Books in series
#1
Two Tales of Korval
2011
Chapbook with two short stories:
To Cut an Edge: Val Con, a rookie scout, meets Edger the knife-making Clutch Turtle.
A Day at the Races: Young Val Con and Shan run rings around prim and proper Kareen.
These stories also found in Liaden Constellation Book I
#2
Fellow Travelers
2011
Chapbook of three short stories set in the Liaden Universe all dealing with Priscilla Delacroix aka Moonhawk.
Contents:
Where the Goddess Sends
A Spell for the Lost
Moonphase
These stories also found in Liaden Constellation Book I
#3
Duty Bound
2001
Pilot of Korval and Breath's Duty, two stories featuring Daav yos Phelium and including Er Thom, Clonak, and Shadia. Answers several Liaden Universe mysteries.
These stories also found in Liaden Constellation Book I
#4
Certain Symmetry
2000
This chapbook contains two short stories set in the Liaden Universe.
"The Wine of Memory" features Moonshadow and Lute as they come off a rough road into a surprising visit to an old friend.
In "Certain Symmetry," Pat Rin yos'Phelium, cousin to Val Con, becomes involved in a matter of Balance that takes him to unexpected places. Chronologically, it follows immediately after "A Day at the Races," which appears in Two Tales of Korval (Adventures in the Liaden Universe #1). However, you need not read that one to enjoy this tale.
These stories also found in Liaden Constellation Book I
#5
Trading in Futures
2001
Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Number 5
The short story "Balance of Trade" introduces Jethri Gobelyn, an aspiring Terran apprentice Trader who comes to the attention of a Liaden Master Trader.
In "A Choice of Weapons," Daav yos'Phelium must Balance an insult amid the elegant formality of a Liaden garden party.
These stories also found in Liaden Constellation Book I
"The writing is as rich with detail as anything by C. J. Cherryh, while the general approach... reminds of Andre Norton." — Tom Easton, Analog
"...the authors' craftsmanship is top-notch, recalling the work of Elizabeth Moon and Lois McMaster Bujold..." — Publishers Weekly
#6
Changeling
2001
This novella set in the Liaden Universe first appeared in Absolute Magnitude #14, Summer 2000. It was then re-issued in chapbook form. It tells the story of Ren Zel dea'Judan, Clan Obrelt, who becomes first (space) pilot in an obscure clan of shopkeepers. Not all the other clans, however, are happy that Obrelt should field a pilot.
This novella is also found in Liaden Constellation Book I
#7
Loose Cannon
2001
Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Number 7
In "A Matter of Dreams" the oft-disappointed crew of an itinerant spaceship find that magic and dreams can come face to face with the reality of money and power—and that power abhors an honest confrontation.
Also here is "Phoenix," which gives an intimate glance at the Solcintra's Low Port, where artists and the abandoned must struggle to survive in the impoverished outskirts of Liad's greatest spaceport.
These stories also found in Liaden Constellation Book I
". . .the great excellence lies in the characters" — Analog
"Ambitiously creating a complex emotional environment, they pique our curiosity. First rate science fiction adventure" — Romantic Times
#8
Shadows and Shades
2002
Two short stories of the Liaden Universe: Naratha's Shadow, originally published in 2000, and Heirloom, originally published in 2002.
#9
Quiet Knives
2003
Two short stories "Veil of the Dancer" and "Quiet Knives". "Veil of the Dancer" first appeared in the magazine Absolute Magnitude. This is the first appearance of "Quiet Knives".
#10
With Stars Underfoot
2004
Two short stories "Lord of the Dance" and "This House". "This House" first appeared in the anthology "Stars" edited by Janis Ian. This is the first appearance of "Lord of the Dance".
#11
Necessary Evils
2005
Two short stories set in the Liaden Universe. The first story is The Beggar King, set on Liad and about the young Daav yos' Phelium's early training to be Delm. The second is Necessary Evils, explore the time and space before Clan Korval, when the universe was degenerating into chaos, and individuals faced evil in many guises, including bioenginnered human-plant hybrids, slavery and of course greed.
