Rating: 
Summary: Hits like a tornado,sighs like a summer breeze
Review: "Plan B" is, quite simply, the deeply laid plans of the Liaden Clan Korval to see to the safety of their entire clan, in the face of a catastrophic enemy. And then there's that little Liad matter of Balance. Liads, "within human mutation tolerances" but almost homicidal without their highly developed and nuanced Code to keep them in line, use Balance for everything from minor insults to death attempts. The secret Department of Interior (so secret, most of Liad doesn't know it exists) has decided that if they cannot recover their Scout and Agent of Change Val Con yos'Phelium, heir to Korval, then it's time to squash the entire clan. But Korval doesn't squash easily. Born of a line founded by a space pirate, a soldier, and the scion of a merchant house, Korval has become something strange and wonderful, a line of master merchants, pilots and telepathic wizards. But first, last and always, Korval is ships. They buy them, use them, mothball them, give them as gifts-and never, ever forget that there must always be a back door, even to a planet.There's action and adventure galore-but never mistake the Liad Universe for just another space opera. This is literate, witty dialogue, brilliant characterization, excellent construction of cultures and aliens who are truly alien even as many of them seek bridges between each other. Liad books tell stories of people who depend on their friends, and who make bad enemies. Here are characters that inspire others to search a galaxy for them. You'll fall in love with Sheather, the huge Clutch turtle, as he stands with great eyes dreaming upon the scarred wood of a real door, accepting the awful dignity of the barrier. How could you resist an 8-foot alien built like an all-terrain vehicle who is fascinated by humans, and constantly trying to learn how to interact with them-no matter how small. "Closer to hand, another music spoke. 'The lady gone away.' Carefully, for he was well aware of the fragility of even full-grown humans, Sheather turned. Carefully, he looked down. A human eggling stood by his knee, face uptilted like a flower, brown eyes opened wide." Warning-if you liked PARTNERS IN NECESSITY, maybe you'd better order I DARE before you start PLAN B. It's not exactly a cliffhanger, but Lee & Miller like to slice their tales right out of a vast history. You will want to know what happens next!
Rating: 
Summary: Enthraling
Review: A great surprise for me. I missed there original releases this was my great loss. Superb writing on a par with Weber or Asaro.
Now I must go back to locate the beginings. Please tell us the story will continue !!!!!!!!!!! shooter83
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, Adventure, Intrigue, Action, Romance
Review: After a long wait, I am delighted to report that this book is an excellent continuation of one of my all time favorite series. I read the 3 earlier books years ago and have been on the lookout for this one ever since. I often reread those three earlier books (they are being republished early next year BTW)and am pleased to add Plan B to my list of all time favorites. While this book does build on the earlier novels it can be read & enjoyed entirely on its own merit. Of course I strongly recommend picking up the other three as they become available, I know I will be picking up additional copies. :-) Warning this book can be hazardous to your job. Do not pick it up unless you have the time to read it in one sitting. Everyone I have talked to or loaned my copy has been unable to put it down. Happy reading!
Rating:
Summary: Must read continuation of Carpe Diem
Review: Although I read science fiction and fantasy voraciously, I had never heard of the Liaden novels until Meisha Merlin republished the first three books, Conflict of Honors, Agent of Change, and Carpe Diem in an omnibus edition. I just couldn't help myself--the artwork on the cover forced me to read them. And I wasn't sorry. Plan B is a direct sequel to Carpe Diem. While some reviews have suggest that readers can begin with Plan B, I don't recommend doing so. The characters' personalities are fleshed out in previous books as well as concrete examples of the Liaden and Clutch cultures. For example, the concept of Liaden melant'i is present in this novel, but is perfectly explained in Conflict of Honors (this is the first novel collected in Partners in Necessity); if I hadn't read CoH, I'm afraid I would have missed the point. Miri Robertson, a former mercenary sergeant, and Val Con yos'Phelium are fleeing several organizations who want them dead. A crime syndicate has put a hit on Miri. Val Con used to be a scout/spy for the mysterious Department of Interior, an nefarious group who are loyal to the citizens of Liad but have no conscience in achieving their goals. When Val Con discovers the covert nature of the group, he defects. When the "ends justify the means", the Department of Liad has no ethical problem in hunting Val Con and destroying his outspoken and half-breed family. Having escaped to Miri's family's homeworld, disaster strikes when a warlike alien race attacks the planet in conquest. Will Val Con's family and Miri's mercenary friends arrive in time to save them? This is a good bridge novel and leaves the reader aching for more.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Story!
