Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collections
Publication
Ace (2002), Paperback, 320 pages
Description
Master trader Er Thom knows the local custom of Liaden is to be matched with a proper bride and provide his prominent clan Korval with an heir. Yet his heart is immersed in another universe, influenced by another culture, and lost to a woman not of his wo
User reviews
LibraryThing member Darla
Oh, this is fabulous, wonderful, excellent--somebody get me a thesaurus, would you? Loved it. It says "science fiction" on the spine, and it is s.f, but it's also a damn good romance--better than a lot of books that say "romance" on the spine. No pulled punches, nothing easy for these characters,
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and the premise of a cross-cultural romance is done so incredibly well, as the characters have to become aware of the assumptions they make because of their cultures. Also, it's a little thing, but it made me smile that the heroine is 6 foot tall with brown skin, and the hero, well, it doesn't say how tall he is, but he is shorter, and his skin is gold, IIRC. I'm so tired of heroines who are described as being about 1/4 of the hero's size, and who are glow-in-the-dark pale, so this was just a little extra. Must go find more books by Lee & Miller. Show Less
LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
This book is my least favorite of the Liaden universe. It's a lot better if l think of it as a romance with Liadens. I truly hate misunderstanding tropes, and this one is plain annoying - a Master Trader and a student of Liaden literature can miss each others' incomprehension quite so thoroughly?
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Ugh. But viewed as a romance, it's quite good. Very solid characters, fascinating situation(s), great conclusion. Anne's attitude toward having a child is very Delgadan - is that a common culture among scholars, or on scholar planets? And Er Thom's choice(s) of solutions are a great illustration of Liaden thought. I'm amused to watch as he starts to break the Liaden mold and flower into a Korval... Show Less
LibraryThing member kmartin802
This is one of my favorite science fiction romances. I have read it more times than I can count. Er Thom yos'Galan, Clan Korval, falls in love with linguistics scholar Anne Davis. But the fact that they are from two very different cultures causes a lot of misunderstanding and pain until they work
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through a way to their "happily ever after." I love the language, the melodrama, and the story. Show Less
LibraryThing member reading_fox
Generational prequel. This explains a little bit how the Korval came to have so many half-breed Liaden/Terrans in it. Nothing actually happens in the story at all, other than two people renew their love for each other, but at the same time it remains interesting throughout, and more importantly,
Anne Davis is the featured hero this time around, she is terran, and a professor of linguisitics looking inot the similarity between terran, liaden and yxtrang languages. For a while she had a liad lover Er Thom Yosgalen, and decided to hvae his child, whom she named Shan. Er Thom learns of this and asks Anne to return to Liad so that the clan may know of a new Yosgalen. This already tells you all you need ot know of the plot, and indeed all the action of the story.
The characters sparkle, the dialog is clever, with the honourbound inflections of Liad carefully marked in contrast to the terran casualness. The carefuly balancing and different interpretations of meaning well worked through, with one exception - at a cruical moment Er Thom suddenly decides to re-interprt what he thought he'd said as how Anne might have heard it. This needed a great deal more build-up because it reads like it was just a thought that crossed his mind, wheras it is a profoundly important change in direction.
Very enjoyable. However it is a bit bizarre that Baen would bundle this in with the first four published works int he series as it otherwise doesn't fit in particularly well. It does work well as a starting point to the series, even if very little happens, but I don't yet know what the sensible continuation would be.
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explain much of the background to the series.Anne Davis is the featured hero this time around, she is terran, and a professor of linguisitics looking inot the similarity between terran, liaden and yxtrang languages. For a while she had a liad lover Er Thom Yosgalen, and decided to hvae his child, whom she named Shan. Er Thom learns of this and asks Anne to return to Liad so that the clan may know of a new Yosgalen. This already tells you all you need ot know of the plot, and indeed all the action of the story.
The characters sparkle, the dialog is clever, with the honourbound inflections of Liad carefully marked in contrast to the terran casualness. The carefuly balancing and different interpretations of meaning well worked through, with one exception - at a cruical moment Er Thom suddenly decides to re-interprt what he thought he'd said as how Anne might have heard it. This needed a great deal more build-up because it reads like it was just a thought that crossed his mind, wheras it is a profoundly important change in direction.
Very enjoyable. However it is a bit bizarre that Baen would bundle this in with the first four published works int he series as it otherwise doesn't fit in particularly well. It does work well as a starting point to the series, even if very little happens, but I don't yet know what the sensible continuation would be.
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LibraryThing member Black_samvara
Romance, not one of the standouts but lovable for backstory about Shan’s parents. Star-crossed lovers from completely different cultures fail to communicate… a lot.
LibraryThing member amf0001
I do love this series. Local Custom is the first in the series chronologically. It introduces us to the complex world of the Liadens, who are an extremely formal society, where insults are counted and avenged. Anne is Terran (human) and Er-Thom is Liaden and yet they love each other...
Delicous
Delicous
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space opera, always satisfying. Well written, even though a few of the phrases are repeated (Delm being a tiresome fellow, was written a time or two too often) but that is a minor quibble from someone who had to read the books 4 times before she noticed! I love all the books and each time I reread them, I find some new aspect to enjoy. Show Less
LibraryThing member rere
I've just 'found' this author & her spouses' books. This is the 3rd one I've read of their Liaden Universe, and the very best of the 3 that I've read! I will definitely be reading more.
LibraryThing member jamespurcell
More a soap opera than a space opera, with a domineering mother working to prevent her son from marrying a Terran. Aptly fills in the origins of Shan with his unique hair and skill set.
