Fledgling (Liaden Universe®)

At first I was a little put off by this book. I have not read any of the related books, and was a little miffed at starting out with a somewhat strange vocabulary and having no explanation of what these terms are supposed to mean. But then I thought about how often I have read a series and been annoyed when the author felt the need to spend an eternity reinventing the wheel at the beginning of each book just in case there were new readers. So I stuck with it and eventually caught on to the new words and phrases. The general points of the book are spelled out in the product listing, so there is no need to fill in those details. What I will tell you is that I enjoyed the book, even having not read any of the other books in this line, and that I think I will now go find some of those other books to try. I was able to identify, at some point, with almost every character. We all know what it is like to be awkward like Theo, to have to make unpopular choices like Kamele, or to have secrets to keep like Jen Sar. The book is well written and it was easy to slip into the story and lose track of time. I highly recommend this book.

When I first saw the description for this novel, about an academic fraud investigation of falsified citations, I laughed myself silly. I had to click through to see more; I wanted to gawk at what was surely to be a spectacle of either poor judgement or the tragic outcome of a foolish bet. I have a fondness for and connection to academia, but not even I want to read a novel about department politics or falsified data. Who would be so brazen as to publish such a thing? But then I saw the five-star reviews. "Hmm," I thought. Maybe there's something to this. Of course, Fledgling isn't about academic fraud at all. It's a coming-of-age story about Theo, our 14 year old heroine, and how she goes from being an odd-girl-out as a potential academic, to a fearsomely talented pilot-candidate. The falsified data is just an excuse to drive the plot, to get Theo to the places she needs to be to find the place where she belongs. And like all good coming of age stories, we feel Theo's lows, mortified that she's seen as physically impaired and driving her Team score down, 'misunderstood' by her parents, obligated to go places she doesn't want to go, as well as her highs when she has the moments of joy, moments where she becomes sure of her skills and talents. I also enjoyed Theo's interaction with her cats, her use of lace-making to create patterns and resolve puzzles for herself, her dancing, and how she sees the world in terms of math and patterns. I loved the way that a dance step on one world was martial art on another, just as we see in disciplines like capoeira. I find myself soothed by housefather Jen Sar Kiladi's deliberate, relaxed manner. This is my first introduction to the Liaden Universe of Lee and Martin, and I quite enjoyed it. The authors drop you right in to the story, and though I had to read carefully at first to take in all the new vocabulary and culture and set the scene for the scholarly world of Delgado, it was very effective to pull and keep my interest. Indeed, I enjoyed it so much that I started reading it a second time while I waited on the arrival of more Liaden novels. There's nothing particularly profound about this story - perhaps it should rate only 4 1/2 stars - but it is masterfully written and a rollicking good read. I certainly cannot recall the last time I was compelled to immediately reread any novel. Alas, I am desolate to report that I will now be obligated to acquire the rest of the series.

This book has a charming history of its own, which I won't repeat here, since it's already been described in several other reviews, but what really matters is not how the book came to exist, but whether it's worth reading. The answer here is an unequivocal YES!!!!! Theo Waitley appears at the very end of I Dare (Liaden Universe Novel Series), which is the most recent book in the main storyline of the Liaden universe. Clearly, if the main storyline is ever taken forward, she will be involved in it somehow. This book, while not in that main storyline, fills out her background, and starts her on the trajectory that will have her hurtling into the last chapter of I Dare. Unlike other stand-alone Liaden works, such as Balance of Trade (A Liaden Universe Novel), this one is clearly headed back to the main story. This heightens the pleasure for those who have already read those main books, and makes it a good entry point for people new to this universe. In some ways, this is a very good introduction to the whole Liaden universe. It starts to answer the questions long-time fans have about what Theo's father has been doing all this time, and it works well as both an academic intrigue novel and a coming-of-age story. What's more, it's written in such a way that it could easily be the first Liaden novel someone read, without being at all confusing. One of the rich aspects of this universe is the variety of cultures that have developed on various planets (and in other locales as well). Theo lives in one, obviously, on the academic world of Delgado, and she encounters at least two more in the course of this story. All are developed in a way that makes them comprehensible to the reader without slogging the story down in exposition. Mostly, this book is just a rollicking good story, told well, with an engaging main character and intriguing secondary characters. It's set in a series of interesting cultural contexts, and (for those who have tasted the pleasures of Liaden before), it's clearly a step on the way back to some well-loved characters and their as-yet-unfinished stories. I was especially struck by some of the deft writing in this book. There are three main veiwpoint characters (and at least one other). Two of them know something that would spoil the story if the reader knew it too early. The authors manage to juggle the viewpoints in such a way that this "secret" is neither heavily hidden nor prematurely revealed, and none of it feels heavy-handed. This is just one example of how well the authors handle the technical issues of the plot, so that they don't get in the way of the story. I'm a sucker for a good coming-of-age story that avoids cliches, I love academic stories, I wallow happily in science fiction (especially the intelligent kind), and I especially like science fiction that explores culture without making the story somehow secondary to the setting. This book is all these things and more. I have nothing else to say other than "Go! Read it

