Tag Archives: Dutiful Passage

Songs of the Fathers – Chapter 2

Aequitas
Hel’s Gate, Rannibic Station

In which there is a change of plans.

There are a couple of resonant names in the dateline of this chapter.

Wikipedia describes aequitas as “the Latin concept of justice, equality, conformity, symmetry, or fairness”. Also, I see from my notes, in the Liaden Universe aequitas is the name of those tokens used by traders to ensure a fair exchange of information. So Aequitas is a plausible thing for a trader to name her ship, and it also echoes the broader issues of justice in the situation in which Lomar finds herself in this story.
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Trader’s Leap – Chapter 37

Colemeno Port

In which Shan yos’Galan receives news of kin.

I’m not exactly surprised by the revelation about Trader Isfelm’s family; in fact, though I didn’t specifically see it coming, it had something of a feeling of inevitability about it as it unfolded.
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Trader’s Leap – Chapter 32

Colemeno Port
Great Hall

In which it may be accounted misfortune to lose one kinsperson, but two looks like carelessness.

Betya seelyFaire’s account of her ancestor’s reasons for coming to the Redlands have a noticeable resonance with Dyoli’s reasons for doing likewise.
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Trader’s Leap – Chapter 31

Dutiful Passage
Colemeno Orbit

In which the visitors prepare to be received.

I wonder if the cats had anything interesting to say in their nameday greetings, or if Jeeves just translated their message into human-polite.
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Trader’s Leap – Chapter 30

Colemeno
Portmaster’s Office

In which the Redlands prepare to welcome visitors.

I can see several potential problems with the Warden’s plans to keep the off-worlders and Civilization at arm’s length.
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Trader’s Leap – Chapter 29

Dutiful Passage
Colemeno Orbit

In which Moonhawk is impatient.

Shan doesn’t seem to distinguish between Moonhawk and Priscilla’s Goddess, but I still think that the Goddess when she answered Priscilla’s prayer earlier had a distinctly different personality.
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Trader’s Leap – Chapter 28

Civilization

In which it’s too late to keep hiding under a bush.

This might be the last appearance in the book of the word “vas’dramliz”, the Liaden word for the “small talents”, so I’m going to take this opportunity to share an observation: given that we know what “dramliz” means, vas’ must be the part of the word that signifies “small” or “lesser” — so it’s curious that we know of at least three Liaden surnames with the same prefix. Mae Nir vas’Urbil, in “Degrees of Separation”, is a chef, which might suggest that families with that prefix tend toward lower class jobs. (Menolly vas’Anamac is a scout and Kin Jal vas’Tezin an appendage of the Department, so we don’t have any idea of their families’ social status.)
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Trader’s Leap – Chapter 27

Dutiful Passage
Rostermin Breakout

In which Shan yos’Galan reads his mail.

Shan’s statement about “our time in this space” implies that he thinks Lute can’t manifest on the ship while it’s in Jump. I can’t think of anything specific to give him that idea, and he may just be fishing, but on the other hand I don’t at the moment recall any specific event that contradicts it.
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Trader’s Leap – Chapter 24 (V-VIII)

Volmer

In which yos’Galan makes connections.

I can’t remember the last book in which we had so many bows in so few chapters. The last few books have either been set on Surebleak or involved people being off having adventures among the Terrans, so there hasn’t been so much opportunity for Liadens interacting.
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Trader’s Leap – Chapter 24 (I-IV)

Volmer

In which yos’Galan and Carresens begin an exchange.

The other thought I’d had about the people on the cover — in fact, the first thought I had on seeing it, and the only possibility I’d seriously entertained before Mar Tyn and Dyoli showed up — was that it was Padi accompanied by a new character we hadn’t met yet. I’d been becoming less confident about that possibility recently, as we got so far into the book without encountering any new character who fit the bill. I believe we have him now.

(I’ve commented before that I seem to have a tendency to ask questions and make guesses one chapter before the answer shows up. I consider that this says good things about how well paced the books are.)
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