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karinlib's review against another edition
4.0
Great story.
04/14/2018: I realized that I still need to read 4 books in the Liaden Universe, so I decided to start over, and read the series in chronological order.
04/16/2018: Loved this book just as much the second time.
03/04/2020: I read this again. I just love the tree.
04/14/2018: I realized that I still need to read 4 books in the Liaden Universe, so I decided to start over, and read the series in chronological order.
04/16/2018: Loved this book just as much the second time.
03/04/2020: I read this again. I just love the tree.
mary_soon_lee's review against another edition
3.0
I believe that the events in "Crystal Soldier" precede those in the other Liaden Universe books, yet it was far from the first to be written, nor would I recommend it as a starting point for new readers. Although the book opens with a protagonist in peril, that protagonist initially held my interest less for his own merits than for his connection to events in later books. (A connection I immediately inferred from his name.) The eighth chapter introduces a second protagonist, whose name was also familiar to me from the later books. While the pair's interaction was pleasing, it was less pleasing, less delightful to me, than the character connections in most of the Liaden books. I liked this book. I enjoyed it. But I fell considerably short of loving it.
cassandra67b07's review against another edition
5.0
Re-read on audio in March 2023, which I just realized is a year later than my last re-read. Best to make it a yearly tradition.
Re-read on audio March/April 2022
I just love how this world and Cantra and Jela's relationship were nothing as I expected, and yet it makes perfect sense to set up the Liaden universe. Good narrator, and it's been fun to re-visit it on audio.
Re-read on audio March/April 2022
I just love how this world and Cantra and Jela's relationship were nothing as I expected, and yet it makes perfect sense to set up the Liaden universe. Good narrator, and it's been fun to re-visit it on audio.
max_pink's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5 Stars
A story about a soldier/spy, his magic tree, a black widow turned smuggler, and a woman on the sci-fi equivalent of the underground railroad.
There is...a LOT going on here. Many easter eggs and origins of things that will come up in later books. The result is...dense, even by Liaden standards. There are also some pacing aspects (the first section was quite bizarre) that didn't quit come together for me. And here are story elements that reminded me quite a bit of Agent of Change, and I connected with that book more.
But I really like Cantra. And HOLY COW, WHAT A CLIFFHANGER.
A story about a soldier/spy, his magic tree, a black widow turned smuggler, and a woman on the sci-fi equivalent of the underground railroad.
There is...a LOT going on here. Many easter eggs and origins of things that will come up in later books. The result is...dense, even by Liaden standards. There are also some pacing aspects (the first section was quite bizarre) that didn't quit come together for me. And here are story elements that reminded me quite a bit of Agent of Change, and I connected with that book more.
But I really like Cantra. And HOLY COW, WHAT A CLIFFHANGER.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery and Violence
sylviep's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.75
jerseygrrrl's review against another edition
2.0
I just don't understand these books. I picked up Saltation in a bookstore and stopped halfway through because I couldn't follow the world / lingo. I had hoped that starting here, at the very beginning, would help. Alas, the use of language is just weird and, most of the time, I have no idea what's going on or why. And, just as I was figuring things out and finally getting into the book, it ended. Abruptly. No closure, no warning. *Sigh.*
felinity's review against another edition
4.0
A slower start than the other books in the series. I read this the first time before any of the other Liaden books, rating 3 stars, and it makes more sense when read as a prequel. It's also more enjoyable now, and I appreciate the nuances, so I'm upgrading to 4 stars.
jmartindf's review against another edition
3.0
(Reviewed together with Crystal Dragon.)
I read these two books back to back and they easily combine to form one large story. I’ll review them together. These books (the “Migration Duology”) form an origin story to the entire Liaden Universe. They literally explain how the universe came into being.
The story starts in the misty depths of history when a group of humans began genetically modifying themselves. They continually modified themselves until they no longer remotely resembled humanity or considered themselves human. These “Sheriekas” then decided to cleanse the universe of every less perfect being, destroying entire star systems as they went.
