(In the interest of full disclosure, this is a belated review of a novel I finished in October 2014.)

Pilot-in-training Theo Waitley, whose young adult adventures were chronicled in the novel, Fledgling, continues to learn about her innate abilities and the complexities of being a pilot in this follow-up novel, Saltation.

After breaking free of the rigors of her strict homeworld, Delgado, Theo Waitley is accepted to the prestigious piloting academy, Anlingdin, where she will discover much about herself and the greater universe into which she has been thrust.

The majority of Saltation takes place in an academic setting, so it will not be surprising to readers familiar with that setting to find that, in addition to rigorous lessons, Theo Waitley will discover friends, and enemies, drawn into her orbit.

Fledgling introduced readers to an engaging, likeable character in Theo Waitley, while weaving in elements of the greater Liaden Universe revealed in the many previous novels and short stories written by the married writing team of Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. Once you meet Theo Waitley, you are going to want to continue to see how her adventures play out, and Saltation gives readers a chance to spend more time with this young lady while also ratcheting up the suspense of the greater universal events into which Theo is being drawn.

I experienced Saltation via unabridged audio, narrated by Eileen Stevens. While I had a few minor issues with the overall story, which I will discuss after the jump, I thoroughly enjoyed Eileen Stevens’ narration and the climactic events of the novel compelled me to immediately purchase and begin listening to the next novel featuring Theo Waitley,  Ghost Ship.

You may recall that my first completed read/review of 2014 chronicled my voyage of discovery with my first foray into the vast Liaden Universe with a read of their short story collection, A Liaden Universe Constellation: Volume 1.  I was sufficiently awed by the experience that I could not help gushing about the Sharon Lee and Steve Miller’s creation, nor could I resist quickly experiencing their work in novel form.

Although the authors provide a list of the internal chronology of this time-spanning series (now up to 17 novels and MANY short stories), they also outline various groups of stories featuring specific characters and/or people groups that should be read in order.   I read a little about Theo Waitley, am fond of coming-of-age stories, and decided that I would buck tradition and begin with her adventures.  I thus read, and was very impressed with, Fledgling.

Saltation picks up not long after the climactic events in Fledgling. Theo Waitley is now enrolled in a piloting academy and much of the first two-thirds or more of the novel is focused on the big troubles and small triumphs that are to be expected when a genuinely nice, still somewhat naive, wunderkind finds herself in a highly competitive academic setting.  And it was with this part of the story that I experienced my minor quibbles.  It feels as if this part of the story drags on far too long.  During the process of listening to the story I had an online conversation with a Liaden Universe fan in the science fiction book club that I belong to in which we discussed his frustrations with the novel.  My response at the time was that, had I not been so dedicated to the main character, it would have been easy to let myself get distracted by other novels clamoring for my reading/listening attention.

That is not to say that there is no worthwhile storytelling going on in the bulk of Saltation, for there is.  Not only are the authors seeding in small details that will show up later in this story, and I suspect in subsequent novels, but Theo Waitley experiences some genuinely exciting and emotion-inducing moments.  I think the bulk of my issue with the length of this section is that a cursory familiarity with the child-of-destiny storyline present in many science fiction and fantasy stories means that readers know what is coming.  With that anticipation comes the feeling at some point in the novel that the story should go ahead and move on past to the next chapter in Theo’s life.  Understandably not all readers will have this same complaint, and I will emphasize again that it is a minor one, especially in light of the events that occur in the last third to quarter of Saltation.  When the surprises come, they come in guns blazing.

I reached a point around the 75% mark where I found myself wanting to loop around the block rather than park in my driveway because the details were coming fast and furious and the suspense I was feeling as a reader/listener drove me to want to know how events would be resolved.  It is here that I will give you some more full disclosure: they are not resolved, or at least not entirely.  I can only imagine how those who anxiously awaited and quickly devoured Saltation upon its release felt when the book ended and they experienced equal feelings of exhilaration and frustration, the frustration coming from having to wait until the release of  Ghost Ship. I was saved any frustration because, the moment Saltation ended, I pulled over my vehicle, quickly purchased Ghost Ship from audible, and fired up my iPhone (plugged into my vehicle’s stereo speaker system), and have been continuing on with Theo Waitley’s story.

As I wrap up this review, allow me to admit that I have been completely remiss in sharing much of anything related to the other characters in Saltation. While Theo Waitley is the primary focus of this novel, there are other characters whom readers have met in previous stories that have parts large and small to play, important parts, that make these novels exciting. It is that whole “discovery” motif I referenced in my January review of Constellation. There is a greater sense of action happening off camera (or off page) in reading novels that are part of a very large universe that spans an enormous amount of time. While you may not know at the time how these additional elements fit in the overall arch of the series, you take with you the thrill of knowing that there may exist short stories or novels in which you can learn more of these details or, for those caught up with all the current Liaden Universe stories, there is the joy of knowing that Sharon Lee and Steve Miller continue to craft stories in this universe.

With two novels and a collection of short stories behind me, and many more to go, I am happy to admit that I remain enamored with this universe and these characters. While I would give Saltation a 7 to 7.5 rating (out of 10) for its slow build up and abrupt ending, I very highly recommend the Theo Waitley novels. Ghost Ship continues immediately where Saltation ends, and thus far it has been a pleasurable listening experience.