What is Lee and Miller's BEST Work? You decide!

[rolanni]

OK! Here's some fun. Far more often than seldom, a review will appear -- either in a professional venue, or in a blog, or on Amazon, which states, "While X is not up to Lee and Miller's BEST work..." (robotech_master, yours is only one in a long line). This sort of thing has always seemed...like a bit of a cheat...to me, because, yanno, here's this reader who knows what Lee and Miller's BEST work is -- and they're not going tell you!

Dirty pool, I say.

So, here's your chance. Below is a list of longer Liaden works. Which is the Best? Choose one and only one, then! Defend your choice in comments.

Have at it.


[Poll #1538793]

Comments

[gingerwood.livejournal.com]

I voted for I Dare, but truely, it's a toss up between I Dare and Scouts Progress.

[reedrover]

(I was good and voted first, then opened the link.)

I agree with GingerWood.

Due to just starting Mouse and Dragon, it was easy to get lured back into thinking Scout's Progress was the best work.

The two topics against which I judged the best were worldbuilding and character-building. Which books gave me the best sense of the where of the story, and which books gave me the best sense of who? The stark location shots and amazing jump descriptions in Scout's Progress and I Dare made it almost impossible to choose between them. It really came down to the secondary characters on SureBleak (as opposed to the supporting cast at Binjali's) that gave me such a sense of who in I Dare. Oh, yeah, and plot? Yes, it's nice to have one. But there are so many kinds of plots, from personal development and relationship conflict to good-vs-evil that this isn't something I even wanted to try to rank order.

... And OWIE! this was a hard quiz!

ETA: signal boosted

[painoarvokas.livejournal.com]

For me, Carpe Diem is the book with the best emotional bang to it. Mouse and Dragon is surprisingly close behind. Common to both is that they are centered on the early development of an already committed relationship; I suspect that's one of my buttons (and, alas, few books go that route).

Many of the books elicit too much pain in me (*) to be able to compete for the "best book" title. That is also one of the differentiating things between Carpe Diem and Mouse and Dragon, I notice, and probably explains their relative positions. (It is also the reason why I have not re-read Duainfey.)

(*) I mean, pain in sympathy to characters.

[starthorn.livejournal.com]

I voted for Agent of Change, both because it was my first Liaden novel and the beginning of the story arc. The man who was not Terrance O'Grady grabbed my imagination and after reading it I immediately set out and obtained everything else in the Liaden® Universe. I almost voted for I Dare because it was a roaring good finish to the original story arc, but decided I had to vote for the beginning.
Stan

[verana1111.livejournal.com]

I voted for "I Dare", though my favorite is "Scout's Progress" (I haven't read "Mouse and Dragon" yet). But for best, it was a hard choice between "I Dare" and "Agent of Change". If the poll were for best opening line, "Agent of Change" would have won for sure.

[keristor.livejournal.com]

Gah, 'best' in what sense? Character introductions? (AoC has to take that for the very first line.) Character development? Plot? Overall progression of the story arc? Quality of language use? (The later ones are inevitably better than the first, as with all writers I know.) Most satisfying to me?

It's like "my favourite book", the usual answer is whatever I've re-read last (or am currently re-reading -- if I've only read a book once then it is unlikely to be a favourite yet).

Even worse, some of those I consider a "work in many parts". Fledgling and Saltation, and Crystal Soldier+Dragon, definitely, I wouldn't read the second without the first (they can be read separately but I much prefer not to do so).

And then there's ambiguity even about the term "their best work". Most of the books contain sections or even phrases of your "best work" (as I mentioned, the first sentence in AoC, even though you have written "better boks" since then). I suspect that if I went through them I could find examples of what I would term your "best work" in each of the books. So if I ever said something like "not up to their best work" about an author (and I hope I never have) it would simply mean that there were more sections which I remember as 'best' from their other books taken as a whole, not that I have any concept of a single 'best' book.

(I really can't decide, looking at the list. Every time I tried to tick one box I immediately decided that there were other 'better' contenders based on some other criterion. I'll play safe and go for "Ghost Ship" *g*...)

Such hard choices

[wconn1979.livejournal.com]

I have really enjoyed Saltation and Fledgling, but There is soo much action going on in I dare that I had to chose it.

I can not wait for the next installment!!

[rahaeli.livejournal.com]

'Best' is hard! My answer totally depends on what day of the week it is. *g*

I will say, though, that my favorites in terms of comfort reread, the books I grab when I want to curl up with an old friend, are Local Custom and Scout's Progress. (My copies of both are more than a bit tattered.) I will second the commenters who have especial love for the opening sentence of Agent of Change, though, because that is a textbook example of hooking a reader quickly.

[missingvolume.livejournal.com]

Out of all the books I reread Scout's Progress more than any other book in the series.

[readinggeek451]

Same here.

[liadan-m.livejournal.com]

Scout's Progress has those things which go into a good book: pacing, character building, world building, enough plot to move the action without becoming overbearing (yes, I read regencies for fun), engaging people. While I like AoC, CD, and CoH, it's to Local Custom and Scout's Progress that I return when I need my Liaden fix (and then I go and read the rest of the series again). They are further along in your development as writers, which really shows in your sense of pacing and making every sentence work for it's place. LC's plot doesn't engage me quite as much as SP's, and I love Daav and Aelliana as people more than Er Thom and Anne.

I have no choice---but to lie

[bookmobiler.livejournal.com]

The usual answer for me is the last book I've recently re-read.

That would be I Dare.

What I actually ticked was Agent of Change because:

1: The opening line.