Humanity fought back, though generally not very successfully. The novels focus on two characters: M Jela Granthor’s Guard and Cantra Yos Phelium. They become reluctant partners and eventual lovers. Together with a sentient, telepathic Tree (possibly the best part of the story) and the dramliza (escaped creations of the Sheriekas), they fight a desperate rear guard action. They eventually succeed in creating an entirely new universe for humanity to escape to, one where the Sheriekas can’t reach them.
These books were okay but I didn’t feel like they really fit in with the rest of the Liaden Universe novels. I had a hard time caring about a war that occurred thousands of years before the rest of the series—and that was fought in a completely separate universe.
I kept thinking “so what?” and wondering what impact all of this really had on the rest of the series. (It seemed like a tale that would be an interesting origin myth for Clan Korval but not something that would affect ongoing events in the new universe.) Additionally, the plot events and relationships reminded me a lot of events and characters in both Conflict of Honors and Agent of Change.
The novels were fun but seemed both somewhat pointless and somewhat of a retread of earlier novels. I think they’re good to read if you’re really interested in the origin of some of the recurring themes of the series. I wouldn’t start reading the series with these novels though.
I read these two books back to back and they easily combine to form one large story. I’ll review them together. These books (the “Migration Duology”) form an origin story to the entire Liaden Universe. They literally explain how the universe came into being.
The story starts in the misty depths of history when a group of humans began genetically modifying themselves. They continually modified themselves until they no longer remotely resembled humanity or considered themselves human. These “Sheriekas” then decided to cleanse the universe of every less perfect being, destroying entire star systems as they went.
Humanity fought back, though generally not very successfully. The novels focus on two characters: M Jela Granthor’s Guard and Cantra Yos Phelium. They become reluctant partners and eventual lovers. Together with a sentient, telepathic Tree (possibly the best part of the story) and the dramliza (escaped creations of the Sheriekas), they fight a desperate rear guard action. They eventually succeed in creating an entirely new universe for humanity to escape to, one where the Sheriekas can’t reach them.
These books were okay but I didn’t feel like they really fit in with the rest of the Liaden Universe novels. I had a hard time caring about a war that occurred thousands of years before the rest of the series—and that was fought in a completely separate universe.
I kept thinking “so what?” and wondering what impact all of this really had on the rest of the series. (It seemed like a tale that would be an interesting origin myth for Clan Korval but not something that would affect ongoing events in the new universe.) Additionally, the plot events and relationships reminded me a lot of events and characters in both Conflict of Honors and Agent of Change.
The novels were fun but seemed both somewhat pointless and somewhat of a retread of earlier novels. I think they’re good to read if you’re really interested in the origin of some of the recurring themes of the series. I wouldn’t start reading the series with these novels though.
giraffesareweird's review against another edition
2.0
I got about 3/5 of the way through this book, and i just noticed i kept getting more and more annoyed at what was going on until i decided i really didn't need to finish. My mind kept screaming 'oh my god, who cares!!'
I really liked the beginning. The idea of these unbeatable enemies killing everything, and destroying this planet of trees because the trees might be important in some unforeseen way. And the main character trying to protect the tree? Loved that.
The parts where the author focused on politeness and how the pilot expected/gave it to others was super interesting as well, at least at first. Until the other pilot came into the story, and she seemed like she was just there to be angry and contrary to the main character. I just wanted them to get on with it.
And from there I was supposed to thrill when they were off trading on other planets. Buying textiles and chicken embryos. Exciting stuff. Picking fights in bars for no reason i could discertain other than 'things are getting slow, we need an action scene'.
Just lost interest in where it was going in the end.
I really liked the beginning. The idea of these unbeatable enemies killing everything, and destroying this planet of trees because the trees might be important in some unforeseen way. And the main character trying to protect the tree? Loved that.
The parts where the author focused on politeness and how the pilot expected/gave it to others was super interesting as well, at least at first. Until the other pilot came into the story, and she seemed like she was just there to be angry and contrary to the main character. I just wanted them to get on with it.
And from there I was supposed to thrill when they were off trading on other planets. Buying textiles and chicken embryos. Exciting stuff. Picking fights in bars for no reason i could discertain other than 'things are getting slow, we need an action scene'.
Just lost interest in where it was going in the end.