Necessity's Child (Liaden Universe) (edition 2013)

In other reviews, I was surprised to see a few complaints about a sex scene. Despite the presence of children, this is a very adult book. It is an intricate story, well told, with glimpses of characters we already love, and an introduction to new favorites. ( )

This story takes place on Surebleak shortly after Clan Korval has arrived. It is told from three points of view. The narrator most known to readers of the Liaden series of books is Syl Vor yos'Galan Clan Korval. Syl Vor is a child who is somewhere between eight and ten. Syl Vor has recently come to Korval from the place where he, his cousins, and his great-aunt and uncle were hidden while Plan B was in effect. He lived under the constant threat of danger. Now that the immediate threat has passed, his older cousins have gone off to their aprenticeships and Syl Vor is at loose ends. He wants to be of use.

The second point of view is that of Kezzi who is a daughter of the Bedel who have been hidden on Surebleak for a number of years. They have taken space under some old, abandoned warehouses and come out only to steal stuff they need from the unsuspecting gadjes in the City Above. Kezzi is the youngest of the Bedel and apprentice to the tribe's wisewoman—Silain the luthia.

The third point of view is that of Rys Lin pen'Chela. We first meet Rys when he is found beaten almost to death outside one of the entrances to the Bedel's hidden home. He is taken in and cared for by the wisewoman and befriended by the Bedel. He has been so damaged both physically and mentally that he doesn't remember his past or how he came to be where he now is. We watch him heal and come to feel that the Bedel could be a replacement for the clan he lost. But his past, once remembered isn't ready to let him go.

These three characters come together when Syl Vor begins to attend school with other Surebleak natives. Kezzi is found on the street and brought to the school too. Syl Vor is determined to befriend her and make her his sister. Kezzi just wants to get back to her own people and leave all this school stuff far behind her.

It is the thinking of the adult leaders of Surebleak that they way to make life better for all citizens and to change the social culture is for all the kids to go to school at a consolidated school. They can learn that kids from one Boss's turf aren't different than kids from another. However some adults—notably the remains of the Department of the Interior—do not want Korval's plans for social engineering to succeed. Street patrols have managed to stop most of the sabotage around the new school and capture most of the Department's agents but there is no guarantee that the school will be safe.

There fears are justified because the leader of those agents from the Department of the Interior has one more plan in mind and intends to use Agent of Change Rys Lin pen'Chela to carry it out—no matter how he might feel about massacring a bunch of children including his young sister Kezzi and her friend Syl Vor.

The story was exciting and we did get some cameos by characters we learned to know in earlier books in the series including Daav yos'Phelium, Val Con yos'Phelium, Miri, Nova, Anthora and Ren Zel. I really enjoyed getting to know at least one member of the next generation of Clan Korval and am eager for more adventures. ( )

Yeah, that's good. The usual Lee & Miller immersion - while I was reading (even though it was in ebook form), I was _there_. Nice to get to know some more of Korval - to know more about Syl Vor, in particular. And the Bedel are fascinating people. It's nice seeing what's growing on Surebleak, too. The authors have stated that this is a stand-alone story, but I assume it was written for the same reason Conflict of Honors and Changeling were - these people, some of them at least, are going to be important later and needed to be explained. Rys, definitely, and quite likely Kizzi as well - in the long term, if not immediately. Though I don't know about the three months thing - it's never explained. Very rich - not all the questions raised are answered, but enough to make it a story complete in itself. I'll greet any of these people showing up again with delight, though - I like them. I expected this to be great, and it was. ( )

I have been missing the Liaden element from the recent Theo stories, so I was excited about this book. It follows Syl Vor, youngest member of Clan Korval. He is struggling to adjust back to a more normal life after the events of Plan B and the clan’s subsequent removal to Surebleak. Of course, those of Korval rarely lead calm lives and Syl Vor finds himself in the center of life changing events. It starts off pretty simply, he wants to be of use and to be around other young people so he requests to be allowed to join the new school that is being formed. There he meets Kezzi, a Kompani, which seemed very much like a gypsy culture that lives underground hiding from those on the surface. She is forced to attend school when she is caught out during school hours. Syl Vor finds himself motivated to request that she become a foster sister and the request is granted. The third person caught up in these events is Rys, a Liaden man who the Kompani found beaten almost to death. They save his life, but most of his memory is gone. He starts to become part of their clan family and these new bonds will be tested by his past and his connection to Korval.
This is a mostly stand alone novel in that you don’t need to know what has gone on before to follow along. However, it does reference events that happen in the other novels and there is not much explanation of Liaden culture so newcomers might be a little confused or they might not, it’s hard to say. For longtime fans the references make this story even more enjoyable. For those starting out in this series I would probably recommend Scout’s Progress to get familiar with the Liaden universe. I myself found the various terms the Kompani use somewhat confusing. I think I caught on by about halfway through or at least got the general idea, and it didn’t impact the story too much. A quick warning, there was one definitely PG-13 sex scene, which is not common for this series. Other than these few things, it was a wonderful treat to revisit the Liaden world, with its rich flavor and nuanced language. Most of Clan Korval make at least a cameo appearance, and Syl Vor is fast on his way to becoming another enjoyable member of the Clan. ( )

[Necessity's Child] is another fine book from the Liaden Universe by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. The action centers around Syl Vor, the son of Nova, former delm of Korval. The other main character is an agent of change, who has lost his memory. The third main character is Kezzi, the member of a Gypsy-like clan on the world Surebleak. The three interact and blend fascinatingly until the dramatic conclusion.

My one complaint is an unnecessarily detailed sex scene. With two of its three characters pre-adolescent, that seems inappropriate for a book that seems more aimed at the young adult audience. ( )