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This chapbook contains two original "Shadow Partner," and "Persistence." Each story features a well-known member of Clan Korval, portrayed as others see them.
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First published January 1, 2008
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About the author
Sharon Lee
166 books788 followersSharon Lee has been married to her first husband for more than half her lifetime; she is a friend to cats, a member of the National Carousel Association, and oversees the dubious investment schemes of an improbable number of stuffed animals.
Despite having been born in a year of the dragon, Sharon is an introvert. She lives in Maine because she likes it there. In fact, she likes it so much that she has written five novels set in Maine; contemporary fantasy trilogy Carousel Tides, Carousel Sun, Carousel Seas, and mysteries Barnburner and Gunshy.
With the aforementioned first husband, Steve Miller, Sharon has written twenty novels of science fiction and fantasy — many of them set in the Liaden Universe® — and numerous short stories. She has occasionally been an advertising copywriter, a reporter, photographer, book reviewer, and secretary. She was for three years Executive Director of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc., and was subsequently elected vice president and then president of that organization.
Despite having been born in a year of the dragon, Sharon is an introvert. She lives in Maine because she likes it there. In fact, she likes it so much that she has written five novels set in Maine; contemporary fantasy trilogy Carousel Tides, Carousel Sun, Carousel Seas, and mysteries Barnburner and Gunshy.
With the aforementioned first husband, Steve Miller, Sharon has written twenty novels of science fiction and fantasy — many of them set in the Liaden Universe® — and numerous short stories. She has occasionally been an advertising copywriter, a reporter, photographer, book reviewer, and secretary. She was for three years Executive Director of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc., and was subsequently elected vice president and then president of that organization.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 13, 2012
4.5/5; 5 stars; A
This is a two short story set that fits in with the other Liaden Universe stories. Shadow Partner precedes and then ends up at the same time with A Day at the Races, from the Companion book, Volume 1. i shows a much younger Val Con during the time when he was a a scout but not on an assignment.
Persistence fills in the gap before Pat Rin arrives on Surebleak and sets up his carpet emporium.
This is a two short story set that fits in with the other Liaden Universe stories. Shadow Partner precedes and then ends up at the same time with A Day at the Races, from the Companion book, Volume 1. i shows a much younger Val Con during the time when he was a a scout but not on an assignment.
Persistence fills in the gap before Pat Rin arrives on Surebleak and sets up his carpet emporium.
May 2, 2016
Two interesting and enjoyable stories involving Korval characters. As the synopsis says, we get a second-hand view, seeing Val Con and Pat Rin through the perspective of other characters.
4.25 stars for Shadow Partner. The shadow partner is Shadow himself, a younger Val Con, Scout Captain. It fits in with the short story, A Day at the Races, in Two Tales of Korval, because the woman Val Con sees after the skimmer race, at the Festival in Solcintra, plays a lead role in this story. This was a fine tale of friendship and perhaps passion. As for characterization, it was entirely congruent with Val Con as we have come to know him. I liked Jas Par. Who or what was he?
3.75 stars for Persistence. The authors place ignorance and persistence in an either-or relationship. This rather dark piece illustrates how Pat Rin, Cheever, and Natesa went to the ignorant planet Bazaar to buy up a store-load of rugs, for Surebleak (see I Dare). The authors portray Pat Rin as more nuanced than he seemed in I Dare — dangerous, determined, grieving, discerning, and quite deadly. Natesa seemed quite consistent with the Natesa of I Dare. However, Cheever was flavored with subterfuge, delibertely dampening his aura to appear dim, sleepy, and slow, which in effect creates a character almost as lethal as Pat Rin and Natesa.
We learn a bit more about the Sinner's Rug, but that part of the story was difficult to follow. Certainly, Beba is a healer, but I'm not clear about her mystical and persecuted family history, nor the rug's history. That's okay, though. Beba and Joshu made for interesting secondary characters anyway.
