Crystal Soldier: Book One of the Great Migration Duology

This book takes place generations before the classic Liaden stories. The characters in this book were legendary figures in the later novels, and finally writing their story must have been a daunting challenge. I always felt the Liaden books were easy to enjoy, particularly if you were in the right frame of mind and inclined towards the "space opera" end of the SF genre. The key was to be less critical of the polish applied to the prose and more appreciative of the story behind it. There was something about the universe, characters, plots, and the handling of specific scenes that made it easy to overlook the slightly amateurish writing. The writing was invariably clear, and the stories were very enjoyable! I'm thrilled to say the writers have developed their talents beyond any hope I might have had. I think, however, that in chosing so great a scope, complexity, and emotional impact for the story of the legendary Liaden forerunners that they may have overreached their talents ever so slightly. That is a very subtle charge to make, and I might well be wrong. But I'm glad they dreamt boldly in creating the backstory for such a well loved series. I'm even more thankful that they are continuing to write! But most gratifying of all is that their talents continued to grow. Their writing has always been very enjoyable. I think it is also becoming impressively skilled, with no loss of the charm that captured so many hearts and minds. For me, reading (and re-reading!) the earlier books was always something of a guilty pleasure. This book is more mature and well crafted, yet just as enjoyable as the other books in the series. Buy it, read it, enjoy it, and re-read it; you'll be in good company. I would suggest reading the books in order of publication, rather than reading the stories in chronological order.

Wow, complex and fills in the gaps or some that is. Rich in description, complex levels of balance and once read requires the joyful re-reading of all the books plus the chap books. What a way to create a legend of a universe.

Done as only Lee and Miller could have done it, this is the story behind the legendary Jela and Cantra. And the tree, of course. This is a wonderful story all on its own, and you can enjoy it immensely without having read the stories in the Liaden Universe. However, those who have read those stories will enjoy seeing the origins of such things as the dramliza and Yxtrang.

We can see how the future is shaped by the past I won't spoil it form anyone but revals much about the orgins of Clan Korval, the Yxtrang, and the wizards of liad. We see Cantra and Jela and the Tree. The Blurb does not do the book justice. Sharon Lee and Steve have created a new masterpeice and i'm looking forward to the second in the series.

Crystal Soldier, Lee and Miller's latest tale of the Liaden Universe, is very much a prequel and is set in the time of the Great Migration that settled the planet Liad. This is the story of smuggler Cantra yos'Phelium and soldier M Jela Granthor's Guard and their partnership that changed the universe. The story begins with the meeting of Jela and the Tree that grew into Jelaza Kazone and the sacred oath that came to define (and haunt) Clan Korval. It then describes the early relationship between Jela and Cantra after their first accidental meeting. The often flawed and hurting people behind their legendary historical personas are explored by two wonderful writers in this story of two strong personalities striving to build a partnership in a galaxy full of conflict and trouble. For fans of the Liaden Universe, many pieces of background history are revealed, such as the origins of dramliza and Yxtrang as well as facets of personal history about Jela and Cantra not previously explored. As an early fan from the first books Conflict of Honors and Agent of Change, I have enjoyed the marvelous adventures of the members of Clan Korval in previous Liaden Universe tales. The rich backdrop to the tales was laced with hints of a deep background from which I built my own ideas of historical events. Now that the authors are drawing back the curtain from this history, it is no surprise that I got it wrong in some details and some revelations were total surprises, but overall I was pleased at how close I came. This is part one of two books concerning the Great Migration, and the ship Quick Passage has not appeared yet, so I can hardly wait for the second book to reveal more of the events that led to the founding of Clan Korval and the planet Liad. This review is based on the Embiid e-book edition.