Sharon Lee Libri

Part of the "Liaden Universe" series, this title introduces two space adventure novels: "Agent of Change" and "Carpe Diem."

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(R) created by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller!

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!

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(R) created by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller!

"The only bridge between past and future is a leap of faith. Pursued by enemies, exiled Liaden clan Korval is settling into a new base on backworld Surebleak. Moving is expensive, as is war, and Korval is strapped for cash. Delm Korval has therefore instructed Master Trader Shan yos'Galan to design and implement new trade routes, quickly. But this is no easy task. Dutiful Passage is targeted by Korval's enemies, denied docking at respectable ports, and cheated at those less respectable. Struggling to recuperate from an attack on his life, while managing daughter Padi's emerging psychic talents, Shan is running out of options-and time. His quest to establish the all-important trade route puts him at odds with his lifemate, while doubting crew desert the ship. Facing the prospect of failure, Shan accepts the assistance of chancy allies and turns the Passage toward a port only just emerging from Rostov's Dust and awash with strange energies. Without trade, Clan Korval will starve. Will a trader's leap of faith save everything-or doom all?"-- Provided by publisher

Introduces space opera and romance on a grand scale in a galaxy full of interstellar trading clans. This book features 15 short tales of the Liaden Universe.

Contains two shorter works set in Lee and Miller's Liaden Universe®: Short story "A Visit to the Galaxy Ballroom," which first appeared on Baen.com; 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

"A new novel in the popular and exciting science fiction Liaden Universe"--Front flyleaf. "Beset by the angry remnants of the Department of the Interior, challenged at every turn by opportunists on their new homeworld of Surebleak, and somewhat low on funds, Clan Korval desperately needs to reestablish its position as one of the top trading clans in known space. To this end, Master Trader Shan yos'Galan, aboard Korval's premier trade ship, Dutiful Passage, is on a mission to establish new business associations. But reestablishing trade and preserving the lives of the few remaining members of the clan aren't all of Korval's problems. Accustomed to being welcomed, Dutiful Passage finds itself denied docking while agents of the DOI mount armed attacks under the very eyes of port security systems. Traveling with Dutiful Passage is Padi yos'Galan, Shan' heir and apprentice. Padi is eager to make up for lost time due to Korval's unpleasantness with the DOI but she is also keeping a secret so intense that her very life is threatened by it"--

"Master trader Er Thorn knows the local custom of Liaden is to be matched with a proper bride, and provide his prominent clan Korval with an heir. Yet his heart is immersed in another universe, influenced by another culture, and lost to a woman not of his world. And to take a Terran wife such as scholar Anne Davis is to risk his honor and reputation. But when he discovers that their brief encounter years before has resulted in the birth of a child, even more is at stake than anyone imagined. Now, an interstellar scandal has erupted, a bitter war between two families--galaxies apart--has begun, and the only hope for Er Thorn and Anne is a sacrifice neither is prepared to make."-- Back cover

Star-trading Clan Korval - known to Terrans as the Tree-and-Dragon Family and to the locals simply as the Dragon - has been convicted of crimes against the homeworld. No matter that one of the crimes consisted of saving the elitist planet of Liad from very real internal threats, the Council of Clans wanted Korval heads to roll.