What do you think?
Rate this book
Liaden Universe #10
Agent of Change
THIRTY YEARS AND The 30th Anniversary edition of Agent of Change , Sharon Lee and Steve Miller’s rousing intro to the star-spanning Liaden Universe.®
IT STARTS WITH A MAN WHO WAS NOT WHAT HE SEEMED
“The man who was not Terrence O’Grady had come quietly.”
Introducing Val Con yos’Phelium – interstellar spy, starship pilot, musician, and incidentally, a brother to Clutch Turtles. Running from an assassination he comes upon Miri Robertson, a not-so-retired mercenary soldier born to trouble on a back world and facing disastrously uneven odds in a firefight with her former employer’s enemies. Forced to intervene, Val Con becomes a target himself, and the pair are hunted, hounded across space, becoming unwilling partners of necessity. Facing terrible danger from within and without, their own skills and training argue that one of them must die if either is to survive. But Val Con has faced tricky situations before, and he's not about to let something like impossible odds get him down.
About Dragon in Exile :
“[S]prawling and satisfying. . . . Space opera mixes with social engineering, influenced by Regency-era manners and delicate notions of honor. . . . [I]t’s like spending time with old friends . . .”— Publishers Weekly
About Necessity's Child :
“Compelling and wondrous, as sharp and graceful as Damascus steel, Necessity's Child is a terrific addition to Lee & Miller's addictive series.”—#1 New York Times best seller, Patricia Briggs
About the Liaden Universe®
“Every now and then you come across an author, or in this case, a pair, who write exactly what you want to read, the characters and personalities that make you enjoy meeting them. . . . I rarely rave on and on about stories, but I am devoted to Lee and Miller novels and stories.”—Anne McCaffrey
“These authors consistently deliver stories with a rich, textured setting, intricate plotting, and vivid, interesting characters from fully-realized cultures, both human and alien, and each book gets better.”—Elizabeth Moon
“[D]elightful stories of adventure and romance set in a far future. . .space opera milieu. It’s all a rather heady mix of Gordon R. Dickson, the Forsythe Saga, and Victoria Holt, with Lee and Miller’s own unique touches making it all sparkle and sizzle. Anyone whose taste runs toward SF in the true romantic tradition can’t help but like the Liaden Universe.”— Analog
“[T]he many fans of the Liaden universe will welcome the latest…continuing young pilot Theo Waitley’s adventures.”— Booklist on Saltation
“[A]ficionados of intelligent space opera will be thoroughly entertained. . .[T]he authors' craftsmanship is top-notch.”— Publishers Weekly on Lee and Miller’s popular Liaden Universe® thriller, I Dare
IT STARTS WITH A MAN WHO WAS NOT WHAT HE SEEMED
“The man who was not Terrence O’Grady had come quietly.”
Introducing Val Con yos’Phelium – interstellar spy, starship pilot, musician, and incidentally, a brother to Clutch Turtles. Running from an assassination he comes upon Miri Robertson, a not-so-retired mercenary soldier born to trouble on a back world and facing disastrously uneven odds in a firefight with her former employer’s enemies. Forced to intervene, Val Con becomes a target himself, and the pair are hunted, hounded across space, becoming unwilling partners of necessity. Facing terrible danger from within and without, their own skills and training argue that one of them must die if either is to survive. But Val Con has faced tricky situations before, and he's not about to let something like impossible odds get him down.
About Dragon in Exile :
“[S]prawling and satisfying. . . . Space opera mixes with social engineering, influenced by Regency-era manners and delicate notions of honor. . . . [I]t’s like spending time with old friends . . .”— Publishers Weekly
About Necessity's Child :
“Compelling and wondrous, as sharp and graceful as Damascus steel, Necessity's Child is a terrific addition to Lee & Miller's addictive series.”—#1 New York Times best seller, Patricia Briggs
About the Liaden Universe®
“Every now and then you come across an author, or in this case, a pair, who write exactly what you want to read, the characters and personalities that make you enjoy meeting them. . . . I rarely rave on and on about stories, but I am devoted to Lee and Miller novels and stories.”—Anne McCaffrey
“These authors consistently deliver stories with a rich, textured setting, intricate plotting, and vivid, interesting characters from fully-realized cultures, both human and alien, and each book gets better.”—Elizabeth Moon
“[D]elightful stories of adventure and romance set in a far future. . .space opera milieu. It’s all a rather heady mix of Gordon R. Dickson, the Forsythe Saga, and Victoria Holt, with Lee and Miller’s own unique touches making it all sparkle and sizzle. Anyone whose taste runs toward SF in the true romantic tradition can’t help but like the Liaden Universe.”— Analog
“[T]he many fans of the Liaden universe will welcome the latest…continuing young pilot Theo Waitley’s adventures.”— Booklist on Saltation
“[A]ficionados of intelligent space opera will be thoroughly entertained. . .[T]he authors' craftsmanship is top-notch.”— Publishers Weekly on Lee and Miller’s popular Liaden Universe® thriller, I Dare
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 12, 1988
About the author
Sharon Lee
201 books779 followersSharon Lee has been married to her first husband for more than half her lifetime; she is a friend to cats, a member of the National Carousel Association, and oversees the dubious investment schemes of an improbable number of stuffed animals.
Despite having been born in a year of the dragon, Sharon is an introvert. She lives in Maine because she likes it there. In fact, she likes it so much that she has written five novels set in Maine; contemporary fantasy trilogy Carousel Tides, Carousel Sun, Carousel Seas, and mysteries Barnburner and Gunshy.
With the aforementioned first husband, Steve Miller, Sharon has written twenty novels of science fiction and fantasy — many of them set in the Liaden Universe® — and numerous short stories. She has occasionally been an advertising copywriter, a reporter, photographer, book reviewer, and secretary. She was for three years Executive Director of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc., and was subsequently elected vice president and then president of that organization.
Despite having been born in a year of the dragon, Sharon is an introvert. She lives in Maine because she likes it there. In fact, she likes it so much that she has written five novels set in Maine; contemporary fantasy trilogy Carousel Tides, Carousel Sun, Carousel Seas, and mysteries Barnburner and Gunshy.
