Fledgling

Great to be back in the Liaden Universe with a new story arc introducing a very entertaining Theo. The university conspiracy/mystery background story was okay and did a nice job setting up situations for character and world building. I didn't realize before just how socially restrictive the cultures are in this universe. These aren't the usual oppressive dystopian political tropes, but interactions where intricate etiquette, social rules and status have real consequences and bearing on the plot. I'd hate to live on the Academic Delgado planet, where safety and teamwork are so extreme that a child's clumsiness becomes an issue for the authorities. That said, I did enjoy the reverse tweak on traditional western gender stereotypes (i.e. men are the "arm candy" and women initiate/control all relationships).