Customer Reviews

Saltation (Liaden Universe Novel)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Saltation is a great story in its own right, while also both: (1) taking us through the next steps in Theo Waitley's youthful development into a stellar pilot, as the sequel to Fledgling, where we first met Theo and her parents, friends, and society, and (2) connecting Theo's stories into the ongoing Liaden Universe stories with the revelation that her father is actually one of our favorite characters from those preceding books. Now, with both lines of stories linked, the stage is set for the next story pushing forward our insight into the characters and epic events to come as Clan Korval seizes each day and wrings the most from it. Very enjoyable reading following Lee & Miller's superbe storytelling for past decades and more to come! Each story has been wonderful, but I can't help feeling that the subset of stories following Daav and his children forward is even more engrossing and nervewracking than even the early Cantra stories...and that's saying something! Love 'em all, but the latest are the greatest! Only wish I could find ways to help such wonderful storytellers and their publishers create tighter turn-around on spreading their stories...the ratio between (time-to-write + time-to-market) / time-to-read is just too large! Need more...sooner! Theo's great!

I think I have finally done it. I think I have finally grasped what it is about the Lee and Miller Liaden books that makes them so damn appealing. On the face of it, they're nothing all that special. It's basically a bunch of traders swanning around the galaxy buying and selling stuff (along with the odd explorer-type known as a Scout), all of them eventually finding their soulmates and having a hand in foiling some big evil plot or another. Fun, yes, romantic, yes, convoluted and entertaining and intriguing, yes... but why, I've often wondered, are these particular merchants, these shopkeepers in space and their assorted paramours, so completely, utterly, irresistibly enthralling to me that each new Liaden novel is like a gift from a just and benevolent deity?

And today, it hit me. And then *I* hit me. And I deserved it. I mean, it's always been pretty obvious. It's 'cause of the Liadens, idiot. Liadens are cool. Why do you think the series is *named after them?* (Okay, no need to be mean, me! Move on.)

I'm right, though. The Liadens *are* cool. They're cool because their society is out of a bygone era, with an honor code straight out of Camelot. And there is something just so endlessly fascinating to modern day us about the storybook visions of a nobler time; these Liadens, with their formal manner of speech and their complex social mores, their ideas of "Balance" and absolute familial duty, hearken back to legends of Knights and Samurai and hell, even Jedi.

But it may be that formal manner of speech that is the real clincher. Liaden sentences unravel like something from Jane Austen by way of "The Tale of the Heike", with just a hint of Teal'c thrown in; a complex mélange of exacting grammar, effusive courtesy and a refusal to say anything the easy way -- like Data, the Liaden do not employ contractions. Like the Japanese, they do not say no. Like FOX, they do not say sorry.

Man, that's cool. (In the Liadens, anyway...)

In addition to this already well-entrenched appeal, we now have the continuing adventures of young Theo Waitley, a talented and cosmos-bound pilot trainee, in her sophomore full-length outing, "Saltation". In her first feature appearance, 2009's "Fledgling", we delved into this (very) minor character's backstory. A backstory in which schoolgirl Theo learns that her troublesome clumsiness and perceived attitude problems are merely a result of her innate piloting skill. Pilots, in the Lee and Miller universe, are born and not made; lightning-fast reflexes and an ability to discern patterns in chaos are their hallmark--and a proficiency at dancing seems to be a bit of a prerequisite, as well.

But Theo is born into a world unused to pilots. Her world is matrilineal and measured, one of scholarly contemplation where being "antisocial" or "inadvertent" is tantamount to being a sociopath. The rules codified in Delgado's hallowed halls of academia are at least as constrictive as those of Liad; it wouldn't surprise one to learn that 2 + 2 = 5 there, or that clocks regularly strike thirteen.

In "Saltation", Theo has escaped the restrictive confines of her birthworld's rules and enters pilot school. Much like any institution of its kind -- Saganami Island, Starfleet Academy, Battle School -- the workload is excessive and the crises are mostly trivial, and we get to see it all from the star pupil's perspective, but Lee and Miller make Theo's years there important; the majority of the book is spent at her lessons, and there are times when you wish that all the foreboding talk of Aliens Out Now! is just a red herring and that Theo will stay in school, just as any dropout millionaire rockstar would advise.

But as we all know, the schooldays can't last, and so Theo must head out into the galaxy as a pilot... and this is where things get a little... hmmm...