With the aforementioned first husband, Steve Miller, Sharon has written twenty novels of science fiction and fantasy — many of them set in the Liaden Universe® — and numerous short stories. She has occasionally been an advertising copywriter, a reporter, photographer, book reviewer, and secretary. She was for three years Executive Director of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc., and was subsequently elected vice president and then president of that organization.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 296 reviews
October 19, 2011
Warm, satisfying, couples-friendly science fiction with the right and proper mixture of derring-do (i.e., fancy action), romance and humor. And soaring high above everything else in this tale are the characters...Awwww, the characters...these people will endear themselves to you so completely that you’ll return to visit them time and again like a stalking voyeur ignoring a retraining order. For cozy, comforting, romantical, happylicious SF, this is about as good as it gets.
Reading this book just makes you feel gooooooooooooooood.
Since this story is really about the characters let me briefly segue and take a quick infodump on this review so we can get to the story’s real truckload of awesome.
LIADEN UNIVERSE
The Liaden stories are set in the fairly far future in which humanity, following a forced diaspora has evolved into three distinct sub-races (along with bunches of isolated technologically isolated colonies that act as background for some of the stories in the series). Group 1 are the Terrans and I think you have a pretty good handle on them though it is worth noting that they are the least powerful of the 3 groups.
Group 2 are the Yxtrang who are larger than Terrans and are your basic war-like conquerors who view other species as animals. Militaristic and formidable warriors, this sub-race is comprised of descendants of genetically-engineered Terran soldiers. You can think of them as the Klingons of the universe but without the honor code.
Group 3 are the real stars of the series…the Liadens. Smaller than Terrans, the Liadens are smart, honorable and highly advanced, controlling most of commerce and trade within the populated galaxy. Most of the main characters in the series are at least part Liaden.
The final race that needs a mention are The Clutch who are, quite simply, so bursting with yummy coolness that the story can barely contain it all. The only non-human species, the Clutch are 9 foot tall upright turtles who live thousands of years and have more brains, brawn, honor, loyalty and badass-stomp-your-face-and/or-nuts- ability than all the other races combined.
Of course, the last trait is rarely needed because nobody...NOBODY messes with the Clutch.
End infodump...That's a load off, I feel much better.
PLOT/CHARACTERS
Miri Robertson is an ex-mercenary who was working as a bodyguard for a renegade member of the Juntavas (i.e., the space mafia) before things went to cah cah. While protecting her boss, she killed a number of the mob’s foot soldiers and they now have a contract out on her for big money.
Val Con yos'Phelium of Clan Korval is a Liaden scout/spy also known as an “agent of change.” Val Con can kill you with his eye lashes if he wants to and basically pins the meter when it comes fighting ability as well as all manner of spy craft. Val Con meets Miri when a group of assassins are trying to increase her deadness and after the two of them show the baddies the error of the ways they end up forming an unsteady working relatinship. They quickly find themselves on the run from both the mob and the police (as a result of some “changing” that Val Con did at the beginning of the story).
Along the way, Val Con and Miri are assisted by Val Con’s “adopted brother” who is a giant Clutch named Edger (whose full name would take several hours to speak, so let’s just stick with Edger shall we). For me, the Clutch just steal the show whenever they are on the page and turn a solid 4 star read into a 5 star wonderfest.
Together, Miri and Val Con (with assistance from Edger) get involved in a variety of interesting situations as Miri and Val Con respect and admiration for one another slowly grows over the course of the story. This is a page turner that will severely tax your jaw muscles as it keeps you smiling throughout. The characters are all larger-than-life and loaded with all of the qualities we look for in heroes…honor, loyalty, courage, compassion, sense of justice and the physical and mental skills to make things work out their way.
I loved the growing relationship between Val Con and Miri and this is the glue that holds thr narrative together. I’m not a big romance reader and this is certainly not a steamy, erotic exchange of body fluids. This is a buddy action, popcorn thriller where the buddies happen to be falling in love with one another. At only 250 pages, the story pace is kept brisk and moving but there is still ample time to go head over heals for the characters.
I did and I think you will too.
This is the kind of science fiction that I think should appeal to a large swath of fiction readers looking for mood-uplifting, popcorn style entertainment with huge heart. Probably explains why these stories are so popular. It’s SF soap opera that’s perfect for both Mom and Dad...and the older kiddies.
4.5 to 5.0 stars. HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION!!
Reading this book just makes you feel gooooooooooooooood.
Since this story is really about the characters let me briefly segue and take a quick infodump on this review so we can get to the story’s real truckload of awesome.
LIADEN UNIVERSE
The Liaden stories are set in the fairly far future in which humanity, following a forced diaspora has evolved into three distinct sub-races (along with bunches of isolated technologically isolated colonies that act as background for some of the stories in the series). Group 1 are the Terrans and I think you have a pretty good handle on them though it is worth noting that they are the least powerful of the 3 groups.
Group 2 are the Yxtrang who are larger than Terrans and are your basic war-like conquerors who view other species as animals. Militaristic and formidable warriors, this sub-race is comprised of descendants of genetically-engineered Terran soldiers. You can think of them as the Klingons of the universe but without the honor code.
Group 3 are the real stars of the series…the Liadens. Smaller than Terrans, the Liadens are smart, honorable and highly advanced, controlling most of commerce and trade within the populated galaxy. Most of the main characters in the series are at least part Liaden.
The final race that needs a mention are The Clutch who are, quite simply, so bursting with yummy coolness that the story can barely contain it all. The only non-human species, the Clutch are 9 foot tall upright turtles who live thousands of years and have more brains, brawn, honor, loyalty and badass-stomp-your-face-and/or-nuts- ability than all the other races combined.
Of course, the last trait is rarely needed because nobody...NOBODY messes with the Clutch.
End infodump...That's a load off, I feel much better.
PLOT/CHARACTERS
Miri Robertson is an ex-mercenary who was working as a bodyguard for a renegade member of the Juntavas (i.e., the space mafia) before things went to cah cah. While protecting her boss, she killed a number of the mob’s foot soldiers and they now have a contract out on her for big money.
Val Con yos'Phelium of Clan Korval is a Liaden scout/spy also known as an “agent of change.” Val Con can kill you with his eye lashes if he wants to and basically pins the meter when it comes fighting ability as well as all manner of spy craft. Val Con meets Miri when a group of assassins are trying to increase her deadness and after the two of them show the baddies the error of the ways they end up forming an unsteady working relatinship. They quickly find themselves on the run from both the mob and the police (as a result of some “changing” that Val Con did at the beginning of the story).
Along the way, Val Con and Miri are assisted by Val Con’s “adopted brother” who is a giant Clutch named Edger (whose full name would take several hours to speak, so let’s just stick with Edger shall we). For me, the Clutch just steal the show whenever they are on the page and turn a solid 4 star read into a 5 star wonderfest.