Cross-Series Discrepancy: In this short story, Pat Rin bought the Sinner's Carpet for five cantra, but in I Dare, he tells Natesa he paid only one cantra for it. Hmmm. Not a big deal, but it should be easy enough to check these specific little facts when writing.
Ps. Interesting backstory: Pat Rin, undercover, gives his last name as Conrad in this short (I think after Conrad Carpets). Later, in the novel I Dare, .
4.25 stars for Shadow Partner. The shadow partner is Shadow himself, a younger Val Con, Scout Captain. It fits in with the short story, A Day at the Races, in Two Tales of Korval, because the woman Val Con sees after the skimmer race, at the Festival in Solcintra, plays a lead role in this story. This was a fine tale of friendship and perhaps passion. As for characterization, it was entirely congruent with Val Con as we have come to know him. I liked Jas Par. Who or what was he?
3.75 stars for Persistence. The authors place ignorance and persistence in an either-or relationship. This rather dark piece illustrates how Pat Rin, Cheever, and Natesa went to the ignorant planet Bazaar to buy up a store-load of rugs, for Surebleak (see I Dare). The authors portray Pat Rin as more nuanced than he seemed in I Dare — dangerous, determined, grieving, discerning, and quite deadly. Natesa seemed quite consistent with the Natesa of I Dare. However, Cheever was flavored with subterfuge, delibertely dampening his aura to appear dim, sleepy, and slow, which in effect creates a character almost as lethal as Pat Rin and Natesa.
We learn a bit more about the Sinner's Rug, but that part of the story was difficult to follow. Certainly, Beba is a healer, but I'm not clear about her mystical and persecuted family history, nor the rug's history. That's okay, though. Beba and Joshu made for interesting secondary characters anyway.
Cross-Series Discrepancy: In this short story, Pat Rin bought the Sinner's Carpet for five cantra, but in I Dare, he tells Natesa he paid only one cantra for it. Hmmm. Not a big deal, but it should be easy enough to check these specific little facts when writing.
Ps. Interesting backstory: Pat Rin, undercover, gives his last name as Conrad in this short (I think after Conrad Carpets). Later, in the novel I Dare, .
June 9, 2018
I love these short stories that give just a bit of back story to the main novels.
December 3, 2017
3.5 stars.
Have you ever wondered who the girl was that Val Con swept up in his arms after that skimmer race? Well, you get to find out in the first story. I wondered what happened to her?
The second story is about the sellers of the Sinner Rug that Pat Rin picked up for his store on Surebleak. Another interesting little side-story.
Have you ever wondered who the girl was that Val Con swept up in his arms after that skimmer race? Well, you get to find out in the first story. I wondered what happened to her?
The second story is about the sellers of the Sinner Rug that Pat Rin picked up for his store on Surebleak. Another interesting little side-story.
July 14, 2019
Two stories showing people affected by Korval's wide-striding passage through the worlds. One shows an early love affair by Val Con, and how he handles his pride at being rejected by helping the sister of his affection, which proves to him how unworthy his love was (and how foolish he was). And the other shows where the rug supplies for the business on Surebleak came from, and how Korval's acquisition meant escape for the suppliers.
I like how it fills in more about the society (both on Liadan and another world) although I'm left with more questions than fulfilment about the characters.
I like how it fills in more about the society (both on Liadan and another world) although I'm left with more questions than fulfilment about the characters.
April 12, 2024
In the Universe collection #2.
December 20, 2017
Two in one chapbook with "Shadow Partner" and "Persistence." Stories are also available in the collection "A Liaden Universe Constellation: Volume 2." (Published Dec 2013, by Lee & Miller's new publisher, Baen.) It is cheaper to buy the collection rather than the related chapbooks, so I recommend going that route. I bought the chapbooks in 2012 before the Constellations were available.