2: Miri

3: Val Con (so sue me, I liked Miri's character first)

4: Edger et al (the Clutch rules!)

[damara.livejournal.com]

Awww. now I have to go reread them all so I can answer that. :)

[ellenru.livejournal.com]

I have to vote for "I Dare" on this, although "Plan B" is a close second. While the former has parts I skim on re-reads (the Anthora-Ren Zel scenes), as a whole it provides the best mix of action, character insight and place.

[dimansheart.livejournal.com]

I found it really hard to pick -- and I haven't even READ all of them, yet. The book I like the best varies extensively depending on what kind of mood I'm in, and the writing is pretty solid on all of them (though I think the later books generally outshine the older ones in terms of polish).

So I finally went for Plan B, because of its one line that my friends and I quote at each other all the time: "Other people give their wives flowers."

[brock-tn.livejournal.com]

Wow, talk about difficult decisions.

The problem here (if problem there truly be,) is that you write books full of characters that one can care about. I am so tired of realizing, a couple of chapters into a novel, that I simply don't give a rat's a__ whether the characters in the book live or die. That simply doesn't happen to me with your tales.

I think that the main reason I chose Scout's Progress is that more than any of the other books, it takes place within Liaden society. Most of the other books find the characters in settings that are either not Liaden at all, or are outside the mainstream of Liaden culture. Scout's Progress, on the other hand, is eyebrow deep in Liad.

[ligeia-bm.livejournal.com]

"I dare", hands down. First, it's the climax of the arc that started in AoC, and second... Pat Rin! I have to agree completely with gingerwood, and the character development of Pat Rin through the book is smooth and amazing at the same time. A character that might have been unlikable at the beginning of the book evolved to the point where you sat at the edge of your seat cheering for him at every step.

[oberon.livejournal.com]

precisely, and I think that's another reason so many people found I Dare so much more satisfying - it brings to a close most of the story threads that hooked us earlier in the series, so it's definitely the most bang for your buck as a climactic explosion... but taken individually, Conflict of Honors and Scout's Progress have their own place in the top three for me as 'just right' on their own merits.

[benbenberi.livejournal.com]

For me, the best one is always the one I'm reading right now.

If I'm not reading one right now, probably I Dare or Agent of Change, for the same reasons other people have said.

[melita66.livejournal.com]

I chose Scout's Progress. Watching these two distressed people find joy is just wonderful. In the future, I would probably pick the omnibus of Scout's Progress + Mouse and Dragon as it could certainly be considered one long book. MaD may overtake it in the future--I have to read a lot more times to decide!

After SP, Agent of Change. I read Conflict of Honors first and it was my favorite for many years, then AoC took over as my top pick.

Scout's Progress

[sfblackl.livejournal.com]

I voted for Scout's Progress since it is the one I re-read the most. It is also one that I can read just by itself, while I can't read Agent of Change without diving into Carpe Diem.

The book, along with Local Custom and Conflict of Honors, has the 'classic' Lee/Miller romantic challenge which just sucks me in and leaves me feeling happy. Of those 3, I think I just like the characters and the backdrop more of Progress.

Very tough choice.

Re: Scout's Progress

[gingerwood.livejournal.com]

It is also one that I can read just by itself

I'm guessing that Mouse and Dragon will be changing that :)

[mardott.livejournal.com]

Well now, really. I don't know how you expect us to make such a choice.

I went with I Dare, for sheer scope. So many pieces brought together.

But honestly? These are all people I love to spend time with. I think Shan and Priscilla are my favorites - Conflict of Honors was my introduction to Liad, and Shan just blew me away. Secretly, I love him best - don't tell my husband.

[xinef.livejournal.com]

I voted for Local Custom, but it was a hard choice between that and Conflict of Honours. I love the mix of romance and action in those two novels.

[pmrabble.livejournal.com]

Best work? I Dare. Favorite? That's a harder question. Most of the time I'd go with Scout's Progress, but I have fondness for Agent of Change, Carpe Diem, and Changeling too.
Did finish the Mouse and Dragon eARC last night. Mostly happy, but I think there were some plot pacing issues that a few more words in the last third coupld have helped. Still, Aelliana!

[(Anonymous)]

I voted for Local Custom. I find the novel to be more polished\focused\structured then the others. I also love the language and the use of language in that book.

I love all of your books but some of them cut back and forward a bit abruptly from scene to scene especially I Dare. Mind you, in that book you have to follow several different groups of characters around which probably contributes to the feeling.

In general, I like your characters, the language, the plot but especially that I can re-read the books and find a new line or a new idea in something I already read a million times. Andre Norton's books get me the same way.

This is very difficult because it's such a subjective thing and what I've just critised above someone else will love.

Tricia

[shana.livejournal.com]

I Dare, because it's like two books worth of Liaden goodness.

Then Scout's Progress, and Conflict of Honors. I think Scout's Progress is a tiny bit better, but they are my next favorites.

Agent of Change

[angela-n-hunt.livejournal.com]

Because as noted earlier, best most awesome first line.

Favorite though is Conflict of Honors when I need comfort reading. Which is funny, because when I first read it, it was not my favorite. But over the years and re-reading, I've just fallen in love with Priscilla and Shan and, yes, to be very frank, norbears.

I think it's because I have a family now, and in many ways, CoH is where you first get a sense of what the rest of Val Con's family is like.

[starushkaa.livejournal.com]

It was very difficult for me to choose between B of T and Conflict of Honours (the first I read and thus a Favourite), but still Balance of Trade won probably because it stands somewhere on the side... But I must confess that I haven't read Saltation...
Love all your books really