There are 2 main characters in this book. A man and a woman. There are 2 authors to this book a man and a woman. I feel like the woman wrote the female main character and the man wrote the male. The guy was a lot more fun. Kind of the alcoholic, yet extremely multi-talented, smart-ass. While the woman was kind of boring as the suffering, yet strong, undiscovered hero.

The book was written in 1988 and it did feel kind of dated. The plot was simple. Priscilla is trying to survive but she makes a powerful enemy. Then she makes a powerful friend who also happens to be the enemy of her enemy. Unfortunately there were many things that were confusing. I kept saying to Shelley (whom I was reading this with), "I have no idea what they're talking about." or "I have know idea what that means.". There were many levels of social strata, many languages, and many titles for the same person. So one character might be called 3 or 4 different things depending on the role he/she was filling at the time and also depending on that role they would speak a different language (which I find highly unbelievable).

Then there was this kind of magic/psychic power that was never really explained. It just started occurring about 1/4 of the way through the story. I guess you could think of it as a mix between Jedi mind tricks and Voice (from Dune). That was also a bit confusing.

It was fun sometimes and funny often but really didn't move me. ( )

Three novels of the Liaden Universe all wrapped up together - JOY!! The Liaden Universe continues to expand - Clan Korval's younger generations are just as honorable, clever and deadly as its first, and it's a real treat to experience the events playing out in the right order.

Priscilla and Shan, Miri and Val Con explore and adventure in the course of discovering one another - each book follows a couple and their growing relationship, but at the heart is always Clan Korval, the contract, and the deadly threat posed Liad and Liadens by the department. ( )

This book is an omnibus collection of the first three novels written about these characters (Conflict of Honors, Agent of Change, and Carpe Diem). I recommend reading these books in the order they are in the omnibus, though I know many fans suggest Agent of Change as the starting point. All and all, I feel that this is the best place to enter the Liaden Universe, as this series was written and conceptualized before the others.

Conflict of Honors
Priscilla has hit rock bottom after being abandoned by the trade ship she had worked on because she has discovered them running contraband. She is hired aboard the Dutiful Passage, to find a ship run by a strange man who seems to have the ability to see everyone for what they can be and demand the best out of them. Priscilla is content with her new job, but the officers of her old ship can't seem to stand that she's gotten away free . . .

Agent of Change
Val Con is more than just a spy. He is a deadly agent that can take down a whole room of people and walk away without a scratch. Miri is an ex-mercenary, ex-body guard who can handle herself when things go south. But this is much further south than they've ever gone before. Neither was looking for a partner, but sometimes the situation needs someone who can watch your back. And your front, and your sides, and just how many enemies do the two of them have?!

This is the first book in a set of four that take place one right after the other. Reading out of order at this point is unadvised.

Carpe Diem
Trapped on an interdicted planet, Miri and Val Con have to learn the language and settle in until they can manufacture an opportunity to contact someone for a rescue. Meanwhile, Val Con's foster brother and sisters have gotten word that all is not well for the Clan's young leader and are determined to get him back. But when their investigations stir the wrath of Val Con's former superiors, Clan Korval launches Plan B - the ultimate in defenses for the Clan.

I can not say enough good things about these authors and this series, and I think it's unfortunate that not too many people have read them. They are very accessible and draw you in quickly by putting you in the middle of the action right away. The characters are amazing. They are very rich and complex, and also a great deal of fun. It is very easy to get attached to them and their adventures. By the end, you the reader are firmly invested in Clan Korval's well-being.

The best aspect about Lee and Miller's writing style is their ability to create a world so completely that you can taste it, but at the same time they don't take huge paragraphs to explain things. Without wasting time on boring exposition, they show you the world, piece by piece. You pick up the different cultures in the book the same way you would in real life: by experiencing them. I would argue that this interaction of culture, between the Liadens and the Terrans but also between our culture and the cultures in the book, is the real heart of the series. While the romance and adventure are excellent and important parts of the book, it is really about how these different cultures interact, displaying the high points and low points of each. This is world building at its height and most beautifully displayed.

These books make me happy whenever I pick them up, and I can't give any better review than that. Also - no one who I have recommended this series to disliked it. Part of that is matching the right people to the right book, but a lot of it is that this series has something for everyone - action, adventure, romance, and a compelling good time. ( )

Comprising Agent of Change, Conflict of Honors, Carpe Diem. ( )

This is actually an omnibus edition, having 3 books in it - Conflict of Honors, Agent of Change and Carpe Diem. I've reread this book so many times that it is actually in tatters. It follows the increasingly complex adventures of Clan Korval. We meet the adult children of the characters in the two previous novels (Local Custom and Scouts Progress) but in reality Conflict of Honors was the first book written by the authors. It's such a wonderful world to visit, the Liaden culture feels real, complex, beautiful, deadly. I love all the characters though they each take their turn being my favorites. It has a touch more romance than some fantasy readers like, but I like the romance. It has war, and adventures and world descriptions as well. This time 'round I particularlly liked the Bennish world in Carpe Diem, where Val Con and Miri land and have to learn a new culture from scratch. Seems so easy when they do it! A real gift and if you haven't read it you're lucky, because you're in for a treat!

Acquired Feb 2008, reread many times, most recently feb 2010 ( )