First, a quick backtrack. Win Ton yo'Vala is a Liaden Scout Pilot who met Theo in "Fledgling", and is totally into her. The feeling in clearly mutual (Theo has more than a little case of mentionitis when it comes to him), and things between them progress apace. And then, in what I can only describe as the wackiest plot-devicing ever engineered by anyone who is not Brannon Braga, it turns out that Win Ton has screwed up royally, and as a result a massive hunk of dangerous technology has as big of a crush on Theo as he does.

And what is Theo doing when she discovers this? She's drinking tea!

The tea, the tea, the goddamn tea. Theo is way too interested in tea. Tea, tea, tea. Enough with the tea! Sure, it may be full of antioxidants, but really, Theo, you couldn't go even one whole chapter without mentioning your need for quality leaf? Jeez, that's just so... Harold and Kumar of you. Or is this tea fetish just establishing your Liaden (read: Korval) street cred some more? Why bother? We already know your Dad's Daav yos'Phelium!

Now, this last may seem like I'm giving away the Big Reveal, but, uh, no. Anyone at all familiar with the Liaden universe will be well aware that her father, known to her and us as Jen Sar Kiladi, can only be the once Delm of Korval and current possessor of the ghost of lovers past (his dead wife Aelliana's spirit hangs out in his head). In fact, Theo's Liaden debut was a small appearance at the end of 2002's "I Dare", where we first met her as a jump pilot who apparently had no idea of her true ancestry.

On a related note, I highly recommend that you be very familiar indeed with the Liaden universe before you read this book. There is much going on here that must needs be already known, and much that the novice reader would find bewildering (I'm an old hand with these folks, and at times even I was all at sea). Lee and Miller do not believe in recaps at all, and "Saltation" not only takes off from where its precursor "Fledgling" left off, with little to no "previously, on...," but it also finds itself mired in the murky waters stirred up at the end of "I Dare", bringing the Theo story full circle. And as "I Dare" rounds out a multi-book collection of Korval-related shenanigans (or should that be Shan-anigans?) known collectively as the Agent of Change Sequence, I can only imagine the consternation that would be caused by starting with "Saltation". Or even "Fledgling".

Another thing with which one must come to grips in the Liaden novels is that Lee and Miller make up a lot of their own words. It's all very Phillip K. Dick, very William Gibson. And most of these words make sense in context, you get what they're saying; but sometimes they throw in just a few too many new concepts and it is easy to get muddled in their fantastical lexicon. It's Dr. Seuss meets that dystopian 10-years-later on "Dollhouse"... future idiom mixed in with made up creatures, plus a whole slew of fictional branded products and people with apostrophes in their names.

But the most important aspect of these novels that one must be prepared to accept is that of the cliffhanger. This book ended with a remarkably familiar scene, and on an all-too-familiar unfinished explanation. And since the next Liaden novel, Mouse and Dragon (which, if you're already a fan, you'd be like, "Ah, cool, it's about Aelliana and Daav, maybe it's a sequel to Scout's Progress!" -- it is -- but if you're not, you'd be like, "Um, well *that* is a lame title for a sci-fi book"), backtracks to a time well before Theo Waitley, this can only mean that the dratted ellipses that ended "Saltation" (and, indeed, "I Dare" -- eight years ago!) will not be resolved for some time.

In the spirit of Lee and Miller's cruelty, I will end this review on a similar...

[This review first appeared in Geek Speak Magazine, Issue 2]

"Saltation" is the sequel to "Fledgling," the first in a series of novels about heroine and pilot Theo Waitley. If you haven't yet read Fledging, by all means do so first. It's a very good story and provides essential background information. You won't make heads or tails out of Saltation if you haven't read Fledgling.

The first half of Saltation seemed very much a matter of "let's follow Theo's continuing adventures." Theo, after her experiences and growth in Fledgling, now is at Anglindin Piloting Academy, and we experience her new life with her. But for half the book, that's all we do.

There has been a lot of demand in fandom for more about Theo, and with good reason. She's an engaging, well-drawn character, with enough flaws to be real and believable, yet with enough going for her to be downright fascinating. Unfortunately that's not quite enough to carry about 180 pages of text without any sort of real plot. If you're a fan, you'll find it all interesting, as I did, but it leaves you wanting a little more.

A plot does begin to slowly develop in the second half of the book, and by the very end it's in full swing and of great interest. Then the book ends. It just drops you off a cliff. You reach the last page and it stops.