Together, Miri and Val Con (with assistance from Edger) get involved in a variety of interesting situations as Miri and Val Con respect and admiration for one another slowly grows over the course of the story. This is a page turner that will severely tax your jaw muscles as it keeps you smiling throughout. The characters are all larger-than-life and loaded with all of the qualities we look for in heroes…honor, loyalty, courage, compassion, sense of justice and the physical and mental skills to make things work out their way.
I loved the growing relationship between Val Con and Miri and this is the glue that holds thr narrative together. I’m not a big romance reader and this is certainly not a steamy, erotic exchange of body fluids. This is a buddy action, popcorn thriller where the buddies happen to be falling in love with one another. At only 250 pages, the story pace is kept brisk and moving but there is still ample time to go head over heals for the characters.
I did and I think you will too.
This is the kind of science fiction that I think should appeal to a large swath of fiction readers looking for mood-uplifting, popcorn style entertainment with huge heart. Probably explains why these stories are so popular. It’s SF soap opera that’s perfect for both Mom and Dad...and the older kiddies.
4.5 to 5.0 stars. HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION!!
June 8, 2013
NB: When you have written a long, thoughtful review on Goodreads, and then discover you want to change the edition, save or copy the review first. Also, pillage before you burn.
Though I own a paper copy that had languished in my TBR pile for ages, I picked this up during its free promotional day for my new Kindle, and happily tested out the Kindle's read-in-daylight properties on my back deck this afternoon. Excellent! I shall have more photons this summer.
Action-adventure to the point of interfering with the story. (By Chapter 3, both of our protagonists would have qualified as serial killers, if only the opposing side's redshirts had possessed enough humanity for the reader to mourn.) In part this was an effect of the choice of third-person multiple viewpoint. We frequently switched out of our two main protagonists' heads into the heads of disposable minor characters, following the plot well enough, but to the detriment of deepening the characterization of the pair we were supposed to care about. I will except the time spent in the heads of the alien Turtles, which I quite enjoyed.
When the story slowed (briefly) in the final third, more of the interesting angsty backstory and hidden cultures had a chance to emerge, at least enough to whet my appetite for further exploration.
Ends on a cliffhanger of sorts; happily, I have a copy of the direct sequel in the same paper volume. I am willing to give Val Con and Miri some more page time to develop. (I had dimly thought this to be the first book in the series, but it appears not. The biter bit?)
Ta, L.
Though I own a paper copy that had languished in my TBR pile for ages, I picked this up during its free promotional day for my new Kindle, and happily tested out the Kindle's read-in-daylight properties on my back deck this afternoon. Excellent! I shall have more photons this summer.
Action-adventure to the point of interfering with the story. (By Chapter 3, both of our protagonists would have qualified as serial killers, if only the opposing side's redshirts had possessed enough humanity for the reader to mourn.) In part this was an effect of the choice of third-person multiple viewpoint. We frequently switched out of our two main protagonists' heads into the heads of disposable minor characters, following the plot well enough, but to the detriment of deepening the characterization of the pair we were supposed to care about. I will except the time spent in the heads of the alien Turtles, which I quite enjoyed.
When the story slowed (briefly) in the final third, more of the interesting angsty backstory and hidden cultures had a chance to emerge, at least enough to whet my appetite for further exploration.
Ends on a cliffhanger of sorts; happily, I have a copy of the direct sequel in the same paper volume. I am willing to give Val Con and Miri some more page time to develop. (I had dimly thought this to be the first book in the series, but it appears not. The biter bit?)
Ta, L.
September 30, 2012
An old-school, slightly cheesy science fiction romance. He’s a super spy, she’s a feisty mercenary. His superpower is calculating survival odds; hers is... bad grammar, I suppose. They fall in love while fleeing from people who want to kill them for vaguely explained reasons.
There are several shoot-outs, during which they take turns rescuing each other. There’s a trip on a psychedelic spaceship owned by big turtle aliens. I rather liked the turtles, and I wish my edition had this cover, which perfectly captures the spirit of the book:
The writing is ok, except that I was annoyed by the constantly changing point of view. This appears to be a first novel (the first published book, although not chronologically first in the series timeline) so it’s entirely possible the writing becomes smoother in subsequent books - I think I’ll try at least one more.
There are several shoot-outs, during which they take turns rescuing each other. There’s a trip on a psychedelic spaceship owned by big turtle aliens. I rather liked the turtles, and I wish my edition had this cover, which perfectly captures the spirit of the book:
The writing is ok, except that I was annoyed by the constantly changing point of view. This appears to be a first novel (the first published book, although not chronologically first in the series timeline) so it’s entirely possible the writing becomes smoother in subsequent books - I think I’ll try at least one more.
February 21, 2017
The Liaden Universe entertains again—I stayed up past bedtime last night to finish this novel and absolutely had to know how things ended. Except I now know that I will have to consult another title for “the rest of the story.” That’s okay, this was a fun romp.
What do you do when you are a hardened, take-no-prisoners spy who almost incidentally rescues someone and then you find yourself quite taken with her? Val Con yos’Phelium suddenly can’t just leave Miri Robertson in the lurch. He saved her life once and now it seems the two of them have become interdependent. Neither one of them is sure how they feel about it.
Although their developing relationship definitely has a starring role in the novel, there is plenty of action & adventure too. A new species is introduced to the Liaden series, that of the large, sentient turtles (The Clutch). The most prominent of them, Edger, reminds me of the Ents in LOTR—living & doing business at a stately pace, watching short-lived humans whip through the world at a frantic rate. I’m looking forward to seeing how these reptilian characters feature in future adventures. Not to mention the space mafia that they seem to be set up to oppose.
The ever-so-complicated Liaden world barely impinges on this book—our main characters never get near Liaden society, so there is less of the societal machinations prominent in Local Custom or Scout’s Progress. I look forward to future stories of Val Con and Miri.
Book 245 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy reading project.
What do you do when you are a hardened, take-no-prisoners spy who almost incidentally rescues someone and then you find yourself quite taken with her? Val Con yos’Phelium suddenly can’t just leave Miri Robertson in the lurch. He saved her life once and now it seems the two of them have become interdependent. Neither one of them is sure how they feel about it.
