Necessity's Child

Liaden Universe: Arc of the Covenants, Book 1

De: Sharon Lee, Steve Miller

Narrado por: Eileen Stevens

Space ships, action, adventure - all tied together with a strong dollop of romance and clan intrigue - make this a compelling series for a wide range of listeners, from romance to military Science Fiction lovers.

The kompani see none as an enemy, and yet few as friend. The kompani exist in many places, living quietly in the shadows, thriving off the bounty that others have no wit to secure, nor skill to defend. Their private history is unwritten; their recall rooted in dance and dream. The Clan Korval is in many ways the opposite of the kompani. The interstellar trading clan is wealthy in enemies, and fortunate in friends. Korval protects itself with vigor, and teaches even its youngest children the art of war.

And when representatives of Clan Korval arrive on the planet Surebleak where the kompani has lived, secret and aloof, the lives of three people intersect - Kezzi, apprentice to the kompani's grandmother; Syl Vor, Clan Korval's youngest warrior; and Rys, a man without a world, or a past.

Necessity's Child is a standalone adventure in the popular and exciting Liaden Universe.

©2013 Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Schoolyard Thugs, Gypsies, Dragons, & Spies

Space Opera, set on Planet Surebleak. Much MUCH richer as part of the Liaden Series, but comprehensible as a stand alone. One of my favorites in the series, even though the chief protagonists are only about 12 years old. These two kids outwit school-yard bullies and deadly Agents of Change. No magical dramliza to save the day (which gets boring). Instead, Nova's fierce and honorable son Syl Vor (aka "Young Dragon") must duke it out.

He's a fabulous character, a little lonely, at times bored, and striving to overcome his recent nightmare experiences on Runig's Rock, when he was hiding from merciless killers while protecting newborn twins. He's smart, stubbornly tenacious, sweet, and sometimes still adorably child-like.

Is the plot improbable? Yes, but not nearly as fantastical as most books in the series.

Secondary characters from the series include Ren Zel, Anthora, Tree, Pat Rin, Miri, Val Con, Daav, Shan, Padi, and Mr. Shaper, the neighbor. Nova plays a big role, but the others get only bit parts.

We see plenty of Syl Vor, the tween-ager, and his new friend Kezzi, a delightful girl of the romany-like Bedel People. She is training to be a healer and seer. Together, they confound bullies and killer-spies.

The scenes showing how Syl Vor and Kezzi became "friends" are a hoot!

Content: One sex scene involving M/F adults, some violence, death. No profanity.

The narration is decent.

A great story but confusing format.

4/5; 4 stars; A-

This is the review of the audio version.
I gave 5 stars to the book format. Why? Well, I have to say the way that Lee and Miller write can sometimes be confusing, especially on audio. They often have long, long chapters with lots of 'scene breaks' throughout. In the audio version of this book, its easy to get lost. As I listened I found myself thinking, more than once, that I was glad I had already read the book. I don't know if the narrator could have done a better job or not. I liked Eileen Stevens narration overall.

I LOVED this story, don't get me wrong. Here is my review of the actual story.

4.5/5; 5 stars; A

The concepts and characters introduced in this book open up a whole new range of intriguing possibilities for future Liaden Universe stories. I thought the idea of the Bedel people living on Surebleak as a separate society was brilliant. What better place to find dramliza than in a group of 'gypsy' type people, imbued with various gifts such as the sight and far seeing. I liked the variety of characters in the Bedel clan.

I thought that Syl Vor yos'Galan stole the show in this book. He was such a great character. (When I recently re-read Crystal Dragon I saw that Syl Vor is a a yos'Galan family name from way back. Tor An yos'Galan thinks about his grandfather Syl Vor living in his bedroom at the clanhome which was ultimately destroyed by the sheriekas) Although the story takes place after the Korval clan has been kicked off Liad, a person could read this book without having read any of the previous books and still feel satisfied. Reading the short story "Hidden Resources" would give a bit of backstory on where the clan's children were situated before they got settled on Surebleak. In the course of Necessity's Child, there is mention of the strain of the situation on Syl Vor and the dark time before which seemed to make him so somber. (Hidden Resources can be found in the chapbook 'Halfing Moon', available from Smashwords and other ebook sellers).

Another character I really liked was Rhys. His virtual re-birth in the Bedel clan was bitter sweet.

This book didn't really move the overall Korval/DOI battle forward, some of that is going on in other books thats run concurrently, but I thought it enriched the picture of the world being created on Surebleak and set the stage for interesting future developments.

I love this series. I really do.

Korval continues

Love this series and universe. The characters are well drawn out as is the story.
The narrative performance is excellent as usual with this performer.

Story suffers from poor performance

Followers of the Liaden Universe series will be thrilled to have a new installment, but the performance is a real disappointment. Readers may decide they would rather read the print version.

Awesome as usuall!

Where does Necessity's Child rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book rates in the top ten I have listened to.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Necessity's Child?

To share that would be a spoiler because there were several that really stood out!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed for hours.