2021 reread: I am loving this series all over again in preparation for reading the latest entry.
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Great follow-up to Carpe Diem and a big surprise in the final paragraph makes me eager for the next one! ( )

A familiar old friend. The third/fourth book in the series depending where you think the beginning is. I love the Liaden universe. This is great space opera with a strong romance. Things are heating up and the rest of Korval is getting involved in the machinations of the Department of the Interior. I reread this nearly every year. If you like sci fi or sci fi romance you should read this series. ( )

Lee, Sharon, and Steve Miller. Plan B. Liaden Universe No.11. Ace, 2003.
Plan B comes in the middle of the Liaden chronology, but it was published before many of the others were written. The authors say the book was written after a long hiatus in their work. Frankly, I don’t think they were back in form when they wrote this one. I suspect they were working from old notes for stories they may have planned years before. The plot is a mess. I kept losing track of the story arc. Characters popped in and out of our attention, their place in things never quite registering. The dialogue, always pointedly formal in Liaden world, seemed stodgy self-parody. The usual series tropes were there, but the story never pulled them together. Two stars, because Lee and Miller didn’t bring their A-game. ( )

Miri and Val Con have gotten off Vandar, but they're not home free. In fact, the Department of the Interior has declared war on Clan Korval. First Speaker Nova yos'Galen invokes Plan B, which I will simply say puts the entire clan on a war footing, while leaving the details for the reader to discover.

Meanwhile, Miri and Val Con make their way to Lytaxin, home of Clan Erob, Clan Korval's oldest allies--and the Liaden kin of Miri's that she barely believes in, and whom she assumes will reject her out of hand even if they are kin.

The lurking X factor is that the Yxtrang have launched an invasion of Lytaxin.

This is a fast-paced and entertaining story. This isn't the ideal place to start the series, but I think there's enough background included to reasonably follow what's going on.

And the character of Beautiful is an unexpected delight.

Recommended.

I bought this book. ( )

2021 reread: I am loving this series all over again in preparation for reading the latest entry.
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Great follow-up to Carpe Diem and a big surprise in the final paragraph makes me eager for the next one! ( )