Take a ride on the Dragon Ship!
Sep. 25th, 2012 01:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkerThe book? Dragon Ship, by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. Recently eleased in paper (available here http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Ship-Liaden-Universe-Sharon/dp/1451637985/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348547403&sr=8-1&keywords=dragon+ship) ; and already available in electronic format from Baen ebooks.
Personally, I loved this book. I really enjoy the mixture of space opera, romance, coming-of-age, social twists, and just plain good characters mixed with action and a healthy dash of science fiction that is the trademark of the Liaden Universe (r) and Lee and Miller. This particular book, for those who may be trying to figure out where it fits, continues the story of Theo Waitley, coming directly after Ghost Ship.
But I think you can read Dragon Ship as your first book in the Liaden Universe (r). You will find plenty of things to wonder about, and you're welcome to dive into the rest of the Liaden Universe (r) books and short stories to try to scratch that curiosity itch. Fair warning, even after reading all the others, you're going to still have things to wonder about. One of the charms of this universe is that everything doesn't get resolved and wrapped up, much like the real world.
So what's this book about? I think the first chapter lays it out metaphorically. Theo calls it ship wipe, Clarence calls it stinks, but no matter what you call it, Theo and her co-pilot Clarence are off on a shakedown cruise in the good ship Bechimo, who just happens to be a sentient AI. Along the way, they'll learn a bit about each other and about what the big, wide universe holds in store for them. Arguments, encounters, and adventures galore! This book is about Theo and Bechimo's first cruise together.
One thing that may surprise some readers is that the story of the shakedown cruise reaches its climax in chapter 39. But the book has chapters 40, 41, and an epilogue. What's going on? Well, chapter 40 is a little bit of cleanup after the climax, just rounding off the tale.
Chapter 41 -- I think of this as similar to a movie trailer, letting us know that there's something else happening that we'll find out more about later. The epilogue, also, gives us a peek at Kamele, Theo's mother. Throughout the book, there are a glimpses of events and characters elsewhere, like glimpses through the windows of trains running on parallel tracks, just to let us know that there are other things going on in the Liaden Universe (r). Don't worry, we'll probably get those stories in short stories or other novels. But right now, they're like spice added to the main tale about Theo and her cruise.
If you've never read a Liaden Universe (r) book, I think you'll enjoy this one. Admittedly, there's background that you will wonder about, and characters that you will wish you knew more about. But you can go back and read more later. And if you have read the other books, well, you know you want to read this one. No, it doesn't resolve everything, but then, did you really think one book could tie it all up? It's a good solid step in the growth of Theo Waitley and Bechimo.
So, who should buy it? Anyone who enjoys space opera with strong characters learning how to get along with each other and the worlds they encounter. Are there any warnings? Well, don't expect that the story and the characters are completely self-contained in this book -- you are probably going to want to read at least Ghost Ship, and probably others leading up to this book, and then you are going to have to wait a while to find out what happens next. There's a good, enjoyable story in this book, but... it isn't over yet.
Personally, I loved this book. I really enjoy the mixture of space opera, romance, coming-of-age, social twists, and just plain good characters mixed with action and a healthy dash of science fiction that is the trademark of the Liaden Universe (r) and Lee and Miller. This particular book, for those who may be trying to figure out where it fits, continues the story of Theo Waitley, coming directly after Ghost Ship.
But I think you can read Dragon Ship as your first book in the Liaden Universe (r). You will find plenty of things to wonder about, and you're welcome to dive into the rest of the Liaden Universe (r) books and short stories to try to scratch that curiosity itch. Fair warning, even after reading all the others, you're going to still have things to wonder about. One of the charms of this universe is that everything doesn't get resolved and wrapped up, much like the real world.
So what's this book about? I think the first chapter lays it out metaphorically. Theo calls it ship wipe, Clarence calls it stinks, but no matter what you call it, Theo and her co-pilot Clarence are off on a shakedown cruise in the good ship Bechimo, who just happens to be a sentient AI. Along the way, they'll learn a bit about each other and about what the big, wide universe holds in store for them. Arguments, encounters, and adventures galore! This book is about Theo and Bechimo's first cruise together.
One thing that may surprise some readers is that the story of the shakedown cruise reaches its climax in chapter 39. But the book has chapters 40, 41, and an epilogue. What's going on? Well, chapter 40 is a little bit of cleanup after the climax, just rounding off the tale.
Chapter 41 -- I think of this as similar to a movie trailer, letting us know that there's something else happening that we'll find out more about later. The epilogue, also, gives us a peek at Kamele, Theo's mother. Throughout the book, there are a glimpses of events and characters elsewhere, like glimpses through the windows of trains running on parallel tracks, just to let us know that there are other things going on in the Liaden Universe (r). Don't worry, we'll probably get those stories in short stories or other novels. But right now, they're like spice added to the main tale about Theo and her cruise.
If you've never read a Liaden Universe (r) book, I think you'll enjoy this one. Admittedly, there's background that you will wonder about, and characters that you will wish you knew more about. But you can go back and read more later. And if you have read the other books, well, you know you want to read this one. No, it doesn't resolve everything, but then, did you really think one book could tie it all up? It's a good solid step in the growth of Theo Waitley and Bechimo.
So, who should buy it? Anyone who enjoys space opera with strong characters learning how to get along with each other and the worlds they encounter. Are there any warnings? Well, don't expect that the story and the characters are completely self-contained in this book -- you are probably going to want to read at least Ghost Ship, and probably others leading up to this book, and then you are going to have to wait a while to find out what happens next. There's a good, enjoyable story in this book, but... it isn't over yet.