#12
Allies
2006
Even Clan Korval needs friends, and the kinds of friends they often need aren't simply buddies and pals, but allies. As Cantra so succinctly put "In the matter of allies only two things are important. First, can he shoot? Second, will he aim at your enemy?" Allies features several stories dealing with members of Clan Korval, including the Miri Robertson story, "Fighting Chance," which led off Tanya Huff and Alexander Potter's Women of War anthology in 2005 and features a young Miri on Surebleak. The other story, "Prodigal Son", which is original to this chapbook, shows Val Con returning to Vandar, the scene of much action early in the Agent of Change sequence, where things set in motion during his first visit are coming to a very dangerous conclusion.
#13
Dragon Tide
2007
Kareen yos'Phelium Clan Korval has always done everything that was proper, rising by study and by example to become the foremost scholar of the Liaden Code of Proper Conduct on Liad - and perhaps in the galaxy. Indeed, it seems that the only people she cannot influence to seemly action are the members of her own Clan. Now, wit Plan B in effect, Kareen must act. Is she merely and expert of the Code, or is she a DAUGHTER OF DRAGONS? Trees propose, dragons dispose. So it has been for many cycles of growing, many lives of dragons. Trees and dragons alike prosper in cooperation, and when the trees do well, the world does well. One day, though, the world is turned upside A tree is uprooted; a young dragon is cast into action—and neither one knows what other menace may be born on this DRAGON TIDE.
#15
Misfits
2008
Before Miri Robertson met Val Con yos'Phelium she was an acclaimed mercenary soldier. Before she was an acclaimed mercenary soldier with the Gyrfalks, she was "Redhead," a young recruit in Lizardi's Lunatics. Meanwhile, there was a weatherman, Ichliad Brunner. A weatherman's job is to observe and predict. What else can an honorable Liaden do, but his duty? A space-based Liaden meteorologist can only observe the trials of a mercenary troop abandoned in place during a world war fueled by hate and superstition. The young soldier who carries the station's weather equipment to the surface, is cheerful, bright, and going to die. The station commander isn't concerned because the data on weapons used to gas populations and destroy cities is priceless, while the soldiers below are only misfits. Misfits like Miri Robertson, who doesn't know quite when to give up.
The framing story is set immediately after the novel "I Dare", and ties those early characters back into the main intentions/plot direction laid out at the end of "I Dare".
#16
Halfling Moon
2009
Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Number 16
Two Stories of a Tumultuous Time
The Department of the Interior's bloody plot against planet Liad has failed, at least for now, but Clan Korval's firing upon Solcintra, Liad's capital city, to save it from the release of ancient killer machines has resulted in the clan's banishment. Korval has accepted this ruling with glee, but not everything is solved yet, especially with the clan's urgent Plan B still in effect.
"Hidden Resources" deals with untested pilot Quin yos'Phelium, a halfling suddenly in charge of the escape ship for the clan's youngest members as the eldest face several mysterious vessels, most likely bent on revenge. His father missing in the larger fray, Quin's job is clear, but resolve alone may not be enough to pull him through.
In "Moon on the Hills" the focus is on backworld Surebleak, Korval's refuge after their exclusion from Liad. Surebleak is a half-tamed place still ruled by territorial bosses, and Boss Conrad, while trying to tame it, must deal with finding a landing zone for Korval's clan house, and the tree that is the center of the clan. Yulie Shaper is the unknown the road runs through his land and he's not all that fond of changes.
The authors' craftmanship is top-notch, recalling the work of Elizabeth Moon and Lois McMaster Bujold." — Publishers Weekly
"These authors consistently deliver stories with a rich, textured setting, intricate plotting, and vivid, interesting characters from fully-realized cultures, both human and alien." — Elizabeth Moon
". . .good, solid space opera...a very fine piece of entertainment." — Don D'Ammassa, Science Fiction Chronicle
#16.1
The Rifle's First Wife
2014
#17
Skyblaze
2011
Vertu dea'San, Delm of Clan Wylan, has her hands full with daughter, son, and taxi business, when she's offered an opportunity to solve several pressing problems in one fell swoop. All she needs to do is ferry a few people to a "picnic ground" to deal with an honorable matter of Balance. By the time Vertu discovers ath Clan Korval is also involved, she's in over her head in one of the historic moments of Liaden history.
