Лиаден әлемі: Ғылыми-қияли романдар мен әңгімелер циклы

Science fiction novel and story series

The Liaden universe (/l//iː/'/eɪ//d//ɛ//n/ leeAYden or /l//iː/'/eɪ//d//ən/) is the setting for an ongoing series of science fiction stories written by Sharon Lee and the late Steve Miller. The series covers a considerable time period, some thousands of years in all, although since it also covers more than one universe the exact chronology is unclear. However the main timeline extends across only a few generations. The central stories primarily concern Clan Korval, a leading house in Liaden society. The stories are primarily in the genre of space opera, with heavy doses of romance, intrigue, and wizardry. As of July 2023 the series comprises 25 novels and 33 chapbooks (the stories within them now available as ebooks or in collections).

The series is set at some unspecified time in the future. There is a reference to the planet named "Terra" not being the first planet to bear that name; however, the familiar names and cultural references in the core books (coupled with a lack of them in the "Crystal" books) suggest that it is "our" earth nonetheless. In the wake of a diaspora from a "decrystallizing" galaxy that was mankind's prior home, the human race is divided into three major sub races: Terran, Liaden and Yxtrang. (There are also numerous isolated colony planets that have backslid technologically and are held as protectorates until their civilizations regain enough advances to cope with extraplanetary contact.) The original seven book "Agent of Change" sequence tells of the struggle between Clan Korval, a Liaden Clan of much note, and the mysterious "Department of the Interior". Though their headquarters on Liad were destroyed at the end of the original sequence, vestiges of the Department continue to plague Clan Korval in subsequent novels. The eighth novel, Balance of Trade, is set 275 years prior to the end of the "Agent of Change" sequence. It features Jethri Gobelyn, a young Terran trader who is adopted by a Liaden Master Trader to the consternation of virtually everyone. A sequel to this popular book, Trade Secret, was published in 2013 and follows Jethri as he starts his career as a trader. (A third book in the sequence, Fair Trade, was published in May 2022.) The ninth novel, Crystal Soldier, published in February 2005, takes place even earlier still: it is the first half of "The Great Migration Duology", and tells the story of Cantra yos'Phelium, who piloted the original exodus to Liad, and her partner M Jela. The sequel, Crystal Dragon, was published in 2006 and takes the story up through the founding of Liad and of Clan Korval. There is a timeline of the Liaden novels, below.

The series almost failed to take flight, and probably would only be three books long except for the Internet. The authors had written the first three books (Agent of Change, Conflict of Honors, and Carpe Diem, published in 1988–1989) but were told that sales were not sufficient to justify continuing. Unbeknownst to them the books had caused such a stir on the Usenet group rec. arts. sf. written that they were added to the group's FAQ. Upon gaining Internet access, the authors were surprised to find so many people looking for the next book, and even more surprised that its title was already decided upon: Plan B. They published some chapbooks to stave off the hungry fans and started writing: Plan B (published in 1999) and a further three books followed in due course to complete the "Agent of Change" sequence. There are also a number of short stories, some filling in gaps between novels, some providing background on minor (and not so minor) characters. The series is ongoing as of 2022, with twenty three novels and numerous chapbooks and short stories, and a number of new novels contracted to be written. See "Forthcoming", below. All the novels are available as ebooks.

The first three novels were originally published in mass market by Del Rey. The novels were later re published, along with several subsequent novels, by the now defunct Meisha Merlin, who have also anthologised the earlier novels. The novels were then re issued in mass market by Ace Books. Earlier books and some of the stories were formerly available in electronic form from Embiid Publishing, which is now out of business. In 2007, Baen Books published the first 10 Liaden novels in electronic form, followed by two short story collections. Baen began publishing new Liaden novels in 2009, and in 2010 began releasing the first 10 Liaden novels in omnibus trade paperbacks.

Lee and Miller strongly oppose any fan fiction written in the Liaden universe. "We built our universes, and our characters; they are our intellectual property; and they are not toys lying about some virtual sandbox for other kids to pick up and modify at their whim. Steve and I do not sanction fanfic written in our universes; any such work that exists, exists without our permission, and certainly without our support."