Balance of Trade

BALANCE OF TRADE is an excellent coming of age story set in a richly detailed alien world. Jethri Gobelyn is the son of a trading family and is being taught to become a trader himself. His mother is the ship's captain and his father, deceased for ten years, was the ship's master trader. Jethri's relationship with his mother is poor as she seems to blame him for the loss of her husband. She wants to sell him off her ship to another trading family.

Jethri has come into contact with a Liaden Master Trader Norn ven'Deelin when he brings a plot to her attention that has the intent of defrauding humans by using false claims on Liaden's honor. His courteous ways and honorable nature make her offer him a place as her apprentice on the Liaden show more ship Elthoria. Jethri wants to learn and certainly doesn't want to be sold where his mother wants to send him. He accepts Master Trade ven'Deelin's offer and begins his learning as a Terran among Liadens.

Jethri has a lot to learn about Liadens and about trading but nothing to learn about honor and diligence. He makes friends on the ship and even befriends another trader who is not valued by his family. The consequences of that put him at odds with that trader's family though and may even put his Gobelyn family in danger.

The story was filled with rich detail as Jethri learns about the Liadens both on ship and on planets. He is sent to the Master Trader's foster mother to gain some polish and additional knowledge of Liaden culture. There he comes into contact with twin daughters of the House who are near him in age and who introduce him to the magical abilities some Liadens have.

Also woven into this story is alien technology from times well past. His father was studying it and buying and selling it. He has left some to Jethri. The Liaden Scouts are determined to confiscate, study and destroy all the Old Tech that they can find. His father's people are also interested in the Old Tech but they want to learn to duplicate it. When Jethri and his partner Tan Sim pen'Alka come upon a pod containing Old Tech, his father's family and the Scouts converge.

I really liked this story and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to Young Adult science fiction readers. It is not an easy read because the reader is immersed in cultures not familiar to the reader. I don't necessarily recommend this title to those new to the Liaden Universe. But the persistent reader can't help but come to admire Jethri Gobelyn. show less

When I added this to my list of book I thought I'd read it and didn't think it was that good. But this weekend, looking for something to read I grabbed it by accident and read it "again". Only it wasn't again it was for the first time.

It was a pretty good book. At least average for the Liaden books of Miller and Lee, which are some of my favorite books of all time, so that makes it better than most book.

If you are new to the Liadian books I wouldn't say read this first. The core novels are the best. But this book does teach you a lot about Liadians from an Terran young person's POV. Of course so does [book:Agent of Change] and [book:Conflict of Honors].

It takes place before the core books [books:Partners In Necessity] and the first show more prequels [book:Local Custom] and after the origin books, [book:Crystal Solider] and [book:Crystal Dragon]. So you get a view of Liadians before they've figured as much out.

The story centers around a young spacer teen, who gets apprenticed out to a Liadian Master Trader. He has to deal with a new culture, a new ship and even planet based life for the first time. He was born and raised on a space ship and never spent much time on planets. Especially, it turns out, outside under the open sky.

Unlike almost all the the other Liadian books, this one isn't a romance, but more a coming of age story.

The characters are great. The prose a also well done. Nobody does the texture of culture better than Lee and Miller and this book is no exception.

The only quibble I had with the book is it seemed to end abruptly. Seemed we didn't get to the all of the main character's life, or even enough. show less

It's some centuries after Cantra yos'Phelium and Tor An yos'Galen lead the great migration from humanity's previous home universe. Jethri Gobelyn is a young trader, living and working on his family's ship, Gobelyn's Market. He knows a little bit about all the different areas he needs to know as a trader, and is learning more--including about the Liadens. He's even learning the Liaden language

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. His knowledge of Liadens is just enough to get him in a major tangle that leads learning a lot more about Liadens.

And about his deceased father. And about himself.

But most of all, he's off on a great adventure.

This is a great look at the Liaden culture, at a point when they're well established but not yet show more what they'll be in later ages. Jethri is a a great character, smart, curious, well-intentioned, and a lot more naive than he thinks he is. He's also finding out that all ships, and all families, have secrets, and they aren't always harmless.

We also another look at Uncle and at the "old tech" he's so involved with in later ages--and why that "old tech" is so dangerous.

Lots of fun. Recommended.

I bought this book. show less

Lee, Sharon, and Steve Miller. Balance of Trade. Liaden Universe No. 3. Ace, 2004.
Balance of Trade is a good place to begin reading Liaden novels. It provides a look at two separate strains of humanity. The Liadens are an alien engineered race whose breeding is strictly controlled, their culture insists on formal politeness, and tit-for-tat ethics dominate every aspect of life; the goal in every deal is to achieve balance. You do not want to cheat a Liaden. The Terrans, by contrast, are free-wheeling, ruthless traders, who have given up planetary existence for a nomadic space-born life. The Liadens consider them barbarians. The novel is a neatly told coming of age narrative. Jethri, a Terran lad, looking for a new ship, is adopted by show more Liaden trader when her identity is used to cheat him. Abandoned by his own people, he must adapt to Liaden ways. Balance of Trade and its sequel, Trade Secret, are two of the better novels in the series. 4 stars. show less

Jethri Goeblyn is a very junior, and somewhat unwanted, apprentice on the Terran trading ship, Gobelyn's Market. While stopped on a Liaden world, Liaden ways being very different from Terran ways, he finds himself embroiled in Liaden politics and a possible trade scam. He is even more surprised at the end of the matter, to find himself apprenticed to Liaden Master Trader Norn ven'Deelin.

Thus begins Jethri's apprenticeship not only in Trade, but also in all things Liaden. He stumbles, he makes errors and slowly, he begins to find his feet. If he can keep his life and his melanti intact, Jethri may just find himself the first Trader fully of Terra and Liad.

I loved this book. Reading it was a great experience and that is the main reason show more for its high score. It is a solid tale, set around 200 years before the main sequence of Liaden books. It throws in some new ideas that had be somewhat confused at first, but that grew clearer as the story progressed. About 100 pages from the end, I was wondering how the authors could possibly tie up all the threads they had produced in the space that was left. Knowing the most recent books were set in a completely different time period, I was worried that I'd be left wondering what the heck was going on and knowing there wasn't another book about Jethri for me to find out.

I was very pleasantly surprised and most impressed to discover it was done perfectly. Suddenly, everything started falling into place and by the end, I was left at a perfect ending point. True, there could be more about Jethri and his companions - and I hope there will be - but it isn't necessary. This book stands beautifully on its own.

It does introduce some new concepts that took a while to make sense and made me wonder why I hadn't heard about them before in the books that are set later. Belatedly, I realised that this point too was completely under control and made perfect sense. Instead, I find myself hoping all will become clearer in the next books, which go back in time instead of forward.

I don't think I would recommend making this one's first Liaden book, but I also believe it would stand up to that. Wherever you start, explore Lee and Miller's Liaden universe. It is a fascinating place. show less

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer. Title: Balance of Trade Series: Liaden Universe Author: Sharon Lee & Steve Miller Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars Genre: SF Pages: 670 Synopsis: Jethri, young spaceborn Terran, is hated by his mother and she wants him gone. In one of those upsets of circumstances, Jethri is taken as a new apprentice, on a Liaden ship. Adopted as the new heir of the Captain, Jethri is plunged into the Liaden world, filled with Honor, show more Melanti, and pitfalls he has no idea even exist. Thankfully, he acquires allies who help him as he in turn helps them. My Thoughts: As with previous Liaden novels, I simply loved this. I cannot pin down exactly what Lee & Miller do to make me love their books, but it hasn't failed yet. One thought that did strike me was how much this reminded of "Jane Austen.....In Space!" The light romance touches, the family/clan drama, it just struck as Austen-lite and I really liked it. This story follows a different Liaden clan from the former books and I am glad of that. It actually follows a Terran who is becoming Liaden. So everything is from Jethri's viewpoint. I am glad to have read the previous Liaden books, as it gave me a background that helped me know pieces that weren't obvious. Everything that characterized the former books was here as well. It does end incomplete, but not a cliffhanger. Looking forward to the next book immeasurably. I wonder how long I can drag it out before I HAVE to read it? *grin* " show less

Fun. I liked Jethri when I first met him in the short story (which makes up the first few chapters of the novel), and the liking only grows as I get to know him better. I've read Balance...at least once before, and probably two or three times, so I knew to expect certain events. As usual, however, it's the phrasing and the descriptions and the whole way it comes together that makes it a great book - Sharon and Steve never disappoint. This reading was to prepare to read the sequel, Trade Secret, and I'm glad I did. Balance ends with matters...not settled, exactly, but not in the middle of things - it's in no way a cliffhanger. It's very useful, however, to pick up all those various threads before starting the next book. Interesting show more different lights on Liadens and Liaden culture, not filtered through Korval's odd viewpoint; interesting bits of Terran history; and Uncle, of course. A good story. show less