Now, there's nothing wrong with a cliffhanger, and there's nothing wrong with sequels and continuations, and I, as do many others, look forward to the next book in the series. But this is more like falling off the edge than it is a real cliffhanger. The book takes far too long to develop a compelling plot, and then fails to satisfy with an ending that seems based more on page count than it does on choosing a good breakpoint for the story.

It all speaks to me of rush: a rush to follow on the heels of a successful start of the series, a rush to get the next book into print. The loyal fans--- and they are loyal with good reason, and I am now one of them--- deserve a quality effort from the authors, even if that takes some extra time.

Should you read this book? As a fan of the series, of course you should, and you'll like it. I liked it a great deal. I just hope that the authors put more effort into the third book. Please don't push it out the door; take the time to produce the top quality writing craftsmanship of which we all know you are capable.

On her "safe" home planet of Delgado - "safe" meaning that curfews are strictly enforced, the police are really nitpicky, and conformity is encouraged - young Theo Waitley was considered non-conforming and accident-prone. Turns out, Theo, being half-Terran and half-Liaden, possesses extraordinary reflexes, superior to those of ordinary Terrans, and that youth and inexperience had rendered her "clumsy" amongst her peers. You'd assume then that once she'd arrived at the pilot academy on Eylot, where she can rub elbows with graceful fellow Liadens, that she'd fit in more seamlessly. But nah.

SALTATION, sequel to FLEDGLING, finds Theo more comfortable in her skin and demonstrating potential to be a gifted pilot. But it's not all "good lift and safe landing" for her. Theo still struggles with her math, and while she's busy garnering a reputation as a skilled flier, she's also gaining notoriety for her social behavior. It's a subliminal thing, but it seems that Theo's posture is at times one of unconscious aggression, something which cultured, subtle Liadens tend to associate with Terran demeanor. It's probably inevitable that she's later deemed a "nexus of violence" by the school administrators on Eylot. And I'll say this, Theo does get mixed up in a series of confrontations.

Oh, but Sharon Lee & Steve Miller have got big plans for Theo Waitley. First introduced in the last two pages of I DARE some years ago, Theo was the young Jump pilot who bum-rushed that book's central characters, frantic to apprise the Delm of Korval of "really bad trouble" (so, yes, I DARE ended on a cliffhanger). Not much was known of Theo Waitley back then, and I guess the authors felt the "necessity" (heh) to color in her backstory. The sense I get is that Theo will be a featured character in the next installment of the main Liaden series. Obviously, FLEDGLING and SALTATION are set years before I DARE, as we see Theo come of age and her years at the pilot academy. If you're a longtime reader of the Liaden novels, then you may be in the position of knowing more about what's going on than the main protagonist. As usual, Clan Korval figures somewhere in this.

Sharon Lee & Steve Miller have shoved Warren Murphy and Molly Cochran off the head of the table as my favorite writing team. Lee & Miller boast amazing writing chops. They're dynamite with narrating the action sequences and with building a world, but they're even better at developing characters. And I cannot get enough of the Liaden Universe. It started with Miri and Val Con, one of my favorite couples in literature, and AGENTS OF CHANGE and CARPE DIEM were what first hooked me. The Liaden Universe is a fertile playground in which all sorts of genres collide. A Liaden story isn't necessarily confined to science fiction, to space opera. AGENTS OF CHANGE is a spy thriller. CARPE DIEM (my favorite) feels like a small town frontier drama, but it's also a terrific love story and, yep, a musical. I DARE, with the Pat Rin segments, comes off like a wild and wooly western. But look at me digressing...

Someone used the word "bildungsroman" when describing SALTATION, and I looked it up and it fits. SALTATION is a coming of age story. It has that "day in the life" vibe going on. Chunks of the book are whiled away with the authors describing Theo's acclimation to the Anlingdin Piloting Academy. We follow her thru her classes and her day-to-day experiences and the people she encounters. Theo is one of those single-minded creatures, and she's so intent on being the best pilot she can be that she tends to not pay attention to the political and social climate around her. No shock that the civil unrest on Eylot, when it finally comes to a boil, catches her unawares. Excepting Theo's occasional adventurous run-ins, the story is fairly uneventful, compared, say, to Val Con and Miri's crazy exploits, and Theo's tales don't quite have that exquisite comedy of manners so prevalent in the Clan Korval novels. But Theo Waitley is such an interesting and appealing character that I didn't mind at all even when nothing much was going on. I just enjoyed hanging out with her. I liked it whenever Theo was indulging in the highly dangerous sport of bowli bowl or practicing intricate dance steps that smoothly transition into devastating martial arts moves. Theo Waitley, remember, is a "nexus of violence." So the girl can throw down.

