Pilots' Choice
Meisha Merlin is pleased to present two never-before-published Liaden Universe™ novels, Local Custom and Scout's Progress, in one omnibus edition entitled Pilots' Choice. Pilots' Choice deals with the shifting necessities of honor and morality in the clash of cultures caused by an expanding galactic trade system. In the first novel, Local Custom, we view the difficulties caused by the obvious problems of language and custom as Terrans and Liadens intermingle.In the second novel, Scout's Progress, we see how the forces of interstellar trade cause conflicts even within the apparently monolithic and superior culture of Liad, as a greater culture, galactic in nature, is hinted at by the Scouts, pilots, and traders who inhabit the fringes of Liad's polite society. In both novels, it is the importance of individuals and their insistence on behaving with honor, rather than bowing to overwhelming social force, that drives the story.In Local Custom, Master Trader Er Thom yos'Galen, of Liad's de facto ruling house, Clan Korval, is facing an arranged marriage. The Liaden Code of Proper Conduct requires him—and every Liaden—to provide a ‘child of the body' to the Clan, something the otherwise obedient pilot has been avoiding despite Korval's precariously dwindling population. As his contract marriage approaches, the serious-minded trader finds himself longing for a lover he hasn't seen (or heard from!) for years.His former lover is no ordinary woman, but Terran professor of linguistics Anne Davis. She teaches on the planet University, and her radical theories bring her to the attention of the Liaden Council of Clans, where Korval's enemies openly plot against her—and against Korval itself. Challenged and supported by his foster brother, Er Thom must not only surmount Liad's rigid social strictures, but overcome the plots of Korval's enemies—and his lover's stubborn heart.In Scout's Progress, Daav yos'Phelium, Delm Korval, the planet's most powerful individual, must marry to provide his Clan with a child. Although he is arguably the most eligible bachelor in Liaden space, he is hardly the most willing, having long been the target of marriage-minded females and their power-seeking mothers, fathers, aunts, and uncles.As his House is a political and economic power among the High Houses, Daav, a former Scout Captain, is a force among pilots. He is much more likely to be found in a spaceport piloting dive than mingling with society at the parties of the rich. One such dive is Binjali Spaceship Repair Shop in Solcintra Mid-Port; it's a base away from home to a shifting population of Scouts, pilots, and various ‘wounded kittens.' There, Daav is known only by his first name, and he relies on his reputation as a pilot extraordinaire rather than on Korval's power. Retreating to Binjali's to come to terms with his decision to contract-wed, Daav comes face to face with the knottiest problem of his career, and if he doesn't find the correct solution, he may lose his fortune entire as well as his future.
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Pilots' Choice
614 págs.
Nov 10, 2004
Pilot's Choice
605 págs.
Feb 12, 2000
Parte de una saga
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