I plowed through this whole seven-book series in less than two weeks time, joined the author's Patreon, tweeted at him (and received a reply!) and then went looking for more of his books (sadly, there aren't many -- yet!). I don't remember each of the books individually very well (should have reviewed them right away), but I'll leave this review for the series as a whole:
The basic premise is that we aren't alone in the universe, there is a League of Peoples who have agreed to an edict handed down by a far superior (and never actually seen) species, which is basically not to cause harm to any member of any sentient species. There are still people living on Earth: those who refuse to agree to this rule or who have already broken it, but the sentient individuals who can abide by it flit around the universe, investigating new planets and species and making trade relationships.
Throughout the series we get to meet various fascinating races of 'aliens' and learn about their cultures and species. We also get to explore the theme of what constitutes "harm" intentional or otherwise, and towards the end make some hypotheses about the nature of this superior race who enforce the no-harm rule by basically immediately killing anyone who has broken it the next time they try to leave one planet for another. The series is packed with fun characters the reader comes to understand and even love, but they are properly flawed and dynamic individuals who are living their own journeys.
I really, really wish (hope?) there were (will be?) more books in this series. You should do yourself a favor and read it. I'll definitely revisit it someday. ( )

This book and its predecessors are aching to be a stand-alone mini-series that could only be directed by Marco Brambilla.

This entry in the series diverges from the style, timeline and characters of the otherLeague of Peoples entries.

Reminds me a bit of [a:John Scalzi|4763|John Scalzi|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1236228326p2/4763.jpg] the way [a:James Alan Gardner|129426|James Alan Gardner|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1246172005p2/129426.jpg] experiments with different forms & structures of the SF genre in this series.

What to look for: fun characterization, stereotypes that aren't, quotable quotes, and an action packed blood bath worthy of an Edgar Wright film. ( )

I loved how this was a neat blend of sci-fi and fantasy. I knew at the beginning that it was sci-fi and loved the explanation of aliens giving people all these neat fantasy-type gifts. But then as you get into the story the feel, the settings, the characters all feel so fantasy and then bam! You are dealing with aliens all over again!! An awesome read!! ( )

http://kukkurovaca.textdriven.com/gramarye/archives/trapped-james-alan-gardner ( )

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