All righty, then! Settle your thinking caps and riddle me this:
What are the five main Liaden Universe® story threads? Please show your work.
All righty, then! Settle your thinking caps and riddle me this:
What are the five main Liaden Universe® story threads? Please show your work.
Shawn and Priscilla – Partners in Necessity
Miri and ValCon – Agent of Change
Jella and Cantra = Crystal Soldier; Crystal Dragon
Theo Waitley = Fledgling; Saltation; Ghost Ship….
Jethri = Balance of Trade
But I count PatRin and the story line on Sure Bleak as separate until I Dare
face, family, far-travelling, fortitude, freedom
1. the curse and blessing and responsibility of being ‘gifted’
2. Family systems (Systems Theory, in general), loyalty
3. the creation/growing of one’s ‘self’, the making of a person
4. cultures & prejudice (“power” vs. “authority” seems to be a subtopic, here)
5. spirituality
1. Taxis, Rugs, and Handwiches! (okay, more recurring motifs than story threads)
2. Alternate/non-traditional organization of Family
2a. Romance within non-traditional organizations.
3. Becoming/Being a person of worth.
4. Advertency.
5. Handling the clash of culture in non-xenophobic ways.
e.g. Balance of Trade; Jethri (whose trading specialty is textiles) is thrown off his family ship by his captain-mother for whom he has no worth, but through his advertency, shows his worth to Norn, who happens to be looking for a way to handling the clash of Terran, and Lliaden culture as it applies to economic trade, who subsequently adopts him to protect him in another cultural clash. No romance just yet for Jethri, but the foundation is set for one with Miandra Maarilex when they meet again.
1. Recurring threat from the energy beings hostile to humanity… see recent increased leakage between universes
2. Recurring threat from human minions of the energy beings who search for and use “before tech” for their own power (DOI). Countering influence of Uncle/Theo/Bechimo in benign use of “before” and “old tech.”
3. Long term influence of Korval’s tree, working though Korval and others in support of humanity against these threats. Does gene selection through influencing inter-personal relationships… pilot & dramliza talents
4. Korval’s long term commitment to leadership and protection of both Liaden and Terran societies
5. Continuing cultural clash between Liaden and Terran societies and its influence on interstellar trade development and prospects for peaceful commerce
I agree with Michael, with some elaboration. Below, I list six story threads that may be slowly coming together, in order to fight the good fight against threats from the Dept of the Interior, and directly and/ or indirectly from the Shereikas / Iloheen, whose influence is embedded in the “Befores” tech the DOI uses. In addition, the Iloheen might start leaking through Teapot Space.
1) Ssussdriads: Tree and all its descendants, being available from all corners of the galaxy, in stasis boxes on Korval ships, and planted in a few locations. Perhaps this multi-planet array will allow the Ssussdriads greater power to defeat the Shereikas and the DoI.
2) Technology: The protagonists making good use of Befores and AI. This includes Jeeves, Bechimo / Joyita, and quite possibly Spiral Dance. It also includes Theo, Uncle, Dulsey, and the Builders.
3) Human Collaboration: Increasing numbers of Yxtrang, joining forces to serve Jela and line yos’Phelium (increasing the troop size via recruitment or birth, or perhaps cloning, since Cantra was given Jela’s gene map). This thread includes the gradual unification of all species, Liaden, Terran, and Yxtrang, united via scholarship (geneticists and historians) and via necessity, to fight the common enemy.
4) Wizards: This thread includes the dramliz-driven power of strong lifemates: Val Con and Miri, Shan and Priscilla, and Daav and Alleana. I see something coming for Daav and Aelleana especially, given their current condition, which allows great potential for those two lifemates. Alliana, with her math skills, might even be as pivotal as Liad dea’Syl. Perhaps Pat Rin and Natesa, also, but they have not manifested anything unusual, together, even though Pat Rin has an improbable gambler’s luck. There is also potential for Anthora and Ren Zel to have a baby of great power. One book says Anthora is among the three strongest dramliz. Who are the other two? Probably Shan and Priscilla, but does the DOI have a dramliz? After all, that disgusting dominant dramliza wanted to take over the world, in Crystal Dragon. Did she live? Is she a threat? We don’t yet know who conceived the DoI, unless it is simply some Liaden bigots made more racist by the influence of malicious Befores.
5) Treasures (children): Possibly a thread involves the future exploits of Syl Vor and Kezzi and the valiant young red-headed girl at Clan Erob, and also Quinn and Padi. Some day, baby Talizia might be a powerful dramliza, since she is a descendant of Rool Tiazan’s line and line yos’Phelium (which infrequently mates with yos’Galan, Anthora’s line).
6) Spiritual Power: Perhaps a thread involves the spirit-driven Bedel people, who can presage events and free enslaved agents of change. The Bedel might be impervious to Shereikas and Shereikas-born technology. Maybe they are related to the “Song Woman” that Jela was thinking about early in Crystal Dragon.
Another story thread are the Clutch Turtles, but somehow, they have felt more like an extension of Val Con than an evolving thread. Still, they are a force to be reckoned, and now that they have met Tree, who knows what might happen.
1. Brain implants: aelantaza, Dead lifemates, the loop,lonely spaceships
2. Men slouched in chairs with ankles crossed
3. Cats
4. The Uncle
5. Kick Ass Women (and Men)