Although their developing relationship definitely has a starring role in the novel, there is plenty of action & adventure too. A new species is introduced to the Liaden series, that of the large, sentient turtles (The Clutch). The most prominent of them, Edger, reminds me of the Ents in LOTR—living & doing business at a stately pace, watching short-lived humans whip through the world at a frantic rate. I’m looking forward to seeing how these reptilian characters feature in future adventures. Not to mention the space mafia that they seem to be set up to oppose.
The ever-so-complicated Liaden world barely impinges on this book—our main characters never get near Liaden society, so there is less of the societal machinations prominent in Local Custom or Scout’s Progress. I look forward to future stories of Val Con and Miri.
Book 245 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy reading project.
February 29, 2012
4.5/5; 5 stars; A
After recently re-reading this book I nudged the rating up from 4 stars to 5 stars. I am really enjoying reading this series over again in sequence, and one after another. There are so many nuances that become clear that I missed the first time. Part of the clarity comes from having read the series once. Things that I didn't realize were important; hints and 'seeds' now become clear. I am in awe of this writing duo and their ability to develop a complex universe full of personalities and excitement. In some series I find a need take a break from the authors style. Either there is something in their use of language or maybe a tiresome, overused characterization that begins to bore me or bother me. Not so with Lee and Miller.
This books takes place a few years after Conflict of Honors and can be read separately. In this story, we meet Shan's foster brother Val Con, his soon to be lifemate Miri, and Val Con's Clutch turtle 'brother', Edger. From this point on, I'd recommend reading Agent of Change, Carpe Diem, and Plan B, in quick succession. They really do flow into each other.
After recently re-reading this book I nudged the rating up from 4 stars to 5 stars. I am really enjoying reading this series over again in sequence, and one after another. There are so many nuances that become clear that I missed the first time. Part of the clarity comes from having read the series once. Things that I didn't realize were important; hints and 'seeds' now become clear. I am in awe of this writing duo and their ability to develop a complex universe full of personalities and excitement. In some series I find a need take a break from the authors style. Either there is something in their use of language or maybe a tiresome, overused characterization that begins to bore me or bother me. Not so with Lee and Miller.
This books takes place a few years after Conflict of Honors and can be read separately. In this story, we meet Shan's foster brother Val Con, his soon to be lifemate Miri, and Val Con's Clutch turtle 'brother', Edger. From this point on, I'd recommend reading Agent of Change, Carpe Diem, and Plan B, in quick succession. They really do flow into each other.
April 23, 2016
"Agent of Change" is FREE on Amazon, and at Baen! Sadly, I had already bought the e-collection, The Agent Gambit, featuring Agent of Change and Carpe Diem.
Adventurous, romantic fantasy-science fiction-space opera, where Val Con and Miri meet for the first time, and subsequently pair up against the Juntavas (galactic mobsters, similar to the mafia), Yxtrang engineered warriors, and brainwashed agents of the fascist Dept of the Interior.
Falling in love along the way.
Who is watching their backs? Just some ancient 8-foot Clutch Turtles — especially Edger and Sheather. These benevolent but powerful beings esteem Val Con and Miri as beloved siblings.
Book two, Carpe Diem picks up exactly where Agent of Change left off. Together, the two stories include good descriptions of Val Con nearly losing his mind — and nearly dying — from the Loop programmed into his brain.
Scattered across these two books are some great scenes with the yos'Galan ladies, Nova and Anthora, who are guarding the home fires on planet Liad, assisted by Jeeves and Tree. Shan and Priscilla also get plenty of air time (still not crazy about the goddess thing).
Quibbles: Formatting issues with hyphen versus m-dash throughout the kindle version of the e-book collection, The Agent Gambit. The incorrect punctuation marks caused some confusion, because I thought the authors were signaling a compound phrase, when instead they were signaling an abrupt break in thought or speech (the reciprocal occurred, too). Also, the ending of Carpe Diem is disappointingly abrupt. It feels incomplete. But see below.
Next up? Plan B picks up where Carpe Diem ended. It is really good! So, there are four books in this one tight sequence: Agent of Change, followed by Carpe Diem, then Plan B, followed by I Dare. Additionally, several brief novellas fall within this sequence, including Skyblaze (a single story) and Halfling Moon (both stories) as well as With Stars Underfoot (not This House, only The Lord of the Dance). The novellas belong after I Dare. I would read Halfling Moon first.
Adventurous, romantic fantasy-science fiction-space opera, where Val Con and Miri meet for the first time, and subsequently pair up against the Juntavas (galactic mobsters, similar to the mafia), Yxtrang engineered warriors, and brainwashed agents of the fascist Dept of the Interior.
Falling in love along the way.
Who is watching their backs? Just some ancient 8-foot Clutch Turtles — especially Edger and Sheather. These benevolent but powerful beings esteem Val Con and Miri as beloved siblings.
Book two, Carpe Diem picks up exactly where Agent of Change left off. Together, the two stories include good descriptions of Val Con nearly losing his mind — and nearly dying — from the Loop programmed into his brain.
Scattered across these two books are some great scenes with the yos'Galan ladies, Nova and Anthora, who are guarding the home fires on planet Liad, assisted by Jeeves and Tree. Shan and Priscilla also get plenty of air time (still not crazy about the goddess thing).
Quibbles: Formatting issues with hyphen versus m-dash throughout the kindle version of the e-book collection, The Agent Gambit. The incorrect punctuation marks caused some confusion, because I thought the authors were signaling a compound phrase, when instead they were signaling an abrupt break in thought or speech (the reciprocal occurred, too). Also, the ending of Carpe Diem is disappointingly abrupt. It feels incomplete. But see below.
Next up? Plan B picks up where Carpe Diem ended. It is really good! So, there are four books in this one tight sequence: Agent of Change, followed by Carpe Diem, then Plan B, followed by I Dare. Additionally, several brief novellas fall within this sequence, including Skyblaze (a single story) and Halfling Moon (both stories) as well as With Stars Underfoot (not This House, only The Lord of the Dance). The novellas belong after I Dare. I would read Halfling Moon first.
