INTRODUCTION
So what’s your game, now?
We’ll hope that you’ve read most of this space opera series before you get to this book, Korval’s Game, because, honestly, a lot has gone before. Not only will some of the words sound odd if you’re just starting, but so will some of the ideas. The two novels here are the culmination of a seven book run, so be understanding if you’ve somehow stumbled here first. Baen has already published The Dragon Variation and The Agent Gambit encompassing the first books of the series—that’s the best way to get your “What has gone before” fix for this book.
Right from the start of the Liaden Universe® series, we, the authors, knew that Clan Korval was up to something. And the reason we knew it was because Korval’s Liaden and galactic contemporaries all knew it, from the heads of clans and secret organizations down to the meanest corner stall market trader waiting for the final consolidated pod to be unloaded from a Korval tradeship’s once a decade visit.
Now, if this happens to be your first visit to our universe, you’ve come in at an exciting time, because Korval—well, Plan B is in effect, and that’s the title of the first book you’ll read here. And right, since Plan B is in Effect means that the Clan had already been doing something now they’re doing something else, or maybe something more.
Korval was a player wherever they showed up, and often where they didn’t, and if no one was quite sure what their game was, exactly, there was no doubt that they knew what they were about. So thought their enemies and their friends, and so of course did society at large.
At the start of Plan B there’s much doubt about the future of Clan Korval, though, from within the Clan. Plan B was always a last ditch thing, and this implementation is far more free form than any of the people in charge like—including the fact that not everyone is sure who is in charge. The grace of allies is good, but when two different enemies send their best at the same time, things can get interesting, indeed.
Sometimes, winning and survival are not the same thing, and winning is paramount. Miri and Val Con, stalwart friends and lovers though they be, have different talents and abilities—and the adventures in this book require them both to permit the other to walk into war alone.
I Dare is a novel where both kinship and the Liaden culture’s understanding of itself are tested, with the internal conflicts of the seven original novels coming into strong focus. Readers find most of their favorite characters at work in this one, sometimes in roles that are unexpected. On top of that, the game is still afoot; with the Council of Clans, the Liaden Scouts, and Terran mercenaries all game pieces in the confrontation with the Korval’s most ardent and secret enemy. And then there’s the problem of what do you do with a Clan that is seen as a threat to a planet, anyway?
In addition to pulling together all the threads form the earlier books I Dare also ends with the promise of more to come, with the introduction of Theo Waitley, a promise already fulfilled with the publication of Theo’s story in Fledgling, Saltation, and the forthcoming Ghost Ship. The Liaden novel Mouse and Dragon is also available from Baen, and it fits into a strategic spot, feeding into and drawing from the mini arc encompassing Local Custom, Scout’s Progress and Mouse and Dragon; some will suggest that Ghost Ship only be read after Mouse and Dragon.
Baen will shortly be releasing one more Liaden Universe® reprint omnibus: The Crystal Variation (including Crystal Soldier, Crystal Dragon, and Balance of Trade). The novels run the gamut from Space Regencies to Space Opera. All are character-driven; all were fun to write and, we hope, fun to read.
If this is your first encounter with a Liaden Universe® book—welcome. We hope you’ll find this a start to a lot of good reading. If you’re an old friend, stopping by for a revisit—we’re very glad to see you.
Thank you.
Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
Waterville Maine
September 2010