I purchased the electronic Advance Readers' Copy from Baen Books. And it was money well spent. I expect that I'll be purchasing more than one hardcover of Fledgling for gift giving this year. Although this was written as a straight science fiction novel, it works extremely well as a young adult novel. Theo has been raised as the daughter of two scholars in a university setting. Her schoolmates are the children of academics, and it is generally expected that most, if not all, of the youngsters will also become scholars. Sounds idyllic, right? Well, no. The academic life isn't all sweetness and light. Worse, Theo doesn't quite fit in. Just how much and why she doesn't fit in is revealed over the course of the book. But this is not just a story of teen angst. Instead, it's a voyage of discovery, as Theo takes her first steps in learning where she does fit in, and who her companions of choice are. This story fits in very well with Lee and Miller's Liaden universe, but it is also a delightful YA Science Fiction novel. Although there are fantasy and horror books galore for young adults, it's very hard to find science fiction with engaging, smart protagonists with believable problems and straightforward, elegant writing. This fits all the bills. We know of several youngsters who would very much enjoy these books. One warning for parents - not only is Theo a protagonist and viewpoint character, but so are her parents. Some of the wonderful complexity of this book involves the care and concern that each of them has for the others. Very highly recommended. But purchase two copies, because once you start reading it, you might not want to give it away.

Once upon a time, there were a pair of distinguished science fiction writers whose publisher folded leaving them owed a whole bunchaton of money. They were distressed, but being creative types, Sharon Lee and her husband and writing partner Steve Miller got out the begging bowl. What they did was to set up a website and post a chapter a week of a new Liaden Universe novel, as long as they received enough contributions to meet their threshhold. The book, now called Fledgling, was wildly successful, the begging bowl filled to overflowing, and Baen Books was delighted to publish it...and now YOU can read it. This is not the book that was posted. Miller and Lee have edited the posted rough draft into a polished, tightly edited, extremely wonderful book about a young woman's coming of age in a difficult situation she does not understand. She does not know that the "Delm of Korval" her father, Jen Sar Kiladi, has told her solves all the problems in the galaxy is, in fact her father...or was, before he left Clan Korval to solve and balance his wife's murder. She does not know that Korval has for hundreds of years bred themselves to be pilots of speed, balance, brilliance and integrity. She does not know that sometimes members of Clan Korval are gawky, awkward, and graceless during their adolescence...because Jen Sar has tried to protect her and hasn't told her who she is. WE know who Jen Sar Kiladi is, because Theo Woodley appears at the very end of the novel "I Dare" which is the last of the mainline Liaden Universe novels to be released. "Fledgling" fills in Theo's story and explains a lot about what Jen Sar Kiladi, aka Daav yos'Phelium, has been doing in all the years since his abrupt disappearance from Liad, and his relinquishment of the Delm's Ring. "Fledgling" can be read as a stand-alone novel, or as part of the Liaden Universe series. It is suitable for young readers, but adults will enjoy the deft plotting and witty writing style. I recommend it highly. Walt Boyes Associate Editor Jim Baen's Universe magazine