In which good neighbours become good friends.
No very specific indications of when this story is set, only that it’s after “the Lady and the Perfessor” have embarked on their project of documenting Surebleak’s social history.
A bit of ironic foreshadowing in Algaina’s expression of disbelief at the idea of Roe Yingling mending his manners: “Day that happens, I’ll make a cake for the whole street.” It does seem to have happened in the final scene of the story — at the block party, where the food laid out for the whole street to enjoy includes more than one of Algaina’s cakes.
The fact that the merc judged Surebleak, of all places, “a damned sight safer’n where we found you” says a lot about how dangerous Solcintra Low Port can be. Or at least how dangerous it appeared to a Terran merc, and I suppose to be fair we must make allowances for the judgement being made in the aftermath of a battle. Even so, the merc may well have been right, at least when it came to the safety of the children.
There are a couple of possibilities for the unnamed baker in Boss Conrad’s territory who is interested in adding chernubia to her wares. One is Vessa Quill, who was featured in Dragon in Exile; her bakery is explicitly stated to be on Boss Conrad’s turf. The other possibility that comes to mind is Joan’s Bakery, where the meetings between Korval and the Bedel take place, though I don’t recall it ever being said which turf it’s on, and its status as neutral ground might suggest that it isn’t in Boss Conrad’s own territory.
The story of the Gilmour Agency’s evacuation makes me think this is something Surebleakers have in common with Liadens, though for the Liadens it was long enough ago that probably most of them have forgotten it: they are also the descendants of a population who were abandoned to fend for themselves by the high-ranking people when trouble hit.
There are other, more personal points of commonality in the story, too: like Algaina and Don Eyr, not only both bakers but both people who get up early and comfort-bake on nights when sleep is being unfriendly.
I liked this story. I liked the references to Kareen (the lady) and Kamele (perfesser) .
Did you read the prequel, Separation of Interests? I will check your list.
So, maybe the Low Port on Solcintra is becoming even more dangerous now, because Korval is gone, and Clarence O’Berin is gone. They at least tried to keep crime containable. Who know that the DoI isn’t running amok in those alleys, stealing children and adults for their nefarious ends.
Ps. I do not see Block Party or Separation on your main index page titled Links to Individual Works
Oops. Degrees of Separation is the title of the prequel to Block Party, not Sep of Interests.
Chapter 1 of “Degrees of Separation” will be today’s post, and then I’ll add both to the Links to Individual Works list.
(For new works that I’m reading for the first time, I tend to stick to publication order.)
Aha. Smart plan.
Argh! I can’t seem to catch up!
Read this one last night (along with finishing up “Shan and Priscilla Ride Again”) and enjoyed it thoroughly. The author’s craft continues to be refined.
Someone should persuade Roe to see the Healers before the young healer’s* work has worn off, i.e., while he is somewhat tractable.
*Can’t recall her name, and baen is blocked where I work.
Very good catch, Paul. I hadn’t made this connection:
something Surebleakers have in common with Liadens, though for the Liadens it was long enough ago that probably most of them have forgotten it: they are also the descendants of a population who were abandoned to fend for themselves by the high-ranking people when trouble hit.
PA: Help! I know I read this story once . . . is it only available on the baen website as a free story? Do you know how I can manipulate the page in order to allow me to increase the font size without having to scroll back and forth to read each line? I tried downloading the Kindle friendly ebook, but my Kindle app refuses to recognize it as a compatible file. Do you have any suggestions?
I believe it is currently only available on the Baen web site, although it will presumably be in the next Liaden Universe Constellation, which has been confirmed to be in the works.
The ebook of the free stories can be read online as well as downloaded, and has much more legible text than the original presentation: here’s the link for Block Party. (I’m not 100% sure that link will take you directly to the chapter instead of the first page, but if it doesn’t, Block Party is chapter 16.)
Hey, Paul. You can delete these two posts. I finally did something right and got it to my Kindle app. Just hope I never have to repeat it!