Historic moments, it turns out, are not always comfortable, even for honorable people. Vertu's reward for acting exactly as a delm ought is perfectly Liaden.
Her salvation?
That will depend on her.
#18
Courier Run
2011
Two new Liaden Universe® adventures! Novelette "Kin Ties" explores the ties that bind beloved kin—and desperate enemies. Short story "Guaranteed Delivery" is a tale of love, leadership, and insurance fraud. Both stories appeared in slightly altered form on the authors' Splinter Universe website.
#19
Legacy Systems
2012
Two stories of ancient computer systems and the changes they bring to the Liaden Universe.
Intelligent Design
When a spaceship's inquisitive cabin boy finds a surplus crate of spare parts at a warehouse, all he knows is that he wants it very much. His older cousin's willing to see him buy it, but not quite so understanding when it comes time to connect the dots.
The Space at Tinsori Light
Sometimes in chaotic moments the panic button is all that's left. Sometimes it saves you, and sometimes it takes you to the Space at Tinsori Light.
Liaden Universe is a registered trademark owned by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
#20
Moon's Honor
2013
A faction of renegade priestesses is seeking to circumvent the Dyan City High Priestess to outlaw "hedge magicians." Their reason is that such "bogus magic" confuses the simple, and diverts awe and respect that ought to be reserved for the true magic worked by priestesses in the name of the Goddess.
Meanwhile, Master Magician Lute arrives in Dyan City on Beltane Eve, driven there by the will of the Goddess.
Is he a sacrifice? Or is he the Hammer of the Goddess?
A novelette detailing a first meeting between Moonhawk, a priestess of the Goddess, and Lute, a traveling magician.
#21
Technical Details
2013
Two stories about the folks who keep the social and technical machinery running. "Landed Alien" finds Kara ven'Arith on a space station maintenance crew when a series of inexplicable events overtake support functions. In "Eleutherios," the friars at a down-and-out abbey are taken in hand by an unlikely savior. Both stories previously appeared on Baen website.
#22
Sleeping with the Enemy
2016
Two novelettes set on Surebleak after it has been invaded and conquered by Pat Rin yos'Phelium Clan Korval.
Each story features a young person coming to terms with the new conditions, and navigating treacherous cultural waters.
"Chimera" was first published on Baen.com in May 2015.
"Friend of a Friend" is original to this chapbook.
#22.1
Chimera
2015
Novelette.
There'd been a lot of shouting at that meeting—well, there always was shouting at the meetings Farnch took 'him to. Wasn't no use saying he didn't wanna go, on account the shouting hurt his head—Farnch just called him an auntie, and shoved him into the nearest wall. Then Jewl would yell...
Sharon Lee and Steve Miller are the creators of the Liaden Universe® series in the world of which this story is set. The latest entry in the series is Dragon in Exile, out in June 2015.
#23
Change Management
2017
Times are perilous, violence rife, and the future uncertain. Success and the survival of all you hold dear may hinge on how you manage change.
Some people advise that we “Embrace Change!” Other people realize that change has edges, and if you embrace it the wrong way, it may feel a lot more like a knife than a bromide when it touches your guts.
Here are two Lee and Miller stories set in the Liaden Universe®, "Street Cred," original to this chapbook; and "Wise Child," reprinted from Baen.com. Both stories with the complications arising from decisive change, and decisive Change Management at the point of peril.
#24
Due Diligence
2017
When Clan Korval knows your name. . .
