Calamity's Child

Liaden Universe, Chronological #story

by Sharon Lee, Steve Miller

Not officially a "Liaden Universe Adventure", Calamity's Child is SRM Publisher's first chapbook of 2006 and features two Sharon Lee and Steve Miller stories ...one is the off-the-beaten track Liaden Universe novelette "Sweet Waters," which appeared in magazines in both the UK and the US (3SF and Absolute Magnitude), and the second is "Night at the Opera," a fantasy-mystery first seen in the critcally acclaimed Rosemary Edghill anthology Murder by Magic in October of 2004.

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Fantasy

54 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Sharon Lee has been married to her first husband for more than half her lifetime; she is a friend to cats, a member of the National Carousel Association, and oversees the dubious investment schemes of an improbable number of stuffed animals.

Despite having been born in a year of the dragon, Sharon is an introvert. She lives in Maine because she likes it there. In fact, she likes it so much that she has written five novels set in Maine; contemporary fantasy trilogy Carousel Tides, Carousel Sun, Carousel Seas, and mysteries Barnburner and Gunshy.

With the aforementioned first husband, Steve Miller, Sharon has written twenty novels of science fiction and fantasy — many of them set in the Liaden Universe® — and numerous short stories. She has occasionally been an advertising copywriter, a reporter, photographer, book reviewer, and secretary. She was for three years Executive Director of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc., and was subsequently elected vice president and then president of that organization.

Reviews

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars for Sweet Waters A sad one, but too short to get deeply invested. Daav yos 'Phelium, a young Liaden Scout, discovers a planet in crisis. Then his ship crash-lands on said planet. Unable to fly, his beacon still works, but it has been so long, and the same problems destroying the natives will soon weaken him AND his new family.

From his revered foster grandmother Gineah, Daav gains his silver ear-twist, and even more. But he loses so much...

Whatever came of little Kisam??? Obscure. We wouldn't know it was Daav, but for obscure clues.

***************

I didn't read the other story, A Night at the Opera. I skimmed it -- and saw nothing recognizably of Korval. It is very short.

[Paraphrodite · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now I'm hankering for a full Koval book!!

[Li · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised by how much I liked these two short stories - the first one, "Sweet Waters", being about a Liaden scout crash-landing on an isolated world and integrating himself into local culture. Bittersweet but satisfying at the same time - the sort of story begging for a sequel.

The second (non-Liaden) story, "A Night at the Opera", was something completely different - a fantasy/mystery in a world reminiscent of Caroline Stevermer or Patricia Wrede turn-of-the-century fantasy novels, with sly references to Nick & Nora Charles. A one-off story from what I gather, but I certainly wouldn't mind reading more stories set in this world.

[Rita · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first story is about the same place that Daav got his earring, but it is not Daav but a different scout in this story. Bittersweet. The second story is a Nick and Nora Charles story although I don’t recognize the setting and mysteries are not really my thing.

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the Liaden story, "Sweet Waters", which is the reason I bought the chapbook.

I found "A Night at the Opera" a bit insubstantial, but I think that was partly due to the short length which didn't give the authors enough time to develop everything they needed.