Agent of Change

Liaden Universe Agent of Change, Book 1

By: Sharon Lee, Steve Miller

Narrated by: Andy Caploe

Length: 11 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

Fleeing the scene of his latest mission, Val Con yos'Phelium finds himself saving the life of ex-mercenary Miri Robertson, a young Tarren on the run from interplanetary assassins. Thrown together by circumstances, Val Con and Miri struggle to elude their enemies and stay alive without slaying each other - or surrendering to the unexpected passion that flares between them.

©1988 Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Wonderful narration and story

So, I read most of the reviews and there was one review in particular that said Andy did a bad job voicing Miri which gave me pause. Really people should not be allowed to upvote (helpful) UNLESS they've actually read or listened to the story. The narration was just WONDERFUL. Andy's voice was soothing and his characters are distinct and came to life so wonderfully. I will happily buy all the Liaden books he narrated.

If you are just starting out in the series, definitely one of the best series I enjoy and I highly recommend it. The characters are all wonderful and the stories are highly entertaining! I started with Local Custom but starting from actual book 1 is not a bad idea at all.

Really Enjoyed Everything About This Book!

Can't wait to listen to another in the series. Fun story that was hard to put down.

The Liaden Universe pulls me back in!

4/5; 4 stars; A-

This is a review of the audiobook.

It has been a few years since I read this book so I really enjoyed revisiting the story. I found the narrator, Andy Caploe, a very solid choice for this story because the range of voices, from mobsters to aliens, was huge. It took me a while to get used to his interpretation of the characters but that is typical when one is not that familiar with a narrator. I recall the same thing happening when I listened to I Dare last year.

I love the Clutch turtles and I thought Caploe did a great job with the voices of the various members of the clan. In listening to the story, I heard things I don't recall from my first reading the book either so that was a bonus. For example, my mental picture of Val Con and Miri was much clearer and the nuances of their relationship were also clearer. I am looking forward to listening to the rest of this subset of books in the Liaden Universe.

Very slow at times

It was very slow in parts. Hard to keep engaged. Good if you are trying to go to sleep while listening.

3.5 Stars Overall for poor narration.

3.5 Stars Overall for poor narration. Very slow reading speed, and Definitely Not my favorite narrator.

but Those Eyes

What disappointed you about Agent of Change?

Both characters are so amazingly resourceful and so damn brilliant at what they do, that there's no external conflict. No real 'change' in their personalities up until the end when they realized that "Surprise, we actually love each other!"

What could Sharon Lee and Steve Miller have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

It all feels very flat, like an one-dimensional facsimile of the Vorkosigan series. Maybe if the authors read up on Pride and Prejudice to grok some idea of how to bring two differing minds together. Without having to shove the characters in an MDMA powered ship.

Would you be willing to try another one of Andy Caploe’s performances?

A lot of the characters felt like cartoon characters, charming as the turtles are, it doesn't make up for the fact that Miri has to sound like a girl from Jersey to be tough.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

There were tons of interesting ideas floating around the world.

But many of those great ideas don't have any lead-in, and most of them were never followed up on, or explored with any amount of detail.

Any additional comments?

Nearly spat my coffee when chapter twenty-two rolled around and by the by, he also has telekinesis. Must be those perfect green eyes of his. So perfect, that I need to be reminded of their perfection throughout the book.

More Romance than Sci-Fi

I should have known from the image that Agent of Change would read more like a romance novel than sci-fi. If I have to hear another time about his haunting green eyes or aching beauty I'll slit my wrists. If that's your thing you may like this book, but if I'd known there was a ship whose drive was an aphrodisiac and there'd be lines like the following, I wouldn't have purchased the book: "His SHIrt caressed CHEst and AAARMS with EVery MOOOVE as he deLIGHTedly slid his PAlms down LEATHered THighs."

I have to agree with others on the narration problems. Looking at some other random samples of Andy Caploe's narration seem to have the same problem. He puts strange pauses in the reading and emphasizes unusual words or syllables making it seem melodramatic, almost like a caricature of Captain Kirk but more annoying. Listen to the free excerpt and sample to see if it annoys you. "The MAN who was NOT Terrence oGRAdy". I hadn't really noticed it in the sample and it didn't bother me much at first, but after hours of listening it annoyed me to no end. I could see using it as a way to distinguish characters through their dialogue, but it doesn't belong in the narration. Most of the characters are okay, but I thought Miri and Watcher's voices were poor fits. I'll not be getting another book read by him if I can help it, but maybe it won't bother you as much.

Finally I'd like to note a similarity to Twilight. I hadn't noticed in Twilight until it was pointed out, but it probably isn't good to have tweens reading romantic fiction glorifying an abusive relationship. Like Twilight, Agent of Change has a female protagonist falling for a dangerous man-child whose nature it is to kill and whose every instinct tells them to kill her, but she is able to change him into a more sensitive, caring person through her love and by sticking by him even though it puts her in danger. I've seen this mentality where it isn't really the abuser's fault and they're sorry but they just can't help themselves and it isn't right and shouldn't be idealized.

As for the story, I'd give the plot a three but the writing a one so I averaged to a two.

Annoying Narrator

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

A better narrator. The story and dialogue also seems a little dated.

Would you recommend Agent of Change to your friends? Why or why not?

No. The narrator emphasized the dialogue all wrong and made the heroine sound like a whiny teenager rather than a strong woman.

Would you be willing to try another one of Andy Caploe’s performances?

NO! This may be a good book, but the narrator is so annoying I couldn't listen to it.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

It revolved around a strong heroine, she can fight and take care of herself. If she were written better (she spends too much time fuming, whining and talking to herself) and the narrator were better, this could be a good book.

I lost interest - very poor story

What would have made Agent of Change better?

Very little. The story was very fragmented and needed a better story. The characters were poor and did not appear to have any relevance.

Would you ever listen to anything by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller again?

No

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Andy Caploe?

Not Andy's fault

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Not really

Any additional comments?

Waste of money. Only listened to first part