LibraryThing member leslie.98
This entry in the Liaden series takes the reader back in time to when Shan yos'Galan is a child. The difficulties his parents face are due to the fact that, while they love each other, they are of different races (one Terran and one Liaden) and so have different 'local customs' and thus often
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misunderstandings occur. Show Less
LibraryThing member LisCarey
Er Thom yos'Galan is well aware that Liaden law and custom require him to marry the contract wife his clan chooses for him, and produce an heir for his line. Unfortunately, some three years ago, Er Thom fell in love with a Terran woman, Anne Davis, a professor of linguistics on the world called
When Er Thom breaks ranks even further, and heads off to University to see Anne one last time, he discovers the makings of an even more dangerous scandal--Anne gave birth to a son from their affair, a son she has named Shan yos'Galan, in honor of his father.
A yos'Galan outside the authority and protection of Clan Korval.
What follows is an epic family conflict--between Anne and Er Thom, about taking Shan to Liad, and between Er Thom and his mother Petrelia, over whether Anne and her child will be accepted. Caught in the middle is Daav yos'Phelium, Delm of Clan Korval, who loves his foster brother, but respects Petrelia's rights as head of her line.
Lurking in the background is a danger they don't suspect, Liaden forces (an early manifestation of the Department of the Interior?) outraged by the research Anne and a Liaden linguist, Professor ter'Bana, have done, showing that the Terran, Liaden, and Yxtrang languages have a common root language. These purists are also, of course, outraged by the idea of Terran-Liaden intermarriage, a view in which they are not alone in Liaden society.
This purists are also, of course, perfectly willing to use Shan as an expendable tool to get what they want.
This is a nice mix of intrigue, romance, and family drama, and a great look at a younger Er Thom and and a younger Daav.
Recommended.
I bought this book.
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University. He parted from her, giving her a farewell gift, but unfortunately has not forgotten her, as one is supposed to forget pleasure loves. His refusal to marry as instructed risks creating a scandal.When Er Thom breaks ranks even further, and heads off to University to see Anne one last time, he discovers the makings of an even more dangerous scandal--Anne gave birth to a son from their affair, a son she has named Shan yos'Galan, in honor of his father.
A yos'Galan outside the authority and protection of Clan Korval.
What follows is an epic family conflict--between Anne and Er Thom, about taking Shan to Liad, and between Er Thom and his mother Petrelia, over whether Anne and her child will be accepted. Caught in the middle is Daav yos'Phelium, Delm of Clan Korval, who loves his foster brother, but respects Petrelia's rights as head of her line.
Lurking in the background is a danger they don't suspect, Liaden forces (an early manifestation of the Department of the Interior?) outraged by the research Anne and a Liaden linguist, Professor ter'Bana, have done, showing that the Terran, Liaden, and Yxtrang languages have a common root language. These purists are also, of course, outraged by the idea of Terran-Liaden intermarriage, a view in which they are not alone in Liaden society.
This purists are also, of course, perfectly willing to use Shan as an expendable tool to get what they want.
This is a nice mix of intrigue, romance, and family drama, and a great look at a younger Er Thom and and a younger Daav.
Recommended.
I bought this book.
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LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
Local Custom by Sharon Lee is part of the Liaden universe series. I think that every time I read one of these books I declare this one is my favourite, so I won’t do that again, but this was very satisfactory read. This author knows how to deliver romance and science fiction stories that are
The story grows from the cultural differences that these characters have. It’s not that they don’t communicate, it’s more that each one doesn’t really understand what the other is saying. This isn’t a story of action, instead the reader is constantly rooting on Anne and Er Thom in the hopes that their emotional connection will flower into a lasting relationship. As I have read some Liaden books that was further along in time, I knew the outcome of this romance, but this in no way took away from my enjoyment of the book.
Local Custom was a totally entertaining read filled with well rounded characters and emotional conflicts that rang true. I am loving how I am learning a little bit more about the Lianden universe with every book that I read as the author pretty much always concentrates on relationships and culture. One of my favourite characters in this book was Daav, who it appears, is the main character in the next book as he in turn finds romance. I am looking forward to reading it.
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realistic and rewarding. In Local Custom the romance is between two intelligent adults who had a past connection, a connection that lead to their having a son. Relationships between two alien cultures, in this case a Terran and a Liaden is usually frowned upon. The cultural differences between these people are huge, with the Liadens living in a complex organized world of clans, honour and duty.The story grows from the cultural differences that these characters have. It’s not that they don’t communicate, it’s more that each one doesn’t really understand what the other is saying. This isn’t a story of action, instead the reader is constantly rooting on Anne and Er Thom in the hopes that their emotional connection will flower into a lasting relationship. As I have read some Liaden books that was further along in time, I knew the outcome of this romance, but this in no way took away from my enjoyment of the book.
Local Custom was a totally entertaining read filled with well rounded characters and emotional conflicts that rang true. I am loving how I am learning a little bit more about the Lianden universe with every book that I read as the author pretty much always concentrates on relationships and culture. One of my favourite characters in this book was Daav, who it appears, is the main character in the next book as he in turn finds romance. I am looking forward to reading it.
Show Less
LibraryThing member leslie.98
This entry in the Liaden series takes the reader back in time to when Shan yos'Galen is a child. The difficulties his parents face are due to the fact that, while they love each other, they are of different races (one Terran and one Liaden) and so have different 'local customs' and thus often
Show More
misunderstandings occur. Show Less
Language
Original publication date
2000
Physical description
320 p.; 6.74 inches
ISBN
0441009115 / 9780441009114
Local notes
Liaden: Korval Prequel, 1
DDC/MDS
| Fic SF Lee & Miller |
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