August 13, 2016
-La Space Opera de toda la vida con muchos toques de thriller de acción.-
Género. Ciencia-Ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. Val Con es un agente especial encubierto entrenado por el Departamento de Interior Liaden. Tras una misión, y de forma totalmente fortuita, interviene en una situación callejera potencialmente letal para salvar a Miri Robertson, una antigua mercenaria con asuntos pendientes con el crimen organizado de los Juntavas. Varias situaciones les llevan a trabajar juntos para enfrentar a las diferentes amenazas que les acechan. Octavo tomo de la serie basada en el universo Liaden y primero de la línea narrativa (“Secuencia”, para este proyecto literario tan ambicioso y no muy famoso todavía) Agent of Change.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Ciencia-Ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. Val Con es un agente especial encubierto entrenado por el Departamento de Interior Liaden. Tras una misión, y de forma totalmente fortuita, interviene en una situación callejera potencialmente letal para salvar a Miri Robertson, una antigua mercenaria con asuntos pendientes con el crimen organizado de los Juntavas. Varias situaciones les llevan a trabajar juntos para enfrentar a las diferentes amenazas que les acechan. Octavo tomo de la serie basada en el universo Liaden y primero de la línea narrativa (“Secuencia”, para este proyecto literario tan ambicioso y no muy famoso todavía) Agent of Change.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
October 9, 2020
If GoodReads hadn’t recorded it, I would have sworn I’d never read this book before. Honestly nothing resonates, not a single thing.
And that’s revealing in itself and probably one of the reasons why I never read anything else in this series.
On my second read I didn’t find all that interesting nor exciting. Nice but nothing else.
2016 original review:
An adrenaline packed, never ending race in space, Agent of Change leaves you in need of a relaxant, whatever type you can find won't probably be enough anyway...
I stumbled a bit around the 80% mark when the very quick change of Povs, plus the Clutch drive ;), left me dizzy. I had to stop for a day.
Lovely.
And that’s revealing in itself and probably one of the reasons why I never read anything else in this series.
On my second read I didn’t find all that interesting nor exciting. Nice but nothing else.
2016 original review:
An adrenaline packed, never ending race in space, Agent of Change leaves you in need of a relaxant, whatever type you can find won't probably be enough anyway...
I stumbled a bit around the 80% mark when the very quick change of Povs, plus the Clutch drive ;), left me dizzy. I had to stop for a day.
Lovely.
September 10, 2012
There was so much I didn't remember about this one, that it was almost like reading a new book (which is never a bad thing). I must have only read this once and that right back when I started the series, which was after it first began, but still a long time ago.
I do love Val Con and Miri and that's what I was expecting when I opened the pages, lots of Val Con and Miri, so I was almost surprised to rediscover that at the beginning of the book, really Val Con isn't the Val Con we've come to know in later Liaden novels. Having vague memories of upcoming events, I found myself very worried by the latter half of the book whether or not we were going to get the "real" Val Con back before the end. (And I have absolutely no memory of how they get out of the pickle they are in right at the end, so I remain exceedingly motivated to keep rereading the series.)
It was a very enjoyable but slightly weird reading experience, shifting between the things I remembered, the many things I didn't and the things that I got the feeling were foreshadowing, but again, I couldn't really remember.
Let me digress to say that, once upon a time, I had a very good memory. I was a highly academic A-grade student in the sciences. Then, 22 years ago now, I developed CFS/ME and one of the major symptoms of the illness is significantly decreased cognitive function. My memory has been getting worse and worse over the years, I suspect as a combination of both illness and age. (I have lists and noticeboards and set alarms everywhere to try to get stuff done without forgetting about it.) In terms of my passion for reading, this can be both good and bad. Given a bit of time, there is just so much I can't remember about the books I've read. People discuss them with me, commenting on so-and-so doing such-and-such a thing and I'm left looking blank. It's gone. I don't remember. I remember the emotions of reading a book but not the detail. (That's part of why my "reviews" here are really more emotional responses to the books, with some pretty much stream-of-consciousness comments, rather than true reviews - I couldn't manage the memory and cognition for those.) On the up side, it means I get to enjoy the book again without carrying the baggage of any "spoilers".
But this lack of memory can be a problem when reading a series where book 7 refers back to something that happened in book 2. The chances of me remembering that (or even a character's name from one chapter to the next) are slim-to-none. It's another of the reasons why I love my ereader. My books are full of highlighted passages and short comments, usually specifically chosen as being something I'm likely to want/need to remember later. And because of that problematic memory, I have a huge list of books I want to reread. Books I remember really enjoying, but the details are all gone.
So I'm really enjoying the Liaden ones, and since my copy of Dragon Ship arrived last week when I still haven't read Ghost Ship because I wanted to reread the earlier books first because I'd forgotten so much, I think I'm going to try carrying on with the series and getting caught back up.
So getting back to Agent of Change, I loved rereading it and I loved reading it for the first time all over again. I can't wait for more Val Con and Miri, but I plan to enjoy re-meeting Shan and Priscilla all over again first.
For a book that was originally published in 1988, it's stood the test of time pretty well. It is another clear case of the fact that, despite everyone's predictions of the future in the 1980s, the swift widespread use of the internet, mobile devices and cloud computing was missed by pretty much everyone. Val Con needs to go to an info booth to find out about shuttle time, and you can see the ship in-and-out information in a bar, but you don't have a mobile phone to check it on. The most interesting one was books: books are on "tape" (although that could fit digital media as well) and you need a book reader to read them. Lois McMaster Bujold has almost exactly the same situation in her Vorkosigan books. The idea of an ereader was possible, but the idea of the books being digital and downloadable and stored on the device itself was missed. Maybe we were just to hung up on physical libraries where you could actually SEE your books. Even as a total ebook convert, I do miss that I can't run my hands along a shelf of my ebooks.
But that's a very minor quibble. The reality of 21st century information technology simply wasn't imagined in 1988. I mention it here not because it was a problem (although I admit I did keep noticing it) but because it's an interesting artefact of the passage of time that shows up quite often when reading SF written before at least the 1990s.
Right, I shall shut off the aforementioned stream-of-consciousness typing before this gets too long and just finishing up by saying: Yay! Val Con and Miri! Next, Shan and Priscilla! Yay again!
I do love Val Con and Miri and that's what I was expecting when I opened the pages, lots of Val Con and Miri, so I was almost surprised to rediscover that at the beginning of the book, really Val Con isn't the Val Con we've come to know in later Liaden novels. Having vague memories of upcoming events, I found myself very worried by the latter half of the book whether or not we were going to get the "real" Val Con back before the end. (And I have absolutely no memory of how they get out of the pickle they are in right at the end, so I remain exceedingly motivated to keep rereading the series.)
It was a very enjoyable but slightly weird reading experience, shifting between the things I remembered, the many things I didn't and the things that I got the feeling were foreshadowing, but again, I couldn't really remember.
