3.5*

A good follow-up to Agent of Change (though I doubt that it would work well as a stand-alone). ( )

Lee, Sharon, and Steve Miller. Carpe Diem. 1989. E-book ed., Baen, 2007. Liaden Universe 11.
Carpe Diem is a sequel to Agent of Change and the third book in the trilogy that first introduced the Liaden universe. It is the 11th book in the internal chronology. Val Con and Terran Miri Robertson are stranded on a hostile planet and have to work together to survive. Predictably, they learn to love each other and form a strong partnership in their battle with the Department of the Interior on Liad—solid four-star space opera. ( )

Val Con and Miri are stuck on a backwoods planet but no problem, Val Con is a First In Scout. It's great fun to watch their bond grow while they adapt to the unfamiliar world they're stranded on. I love the way with just a few brush strokes, Val Con's love for and protection of Miri is shown without any beating of breast or wailing about. It permeates the whole story but is barely mentioned in the hurly burly of the advancing story arc. Others of Clan Korval are starting to show up and have their own bits of the story. Just great writing and great space opera. ( )

Miri Robertson and Val Con yos'Phelium, having escaped both the Juntavas and the Yxtrang, are now stranded on Vandar, a planet without spaceflight and therefore interdicted. Without a ship of their own, they have no realistic prospect of getting home anytime soon. They settle in to learn the language and build new identities--and incidentally learn how to be a couple, while each fights the demons from their respective pasts.

Meanwhile, Val Con's clutch brothers, Edger and Sheather, continue their hunt to find and rescue their adopted brother and sister. And on Liad, Nova, Shan, and the rest of Clan Korval, also seeking Val Con, discover the Department of the Interior and its terrible plot against the clans.

This is a fun, fast-paced adventure in a nicely intricate universe. The relationship between Miri and Val Con is interesting and believably complex, while the planetbound culture and its citizens are treated with respect and some depth.

Recommended.

I bought this book. ( )

A good follow-up to Agent of Change (though I doubt that it would work well as a stand-alone). ( )