Trader's Leap

Liaden Universe: Arc of the Covenants, Book 6

By: Sharon Lee, Steve Miller

Narrated by: Eileen Stevens

Length: 15 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's Summary

New entry in the landmark Liaden Universe® series

The only bridge between past and future is a leap of faith.

Pursued by enemies, exiled Liaden clan Korval is settling into a new base on backworld Surebleak. Moving is expensive, as is war, and Korval is strapped for cash. Delm Korval has therefore instructed Master Trader Shan yos'Galan to design and implement new trade routes, quickly.

But this is no easy task. Dutiful Passage is targeted by Korval's enemies, denied docking at respectable ports, and cheated by those less respectable. Struggling to recuperate from an attack on his life, while managing daughter Padi’s emerging psychic talents, Shan is running out of options - and time. His quest to establish the all-important trade route puts him at odds with his lifemate, while doubting crew desert the ship. Facing the prospect of failure, Shan accepts the assistance of chancy allies and turns the Passage toward a port only just emerging from Rostov's Dust and awash with strange energies.

Without trade, Clan Korval will starve. Will a trader's leap of faith save everything - or doom all?

About the Liaden Universe® series:

"I have every Liaden Universe novel ever written on my bookshelf. You should, too." (David Weber)

“Every now and then you come across an author, or in this case, a pair, who write exactly what you want to read, the characters and personalities that make you enjoy meeting them.... I rarely rave on and on about stories, but I am devoted to Lee and Miller novels and stories.” (Anne McCaffrey)

“These authors consistently deliver stories with a rich, textured setting, intricate plotting, and vivid, interesting characters from fully-realized cultures, both human and alien, and each book gets better.” (Elizabeth Moon)

“[D]elightful stories of adventure and romance set in a far future...space opera milieu. It’s all a rather heady mix of Gordon R. Dickson, the Forsythe Saga, and Victoria Holt, with Lee and Miller’s own unique touches making it all sparkle and sizzle. Anyone whose taste runs toward SF in the true romantic tradition can’t help but like the Liaden Universe.” (Analog)

Maine-based writers Sharon Lee and Steve Miller teamed up in the late 1980s to bring the world the story of Kinzel, an inept wizard with a love of cats, a thirst for justice, and a staff of true power. Since then, the husband and wife have written dozens of short stories and 20-plus novels, most set in their star-spanning Liaden Universe®. Before settling down to the serene and stable life of a science fiction and fantasy writer, Steve was a traveling poet, rock-band reviewer, reporter, and editor of a string of community newspapers. Sharon, less adventurous, has been an advertising copywriter, copy editor on night-side news at a small city newspaper, reporter, photographer, and book reviewer. Both credit their newspaper experiences with teaching them the finer points of collaboration. Sharon and Steve passionately believe that reading fiction ought to be fun, and that stories are entertainment. They maintain a web presence at korval.com.

©2020 Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (P)2021 Audible, Inc.

Lost the plot

I have most if not all the other Liaiden Universe novels, and have loved them. I was so excited to see this new novel, but it did not live up to my expectation. The story line was thin, the bulk of the volume taken up with the writers wandering off into complex explanations and developments. It made me feel like my brain was too old to cope with the new ideas. Maybe it is, but I did not find the story satisfying at all, and felt I needed to wade through to the end in the hope of finding the story. Lots of artificial devices to bring all the other novels together and finish things up, but none of the magic of the other novels. Very disappointing.

I don’t understand the negative reviews

In my humble opinion, if you’re this far into the series, I guess I can’t understand where the negative reviews are coming from. It’s not as if any of the material was a huge detour from past books, and while I hope there will be many more books to come, if this is, in fact, the end, it’s not a terrible stopping point (although it seems to me there is still much available to savor in character & storylines, if the authors are willing to keep on keeping on). I for one, send a gigantic thank you to Sharon Lee & Steve Miller for their wonderful books, as well as the many talented narrators associated with Korval. Cheers~

Finaly

I have been waiting for several years for audible to add more to this series. Please continue.

Decent story, weak narration

Story went in some interesting directions. Shan finally gets a break. Light at end of tunnel for beleaguered Tree and Dragon. Narrator handles female voices well enough, but really ruins it for the guys. The men all sound old, dispassionate, half-asleep. I couldn’t tolerate their tired-out creaky voices.