Carpe Diem

Val Con yos'Phelium, future Delm of Clan Korval, Second Speaker to the House and former Agent of Change for the Department of the Interior and his lifemate, Miri Robertson, a former mercenary and bodyguard, were ordered not to be harmed by the Juntavas syndicate. However, personal interpretation of 'not be harmed' left Val Con and Miri on a broken-down spaceship in the middle of nowhere with the enemy Yxtrang ready to kill them for the hunk of junk they were sitting in. However, Val Con and Miri managed to rig something together and 'jumped' to one of the nearest planets - a backwater world named Vandar. Vandar had no contact with the outside universe and didn't even know that other cultures existed. With no spaceships and no radio comm that they could use, Val Con and Miri tried to resign themselves to a long stay and set about learning the culture and the language. Meanwhile, Shan yos'Galan, Val Con's brother and his lifemate, Priscilla, began searching the galaxy for him, as did Edger and Sheather, Val Con's Clutch brothers. Back on Liad, Nova yos'Galan, Val Con's sister, had translated a cryptic message from Val Con that, while ensuring the Clan of the heir's survival, told them precious little else. But she did discover that the Department of the Interior, a department that seemed shrouded in mystery and determined to conquer the planet of Liad and from there, the universe, was also looking for Val Con. The more she investigated, the more interested the Department became in Clan Korval...until Nova was forced to call Plan B - retreat strategically, trust no one, prepare for all out war....Carpe Diem is the 5th book in the Liaden series if you read them chronologically, which I recommend. As with the other books, I simply loved Lee & Miller's characters and world building. They spend time on the details and it shows that they have carefully thought out and executed another masterpiece. I really feel as if I know the Korval family and am taking a remedial course on Liaden etiquette, these books are that well written! If you enjoy any kind of science fiction or space opera then this book has something for you - great characters, lots of action, enemies on all sides, high tech battle sequences, romance, family relations, honor, and much, much more! You can read this book as a stand-alone novel, but I would not recommend it as you will miss a lot of background and spend the first part of the book just trying to keep track of who everyone is. Also, you definitely should not miss out on any book in the wonderful Liaden universe - all of them are very highly recommended!

This is a fun book, third in the Liaden Universxe series -- read the other reviews for details -- but the first three are now in one book called Partners In Necessity from Meisha Merlin-- and a bargain it is!

Carpe Diem is back in print as part of the three-book omnibus _Partners in Necessity_ from Meisha Merlin. Other novels in the omnibus are _Conflict of Honors_ and _Agent of Change_. And don't forget to check out _Plan B!_

I have had this and the other two books of this series for many years and have read them over and over. All are books that can easily stand alone, but enjoyment is enhanced if you have read the other two before reading this one. The same characters as in the two previous books make appearances in this one, joining the different story lines in a wonderfully entertaining way. The characters stay strong and individual, and one of the points I especially like about this series is that both men and women can enjoy equally as the characters of both sexes are equally remarkable, adding a wonderful dimension to the read. Priscilla and Shan, Val Con and Miri have all become like personal friends about whom I would love to read more!

Third book in the Liaden Universe series (there are four so far) that continues the intriguing story of the two main characters from 'Agent of Change'. Places the two main characters as fish out of water in a backwater planet, adding some twists about common ethical human behaviour. Introduces the rest of the family/clan in a transparent manner, leading to a believable conclusion (although by that time, I am always too engrossed to care much)