Agent of Change [Paperback]

The plot of this book (apparently part of a series that has become an underground hit while I wasn't looking): Val Con, spy and so much more for Liad, gets an unexpected pang of chivalry and saves Miri Robertson, cute little redhead, from an attack by a gang of thugs. Turns out Miri is a tough former Merc with a past that is coming after her big time in the form of the Juntavas -- a galactic mafia. Now Val Con and Miri are on the run together from varioius annoyed parties, having each made enemies of their own for all the right reasons, and they must learn to trust each other to survive. Along the way they enlist the help of some turtle-like aliens, who as chance would have it had adopted Val Con as a sort of blood brother and now take up his and Miri's cause as their own.

I found this installment of the Liaden Universe novels very different in tone and characterization from the first, Conflict of Honors; it also has some of the most original elements in space opera. For starters, the aliens have the feel of much-beloved relatives as opposed to weird creatures. And rather than focusing on hardware and technology (which is definitely a factor here, make no mistake) the authors engage us with the quirky, yet believable personalities they have created. All this, and well-timed action, too!

However, both Val Con and Miri, both of whom were used to working alone, soon found that they worked well as partners, at least they would if Miri would stop trying to ditch Val Con at every opportunity. Val Con knew that Miri was something special, she made him feel things that he hadn't felt in years, she made him feel alive again. Miri didn't know what was wrong with Val Con, but she knew it had something to do with what he called The Loop, some kind of brain implant that gave him the odds of success on every mission/action he made. As they grew closer together, both Val Con and Miri realized that the Department of the Interior, who had trained Val Con as an agent, must have some ulterior motive in plan. But in order to find out what it was, they had to stay alive...

Agent of Change is the 4th book in the Liaden series if you read them chronologically (which I recommend). As with the other books, I simply loved Lee & Miller's characters and world building. They spend time on the details and it shows that they have carefully thought out and executed another masterpiece. I really feel as if I know the Korval family and am taking a remedial course on Liaden etiquette, these books are that well written! If you enjoy any kind of science fiction or space opera then this book has something for you - great characters, lots of action, enemies on all sides, high tech battle sequences, romance, family relations, honor, and much, much more! You can read this book as a stand-alone novel, but I would not recommend it as you will miss a lot of background, even though you should be able to follow the plot without too much trouble. Also, you definitely should not miss out on any book in the wonderful Liaden universe - all of them are very highly recommended!