Phase 3 of the Liaden Universe Re-Read will begin next week, on Sunday, April 20.

Phase 3 Schedule

• 20/4 – “Veil of the Dancer”
• 21/4 – “Heirloom”
• 22/4 – “Intelligent Design”
• 23/4 – “A Matter of Dreams”
• 24/4 – “Moonphase”
• 25/4 – Conflict of Honors ch.1
• 26/4 – “Fighting Chance”
• 27/4 – “To Cut an Edge”
• 28/4 – “Shadow Partner”
• 29/4 – “A Day at the Races”
• 30/4 – “Certain Symmetry”
• 1/5 – “This House”
• 2/5 – Conflict of Honors ch.2-50
• 18/6 – “Changeling”
• 19/6 – Fledgling
• 31/7 – Saltation ch.1-32
• 1/9 – “Landed Alien”

This schedule for this phase contains two deviations from standard novel reading. Conflict of Honors has a gap of several years between chapters near the beginning and Saltation has a gap of several years between chapters near the end, with, in each case, other stories taking place during the gap. The schedule for each of these novels is thus: read up to the gap, read the stories that take place during the gap, resume reading the novel. (In the case of Conflict of Honors, this also allows grouping together the three stories-or-chapters that together tell the tale of why Priscilla left home.)

You are, of course, free to ignore this and read both novels in whatever way makes you most comfortable.

Availability

The novels in Phase 3 are Conflict of Honors, Fledgling, and Saltation.

Conflict of Honors is currently in print as part of a Baen collected edition titled The Dragon Variation, which is also available as an e-book. (Baen also offers the old separate e-book edition of Conflict of Honors.)

Fledgling is in print in a standalone edition, which is also available as a free e-book from the Baen Free Library. (There’s also a non-free e-book, which includes bonus Making-Of material.)

Saltation is in print in a standalone edition, which is also available as an e-book.

The short stories in Phase 3 are “Veil of the Dancer”, “Heirloom”, “Intelligent Design”, “A Matter of Dreams”, “Moonphase”, “Fighting Chance”, “To Cut an Edge”, “Shadow Partner”, “A Day at the Races”, “Certain Symmetry”, “This House”, “Changeling”, and “Landed Alien”.

“Landed Alien” may be read (free) on Baen’s website, or in the (also free) Free Short Stories 2012 e-book.

If you have some or all of the Adventures in the Liaden Universe® chapbooks put out by SRM Publisher, “Veil of the Dancer” is in #9 (Quiet Knives), “Heirloom” is in #8 (Shadows and Shades), “Intelligent Design” is in #19 (Legacy Systems), “A Matter of Dreams” is in #7 (Loose Cannon), “Moonphase” is in #2 (Fellow Travelers), “Fighting Chance” is in #12 (Allies), “To Cut an Edge” and “A Day at the Races” are in #1 (Two Tales of Korval), “Shadow Partner” is in #14 (Eidolon), “Certain Symmetry” is in #4 (Certain Symmetry), “This House” is in #10 (With Stars Underfoot), and “Changeling” is in #6 (Changeling).

The chapbooks are out of print now, but they’re all available in e-book form via Pinbeam Books, whose Adventures in the Liaden Universe® page is also a convenient reference for which story is where.

Baen offers two sets of Liaden Universe short story collections; if you don’t have any of the chapbooks already, these may be a more efficient option than obtaining individual issues.

The old set, available only as e-books, are Liaden Unibus I and Liaden Unibus II, which collect #1-6 (including “Moonphase”, “To Cut an Edge”, “A Day at the Races”, “Certain Symmetry”, and “Changeling”) and #7-12 (including “Veil of the Dancer”, “Heirloom”, “A Matter of Dreams”, “Fighting Chance”, and “This House”) respectively.

The new set, available in print and e-book form, are A Liaden Universe Constellation, Volume One and A Liaden Universe Constellation, Volume Two, which collect #1-8 (including “Heirloom”, “A Matter of Dreams”, “Moonphase”, “To Cut an Edge”, “A Day at the Races”, “Certain Symmetry”, and “Changeling”) and #9-17 (including “Veil of the Dancer”, “Fighting Chance”, “Shadow Partner”, and “This House”) respectively.

For searching out second-hand print editions, the authors’ web site recommends Uncle Hugo’s Science Fiction Bookstore, The Missing Volume, and White Unicorn Books.

(And, incidentally: The song “This House” that inspired the short story “This House” is from Janis Ian’s 1993 album Breaking Silence.) [warning: link leads to page with auto-playing audio]