Balance of Trade (A Liaden Universe
Novel) by Steve Miller
Better Work On Your Bows!
Set in the early space-trading days of the Liaden Universe®, the story of
how an ordinary Terran became the pivot point in galactic clash of cultures,
and how the more he tried to be just like his father, the less the universe
seemed inclined to help. More than that: by trying to survive he became
living proof that… …A Little Knowledge is A Dangerous Thing.
Assistant Trader Jethri Gobelyn was an honest, hardworking young man
who knew: *a lot about living onboard his family’s space-going trade
ship Gobelyn’s Market *something about trade, finance, and risk-taking
*a little bit about Liadens It was, oddly enough, the little bit he knew
about Liadens that seemed like it might be enough to make his family’s
fortune, and his own, too. In short order, however, Jethri Gobelyn was
about to find out a lot more about Liadens… …like how far they might go
to protect their name and reputation. Like the myriad of things one might
say—intentionally or not—with a single bow. Like what it would take to
make a Liaden trade-ship crew trash a bar. Like how hard it is to say I’m

sorry! in Liaden. Pretty soon it was clear that as little as he knew about
Liadens, he knew far less about himself. With his very existence a threat to
the balance of trade, Jethri Gobelyn needed to learn fast, or else help
destroy all he held dear.
Personal Review: Balance of Trade (A Liaden Universe Novel)
by Steve Miller
It may be a matter of prejudice, but when I first encountered this superior
example of "social" science fiction, I had considerable doubts whether it
would be worth reading. Any novel worth publishing will be snapped up by
a large commercial publisher, right? So why was this one coming from
somebody's kitchen table (so to speak) rather than Tor or Baen or
Ballantine? Well, I still don't know the answer to that one, but I'll definitely
be hunting up the rest of this series. It's basically a Bildungsroman starring
Jethri Gobelyn, a young but talented Apprentice Trader on his family's
merchant ship, which ekes out a more or less comfortable living between
planets. At one port, however, shortly after he's been informed he's being
apprenticed to another ship (a notion he doesn't like at all), he becomes
the victim of a con artist. But the con involves a (completely innocent)
Master Trader of the Liaden, a society whose trading skills are legendary
and whose attachment to ritualized etiquette approaches the Japanese in
intensity. It's very easy to insult a Liaden. Jethri suddenly has the
opportunity to apprentice instead to the Master Trader in question, and he
naturally jumps at it. From there, Jethri becomes our guide in the
complexities of Liaden culture and psychology -- and a fascinating journey
it is, too. The authors do a deft job developing all their characters, and they
also show real skill at dialogue and delightful turn of phrase. The plot is
complex but clear, and they leave room for a direct sequel. (The rest of the
series appears to be separate, independent stories set in a shared future.)
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