Real intrigue steps late in the book as bigger doings in the Liaden universe begin to wash into Theo's personal life. Theo's very good friend, scout pilot Win Ton yo'Vala, re-enters the picture and Theo suddenly finds herself in a surefire mess. It all ends on a cliffhanger (again), with the last few pages dovetailing into the ending of I DARE. And we're left waiting impatiently (again) for the authors to come up with the next book (the title is GHOST SHIP and I fully expect it to be hellacious, rip-roaring stuff). All we know right now is that there's a very special ship waiting in Theo Waitley's future. A pilot of her caliber deserves no less.

Fledgling was the first Liaden book that I had ever read and I loved it. Then I read a few more Liaden novels and realized that this series has been evolving for a long time and Fledgling was just the latest chapter.

Saltation is the continuation of Theo Waitley's story but it is considerably different from Fledgling. Where Fledgling was a relatively straightforward coming-of-age story, Saltation fits Theo into the rest of the Liaden universe and she has to continually deal with events and people that feel threatening but that she doesn't fully understand yet.

This is a very well-told story. The heroine grows up fast but at a believable pace, which is a good thing because the situation around her is deteriorating quickly.

I was continually impressed with how the authors presented so many interesting supporting characters that had multiple aspects to their personalities. From Theo's roommate, Asu to her lover Win Ton (a remarkably talented young man who makes just one little mistake...), these people act like real people and add considerable depth and interest to the story.

Space Opera is a tricky realm to write in. Too much detail and the story slows to a crawl, too little detail and suspension of disbelief falls away. In my opinion, the authors have, in the past, tended a little too heavily towards the action and not enough on building the basis for suspension of disbelief and the supporting characters haven't been as solid as I have seen in Bujold or Cherryh's novels.

This book nicely fills in all previous weaknesses and shows even greater promise for the authors in the future.

Sharon Lee and Steve Miller's "Saltation" is both excellent and compulsively readable. It stars Theo Waitley, a young woman who wants to become a pilot. She goes off to pilot training at the Anlingdin Pilot Academy on Eylot, which is a planet that seems to have more than its share of xenophobia toward non-Terran-descendants in general, and non-planetary-descendants in particular. This is a problem for Theo because she is part-Liaden, though she's not fully aware of her heritage due to her father's secrets. (We know this from the previous book, "Fledgling," as well as the very end of "I Dare," two of the many fine books in this series.) Theo is an interesting person who has so many talents that if she hadn't also had some huge limitations (she doesn't see the big picture, partly because she's young and focused; she doesn't understand when her friend, spoiled rich girl Asu, tries to tell her she needs to watch out because others dislike Theo for her competence and skill, etc.), she'd probably be unlikable.

Yet Theo is incredibly likable, precisely because she is so driven, and precisely because she _doesn't_ know some things about her background that she should. (This is due to previous novels in the Liaden series, including the aforementioned "I Dare," where Theo shows up literally at the last minute and demands to see her father, not knowing Jen Sar Kiladi is the alternate name of Daav yos'Phelium, former Delm of Korval, the most important and influential Liaden clan there is, most particularly when it comes to pilots and ships.) Her romance with Win Ton yo'Vala, halting and stumbling though it may be at times (partly due to the Liaden fixation with short-term, contract marriages that usually excludes affairs of the heart), is a stand-out, and Win Ton's example (being a Scout, and a pilot) is partially why Theo left her home planet of Delgado (where she didn't really fit, anyway) and is partially a way to measure Theo against a rather extraordinary example.

Along the way, we see brief glimpses of Daav (aka Jen Sar Kiladi), Theo's father, and Kamele, Theo's mother -- they are alternately heartened by Theo's progress as a pilot, then frustrated by Theo's problems (caused by the xenophobia) at Anlingdin Pilot Academy, then pleased by her resilience, etc. These glimpses are welcome, and are akin to checking in with old friends whom you haven't seen in quite some time, but who still resonate with you.

The pluses of "Saltation" are similar to most if not all the other Liaden Universe books. True love is timeless, and worth fighting for. Highly mannered people do not mean boring people, or those lacking in passion and ability. Highly competent people often have trouble fitting into society precisely due to their competence; they don't have the same level of social skills for _years_ in comparison to their competence, and this can't help but set lesser people off -- this moral in particular is front and center in "Saltation." And it would be remiss not to mention just how valuable friendship is to Theo; in her eyes, it is above just about everything save true love itself, and that is a laudable thing indeed.

