A couple of months back here on Amazing Stories we published an essay that took some books to task for being labelled as science fiction when, in the opinion of the essayist, they were in fact Not Science Fiction.
All kinds of comment mayhem ensued. Not to mention Twitter mayhem, Facebook mayhem and email mayhem. It was not a pretty picture – especially as I was out of town and tied up with personal matters, largely unable to attend to the debate in a properly effective manner.
I don’t mention this issue to open up old wounds (most of them are mine!) so much as to make the following point:
When you meet an author (or as in this case a team of two) and discover that they are genuine, engaging, personable, interesting, entertaining and just plain fun to hang out with and listen to, well, it really doesn’t matter what their books are about, nor even how they are labelled, you simply want to read whatever they write.
And that is most definitely the case with the Liaden Universe®, a large and growing series of books that began with the publication of Agent Of Change by Del Rey in 1988 (now with ACE), and continuing through a growing series of titles that might never have been. Lee and Miller’s tale of the trials, tribulations, set-backs, found opportunities and their unbridled persistence is an adventure story that rivals their popular series.
The best part of it all is – it’s a fan’s tale too, an exemplar of how readers, authors, a dash or two of technology and our community can come together in unexpected and rewarding ways.
The Trade Secret Tour continues through the middle of November (MA, NJ, NY, PA – details here); if you’re anywhere close to their scheduled locations, it will be well worth your time to attend – no matter how their books are labelled.
