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From: Tony Nance <tnusenet17@gmail.com>
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Subject: Re: RI January 2025
Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2025 15:54:37 -0500
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On 2/23/25 1:00 AM, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
> A pretty good month.  Godsworn was the weakest book, but not bad,
> and I had some qubbiles with the Stirling, but I enjoyed it
> nonetheless.
> 
> As usual, the links are Amazon affiliate ones that could, in
> theory, earn me something should you enter the store through
> one.
> 

<snip some>


> 
> Sanctuary (Roman's Chronicles Book 1)
> by Ilona Andrews
> https://amzn.to/4hP6Bsn
> 
> Roman is a Russian Black Volhv, part of the improbably large Atlanta
> area Russian magical community in Andrews' "Kate Daniel" setting.
> As you would expect, being the servant of a dark god (not the same
> thing, exactly, as an evil god) is no bed of roses, and thus Roman
> finds himself, unsurprisingly, alone in his remote cottage for the
> holidays once more.  Furthermore, said god is on the outs with his
> wife and Roman finds himself (literally) roped into his efforts to
> make amends, something that is making his sleep as restive as his
> holidays are less than festive...
> 
> To some extent Roman is used to all that and it's his status quo.
> What is *not* usual is a teenaged boy showing up on his doorstep
> and asking for "Sanctuary", a Christian concept that is not exactly
> part of Roman's Volhv tradition.  Nearly dead when Roman takes him
> in, the kid is unwilling to say more than his sister is coming
> for him.  Who she is, exactly, is a (another) mystery, as is the
> identity of the powerful magical posse who come to take the boy.
> However, if Sanctuary is not part of Roman's tradition, it is
> something that, as he notes, he is very good at, and they aren't
> getting the kid without a fight.
> 
> Do I need to say that an Ilona Andrews book is good?  OK, this
> book (or novella really) is very good.  We have seen Roman before
> (he officiated Kate's wedding), but this is the first really
> in-depth look at him we have had, and how he stays a good person
> in the complicated life he leads.  And the sister?  That's as
> mortifying as anything we could have hoped for.
> 
> At least in the ebook there is also a very short sequel story
> developing the same themes as Roman's story, and that is also
> good.

Thanks for this - I forgot it was out, and I'm very much looking forward 
to reading it. On to one more...

> Accepting the Lance (Liaden Universe Book 23)
> by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
> https://amzn.to/3WTWfzk
> 
> As mentioned by, I believe, Tony, some months ago, this volume
> brings to an end, or at least to satisfying inflection points, a
> number of story-lines which have been brewing for years.
 > > If you will recall, Clan Korval was forced to implement "Plan B"
> and abandon Liad in response to an attack from the mysterious
> Department of The Interior.  Their long-term response included the
> (unfortunately necessary) bombardment of Liad itself, making them
> even less popular there, so there is no going back.  Moving hard &
> ruthlessly, the seemingly-useless Korval, Pat Rin was forced to
> take over the remote and frigid planet of Surebleak in a kind of
> "A Piece Of The Action" set-piece.  Now with the whole clan actually
> settled there, the time has come to legitimize that expedient action.
> Through an odd sequence of events, this comes down to something
> almost unknown in Liaden tradition, and apparently almost forgotten
> in Terran tradition: An election.  Complicating this story-line is
> the fact that the DOI has (apparently) put their backing behind a
> shadowy alternate candidate, and that the independent commission
> investigating whether Surebleak's space-port should be recommended
> or de-listed is on-planet and casting a jaundiced eye at the political
> unrest.
> 
> In the meantime, Val Con has assembled a team of 6 ex DOI "Agents
> Of Change" to take down the Department itself, something that seems
> unlikely to succeed except that pureness of heart is rewarded in
> the Laiden Universe (and that Val Con has a kick-ass psionic
> sister...).  Of course if the DOI's in-bound armada of Old Tech
> destroys Surebleak first it won't really matter what six people do
> on the other side of the galaxy.
> 
> And if all *that* is stopped, Surebleak is still fated to collapse
> in a few thousand years unless the Clutch Turtles can successfully
> intervene (and by-the-by finally get involved with human civilization...)
> 
> And I haven't even mentioned the end of the Bedel's long wait, or
> how Daav, Aelliana & Kamele (sort of their wife) all get along after
> Aelliana returns to embodiment, what happened to the explorers from
> the Old Universe or the story behind the vague menace of General
> Support.
> 
> If you have been following the Liaden Universe for years, there's
> a lot of payoff here.  If you haven't, why not?

I did indeed think this one was wonderful - a highlight of this 
excellent series for me. So many threads and plotlines came together 
here, with so much satisfactory progress and a decent amount of resolution.

Tony