Abandoned on a strange port by a scam gone bad, his license to pilot rescinded, and his pockets very much to let, Fer Gun pen'Uldra was teetering between trouble, more trouble, and bad trouble. Cornered in a cheap bar by a too-knowledgeable stranger with an unlikely offer, Fer Gun realized having no money and no license might be the least of his troubles. Clan Korval knew his name and that proposal was hard to refuse. . .
#25
Cultivar
2017
This chapbook contains two tales from the Liaden Universe®: short story "Out of True," and novelette "The Rifle's First Wife."
"Out of True" is a first contact story that takes place around the time of Balance of Trade and Trade Secrets.
"The Rifle's First Wife" takes place soon after Korval's relocation to Surebleak, and explores the necessity for society to adjust to new realities, and a new culture.
Both stories were previously published in A Liaden Universe® Constellation, Volume 3, from Baen Books, August 2015.
#25.1
Out of True
2013
Free online fiction from Baen Books.
Squithen was gone from the forest clearing, which was good. The stench of the recent carnage was starting to reach him now and had it reached her she'd been here still, covering her nose as well as her eyes, counting or vocabing, one or the other.
#26
Heirs to Trouble
2017
Contains two novelettes in the Liaden Universe®: "Roving Gambler," and "Code of Honor," both set in the turbulent time following Clan Korval's relocation to Surebleak.
"Roving Gambler," finds Quin yos'Phelium, Boss Conrad's son, and Pat Rin yos'Phelium's heir at loose ends on a bad day. Deliberately overlooked for pilot duty, he is ordered to wait at the Emerald Casino, where he becomes a maelstrom of luck, both good and. . .chancy.
"Code of Honor," sees Technical Sergeant Tommy Lee called home from the mercs by his delm. He's to become a pawn in a risky game of melant'i, in which the stakes are human lives. However, Tommy Lee has other ideas.
Both stories were previously published in A Liaden Universe® Constellation, Volume 3, from Baen Books, August 2015.
#27
Degrees of Separation
2018
Life. Luck. Love. Lowport.
Life, so the wags tell us, is what happens while we're making other plans.
Luck. . .or, as some have it, chance. . .Luck is what makes Life interesting; introducing spicy bits of chaos – good, bad, and neutral. Without Luck, there is no savor – no adventure – in Life.
Love. Ah, Love. The yeast of Life, Love expands our horizons, deepens our understanding, and opens our eyes. Love makes us daring.
And Lowport? Lowport tries and tests Life, and Luck. And, most especially, Love.
So here is small tale of Lives in progress, plans made and altered – and altered again. A tale of bread, and Luck, and Love . . .
. . . and Lowport.
We start with two people – a baker, Don Eyr; Serana, a captain of the Watch. Two people who have not much in common, until Luck brings them together, and they see each other.
What, you say? There are no adventures here?
Are you certain? Remember that Luck is involved.
Degrees of Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Number 27
\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \*
"Degrees of Separation" is a perfect gem, both alone and with "Block Party" as a sequel. Once again, Lee and Miller show themselves able to create intriguing new characters, as well as interesting clues to enlighten the re-reads of the earlier books and new ones. (Who knew the depths of subtlety a qe'andra might employ within the Code? ) Read fast or savored in a second or fourth reading, it's a modest but sustaining masterpiece, like Don Eyr's breads and pastries.
—Elizabeth Moon, author of Into the Fire
#28
Fortune's Favors
2019
ARE YOU FEELING LUCKY?Mar Tyn eys'Ornstahl is a lucky man. His very presence can determine the fall of a card, the spin of a wheel, or whether the bread will rise or fall.In fact, Mar Tyn eys'Ornstahl isn't merely lucky. Mar Tyn is a Luck; a focal point for the elemental force of random event. While most people think that there is good luck and bad, Mar Tyn knows better. Luck is Luck; only the aftermath of Luck's presence can be found to be good or bad.Mar Tyn's Luck, for instance, has recently cost him his home, and his savings. He has only one thing left to gamble.And his life might not be enough.ALL NEW! NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED!
