I've finally read all of the Sharon Lee-Steve Miller Liaden Universe stories. They write very good space opera with a lot of sociology and interpersonal relations. The books totally suck me in and don’t spit me out until I’ve finished, and they stand up to rereading.
I first learned of them from you, and probably most of you know all this, but I thought a summary might be useful. Lee and Miller have been unlucky in their publishers, and their novels are harder to get hold of than many books of lesser quality. It took some work to get one or two of these.
The basic series is 5 books, which should be read in order, and before the others:
Conflict of Honors
Agent of Change
Carpe Diem
Plan B
I Dare
The first 3 are now available as an omnibus, Partners in Necessity.
Two more, Crystal Soldier and Crystal Dragon, deal with the past history of this universe, when Cantra and Jela, ancestors of the clan, saved a large number of people from a decrystallizing universe. They are quite good, although Crystal Dragon has a lot of tiresome stuff about the origins of wizards.
Balance of Trade, very good, deals with an intermediate part of the history.
Local Custom is the least of them. It tells of the romance between Er Thom Yos Galan and Anne Davis, parents of Shan.
Scout's Progress is about the meeting of Aelliana Caylon and Daav Yos Phelium, parents of Val Con, the major figure.
Fledgling tells something of what Daav did when he disappeared to achieve Balance, and is mostly the story of Theo Waitly, who appears on the last page of I Dare.
The continuation of her story, Saltation, is due soon.