Let me digress to say that, once upon a time, I had a very good memory. I was a highly academic A-grade student in the sciences. Then, 22 years ago now, I developed CFS/ME and one of the major symptoms of the illness is significantly decreased cognitive function. My memory has been getting worse and worse over the years, I suspect as a combination of both illness and age. (I have lists and noticeboards and set alarms everywhere to try to get stuff done without forgetting about it.) In terms of my passion for reading, this can be both good and bad. Given a bit of time, there is just so much I can't remember about the books I've read. People discuss them with me, commenting on so-and-so doing such-and-such a thing and I'm left looking blank. It's gone. I don't remember. I remember the emotions of reading a book but not the detail. (That's part of why my "reviews" here are really more emotional responses to the books, with some pretty much stream-of-consciousness comments, rather than true reviews - I couldn't manage the memory and cognition for those.) On the up side, it means I get to enjoy the book again without carrying the baggage of any "spoilers".
But this lack of memory can be a problem when reading a series where book 7 refers back to something that happened in book 2. The chances of me remembering that (or even a character's name from one chapter to the next) are slim-to-none. It's another of the reasons why I love my ereader. My books are full of highlighted passages and short comments, usually specifically chosen as being something I'm likely to want/need to remember later. And because of that problematic memory, I have a huge list of books I want to reread. Books I remember really enjoying, but the details are all gone.
So I'm really enjoying the Liaden ones, and since my copy of Dragon Ship arrived last week when I still haven't read Ghost Ship because I wanted to reread the earlier books first because I'd forgotten so much, I think I'm going to try carrying on with the series and getting caught back up.
So getting back to Agent of Change, I loved rereading it and I loved reading it for the first time all over again. I can't wait for more Val Con and Miri, but I plan to enjoy re-meeting Shan and Priscilla all over again first.
For a book that was originally published in 1988, it's stood the test of time pretty well. It is another clear case of the fact that, despite everyone's predictions of the future in the 1980s, the swift widespread use of the internet, mobile devices and cloud computing was missed by pretty much everyone. Val Con needs to go to an info booth to find out about shuttle time, and you can see the ship in-and-out information in a bar, but you don't have a mobile phone to check it on. The most interesting one was books: books are on "tape" (although that could fit digital media as well) and you need a book reader to read them. Lois McMaster Bujold has almost exactly the same situation in her Vorkosigan books. The idea of an ereader was possible, but the idea of the books being digital and downloadable and stored on the device itself was missed. Maybe we were just to hung up on physical libraries where you could actually SEE your books. Even as a total ebook convert, I do miss that I can't run my hands along a shelf of my ebooks.
But that's a very minor quibble. The reality of 21st century information technology simply wasn't imagined in 1988. I mention it here not because it was a problem (although I admit I did keep noticing it) but because it's an interesting artefact of the passage of time that shows up quite often when reading SF written before at least the 1990s.
Right, I shall shut off the aforementioned stream-of-consciousness typing before this gets too long and just finishing up by saying: Yay! Val Con and Miri! Next, Shan and Priscilla! Yay again!
March 8, 2016
The best part about this book is definitely the turtles.
This wasn't bad, but I wouldn't recommend it, unless you're hankering, like I was, for something reminiscent of entertaining-but-somewhat-campy late 80s and early 90s sci-fi TV. I could just imagine the fashion of that time while reading this book. I could see myself falling in love with this universe and reading the bunches of books that exist in its universe when I was younger, though.
The main characters are thrown together after fleeing from different threats to their lives, and the story alternates between the action of them being chased and downtime that I think is supposed to be romantic? I never felt much chemistry between the characters, and I never really bought the love-at-first-sight as portrayed in the book. However, I did appreciate that the characters were presumably supposed to grow closer together through talking and learning more about each other. There are also no sex scenes despite the aphrodisiac space ship drive (yes, this is really a thing), which I appreciated, but which other readers might be disappointed by.
I also didn't like how the male lead was an expert odds calculator/advance alien scout/assassin/spy, and the female lead...had nice hair? The characters weren't super deeply developed, but I think that the authors were trying to portray the characters as two-of-a-kind in the sense that they were both kind of cool, self-reliant, improvise-out-of-tough-situations people, but Miri came off as the young, unpolished country girl while Val Con is the cultured angsty experienced guy.
This wasn't bad, but I wouldn't recommend it, unless you're hankering, like I was, for something reminiscent of entertaining-but-somewhat-campy late 80s and early 90s sci-fi TV. I could just imagine the fashion of that time while reading this book. I could see myself falling in love with this universe and reading the bunches of books that exist in its universe when I was younger, though.
The main characters are thrown together after fleeing from different threats to their lives, and the story alternates between the action of them being chased and downtime that I think is supposed to be romantic? I never felt much chemistry between the characters, and I never really bought the love-at-first-sight as portrayed in the book. However, I did appreciate that the characters were presumably supposed to grow closer together through talking and learning more about each other. There are also no sex scenes despite the aphrodisiac space ship drive (yes, this is really a thing), which I appreciated, but which other readers might be disappointed by.
I also didn't like how the male lead was an expert odds calculator/advance alien scout/assassin/spy, and the female lead...had nice hair? The characters weren't super deeply developed, but I think that the authors were trying to portray the characters as two-of-a-kind in the sense that they were both kind of cool, self-reliant, improvise-out-of-tough-situations people, but Miri came off as the young, unpolished country girl while Val Con is the cultured angsty experienced guy.
February 15, 2015
4/5; 4 stars; A-
This is a review of the audiobook.
It has been a few years since I read this book so I really enjoyed revisiting the story. I found the narrator, Andy Caploe, a very solid choice for this story because the range of voices, from mobsters to aliens, was huge. It took me a while to get used to his interpretation of the characters but that is typical when one is not that familiar with a narrator. I recall the same thing happening when I listened to I Dare last year.
I love the Clutch turtles and I thought Caploe did a great job with the voices of the various members of the clan. In listening to the story, I heard things I don't recall from my first reading the book either so that was a bonus. For example, my mental picture of Val Con and Miri was much clearer and the nuances of their relationship were also clearer. I am looking forward to listening to the rest of this subset of books in the Liaden Universe.
This is a review of the audiobook.
It has been a few years since I read this book so I really enjoyed revisiting the story. I found the narrator, Andy Caploe, a very solid choice for this story because the range of voices, from mobsters to aliens, was huge. It took me a while to get used to his interpretation of the characters but that is typical when one is not that familiar with a narrator. I recall the same thing happening when I listened to I Dare last year.
