Jethri Gobelyn is a space-born Terran assistant trader on his family’s ship, Gobelyn’s Market, a life he loves despite the loss of his father and his mother’s growing hostility. Most of Jethri’s life is spent on ship, with his planet side time mercifully limited to off-loading and procuring items for trade.

With Gobelyn’s Market set to be sidelined for at least a standard year for refit, Captain Iza Gobelyn, Jethri’s mother, has contracted him to a mining vessel. Distraught over his circumstances, he convinces his mother to allow him to find another ship.

An inexperienced investment, and the negative consequences that ensue, find Jethri apprenticed to a Liaden Master Trader, a dream assignment that soon takes a turn as he discovers he will have to spend a great deal of his apprenticeship in the wide open spaces of a Liaden home world.

Balance of Trade is the third novel in the Sharon Lee and Steve Miller Liaden Universe series. It is set 200 years before the events that have been the focal point of the bulk of the series. The fascinating Liaden and Terran cultures that I have enjoyed in the handful of novels and short stories that I have read are on display here, woven into the story as skillfully as I have come to expect from this husband-wife writing team. But the greatest pleasure of these space operas is the interplay of the characters, and the attachments one makes with them as the story unfolds.

I chose to read Balance of Trade now because it is our modern pick for the science fiction book club to which I belong. I haven’t participated in our classic or modern monthly read for some time, but my affection for the Liaden Universe meant that I had no choice but to jump at this opportunity to make a return journey.

I mentioned in a conversation with the lady who nominated this book that every time I find myself reading one of the Liaden Universe books, I end up wondering why I bother reading anything else given that there are several short stories and novels I have yet to experience. They are that engaging to me. I fell hard for Lee and Miller’s writing when I read a short story collection in January 2014. In the Liaden Universe they have crafted this sweeping science fiction epic that spans thousands of years and features richly detailed cultures that the reader is allowed to discover by following the actions and conversations of characters, rather than experiencing a fictional history lesson.

Lee and Miller have created believable economies and social structures in an accessible, yet imaginative, science fictional universe. There is also an element of fantasy with some characters having somewhat “magical” abilities, although these have more of a genetic component. And while the world they have created is one that fires the imagination, it is the intricate character portraits that are created which allow readers to connect so deeply to these stories.

Balance of Trade is something of a coming of age story for Jethri Gobelyn. Terrans don’t apprentice with Liadens for trade, and so his very presence in Liaden society is the kind of fish out of water story with which readers are familiar. The authors use this framework to introduce readers to the formal structures and customs of Liaden society. Readers learn along with Jethri, and while doing so are introduced to a host of interesting characters. While some of these characters are “types”, I feel that Lee and Miller do a nice job of giving them their own personality. Some of the characters they introduce in this story are only present for a brief time, and yet the authors are skilled at making readers care about those characters. My two favorites in Balance of Trade are the twins Meicha and Miandra. They provide needed comfort and support for Jethri in that they too are undergoing their own coming of age experiences as their latent abilities are coming more and more to the forefront.

Science fictional universes are often exciting places to visit, but we wouldn’t want to live there. I never feel that way when reading the Liaden stories. I think part of the reason is that there is a familiarity to the lives being lived, even if the trappings are more advanced than our own. These aren’t stories about titanic battle for control of the galaxy, which are fine stories in their own right. No, these are the stories of ordinary and extraordinary people going about the business of becoming who they want to be…not unlike what we do every day.

Sharon Lee and Steve Miller wrote Trade Secret, a direct sequel to Balance of Trade, and it was published in 2013. It is sitting on my shelf now and I suspect I will soon be reaching for it so that I can see where Jethri’s journey takes him next.

After being sucked in by short stories, I continued my journey in the Liaden Universe with the books featuring a young woman, Theo Watney. I found it an accessible place to start, and would certainly consider Balance of Trade to be one as well. If you need more convincing, be sure to check out my reviews of:

Fledgling
Saltation
Ghost Ship

For nearly two years now I have spent time traveling through the universe created by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. I’m thrilled that I have many more novels and short stories to fill my reading time.

The cover for this edition of Balance of Trade is the work of artist Donato Giancola. He is an incredibly talented painter and I highly recommend checking out his website for many more examples of his fantasy and science fiction work.