The minuses? Well, if you haven't read any of the Liaden books before, this might be less easy to follow than "Fledgling" was -- you certainly will miss some nuances, though that isn't necessary to understanding this book. I'd recommend you read "Fledgling" -- though I'd also recommend you read all the _other_ Liaden Universe books as well, because they are all excellent -- but I believe you'll understand this book without background if you've read, say, any of Elizabeth Moon's books about Kylara Vatta or the Moon-Anne McCaffrey space opera collaborations. Or if you've ever read anything of Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan saga, you should love this book.

Is this the "best Liaden book ever?" Unlikely.

But is this an excellent coming of age story about Theo Waitley, and a good linking story between "Fledgling" and the story to come? Yes, it is.

And is this an excellent Liaden Universe novel, that will help fill in the gaps for long-time readers, while enticing new readers to the series in the bargain? You betcha.

So the final tally is five stars. Highly recommended.

Barb Caffrey

If you are not familiar with the Liaden Universe, this would be a lousy place to start. Saltation is a sequel to Fledgling, and both books are part of what could be considered a sequel series to the Agent Of Change series. If you haven't read those books, my advice is to get a copy of Agent Of Change (or one of the omnibus editions it is part of) and start there.

That being said, what about Saltation? Well, I liked it. A lot.

Fledgling and Saltation tell the story of Theo Waitley, and how she ended up coming to see the Delm Of Korval in the last paragraphs of I Dare. The first book tells of how she discovered her calling to be a star pilot, and this book tells of her education at a piloting academy. It also goes on to cover her first experiences as a professional pilot before introducing the problem which finally brings her running to see the Delm Of Korval.

Both Fledgling and Saltation were available in draft form on the web, but both books are much better in published form than they were as drafts. Saltation is much closer to the draft version than Fledging was, but it still has a few new twists. It is also more polished and better balanced.

If there is a problem with these books, it is that Theo is just a bit too special. She is chock full of the magical/mysterious Korval genes, but she doesn't know it and doesn't understand why she is such a naturally skilled pilot. And she's better at everything than everyone else around her, without any real reason why that should be. But these are space opera stories at their heart, swashbuckling adventures of larger-than-life people. And in that context, it is just fun to see Theo overcome every obstacle that people try to toss her way. (And at least there are no dramliza involved; Theo is not nearly as super-powered as someone like Priscilla, or even Val Con.)

The other problem with Saltation is that it has prequelitis. We know exactly where it is going to end up, because we saw it way back when I Dare was published.

But if you like the other Liaden books, you'll easily overlook both these issues. In fact, you may consider them to be positives. And you'll probably like this book too. I did.

This is the continuation of the story begun in Fledgling of Theo Waitley. Fledgling having been the only other book in the Liaden universe I have read, I am somewhat hampered by a lack of background but do not feel that impacted my enjoyment or understanding of the book, nor would it for anyone else not familiar with the universe.

The book follows Theo through her pilot academy, and through her journeyman period of being a jump pilot. She naturally excels at the piloting academy, earning the ire of less talented students, and the admiration of her teachers. Theo faces a series of minor confrontations and trials here, none of which are very dramatically satisfying or challenging. 2nd rate bullies primarily along with 2nd rate racists/xenophobes. Eventually the xenophobia of the planet leads to Theo needing to leave the academy before graduation and take up a piloting job.

The major problem with the academy section is the chapter length. Very short chapters, it is hard to create dramatic continuity and crises when every 3 to 5 pages a chapter is ending.

Eventually the sinister threads of the Liaden universe coalesce in the last 5th of the book, which redeems it somewhat for the rather staid first 4 5ths which were really just marking time. Win Ton appears as Theo is having a contractual crises, her father, who even I knew was not what he seemed and a person of importance, disappears and we figure out why a mysterious ghost ship has been dogging Theo's steps. At this point, more or less, the book ends leaving it quite clear there will be at least one more in her story. A story from the hints given in the plot developments of the last fifth of the book will be of much greater import than the first two.

This book was not, in my opinion, quite as good as the first one which was a sweet science fiction version of the Ugly Duckling. Theo is far too talented in her studies, masters her trials and opposition too easily to create any believable sustained tension and the short chapters make it much more difficult to become engrossed in the story. The hints at depth which finally start to become realized at the end of the story pull it up to average and make it a worthwhile, if easy, read.

My introduction to the Liaden Universe was via Fledgling, which I loved. I couldn't wait to read Saltation, its sequel, and now I can't wait to read the next book.

