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posies23's review against another edition
4.0
The Liaden books really pick up their pace in PLAN B. Lee and Miller's plots get more complicated, but the characters are still strong and the action is well done.
This is a strong series, with a lot to recommend it to fans of sci-fi that want something a bit different than the usual.
This is a strong series, with a lot to recommend it to fans of sci-fi that want something a bit different than the usual.
karinlib's review
5.0
Loved this action-packed entry in the Liaden Universe.
05/07/2018: Reading again.
05/08/2018: I have to say this: This series is wonderful, even reading a second time. I am already looking forward to reading it a third time.
03/11/2020: Re-read this again.
05/11/2023: Read this again. One of my favorites because the whole caste is here.
05/07/2018: Reading again.
05/08/2018: I have to say this: This series is wonderful, even reading a second time. I am already looking forward to reading it a third time.
03/11/2020: Re-read this again.
05/11/2023: Read this again. One of my favorites because the whole caste is here.
mary_soon_lee's review against another edition
4.0
This science fiction novel takes place within the authors' Liaden Universe, where it is the third book in a story-arc that begins with "Agent of Change." I am very attached to the characters on the side of good, both major and minor, old and new. I found the scenes from the perspective of the Commander of Agents (who is, at least presently, on the wrong side) less engaging, but that is a petty gripe. There are fierce battles in space and on the ground, fierce loyalties, and the sense that the authors love these characters. Most satisfactory.
changeablelandscape's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
This was... fine? My problem with it is that the execution of the initial premise takes the entire book, so -- at the beginning we have Val and Miri coming to Lytaxin, where they're going to find out how Miri is related to Erob, but while that's happening the planet is unexpectedly attacked so they have to gather their resources and mount a defense! And... that's the entire book! I guess for people who love military detail that's enough and it's fun to read hundreds of pages about exactly HOW they mount the defense, and how all the other characters do the stuff they do (Shan managing to get to the surface of the planet, Priscilla taking over as Captain and fighting in space, Nova getting off of her home planet and finding Miri's old merc leader and so forth), but for me it really, really dragged. Obviously Val and Miri and Shan and Priscilla are going to be just fine, so I wanted to get through the battle and to the interesting part where they are talking to each other and coming up with a plan to deal with the real problem (the Department of the Interior) and so forth, but aside from getting all the important people to the same place, the main plot hasn't gotten any farther along at the end of the book than it was at the beginning.
I am all for authors writing what they want to write, and I will definitely read the next book in the series, but I feel like this one could've been one chapter of a much more interesting book instead of a book in itself.
I am all for authors writing what they want to write, and I will definitely read the next book in the series, but I feel like this one could've been one chapter of a much more interesting book instead of a book in itself.
itabar's review
3.0
Now that the audios are out, I've been listening to these books. I remembered enjoying them and remembered very little so looked forward to revisiting favorite characters. Sadly, I now remember why I stopped reading them. The endings are *beyond* annoying. They are unsatisfying, leaving you hanging.
I haven't read anything they published after Sword of Orion, which contains one of the worst endings ever. So now I'm wondering if I should bother reading or listening to the Theo Waitley books.
I haven't read anything they published after Sword of Orion, which contains one of the worst endings ever. So now I'm wondering if I should bother reading or listening to the Theo Waitley books.
titusfortner's review
3.0
Yeah, this series is getting worse, not better for me. There were some interesting bits surrounding Nelirikk, but overall the story just wasn't very appealing. Maybe I'm just getting burned out on space opera. 2.5 stars
glyneth's review
5.0
I know I read this book, back when it came out or not long after. But like Carpe Diem, I don't remember all of it. I definitely remember Beautiful, and the ending scene, but the rest was lost to memory.
So I guess I got to be one of those people who was able to forget a book, so you could read it again as if for the first time!
And now, I Dare (haha, see what I did there?) to go into the rest of the series, which I have NOT done before.
I can't wait.
So I guess I got to be one of those people who was able to forget a book, so you could read it again as if for the first time!
And now, I Dare (haha, see what I did there?) to go into the rest of the series, which I have NOT done before.
I can't wait.
scribal's review
3.0
My favorite Space Opera series!
On first read I found this book disappointing. The pace varies from treating large events in very few sentences to treating small ones in way too many. There's so much going on in the main series plot lines but what gets described in detail is often a side subplot. I wanted more of different things. On reread I could fill in a lot with what I knew about characters from other books, but I don't think it's a good place to start learning Liaden.
On first read I found this book disappointing. The pace varies from treating large events in very few sentences to treating small ones in way too many. There's so much going on in the main series plot lines but what gets described in detail is often a side subplot. I wanted more of different things. On reread I could fill in a lot with what I knew about characters from other books, but I don't think it's a good place to start learning Liaden.
violet_catte's review
4.0
4.25 softly rounded up.
I think this was a much more successful version of what Carpe Diem was trying to do. I could keep up with the cast better, the stakes were growing at a consistent rate, and it was fun to watch these scattered groups finally start to lock on the same location.
I have some...feelings about how the Yxtrang is handled. Nelirikk is a great character, though.
Nova and Angela are lesbians, change my mind.
That last LINE, THOUGH. They always futz with my brain, these two. What a cliffhanger.
I think this was a much more successful version of what Carpe Diem was trying to do. I could keep up with the cast better, the stakes were growing at a consistent rate, and it was fun to watch these scattered groups finally start to lock on the same location.
I have some...feelings about how the Yxtrang is handled. Nelirikk is a great character, though.
Nova and Angela are lesbians, change my mind.
That last LINE, THOUGH. They always futz with my brain, these two. What a cliffhanger.
tome15's review
2.0
Lee, Sharon, and Steve Miller. Plan B. Liaden Universe No.11. Ace, 2003.
Plan B comes in the middle of the Liaden chronology, but it was published before many of the others were written. The authors say the book was written after a long hiatus in their work. Frankly, I don’t think they were back in form when they wrote this one. I suspect they were working from old notes for stories they may have planned years before. The plot is a mess. I kept losing track of the story arc. Characters popped in and out of our attention, their place in things never quite registering. The dialogue, always pointedly formal in Liaden world, seemed stodgy self-parody. The usual series tropes were there, but the story never pulled them together. Two stars, because Lee and Miller didn’t bring their A-game.
Plan B comes in the middle of the Liaden chronology, but it was published before many of the others were written. The authors say the book was written after a long hiatus in their work. Frankly, I don’t think they were back in form when they wrote this one. I suspect they were working from old notes for stories they may have planned years before. The plot is a mess. I kept losing track of the story arc. Characters popped in and out of our attention, their place in things never quite registering. The dialogue, always pointedly formal in Liaden world, seemed stodgy self-parody. The usual series tropes were there, but the story never pulled them together. Two stars, because Lee and Miller didn’t bring their A-game.