#5 from Baen in the award-winning Liaden Universe® saga. Space ships, action, adventure—all tied together with a strong dollop of romance and intrigue.
First Class courier pilot Theo Waitley was already known as a nexus of violence—and then she inherited the precarious captaincy of a mysterious self-aware ship. Now she has a trade route to run for Clan Korval while she convinces the near mythic ghost ship Bechimo—and herself—that she wants to commit herself as the human side to their immensely powerful symbiosis. While her former lover battles a nano-virus that’s eating him alive, Theo is challenged to rescue hundreds of stranded pilots and crewmen from an explosive situation in near orbit around a suddenly hostile planet. Lovers, enemies, an ex-roomie, and a jealous spaceship are all in peril as Theo wields power that no one in the universe is sure of, especially her.
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Product ReviewSo I bought the eARC copy, couldn't help it. And then I bought the regular release, couldn't help that either. I just skimmed the regular looking for differences and saw none. Read the ARC 3 times already:
There are some things afoot as Clonak would say. This story line is getting even better. Korval on Sure bleak is involved too. The action is centered on Bechimo and Theo of course, both a couple of hotheads. Really good. Kamele, Daav, and Aelliana are heading somewhere in this plot. Real interested to see where. Daav was severely injured in Ghost ship, and the tree gave him two seedpods and he is in the care of Uncle. Hints of Uncle having dramliza skills or great intuition? The universe has drawn it's attention to Kamele, the poor woman. She dealt with the dragon and little did she know.
The big surprise? The character showing up at the end. Another future member of the crew? And Win Ton is in for some hard times I'm afraid. Yes this will be good. For Korval fans, there are several short stories (chapbooks) coming out in e-format now that really open up these characters even more. I think they are thought experiments used for writing the main storyline. Recent ones on Jeeves and Daav are really good.
I really liked this one. It is different because the story is just so big. This universe has a subtle depth I really enjoy.Posted on
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Product ReviewTake a ride on the Dragon Ship!
Personally, I loved this book. I really enjoy the mixture of space opera, romance, coming-of-age, social twists, and just plain good characters mixed with action and a healthy dash of science fiction that is the trademark of the Liaden Universe (r) and Lee and Miller. This particular book, for those who may be trying to figure out where it fits, continues the story of Theo Waitley, coming directly after Ghost Ship.
But I think you can read Dragon Ship as your first book in the Liaden Universe (r). You will find plenty of things to wonder about, and you're welcome to dive into the rest of the Liaden Universe (r) books and short stories to try to scratch that curiosity itch. Fair warning, even after reading all the others, you're going to still have things to wonder about. One of the charms of this universe is that everything doesn't get resolved and wrapped up, much like the real world.
So what's this book about? I think the first chapter lays it out metaphorically. Theo calls it ship wipe, Clarence calls it stinks, but no matter what you call it, Theo and her co-pilot Clarence are off on a shakedown cruise in the good ship Bechimo, who just happens to be a sentient AI. Along the way, they'll learn a bit about each other and about what the big, wide universe holds in store for them. Arguments, encounters, and adventures galore! This book is about Theo and Bechimo's first cruise together.
One thing that may surprise some readers is that the story of the shakedown cruise reaches its climax in chapter 39. But the book has chapters 40, 41, and an epilogue. What's going on? Well, chapter 40 is a little bit of cleanup after the climax, just rounding off the tale.
Chapter 41 -- I think of this as similar to a movie trailer, letting us know that there's something else happening that we'll find out more about later. The epilogue, also, gives us a peek at Kamele, Theo's mother. Throughout the book, there are a glimpses of events and characters elsewhere, like glimpses through the windows of trains running on parallel tracks, just to let us know that there are other things going on in the Liaden Universe (r). Don't worry, we'll probably get those stories in short stories or other novels. But right now, they're like spice added to the main tale about Theo and her cruise.
If you've never read a Liaden Universe (r) book, I think you'll enjoy this one. Admittedly, there's background that you will wonder about, and characters that you will wish you knew more about. But you can go back and read more later. And if you have read the other books, well, you know you want to read this one. No, it doesn't resolve everything, but then, did you really think one book could tie it all up? It's a good solid step in the growth of Theo Waitley and Bechimo.
So, who should buy it? Anyone who enjoys space opera with strong characters learning how to get along with each other and the worlds they encounter. Are there any warnings? Well, don't expect that the story and the characters are completely self-contained in this book -- you are probably going to want to read at least Ghost Ship, and probably others leading up to this book, and then you are going to have to wait a while to find out what happens next. There's a good, enjoyable story in this book, but... it isn't over yet.
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Product ReviewThis is probably my least favorite of the entire series. It follows multiple story arcs and it doesn't seem any of them are fleshed out completely.
Compared to other books in the Liaden universe, it seems as if this book was underwritten.Posted on
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Product ReviewI can't wait for the next book!
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Product ReviewTheo's finally in charge of her own ship - sort of - and is using her piloting skills to learn how to be a better trader. While running the loop which Shan designed for her in Ghost Ship, she encounters some interesting ladies - who might well be related to Moonhawk, and norbears!! amongst other interesting challenges.
Note that if you haven't already, you might want to check out Kara's (short) story, Landed Alien, which appeared on the Baen front page in August 2012, before you read Dragon Ship. It's not a requirement, but it fills in some back story nicely.Posted on