I love the character of Theo. I love that she's freakishly good at math even though all her instructors consider math her weakest point. I love that she uses lace-making as a way to make sense of complex spatial mathematics. I love that she's edgy in temperament and has to develop various routines to keep herself calm and socially acceptable. I love that she's incredibly talented but in a way her society doesn't quite expect. I love that she uses dance to control herself, to calm herself, to train in weaponry, and also as a mathematical path. And I enjoy the interesting true friends she collects.

Saltation isn't a place to start. It's full of little threads left by other novels that you'll only find if you've read not only Fledgling, but the main sequence of the Liaden books. Read at least Fledgling first, the beginning of Theo Waitley's coming of age story.

The good news is that the authors don't waste your time reminding you of backstory from the other novels. The bad news is, they don't tell you what happened in the other novels. You'll have to read them yourself and find out. And then you'll go "Ahhh, that's what that meant, now I have to go reread ..." But that's not so bad. I mean, really, the worst thing I can say about this book is that it makes me want to go read the other 10 books that go with it again, and to find the couple I've missed. Honestly, I think that's high praise for a novel and the series it inhabits.

I give it 5 stars because I love the whole series, but truth be told as a standalone book I'd rate it lower. It's a bridge from book 1 to book 3, and tying in many other stories as well. As in, say, "The Empire Strikes Back", it's an essential part of the whole but kind of annoying if that's where you started and ended.

It's hard to review the Liaden books without sounding a bit deranged, I love them so much. This is the second of three books about Theo Waitley, who barreled into the main story at the end of I Dare (Liaden Universe Novel Series). In the first installment of her trilogy, (Fledgling (Liaden Universe)), Theo left her home planet for the first time, and had an adventure or two, learning quite a bit about who she might grow up to be along the way. In this installment, she has left home to attend piloting school. Of course things don't go as planned (or there would not be much of a story here), and this book ends exactly where I Dare (Liaden Universe Novel Series) ended.

When I first started reading about Theo, I was anxious for her story to merge with the main line, because there are so many stories yet to tell about those other characters. However, by the time I arrived on Liaden with Theo at the end of this novel, I was glad to know that the next story in this line will be more about Theo and, one hopes, at least a partial resolution to her current "complicated" difficulties. One of the charms of the Liaden books, of course, is that there are never neat tidy endings, only reasonable places to stop and draw a breath before continuing on.

This book is NOT the place to start reading the Liaden stories, however. I'm sure it's a fine book all on its own, but it will certainly make more sense if you have at least read the first part of Theo's story. Moreover, since it does wash up at the final scene of I Dare (Liaden Universe Novel Series), it might even make sense to read the other books in that sequence. I do know that reading this book propelled me back to where it all started and to reread all the previous books and short stories. It's that kind of book -- with characters and plot so dense that you simply want to lose yourself in it all, and writing so fluid and so perfectly tuned to the story being told that losing yourself is pure pleasure.

If you haven't read any Liaden books before, I recommend the entire oeuvre to you (start with either Local Custom or Conflict of Honors: A Novel of the Liaden Universe). If you have already discovered this fascinating universe, you will find this entry as solid and wonderful as you hope it will be.

As for this book itself, it's an interesting study of a young student at a piloting academy who is so focused on her goals and achieving that goals that she totally misses the social, emotional, and political (both planetary and personal) aspects of the life she's leading. Despite clear messages (and coded ones, too) that her demeanor is causing problems for her and for those she cares about, she continues to focus on her studies. Slowly, people she respects do get through to her, and she starts learning to recognize what messages she is sending with her external persona, and (slowly) to manage that persona to her benefit. However, time runs out before she achieves this, and she finds herself thrpwn out into the galazy at large with a piloting license in her hands and a few friends. Then things really start to get complicated, and she ends up bringing her complexities to the delm of Korval.

This is a slower paced book than some of the Liaden novels, but it does a fine job of showing how Theo's persistent obliviousness to social cues causes the problems she thinks are so mysterious. By the time she wanders into the middle of Clan Korval, she's well on her way to understanding herself better. The book appears to be largely about time at school and education, while it really portrays the awakening of awareness that math and speed and skill at the board are not sufficient to make a pilot successful. This "hidden" story is well-told, and the book leaves Theo on the threshold of adventures that she may actually be capable of handling, thanks to her growth in this novel.

The sequel will be published next year (2011), moving both Theo and Clan Korval forward. I can't wait.