I love the Clutch turtles and I thought Caploe did a great job with the voices of the various members of the clan. In listening to the story, I heard things I don't recall from my first reading the book either so that was a bonus. For example, my mental picture of Val Con and Miri was much clearer and the nuances of their relationship were also clearer. I am looking forward to listening to the rest of this subset of books in the Liaden Universe.
July 5, 2016
Depending on how you count, Agent of Change by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller is either Book 1 or Book 9 of the sprawling Liaden Universe (now up to 18 books + multiple short stories). I default to reading extended series in the order that they were published so that my reading experience evolves in parallel with the writer gaining experience. So I picked up Agent of Change, which is available as a free ebook from a number of sources.
Several true statements:
I enjoyed Agent of Change
It's been a while since I read an "out of one frying pan, into another fire" romp
The book has a lot more plot and action than character development
The writing had many rough edges and I'll be interested to see whether it smooths out after Ms. Lee and Mr. Miller get another book or two as writing partners.
I'll definitely be back to enjoy another fast-paced space opera in the near future.
Several true statements:
I enjoyed Agent of Change
It's been a while since I read an "out of one frying pan, into another fire" romp
The book has a lot more plot and action than character development
The writing had many rough edges and I'll be interested to see whether it smooths out after Ms. Lee and Mr. Miller get another book or two as writing partners.
I'll definitely be back to enjoy another fast-paced space opera in the near future.
June 21, 2013
It’s a story as old as time but this time the damsel saves the knight and they’re both in big time distress. Meet Miri and Val Con; She’s a tough-talking ex-mercenary and he’s a trigger-happy mentat spy. They first meet each other in a bubbly pink haze of gunfight, burn down a building while flirting and gradually fall in love, leaving trail of discarded body parts along the way. They’re so cute together and their banter totally kills me!
Okay, enough about the main characters. This book is actually all about the Clutch. They’re giant turtle-like creatures with formidable vocabulary and the combined cuteness of baby seals and sneezing pandas. Trust me; the ewoks got nothing on these guys. Read this book and you’ll want Edger to adopt you
Okay, enough about the main characters. This book is actually all about the Clutch. They’re giant turtle-like creatures with formidable vocabulary and the combined cuteness of baby seals and sneezing pandas. Trust me; the ewoks got nothing on these guys. Read this book and you’ll want Edger to adopt you
June 27, 2020
One of the very best. Very good sci fi of the space opera/adventure type with a very good romance. I want to belong to Clan Korval.
May 20, 2024
A great adventure with a romantic pairing I can really get behind. I can definitely see why this novel has Spond such an expanded universe. I look forward to reading the next book which features the same characters as this one.
March 2, 2023
This was actually a reread, inspired some very random Kindle scrolling. Even the first read years ago was pretty random, I think I picked it up from comments on Tor.com. It is the only thing from the authors I've read and it's not shiny and new any more - and reads a bit old-fasioned, too. But it's very entertaining and fun and I enjoyed the romantic subplot a lot. I need to remember to pick up something else in the Liaden universe when I need some feelgood, easygoing SF.
February 24, 2012
An extremely quick and pleasant read, polished off in a day.
This is space opera without melodrama, sf light on science (no more than a handful of science-babble words tossed around, actually), and a lighthearted romance between two intelligent people in a future world that is very careful to present gender equality. Faster-than-light space travel occurs with the equivalent of Hey Presto! and some fancy-sounding labels. The assassin assassinated, yet we are given no information on why he did what he did nor the political background that warrants his profession. Social organization for two of the four species (I do not yet know about the other two) seem to be Clans, but not much exploration into either. The one true alien race spoke in flowing periods like Victorian gentlemen, with manners to match, and account for much of the low-key humor in the story.
The good guys are good and noble, the bad guys are not, but neither are they particularly evil.
All this is to say, fluffy!!! soft!!! light!!! like a cloud-soft pillow to rest a pummeled brain after a hard day. Recommended.
This is space opera without melodrama, sf light on science (no more than a handful of science-babble words tossed around, actually), and a lighthearted romance between two intelligent people in a future world that is very careful to present gender equality. Faster-than-light space travel occurs with the equivalent of Hey Presto! and some fancy-sounding labels. The assassin assassinated, yet we are given no information on why he did what he did nor the political background that warrants his profession. Social organization for two of the four species (I do not yet know about the other two) seem to be Clans, but not much exploration into either. The one true alien race spoke in flowing periods like Victorian gentlemen, with manners to match, and account for much of the low-key humor in the story.
The good guys are good and noble, the bad guys are not, but neither are they particularly evil.
All this is to say, fluffy!!! soft!!! light!!! like a cloud-soft pillow to rest a pummeled brain after a hard day. Recommended.
August 13, 2015
This is a very fine sci-fi story. It is written well and keeps the reader turning those pages! I just didn't connect to the characters as I should. Miri, especially. I never could really see enough of a soft side underneath her rough and crude exterior to really believe she had any feelings at all for ValCon. I did really like his character, though, which made it all the harder when he treated her with such kindness and respect.. LOVED the turtles, though!!
April 28, 2020
A very good read, one in one of the best series ever. 4/22/16 re-read: This is, perhaps, my least favorite of the series, but it is still 5 stars. 2019 re-read: A very fast, almost hectic read, so much action. Very good!
January 16, 2013
Read it for the turtles
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
November 1, 2021I might go back to this sometime, but for now, it's not holding my attention enough.
March 3, 2014
I'll start by saying that the Liaden Universe is large, with internal subseries, and can be read in several different orders. By internal chronology, Agent of Change is #9, not #1. I'm a believer in publication order, though. Discover the universe in the order the writers invented it. On that basis, Agent of Change is #1.
Miri Robertson is an ex-mercenary, ex-private bodyguard, whose last employer set her and the rest of his household up as a bloody sacrifice to cover his escape. His former employers, the Juntavas crime syndicate, are convinced she has information they want, and in any case, having worked for a traitor, she's a traitor, even though she was never herself part of Juntavas.
Val Con yos'Phelium is a Liaden spy, an "agent of change" who is fleeing the successful completion of his latest mission, the assassination of a Terran politician. In the course of his own escape, he stumbles on Miri being ambushed by five Juntavas, and decides to intervene on her side. This, of course, derails his own plan for getting off-planet.
Reluctantly, the two team up to jointly resist and escape from those chasing them. Along the way, they meet up with, and get assistance from, Val Con's adopted brother Edger, the head of a clan of Turtles, nine-foot-tall aliens who live a couple of thousand years and are alternately annoyed and amused by how short-sighted our short lives make us. They value honor, loyalty, honest business practices, and honest craftsmanship.