#29
Shout of Honor
2019
Commander Vepal is a Hero. He is also the Yxtrang ambassador to the greater universe.These two facts do not make Vepal's life easy. But they do make it interesting.It was Commander Vepal who discovered the continuing orders from Headquarters, far back in old and moldy archives, which directed those of the Troop who had survived the collapse of the old universe to locate, in the new universe, the proper authority to which they might, with honor, offer their allegiance, and their skills.Because of this discovery, Vepal is made ambassador, while the rest of the Troop continues to prey on those it finds weaker than themselves.In pursuit of his duty, he and his small delegation put into Inago Station, where there's a military job fair in full swing.This is a brand-new story set in the bestselling Liaden Universe® created by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller!
#30
The Gate that Locks the Tree
2020
A Minor Melant’i Play for Snow Season
A cat may look at a tree
This is especially true when the winds of change blow through the universe, leaving eddies of luck, uncertainty, and necessity in the strangest places – and surely Surebleak qualifies as a strange place, as Korval’s Tree qualifies as a strange attractor.
In the rough and tumble aftermath of Clan Korval’s arrival, Surebleak attracts rude mercenaries, pilots galore, Scouts, grifters, and, from time to time, those who have lived under the promise of Korval’s Tree, elsewhere. Chaotic change is in progress, daily.
Bring together legitimate cabbies and fare-jumpers, a sudden Surebleak blizzard, a pregnant cat, and odd young woman with a mission; add the heat of promises made light years away, and you find the winds of change rocking the very roots of the Korval's house, blown against the very gate that locks the tree. It may be that not even the Tree knows what happens next.
This is a brand-new novella set in the bestselling Liaden Universe® created by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller!
#31
Ambient Conditions
2020
Contains two shorter works set in Lee and Miller's Liaden Universe(R).
Short story "A Visit to the Galaxy Ballroom," which first appeared on the Baen Books website; original novelette "Ambient Conditions;" and an authors' foreword.
"Galaxy Ballroom" explores the rift that has opened in the Scouts subsequent to Korval's removal to the planet Surebleak, and the consequences of loyalty.
"Ambient Conditions" details a dark time in Liaden history, and looks at what happens when discarded people are given power, and must choose how to use it.
#32
Change State
2021
Includes two stories set in far corners of the Liaden Universe®.
Short story "Command Decision," which first appeared in the anthology Release the Virgins, features Bjarni, a man with a nose for 'shroom, improbably standing at the intersection of change and tradition.
Novella "Dead Men Dream," is original to this chapbook, and harks back to the time of Lee and Miller's novel Trade Secret. What is life after death, after all, if not an adventure?
#33
Bad Actors
2021
Together again for the first time!
Three stories set in the Liaden Universe®, featuring characters who may not embrace honor fully.
Included are: Excerpt from Two Lives, Dark Secrets, and Revolutionists.
All three stories have been previously published.
#34
Bread Alone
2021
To survive, humans need air, water, a place to stand, a place to sleep, and sustenance. Bread is a good start for sustenance.
Don Eyr and Serana were survivors who came to Low Port – it gave them air, water, a place to stand and a place to make bread. The place to sleep meant they needed a certain amount of safety and to get that they founded a bakery at the corner of Crakle and Toom, brought in others seeking to survive in the midst of the poverty and ignorance, and built a tiny bastion of a self-sufficient community dedicated to raising competent, alert children who understood decency.
Low Port toughs tried to break the bakery and a planet-shaking blast from the skies nearly did it in, but the bakery was hope, and people who have hope will fight to keep it.
This chapbook collects four stories about sustenance, all about the bakery, its people, and its influence. ″Degrees of Separation,″ ″Fortune’s Favors,″ and "Block Party" are reprints. The novelette ″Our Lady of Benevolence″ appears here for the first time.
#35
From Every Storm
2022
A chapbook compilation of three Liaden Universe® stories, one of them never before published. The storms of the title spring not so much from the desert or the deep blue sea but from the minds and hearts of humanity, where greed wars with truth and justice, and where sometimes the supposed end of storm is a mere hurricane eye portending greater potential for damage ahead.
