McCaffrey to Barry Longyear in badgering them for more. --Nona Vero
Customer Reviews:
Displaying 1 to 5 of 46 total reviews (Page 1 of 10):
 Korval
Love anything Laiden. Story lines are so detailed and fresh. Love the conflicts in this story. What I've been waiting for
Partners in Necessity is the three-part Omnibus collection of Sharon Lee and Steve Miller's Liadan Universe. It contains Conflict of Honors, Agent of Change, and Carpe Diem. This isn't the beginning or end to the series; it's kind of in the middle, which is exactly where I started, and didn't mind any. I won't go over plotlines because several other people have done so-and, I've got to say, very well-plus, I am really bad at summaries, so I'll just leave my opinion.
First things first, I'll get the negative out of the way and move on. This edition has numerous editing mistakes, it talks about gods (which, I know some people don't mind, but I hate), and one character, Priscilla, who was one of the main characters in Conflict of Honors, is very nearly nude for the majority of her short appearances in Carpe Diem. What else can I say but that I am a huge, terrible prude and find her under-clothed state...unnecessary. And my last complaint: 846 pages was not enough.
Now that all that's done, here it goes.
There comes a time, about every year or so, when I look back and think of all the things I've read. Now, when I say this, I am dead serious: this book made my whole year.
From betrayal to trust and love; from escaping assassins, government brain tampering, and the threats posed by one's own self; from the cataloguing of space, telepathic bonds, and, of course, adopted family members who are giant turtle-like aliens (That somehow reminded me of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, although no similarities-other than the fact that they resembled turtles and spoke-exist, and, for some odd reason, old trees...), I had unknowingly been looking for these stories before I even found them (And if you've been reading long enough, you probably know what I mean). I was enthralled when they began and devastated when I reached the very last page. 846 pages passed by in only three days--nearly impossible for me. It isn't often that I get so caught up in a story.
I feel very deeply for the characters within these pages, and the only adequate comparison I can give is Firefly. It was a television series that ended just as brilliantly as it began, and just as I felt when watching Firefly, reading these stores was like finding old friends I'd been missing for years. Everything else is overshadowed by the amazing characterizations. I can't remember the last time I came across characters in literature who were all so different, appealing, and real. My personal favorites are Miri, with her funny braid hair-do, small stature, loyalty, and strength, and Val Con, who is musically gifted, damaged, and just about as vertically challenged as Miri; they make a good match. And the last book in the Omnibus, Carpe Diem, which is pretty much their story, deserves three awards: most memorable scenes, greatest characters, and all-time favorite.
Honestly, I did hear wonderful things, but was not expecting what I found. There is a very rare quality to the stories in which the characters share bonds that are not based entirely on graphic encounters (you know what I mean...) and yet comes across as even stronger with this element missing. This is something I greatly appreciate. If there is one thing I despise, it's having too much of a certain kind of information given, and this goes to show that one can do well enough without.
This is the kind of book I wait-and hope-to find. I consider myself lucky to have read it. For me, this was 846 pages of pure entertainment. There have been times where I felt the need to read for the sole purpose of getting to the good parts or finishing, and I never felt this way about Partners in Necessity. Now, I await the next book and hope that, whoever you are, you enjoy this as much as I did.
Sharon Lee and Steve Miller are a tremendous writing duo. Thanks to them and well done.
From one incredibly picky but very pleased reader. Yummy!
I just have a moment to do this, so let me just say: for anyone who's enjoyed reading in the Liaden universe, this having your cake and eating it too! Just fabulous !! memorable characters
The plot keeps things moving along, but what makes these novels great is the characters. Real conflict, real choices to make, and real growth over time as well. Quite a world, and quite a story. I particularly liked the first of the three novels collected here.
this is wonderful writing
This is a story for people like me who love a good story.whatever the label. These are people like you and me, who laugh, love, care, hurt, You rejoice with their triumphs and cry with their sorrows. It will stay on my bookshelf forever More Customer Reviews:
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