"Shadow Partner" stars Val Con during the time of "A Day at the Races." The story focuses on a bar slowly going under because the Delm of the Clan has been milking it to death, while the younger sister is trying desperately to keep it alive. I found the story engaging with several nice twists.
"Persistence" stars Pat Rin about the time of "I, Dare." The story was hard-to-follow, not bad, but had to struggle to understand everything that was happening. If you want to know where the Sinner Carpet came from, read this, otherwise I am not sure the fight through the layers of yet another wizard-ability is worth the effort of reading. I did like how Pat Rin remains true to his carpet heritage; he loves the stuff however much he cannot let it become his living.
Neither book is a must-read for its influence on what is happening in the Novel Universe, but both are interesting character studies on how other people interact and view their brush with Clan Korval. So nice reads, but not must reads.
"Shadow Partner" stars Val Con during the time of "A Day at the Races." The story focuses on a bar slowly going under because the Delm of the Clan has been milking it to death, while the younger sister is trying desperately to keep it alive. I found the story engaging with several nice twists.
"Persistence" stars Pat Rin about the time of "I, Dare." The story was hard-to-follow, not bad, but had to struggle to understand everything that was happening. If you want to know where the Sinner Carpet came from, read this, otherwise I am not sure the fight through the layers of yet another wizard-ability is worth the effort of reading. I did like how Pat Rin remains true to his carpet heritage; he loves the stuff however much he cannot let it become his living.
Neither book is a must-read for its influence on what is happening in the Novel Universe, but both are interesting character studies on how other people interact and view their brush with Clan Korval. So nice reads, but not must reads.
July 9, 2011
This contains two short stories. First, “Persistence” is the story of how Pat Rin acquired the stock for his store on Surebleak. It gives a nice outsider’s view of Netessa, Pat Rin and Cheevely, e.g. they are scary individuals. The point-of-view character has an interesting past and is caught in interesting problems but that past is very little explored and the problems are resolved with an ease that’s rather disappointing.
The second story, “Shadow Partner” gives us a brief glimpse of Val Con as a young Scout Commander, as he rights a wrong that is none of his doing or responsibility, much to the relief and consternation of the recipient. This is another tale illustrating the holes in the Liaden social structure if not everyone of a clan buys into the “greater good of the clan” idea.
The second story, “Shadow Partner” gives us a brief glimpse of Val Con as a young Scout Commander, as he rights a wrong that is none of his doing or responsibility, much to the relief and consternation of the recipient. This is another tale illustrating the holes in the Liaden social structure if not everyone of a clan buys into the “greater good of the clan” idea.
May 9, 2012
What I liked about this:
*Going back into the Liaden universe.
*Although I would love a longer story, these two short stories fit my time frame and gave me a taste of one of my favorite worlds.
*Seeing Val Con in his years before Miri.
*Seeing what life is like for those in low houses. We've seen quite a bit of how the High Houses, particularly Korval, operate. But there are the little poeple who make up the world too, and they are important.
*Going back into the Liaden universe.
*Although I would love a longer story, these two short stories fit my time frame and gave me a taste of one of my favorite worlds.
*Seeing Val Con in his years before Miri.
*Seeing what life is like for those in low houses. We've seen quite a bit of how the High Houses, particularly Korval, operate. But there are the little poeple who make up the world too, and they are important.
September 3, 2013
When I think about reading I mean novels. Anthologies have always held second place. However, in Science Fiction I am finding myself constantly perplexed by authors who anthologize a single story in multiple volumes. Mike Resnick, Keith Laumer Christopher Anvil, James Schmitz, and Poul Anderson immediately come to mind. So here on Goodreads I surrender.
Both stories in this chapbook say interesting things about human nature.
Both stories in this chapbook say interesting things about human nature.
December 14, 2020
A tale of Val Con told from another perspective, and a tale of Pat Rin, Natesa and Cheever told from the perspective of the place where they bought the rugs to start up on Surebleak later. Interesting, but again the stories are mostly about people we will never see again. That makes the stories less engaging for me.