First up is ″Standing Orders,″ a finalist for 2022’s WSFA’s Small Press Award for Short Fiction, originally published in Derelict, a 2021 ZNB anthology. What happens at the end of a war that no one really won, where victory came at the price of acting more like the enemy than the High Command ever should?
Next is the previously unissued ″Songs of the Fathers″ a story dealing with Shan yos’Galan’s sometime trade partner Lomar Fasholt and her family as they struggle to follow her Mother’s religion as it morphs from loving to acquisitive, from flexible to aggressively rule-bound. Lomar’s a good mother and wife but her self-exiled family’s suffered greatly through this storm of changes. Will they find hope amidst the tumult?
Finally, there’s ″From Every Storm a Rainbow,″ the 2021 holiday story from Baen, wherein Sinit Caylon comes face to face with the perfidy of her absent brother while the accountant’s guild is trying to help Clan Mizel come about after years of of her mother’s abdication of responsibilities to Ran Eld. Sinit thinks the storm must be about over until it become obvious that between them her mother and brother may have fatally endangered the clan’s brightest future.
#43
A Liaden Universe Constellation
Volume 1
2013
First collection in one volume. Seventeen short tales of the Liaden Universe® brought together for the first time. Space opera and romance on a grand scale in a galaxy full of interstellar trading clans.
The nationally best-selling Liaden Universe® novels are treasured by space opera aficionados for their wit, world-building, strong characterizations, tender romance, and edge-of-the-chair action.
Since 1995, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller also created shorter tales, illuminating additional facets of the Liaden experience. Here is a vast tapestry of tales of the scouts, artists, traders, priestesses, sleight of hand magicians, and
pilots who fill the Liaden Universe® with the excitement, action, and romance that readers of the hit series have come to adore.
Contents:
To cut an edge—A day at the races—Where the goddess sends—A spell for the lost—Moonphase—Pilot of Korval—Breatha's duty—The wine of memory—Certain symmetry—Balance of trade—A choice of weapons—Changeling—A matter of dreams—Phoenix—Naratha's shadow—Heirloom—Sweet waters —
#44
A Liaden Universe Constellation
Volume 2
2013
BOOK 2 in The First Liaden Universe ® Collection. Seventeen short tales of the Liaden Universe® were brought together for the first time. Space opera and romance on a grand scale in a galaxy full of interstellar trading clans.
Fifteen tales complete Volume Two!
The nationally best-selling Liaden Universe® novels are treasured by space opera aficionados for their wit, world-building, strong characterizations, tender romance, and edge-of-the-chair action.
Since 1995, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller also created shorter tales, illuminating additional facets of the Liaden experience. Here is a vast tapestry of tales of the scouts, artists, traders, priestesses, sleight of hand magicians, and pilots who fill the Liaden Universe® with the excitement, action, and romance that readers of the hit series have come to adore.
Celebrating 25 Years of the Liaden Universe®
Contents:
Veil of the dancer—Quiet knives—This house—Lord of the dance—Necessary evils—The beggar king—Fighting chance—Prodigal son—Daughter of dragons—Dragon tide—Shadow partner—Persistence—Misfits—Hidden resources—Moon on the hills—Skyblaze.
Authors
Steve Miller
Author · 15 books
Steve was the founding curator of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County's Albin O. Kuhn Library's Science Fiction Research Collection and a former Nebula juror. Steve enjoys music, plays tournament chess, and collects cat whiskers. Steve Miller and his wife, Sharon Lee, live in the rolling hills of Central Maine with two insistent muses in the form of cats and a large cast of characters. The husband-and-wife team's collaborative work in science fiction and fantasy include seventeen novels and numerous short stories in their award-winning Liaden Universe®. In addition to their collaborative work, Steve has seen short stories, nonfiction, and reviews published under his name, while Sharon has seen published short stories, newspaper pieces, and two mystery novels.
Sharon Lee
Author · 97 books
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.
