May 2018 reread:
I enjoyed this entry in the Liaden series even more now that I have read Mouse and Dragon. Plotwise, the two stories are completely separate but I had come to know more about one important character and Liaden culture which made me appreciate Theo's blossoming abilities more. ( )

I waited so long for this book and I was somewhat disappointed. I am used to enjoying every word on every page of a Liaden novel. The first 180 pages or so of this one was just miserable stuff I had to slog through to get to the better half of the story. It was just to show that Theo was a misfit and came from a big brother type planet. It could have been done in much fewer pages. Also the entire story about the bad scholarship was just plain boring. Didn't care a bit, only interested in Theo and pilots. Jen Sar/Daav was a bit of an ass here. His character seemed odd compared to how it was in the other books. I never did understand the whole go off and leave your five year old son to achieve balance by teaching cultural diversity to humans thing anyway. Also how does that work? Having a mistress/lover while your true love/lifemate is sharing your head? The part of the story with the Simples and the plot to destroy the university seemed contrived. But again I wasn't interested and the authors didn't make me interested. It just seemed to take time away from Theo. Hoping the next one will be more focused. I want pilots and Korval. ( )

I'm glad that Lee & Miller are back in Liaden, because their excursion into an origin story was disappointing.

Unfortunately, this book is for devotees only, maybe a side effect of the on-line publishing and revision by subscription.

It is great to be back in this world, but I wish we had a story. We follow Theo through the school day and various experiences (not quite "adventures") until she gets back. She makes a few decisions to defy her mother, but those turn out to be reasonable choices. She's exceptional and is still figuring it out. That's about it.

This feels like a vastly expanded character study for a later Liaden "thrills and romance" book. It is 100 pages until we get something that moves the plot forward and 200 until we get a twist. The last third of the book picks up tempo a bit.

Finally, I'm just not convinced about Theo. Someone who's lived in that society her whole life shouldn't be that clueless and Lee & Miller give some sort of "she's special" hint and go on. And how can she be startled by the spartan apartment when all her friends live in identical ones?

None of the Liaden background is explained, so a lot of this will go over the heads of people new to the series, an odd decision for their first book with a major publisher. You get that "Pilot" is special, but no one explains "Scout" or "Balance", and there is no indication that Theo has any idea what that means.

The non-Theo characters are better drawn than Theo and the worldbuilding is fine, if a little over-the-top.

I'm hoping that this new series will eventually lift off, but this first book is a ground-hugger. ( )

At the age of fifteen, Theo Waitely is disconsolate at having to leave her Father's house in the suburbs to accompany her Mother to the Wall, the area occupied by the dedicated scholars of Delgado University. Even more disconcerting, she isn't allowed to call Jen Sar Kiladi, the man she's has always regarded as her father, as 'Father' anymore: according to the laws of Delgado a minor child is totally under a Mother's control. In her new home, Theo struggles more than ever to conform. Already flagged as having 'physical limitations', in reality nothing more than clumsiness, but limitations which in the safety conscious and stultifying world of Delgado are more of a problem than might be expected. A seemingly straightforward sporting accident starts to have menacing overtones as the all seeing Safety warns Theo: 'You need to have a serious talk with your mentor, Ms Waitley. You can't help having physical limitations. However you do have an obligation to society to ensure that your limitations don't harm other people.'

In the meantime, Theo's mother Kamele is wrestling with problems of her own, as discovery of some falsified documents in the University library suggests the presence of a conspiracy which threatens the integrity of the University as a whole, and necessitates a trip to the very different planet of Melchiza.

This is a fun read, but rather more of a YA book than the [Agent of Change] sequence which is where I began with the Liaden Universe. ( )

Theo learns about herself and the wider world, and that even a safe world like her Delgado birthplace can present hazards. ( )