Review: First full disclosure: I have fallen in love with the Liaden universe! All these wonderful stories have been a godsend and a comfort. Marvelous tales of adventure, romance and daring do! There isn't a bad one in the bunch. Now specifically lets look at "Plan B," the third in the Agent of Change series. But maybe it would be better to look at them as two parts of one story separated into two sections each. "Agent of Change" is nothing without "Carpe Diem" and "Plan B" is nothing without going on to "I Dare." "Plan B" is the continuation of "Carpe Diem" so you know where it's been. By the way if you haven't read "Agent of Change/Carpe Diem" do it now! Don't wait. In fact you can buy both of them along with "Conflict of Honors" in one volume called "Partners in Necessity", without a doubt the best buy around. Anyway the whole cast is there as you follow them throughout their various exploits. I will grant you that my two favorites are "Carpe Diem" and "I Dare" but you can't skip "Plan B." You just can't! You can't skip tot he middle of a book and that's what you would be doing! Given the total Plan B/I Dare, they really should have been one novel, you just can't beat it. Not only do I recommend this book but I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it.
Rating:
Summary: Plan B is Grade A reading
Review: For those who have stumbled on this book title from something else entirely, you should know that this is part of a series. You would be missing a great deal if you tried to read this first, without having read _Partners in Necessity_, the reprint of the first three books in the series. This series falls into several subgenres of science fiction- partly good old space opera, partly romance, partly fantasy (I'm sorry, but anything which has wizards and goddesses in it is fantasy - not science fiction). Perhaps the best thing in the book is the dry sense of humor. Miri has lots of wisecracks, Val Con is a master of irony, Shan has very sarcastically expressive eyebrows, and the Clutch Turtles are themselves. The interstellar crime cartel, the Juntavas, appear at times to be "the gang that couldn't shoot straight." Jeeves the robot makes an appearance with Anthora and the cat. I don't think that the Yxtrang as they are developed in this book are the extrapolation I would have expected from the portrayal of them in the previous books. They are far too human. Frankly, the Department of the Interior seems more ruthless and warlike than the Yxtrang. Nonetheless, I like the character of Nelirikk Explorer. Not sure how the heck he learned to sew, though. Toward the end of the book, several random things struck me together, to start the sort of train of thought that could be somebody's thesis in English or something- not me, gods forbid, but someone: the surname of dea'Judan; the resemblance of the name Daav to David... and I started wondering, is this Moses' flight out of Egypt? Are we going to have 40 years of wandering through space? Will we be finding more "lost tribes"? Somebody out there can take this and run with it- start doing an extended comparison of this book to Exodus. Maybe it's not really there. But it could be fun to look for it.
Rating:
Summary: Hard To Put Down
Review: I was lucky enough to discover this series after all seven novels were rereleased. So I wasn't forced to wait for ten years with the cliffhanger ending of Carpe Diem. This is a fine story, but it suffers a bit from the "middle of the series" syndrome. It does not really properly set up its characters, because you are expected to have read the previous books. And it leaves many threads open, because you are expected to read I Dare. As a chapter of the Agent Of Change saga it works well and is mostly self-contained. And the new character who is introduced is very interesting. (It's unfortunate that he mostly gets ignored in I Dare.) As part of the series, this book is indispensible. As a stand-alone novel, it would be good but forgettable.
Rating:
Summary: plan B is A+
Review: plan B opens with Miri and Val Con in space and headed to the planet Lytaxin. They've put the word out to Val Con's clan to rendezvous there. There is also an invading force of alien warriors that is converging right along with them. plan B is full of widescale destruction, ironic humor and justified paranoia. It will have you ride a wave of human emotions as you are caught up in the story.
I did not know this was book six of the Liaden universe. But if you haven't read the other books, like myself, you won't have too much trouble following the events of plan B, I may have missed some subtly points by not having a background to pull from. But I still found it a very entertaining read and could not put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Looking forward to more.
Review: The authors truly hit their stride once they started "Agent of Change". "Carpe Diem" contined in the tradition of great character-driven stories, and "Plan B" is no different. Please, do not think that this book lacks adventure. As we all know, adventure by itself will never make us care about characters, and the series manage both. We even get more interesting info about another spacefairing race. Plot points come to fruition and new plots are hatched. I am trying to get my hands on the "I Dare" now.
Rating:
Summary: Korval goes to War, well written space opera.
Review: This book is a direct continuation from the stories found in these author's "partners in necessity". While it can be read as stand alone novel, it is recommended that "partners" and "pilot's choice" be read first to bring the characters and their backgrounds into context. Most of the main characters in the previous novels in this series either get an outing or a mention in this book, which is part of an evolving series. However, "Plan B" is an action-adventure novel, rather than a straight love story which is the core of most of the previous Liaden novels. Having said that, it's also half a book in a way and is a definite set up for the conclusion of the current series in "I Dare" which is due out in 2002. This is an enjoyable, well paced novel, with well defined characters. At the end of it you will wish "I Dare" were already published so you can finish the story.
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