Local Custom

Liaden Universe Space Regencies, Book 1

By: Sharon Lee, Steve Miller

Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne

The first of the seven books set in the Liaden Universe tells a rich and sweeping story of warring families and star-crossed lovers in a fantastic, other-world galaxy.

©2001 Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Classic Heyer-esque Romance with Cultural Clash

Think of a classic Georgette Heyer Regency, add in a big dose of language and cultural misunderstanding, a dash of real danger, and a healthy dollop of good characterization, and you have Local Custom. A wonderful Space Regency, if you will. Set fairly early in the of Clan Korval, Local Custom tells the story of Er Thom yos'Galan, Master Trader and thodelm of Korval, and Anne Davis, Linguistics Scholar and Terran.

This book can be read without having read any of the other books in the Liaden Universe, and is thus one possible entry point. It's a delightful story that I did not want to stop reading, and had me driving the long way around more than once. The reading is by Bernadette Dunne, and that's all you really need to know. Ms. Dunne is a superb reader and it's a pleasure to have her for the reading of the three Space Regencies in the Liaden Universe.

Love! And Bernadette Dunne is fantastic!

Local Custom is a wonderful continuation of the Liaden Universe & it was great seeing/hearing Sean as a young boy. Ms Dunne is a master in her field- warm & wonderful performance.

Intrigue, romance, and family drama

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 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.

The first of three great narations

If you’ve listened to books by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller before, how does this one compare?

It's good, not my favorite,

Which character – as performed by Bernadette Dunne – was your favorite?

Dav

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I wouldn't say that, though it was very enjoyable, and I wasn't quite ready for it to end.

Any additional comments?

I read the first five in the Agent of change sequence before this one, and I did like finding out more about Val-kahn and Shawn's parents.

A universe where manners really count.

If you could sum up Local Custom in three words, what would they be?

Interesting, compelling, rewarding

What does Bernadette Dunne bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Bernadette Dunne is fabulous in this recording. Her vocal rendition of the various characters is brilliant. Kept me interested and eager.

Any additional comments?

Bit disappointed at the hints of a sad deviation into fantasy and that will probably stop me moving further into the series which is a shame but while I love Sci Fi, talk of magic and fantasy stuff leaves me cold. It didnt really come into this story but does lay the groundwork and just seemed to be a cop out in a very science based story.

This can make you see or to understand the byline.

I like to delve into the stories that can be found in the series’ that tie together the author has

Brilliant narration for star-crossed lovers

The narration really brings this story to life. I wish Bernadette Dunne could have done all the Liaden books! Wonderful worldbuilding, good characters, and sci fi romance at its finest.

Enthralling Sci Fi, Wonderfully Written

Would you consider the audio edition of Local Custom to be better than the print version?

All audio versions of the Liaden Universe Series are worth hearing, although you may find that some characters are played differently than the voices in your mind when you read the books. That's part of the fun!

What does Bernadette Dunne bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Ms Dunne, along with other readers for the series, brings her unique interpretation of character and storyline, like any good actor. Listening and reading are different experiences, both worth having with the Liaden series.

Any additional comments?

For lovers of excellent, beautifully written science fiction that is filled with wonderful characters and fascinating worlds, I highly recommend this series. Its mythological underpinnings are as compelling as those in Star Wars.

Narrators make a big difference

I have read every book of this series. Bernadette Dunn is an excellent narrator. I have listened to many books she has narrated and her voice makes a big difference. She is clear and her characters are easily recognizable. I find that changing narrators change the books. In later books it gets disjointed as same characters are read so differently that they are barely recognizable from book to book with narrator changes. In this series she does "Local Custom" and "Mouse and Dragon."

One of my favorite Liaden novels

I was so happy to see that Audible hired Bernadette Dunne to read "Local Custom". It had been the only Liaden novel available on audio for a long time, and although it had been read with love by its first narrator, the art of producing audio books hadn't really reached the quality of current standards. I've listened to Bernadette Dunne read "The Sharing Knife" series by Bujold and I love her work. She does this one proud.

One nice thing about the Liaden books is the wide variety in plots and characters. While many are decidedly of the space opera variety, this one is focused on Liaden customs and is a romance. There is little "action" and lots of parlor room politics. If that is not to your taste, it is easily skipped. If it is, you will probably reread it many times, as I have.