Ghost Ship (Liaden Universe Novels) [Hardcover]

Sharon Lee (Author), Steve Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2, 2011 | Series: Liaden Universe Novels (Book 13)

New novel in the Liaden Universe® series.  Over a quarter million copies sold in this series to-date!  Space ships, action, adventure – all tied together with a strong dollop of romance and family saga – make this a compelling series for a wide range of readers, from romance to military SF lovers alike.

Theo Waitley is an ace starship pilot – and pure maverick.  Her mom is a renowned Terran scholar and her birth father is an interstellar aristocrat in hiding. She still feels like a socially challenged misfit.  But after being selected to train with the best-of-the-best at the pilot academy, she figures she can leave behind those gawky, misfit days of teenage angst that made life so complicated before!   But for Theo, life is about to get even MORE complicated – and deadlier still.  For even though she’s survived the Academy and become one of the best pilots in the galaxy, the past is about to blast her with gale-force winds.  Theo can run, but she can’t hide.  Her destiny as master pilot and leader of a powerful Liaden clan calls, and there are lots of enemies who will try to make sure she’s quite dead before she has the chance to make an answer.

About Ghost Ship:

"A. . .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 fizz. Anyone whose taste runs toward SF in the true romantic tradition can’t help but like the Liaden Universe." —Analog

About the Liaden Universe® series:

“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

“[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

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Maine-based writers Sharon Lee and Steve Miller teamed up in the late 80s to bring the world the story of Kinzel, a inept wizard with a love of cats, a thirst for justice, and a staff of true power. Since then, the husband-and-wife have written dozens of short stories, and eighteen novels, most set in their star-spanning Liaden Universe®.  Before settling down to the serene and stable life of a science fiction and fantasy writer, Steve was a traveling poet, a rock-band reviewer, reporter, and editor of a string of community newspapers. Sharon, less adventurous, has been an advertising copywriter, copy editor on night-side news at a small city newspaper, reporter, photographer, and book reviewer. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Baen (August 2, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439134553
• ISBN-13: 978-1439134559
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #384,322 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Maine-based writers Sharon Lee and Steve Miller teamed up in the late '80s to bring the world the story of Kinzel, a inept wizard with a love of cats, a thirst for justice, and a staff of true power. Since then, the husband-and-wife have written dozens of short stories, and eighteen novels, most set in their star-spanning Liaden Universe®. Their latest novel is Ghost Ship from Baen.

Before settling down to the serene and stable life of a science fiction and fantasy writer, Steve was a traveling poet, a rock-band reviewer, reporter, and editor of a string of community newspapers. Sharon, less adventurous, has been an advertising copywriter, copy editor on night-side news at a small city newspaper, reporter, photographer, and book reviewer. Both credit their newspaper experiences with teaching them the finer points of collaboration.

Sharon and Steve passionately believe that reading fiction ought to be fun, and that stories are entertainment.

Steve and Sharon maintain a website at www.korval.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Space Opera at its best!, July 28, 2011

By 

Elektra Hammond (Odessa, DE, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ghost Ship (Liaden Universe Novels) (Hardcover)

Ghost Ship is two books-in-one. I can make a case for it being two-and-a-half or even three books-in-one, each of them a gem. Let me explain.

This is a stand alone story in the greater world of the Liaden UniverseTM, although those who start their journey here will take some time to figure things out. There are a lot of things packed into this book: star travel, family, adventure, relationships, parties, "Bosses", pilots, juntavas, scouts, 8-foot-tall clutch turtles, scholars, scholarly research, cats, AIs, Department of Interior, strange new ports of call, couriers, traders, trade ships, and The Tree.

First and foremost though, this is the continuation of Theo Waitley's story, begun in the coming of age duology Fledgling/Saltation. But it is also the long-awaited sequel to I Dare, telling the story of Clan Korval's exit from Liad and the start of their resettlement on Surebleak. In addition to packing in all of those elements, Lee & Miller also slip in some tantalizing scenes that belong in the sequel to Mouse and Dragon, a book that takes place chronologically quite a bit earlier, but was only released into the wild last year.

I enjoyed every moment of the book, and devoured it as soon as I could pry it out of my husband's hands. Inside of two days we had both read it. Among my favorite parts were the interactions of Theo with various members and associates of Clan Korval-Theo has been on her own for a while now, and it's interesting to see her discover a whole new family she didn't know she had-consisting mostly of pilots.

It was also nice to visit with so many old friends and catch up with them. And to get some insight into just what Bechimo (the Ghost Ship of the title) was doing. And even where the PODs came from.

Ghost Ship is complex, layered, fast-paced and fun. It's recommended to everyone who likes science fiction, space opera or adventure.

Mike thinks the book wasn't long enough. I think it needed more turtles. We both loved it and we're waiting eagerly for the next one.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Science Fiction with YA AppeaWhile th, July 28, 2011

By 

K. M. Martin (MN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ghost Ship (Liaden Universe Novels) (Hardcover)

This was another great adventure in the Liaden Universe. Theo has come to the Delm of Korval with a couple of problems that are beyond her own solving because that is what she learned from her father Jen Sar Kiladi when she was a child on the safe world of Delgado. Now she needs to try to figure out what to do when a ghost ship containing Old Technology wants her to be its captain and what to do about helping her injured friend Win Ton who may be able to be healed by that same Old Technology and, incidentally, what happened to her father who has disappeared suddenly from Delgado.

Theo is a competent pilot who is just learning to make her way in the broader universe. She has been expelled from piloting school for being a "nexus of violence" and what Liadens call "the luck" does also follow her around. Seeing Korval through her eyes gives us a new viewpoint. She is struggling to understand why and how her father has reappeared as a pilot of Korval and a member of one of the most powerful clans of Liadens in known space.

She comes to Korval as they are being forced to leave Liad and take refuge on the planet Surebleak and while they are still in major danger from the Department of the Interior which is trying to eliminate all of Korval from the universe.

The episode was a nicely braided series of stories that talk about Korval's relocation on Surebleak, Theo's adventures as a pilot, and the doings of the Department of the Interior. We get a chance to reconnect with the old friends we have met in earlier volumes of this series -- among them are Dav and Aelliana, Miri and Val Con, Pat Rin and Natessa -- and learn about some of the children who are growing into more public roles -- Quin and Padi.

While this wouldn't be a good beginning place for readers interested in the Liaden Universe, it is a wonderful story. I am fascinated with the Liaden Universe where manners and face are hugely important, achieving Balance for wrongs is essential, and smart Liadens go armed into the world.

If you do not already read the Liaden Universe stories of space opera, why not? The books are filled with adventure and fascinating characters and worlds. My recommendation is to begin with Agent of Change (now in an omnibus edition with Carpe Diem called The Agent Gambit) and immerse yourself in the Liaden Universe.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another laudable entry in the Liaden saga., July 28, 2011

By 

Rich007 "langston40" (Santa Clara, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ghost Ship (Liaden Universe Novels) (Hardcover)

No spoilers or anything, but if you've read other books in this universe, you will find this one a highly satisfying read.

The story of Theo is evolving nicely, as is the saga of the Dragon in exile.

The main problem here is that we have to wait for the next book to see how this triple cliffhanger will be resolved.