There's lots of fast-paced action here, along with the gradual development of attraction between Miri and Val Con, and the just as interesting revelation of Turtle culture and of Val Con's background.
This is a good, solid, enjoyable space opera. Recommended.
I bought this book.
Miri Robertson is an ex-mercenary, ex-private bodyguard, whose last employer set her and the rest of his household up as a bloody sacrifice to cover his escape. His former employers, the Juntavas crime syndicate, are convinced she has information they want, and in any case, having worked for a traitor, she's a traitor, even though she was never herself part of Juntavas.
Val Con yos'Phelium is a Liaden spy, an "agent of change" who is fleeing the successful completion of his latest mission, the assassination of a Terran politician. In the course of his own escape, he stumbles on Miri being ambushed by five Juntavas, and decides to intervene on her side. This, of course, derails his own plan for getting off-planet.
Reluctantly, the two team up to jointly resist and escape from those chasing them. Along the way, they meet up with, and get assistance from, Val Con's adopted brother Edger, the head of a clan of Turtles, nine-foot-tall aliens who live a couple of thousand years and are alternately annoyed and amused by how short-sighted our short lives make us. They value honor, loyalty, honest business practices, and honest craftsmanship.
There's lots of fast-paced action here, along with the gradual development of attraction between Miri and Val Con, and the just as interesting revelation of Turtle culture and of Val Con's background.
This is a good, solid, enjoyable space opera. Recommended.
I bought this book.
March 6, 2024
I started Ghost Ship by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, when I realized that I needed to learn about some of the characters in this book. Agent of Change is the first book by Lee and Miller, and it did indeed give me some background. This book was good, but I think I like the later books I have been reading better.
Re-reading 05/04/2018. Now that I have finished this book the second time, I enjoyed it more.
02/26/2020: I am not sure if I will re-read the entire series (there are 21 books), but I did want to read this one again.
03/19/22: Re-read this again. Again, I loved it.
03/05/24: Steve Miller died February 20th I believe. So as a tribute to this wonderful writing couple, I read it again.
Re-reading 05/04/2018. Now that I have finished this book the second time, I enjoyed it more.
02/26/2020: I am not sure if I will re-read the entire series (there are 21 books), but I did want to read this one again.
03/19/22: Re-read this again. Again, I loved it.
03/05/24: Steve Miller died February 20th I believe. So as a tribute to this wonderful writing couple, I read it again.
April 27, 2018
Fast paced story in an extremely detailed world.
Cultures in conflict, secret agents, mercenaries & crime syndicates. All linked by a random meeting of two people having a spectacularly bad week.
To a new reader, the pace may be a bit fast & the world complicated, but to a devotee of the series you WILL go back and re-read and pick up subtleties of the complex social interaction required when dealing with Liadens. :)
Highly recommend.
Cultures in conflict, secret agents, mercenaries & crime syndicates. All linked by a random meeting of two people having a spectacularly bad week.
To a new reader, the pace may be a bit fast & the world complicated, but to a devotee of the series you WILL go back and re-read and pick up subtleties of the complex social interaction required when dealing with Liadens. :)
Highly recommend.
November 29, 2014
Start to my all-time favorite Space Opera Series. The dialogue and cadence are straight out of a historical regency fiction, and only add to the atmosphere. Give it a chance, the series gets progressively better, hitting its high point in Korval's Game, by then you will be surprisingly and irrevocably hooked.
July 13, 2023
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!
----------------
Interesting world & great protagonists. I look forward to reading more of this series!
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!
----------------
Interesting world & great protagonists. I look forward to reading more of this series!
July 11, 2022
Val Con has been made into a spy. He meets Miri while on a mission. She is a former mercenary and bodyguard running from the Juntavas. He assists her and together they escape the Juntavas on a Clutch ship. After being captured again by the Juntavas they are left aboard a derelict ship. Val Con gets it working for one jump but the jump is to a pre-spaceflight world. They are marooned.
July 13, 2024
Another excellent read. Less one star because I hate cliff-hanger endings!
October 2, 2017
Exciting and fun!
January 9, 2015
This was not a book for me. The premise was interesting and I quite liked what I learned of the universe and characters, but I just didn't gel with the writing and found everything came across as rather dragging because of that. For me this was weird to read because it seems to be written as a romance, light on describing anything but character interactions, yet the content of the book is more action than anything else and basically boils down to a spy and an ex-mercenary trying to stay one step ahead of the space mafia. It made following anything difficult for me because I found that things ended up not being properly explained, or at least explained in a way that didn't make any sense to me.
For 70% of the story it was all action or anticipating action sequences. There's a few aware glances between Val Con and Miri, but neither of them were willing to take the step to turning that in to anything more for various personal reasons. Then around 70% there's a sudden jump where apparently they come to some accord . I think I must have been extremely tired at the time because I don't know how they went from "we've spent a few days together and we aren't dead yet" to "I love you so much let us be lifemates forever!" and I had a hard time trying to follow most of the conversation on the Clutch ship. It was like they were speaking in code because I knew the meaning of all the words and yet when put together as they were it didn't seem to mean what I thought it meant. Then at 90% there was more action before the book finally ended on what might have been a cliffhanger if it wasn't so anti-climatic
Overall I'm going to err on the side of believing my issues with the book are just that, my issues, but think that if you like reading space opera romance as a whole then you may end up enjoying this. I guess the nearest I can describe it as is Harlequin Intrigue in Space, with less sex.
For 70% of the story it was all action or anticipating action sequences. There's a few aware glances between Val Con and Miri, but neither of them were willing to take the step to turning that in to anything more for various personal reasons. Then around 70% there's a sudden jump where apparently they come to some accord . I think I must have been extremely tired at the time because I don't know how they went from "we've spent a few days together and we aren't dead yet" to "I love you so much let us be lifemates forever!" and I had a hard time trying to follow most of the conversation on the Clutch ship. It was like they were speaking in code because I knew the meaning of all the words and yet when put together as they were it didn't seem to mean what I thought it meant. Then at 90% there was more action before the book finally ended on what might have been a cliffhanger if it wasn't so anti-climatic
Overall I'm going to err on the side of believing my issues with the book are just that, my issues, but think that if you like reading space opera romance as a whole then you may end up enjoying this. I guess the nearest I can describe it as is Harlequin Intrigue in Space, with less sex.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 296 reviews