September 12, 2011
Just because "Shadow Partner" fills in the backstory for "A Day at the Races" (in Two Tales of Korval) so perfectly...
October 26, 2014
I enjoyed rereading Shadow Partner, but I feel kind of dumb as I don't think I got anything like close to the nuances of Persistence. Still, it was a first reading. Maybe it will make more sense on a reread?
March 28, 2017
B+
Two Liaden shorts
My thoughts:
Shadow Partner: Min and her sister run a sort of pub/bar/cafe, with the older, more beautiful Min being in charge. Min has a way of attracting men, stringing them along, and then dumping them. Her lastest conquest is a Scout named Shadow*. Min cajoles Ceola into doing her dirty work, both in dumping Shadow for her and for running the bar on her own while she's absent with a man. Instead of being angry with Ceola, Shadow helps out in the bar that evening while Ceola is trying to manage without Min.
With Min still gone the next morning, Ceola begins to worry. While she's alone in the bar before opening, robbers enter, steal the cash box (luckily not full), and beat up Ceola. During the robbery, Ceola hit the silent alarm, but no help arrived--Ceola was told that their tariff hadn't been paid even tho Ceola had records that it had been. When Shadow arrives to check on her, he arranges for someone to administer first aid to her, to help out in the bar, and to trace the missing tariffs. Re the tariffs, it turns out that Min has been diverting the payments to a personal account, and there is also suspicion that she's been skimming off the top in other ways.
Min returns and is quite ugly to Ceola, and is unrepentent when faced with her actions. Ceola realizes that Min intends to sell the bar to finance her lifestyle. Her suspicions are confirmed when she is visited by Min's latest amour who tries to force Ceola to sign the contract. Ceola is able to fight him off (using techniques Shadow has taught her on the sly) until her new barman, Jasper/Jas Per arrives. Ceola later asks Shadow for his advice and he negotiates with Min on her behalf. The arrangement was for Shadow to buy Min out and become Ceola's silent partner, but he ended up giving her the necessary funds outright.
Ceola sees a newsfeed story about a skimmer race with Shan yos'Galan and Val Con yos'Phelium as participants, and she realizes that Shadow is the Na'delm Korval. Ceola and Jasper go to the races to confront Val Con, who sheepishly asks is she's mad at him. (How can she be?)
*During the story, I couldn't remember if Shadow was Daav's or Val Con's nickname and it drove me a bit crazy.
Persistence: Beba is from a family with a range of unusual talents that ends up being shunned, with many members disappearing to find something better elsewhere. Beba herself is a failed scholar whose theories were mocked and whose talents for pulling names out of peoples's heads and gaining information from scents were distrusted and feared. Now Beba is a rug merchant in partnership with Joshu, who is willing to make use of Beba's talents but seems on the verge of being unfaithful/easily drawn away to better opportunities.
One day at her stall in the bazaar, Beba meets three unusual people: A grieving Liaden (Pat Rin) and two Terrans (Cheever and Natessa) who are protective of him. The Liaden, Conrad, is interested in Beba's wares, particularly The Sinner's Rug, a family heirloom, she has on display. He invites Beba and her partner to dinner at a fine restaurant to discuss matters. Beba is wary and is receiving all kinds of alarming signals from the group, but she agrees to the dinner. There are a lot of undercurrents at the dinner, and later at the bazaar where their deal is consummated, but Pat Rin/Conrad gets the goods her needs to start his rug shop on Surebleak, as well as the infamous Sinner's Rug for a price that pleases both him and Beba. The funds enable Beba and Joshu (who is more faithful that Beba had thought) to leave the planet and start anew elsewhere.
This story started off slow and confusing for me, but once it hit it's stride I really enjoyed it. Poor Pat Rin--seeing him again so wounded at the thought of being the last of his Clan. But it was touching to see how concerned and protective Cheever and Natessa were.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews