Local Custom

Local Custom by Sharon Lee is part of the Liaden universe series. I think that every time I read one of these books I declare this one is my favourite, so I won’t do that again, but this was very satisfactory read. This author knows how to deliver romance and science fiction stories that are realistic and rewarding. In Local Custom the romance is between two intelligent adults who had a past connection, a connection that lead to their having a son. Relationships between two alien cultures, in this case a Terran and a Liaden is usually frowned upon. The cultural differences between these people are huge, with the Liadens living in a complex organized world of clans, honour and duty.

The story grows from the cultural differences that show more these characters have. It’s not that they don’t communicate, it’s more that each one doesn’t really understand what the other is saying. This isn’t a story of action, instead the reader is constantly rooting on Anne and Er Thom in the hopes that their emotional connection will flower into a lasting relationship. As I have read some Liaden books that was further along in time, I knew the outcome of this romance, but this in no way took away from my enjoyment of the book.

Local Custom was a totally entertaining read filled with well rounded characters and emotional conflicts that rang true. I am loving how I am learning a little bit more about the Lianden universe with every book that I read as the author pretty much always concentrates on relationships and culture. One of my favourite characters in this book was Daav, who it appears, is the main character in the next book as he in turn finds romance. I am looking forward to reading it. show less

Er Thom has tried to put Anne out of his mind, but he can't. Because he needs to marry for his family, he decides he will see her one last time before submitting himself to duty. He goes to her, only to find that they have a son, a terribly non-standard, non-dutiful, but delightfully bright and active son. Still madly in love, the couple tries to figure out how to do right by each other, leading to misunderstanding after misunderstanding as they attempt to meet in the middle of their two vastly different cultures.

Culture clash is a theme in all of Lee and Miller's Liaden books, but this is one of the strongest examples of it.

This book is a prequel - it was written after the Agent of Change series to explain how Anne and Er Thom got show more together to create such a unique family. It can be read first but I know a few people who did and they wished they hadn't - it was very disappointing to them that most of the characters they'd invested their interest in were dead before the start of the Agent of Change books. I suggest "Conflict of Honors" as the best starting point because of that.

Favorite details: A university bureaucracy that takes up an entire planet - and I thought the red tape at my Big Ten school was bad . . . Shan as a child - is it bad that I find him just as delightful as a two year old as I do when he's a full grown man?

This is one of the cheaper out of print books of the series (Ace canceled the reprint before they could start making money off of this one). Only about $11 for a used reading copy version of the mass market paperback - and I can't imagine that that copy is any better than mine (hold in there cover! Be a sport and don't fall off! You're so pretty!). A "like new" copy is going to put you back about $18 currently - a great price for a Lee and Miller book! Sad thing is, I'm not kidding - when other books in the series are going for $40 for bad used copies, $18 starts looking reasonable . . . show less

Oh, this is fabulous, wonderful, excellent--somebody get me a thesaurus, would you? Loved it. It says "science fiction" on the spine, and it is s.f, but it's also a damn good romance--better than a lot of books that say "romance" on the spine. No pulled punches, nothing easy for these characters, and the premise of a cross-cultural romance is done so incredibly well, as the characters have to become aware of the assumptions they make because of their cultures. Also, it's a little thing, but it made me smile that the heroine is 6 foot tall with brown skin, and the hero, well, it doesn't say how tall he is, but he is shorter, and his skin is gold, IIRC. I'm so tired of heroines who are described as being about 1/4 of the hero's size, and show more who are glow-in-the-dark pale, so this was just a little extra. Must go find more books by Lee & Miller. show less

This book is my least favorite of the Liaden universe. It's a lot better if l think of it as a romance with Liadens. I truly hate misunderstanding tropes, and this one is plain annoying - a Master Trader and a student of Liaden literature can miss each others' incomprehension quite so thoroughly? Ugh. But viewed as a romance, it's quite good. Very solid characters, fascinating situation(s), great conclusion. Anne's attitude toward having a child is very Delgadan - is that a common culture among scholars, or on scholar planets? And Er Thom's choice(s) of solutions are a great illustration of Liaden thought. I'm amused to watch as he starts to break the Liaden mold and flower into a Korval...

Er Thom yos'Galan is well aware that Liaden law and custom require him to marry the contract wife his clan chooses for him, and produce an heir for his line. Unfortunately, some three years ago, Er Thom fell in love with a Terran woman, Anne Davis, a professor of linguistics on the world called University. He parted from her, giving her a farewell gift, but unfortunately has not forgotten her, as one is supposed to forget pleasure loves. His refusal to marry as instructed risks creating a scandal.

When Er Thom breaks ranks even further, and heads off to University to see Anne one last time, he discovers the makings of an even more dangerous scandal--Anne gave birth to a son from their affair, a son she has named Shan yos'Galan, in honor show more of his father.

A yos'Galan outside the authority and protection of Clan Korval.

What follows is an epic family conflict--between Anne and Er Thom, about taking Shan to Liad, and between Er Thom and his mother Petrelia, over whether Anne and her child will be accepted. Caught in the middle is Daav yos'Phelium, Delm of Clan Korval, who loves his foster brother, but respects Petrelia's rights as head of her line.

Lurking in the background is a danger they don't suspect, Liaden forces (an early manifestation of the Department of the Interior?) outraged by the research Anne and a Liaden linguist, Professor ter'Bana, have done, showing that the Terran, Liaden, and Yxtrang languages have a common root language. These purists are also, of course, outraged by the idea of Terran-Liaden intermarriage, a view in which they are not alone in Liaden society.

This purists are also, of course, perfectly willing to use Shan as an expendable tool to get what they want.

This is a nice mix of intrigue, romance, and family drama, and a great look at a younger Er Thom and and a younger Daav.

Recommended.

I bought this book. show less

Local Custom (Liaden)
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Synopsis
Er Thom is being forced into a contract marriage to produce an heir for his Clan. But before he can do that, he goes to see the Terran woman, Anne Davies, one last time to confess his love and then to leave it all behind him and proceed with duty. However, things don't go quite as planned, as he finds out that Anne has had his child from their last encounter.

My Thoughts
The Liaden books have been as show more full of romance and clan politics as they have been of action. And it works out great, it really does.

This book is based on the cross cultural miscommunication about what is right and proper for Er Thom and Anne's child, Shan. Er Thom assumes Liaden things about the outcome and makes several blunders in his interpretation of Anne's words and actions. While Anne is forced to make assumptions about Liad without nearly enough knowledge.

What drove me batty, while being awesome, was that the main characters DID communicate with each other. So many stories I've read have been driven by the characters refusing to talk to each other and things going bad because of it. So the MC's talked to each other, but it wasn't enough because their cultures were so different. And they didn't realize those differences until the very end.

Then you've got some political stuff with Anne's work about linguistics and how the Terrans, Liadens and Extrangans? might all have a common ancestor.

Overall, this was just a great addition to my reading of the Liaden Universe. Just enough action, intrigue, romance and politics [family and otherwise] to keep me reading.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Author: Sharon Lee & Steve Miller" show less

This is one of my favorite science fiction romances. I have read it more times than I can count. Er Thom yos'Galan, Clan Korval, falls in love with linguistics scholar Anne Davis. But the fact that they are from two very different cultures causes a lot of misunderstanding and pain until they work through a way to their "happily ever after." I love the language, the melodrama, and the story.