Taken Liberty - A Tale From the Arbiter Chronicles
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Taken Liberty - A Tale from the Aribter Chronicles by Steven H. Wilson
Science Fiction
Aer’La only wants to be free…
The Confederated Worlds are unparalleled as a society of free people, yet, somehow, slavery still manages to exist. Aer’La, a non-human, was bred to serve as a pleasure slave. Years ago, she escaped her masters and masqueraded as a human, joining the Confederate Navy, where she worked her way up to ship’s Bos’n under the heroic Captain Jan Atal. Now, Aer’La’s secret has been discovered by Atal’s superiors, the media, and the world at large. Branded a sociopath, she learns that even a free society isn’t willing to grant freedom - or justice - to all.
Library Journal says: “The author of the Arbiter Chronicles, an award-winning audio drama, vividly brings to life a cast of compelling characters while telling a story that measures the cost of freedom. The far-future military setting should appeal to fans of David Weber’s “Honor Harrington” series as well as the military sf of David Drake.
April 3rd, 2006 at 10:55 am
I loved this book more with each draft I read, I loved the finished version enough to loan Steve my wife for the cover, and I love to hear Steve read it. He’s a real voice talent, and he makes Doctor Flynn sound impressively snitty.
PS. Steve, your kid’s head is fine. I don’t owe you nothing. Take the double neg as you will.
April 3rd, 2006 at 5:04 pm
This does not read like anyone’s first book! I couldn’t put it down when I read it, and now I can enjoy it all over again in a different medium.
June 5th, 2006 at 1:52 pm
Yus!!! Wicked cool! I listened through in the space of about 14 hours, nearly qualifying for merathon status here. Now I have to see if I can pin down some of the radio drama’s. Thanks for the fantastic book.
July 17th, 2006 at 11:53 am
Enjoying this very much. I like the discussions the characters have. Though I do get bit confused who is who and what genetically modified race is what. Two minor critisms:-
1. I am up to chapter 7 and the baddie “detective” has a cockney accent!why is that? are some accents more evil than others? Being from London I felt that was a cheap shot and typical of the anti-English prevailing at the moment. See Firefly TV series, no English people Stargate Atlantis.
2. Why is there so much sex and why don’t the characters get jealous or emotional in amoungst all that sexual promiscuity. I have heard it said that most communes that break up do so becuse of arguments over who is sleeping with who, so come on get a bit realistic.
On a more positive note chapter 2 was absolutely gripping! I like the bits best where the main character tells her story.
July 17th, 2006 at 3:32 pm
I loved this book. I would love to read more about the backstory. Great book!!!
July 22nd, 2006 at 10:30 pm
Responding to Paul’s questions:
1 - No anti-English sentiment on my part, but I’m sorry if the cockney reinforced any negative stereotypes. That’s just the voice I heard in my head when I read Harl’s lines. It might be a bit pat, but it certainly wasn’t intended to offend! I just saw Harl as a sort of Shakespearean buffoon. Maybe that’s my own lack of imagination showing. You’ll note that Doc Faulkner also has a dignified British accent (I hope), and is one of the most admirable characters.
2 - There’s so much sex because the characters are young and healthy and living in a culture that doesn’t have a lot of taboos. As to jealousy, it’s absent because sex is seen as recreational, and none of these characters feel they have a particular claim on each other. I promise, if I decide to put the Arbiters into a commune, I’ll do the research! But, in this book, they’re too young for anything that complicated.
Glad you’re enjoying it, and thanks for the feedback! It really is helpful.
January 22nd, 2007 at 6:14 pm
I loved this audiobook. Already on my third listen. The characterization is great, no issues with who is who or what. Also, the sex didn’t bother me at all. I am all caught up with the radio shows that Prometheus has released, and am waiting for what’s left, listening to what I’ve already heard over and over.
January 25th, 2007 at 6:45 am
Thanks, Angela! Knowing I’ve written a book that can be listened to over and over again is a good feeling. I’m hoping to have lots of new material coming up on the Prometheus podcasts this spring — two brand new shows, and three Arbiters episodes that have only been performed live.
February 27th, 2007 at 8:31 am
Hi, just rated your book, figured I would show a few words up at you as well.
First, let me compliment you on your performance, the narration and character voices are second to none, you are to be complimented on both the sound quality and the caliber of the performance.
The story is well written, and well told, I will not deny that. Though the space opera element is a little too thick for my tastes. I’m not overly bothered by the sex (though there is a LOT of that) but the crew itself and the laws that govern them are antithetical to any military setting that I have ever been exposed to in research or interviews. Lord knows, there are plenty of real world situations where the rules are against the men in uniform, but so much of your story is driven by layered and spiteful internal conflict within the ranks that its a little hard for me to think of these people as any form of military cadre.
As for the sex, like I said, there is a lot of it. So much so that I am sometimes torn if it is there for effect, there to make a point, or there to help set the tone of the story. Don’t get we wrong, I’m a Law & Order SVU junkie, so the sex doesn’t bother me, but I do feel that it has somewhat become its own separate story, distracting from the main tale.
Now, before you think I’m doing a war dance around a burning copy of your book, let me conclude on a high note.
There is no doubt or denial of the fact that this is a throughly engaging tale with believable people and a compelling story. You are to be commended for taking the traditional elements of science fiction and keeping them alive in their truest form. Also, while the technology of your story is fascinating, you aptly avoid the pitfall of letting it *be* the story, preferring to let it support a well written script.
Good luck in your future endeavors, there is quality to your work, something many people can not honestly claim in my opinion. I look forward to seeing more works from you.
March 3rd, 2007 at 9:21 pm
Cisco — thanks for a very thoughtful evaluation! And not to worry, I didn’t smell any burning pages whilst I read.
The point about the military is an interesting one. Actually, I never set out to write “military SF,” although the book has been so categorized since it was published. To me, military SF takes it as its goal to place the trappings and traditions of the contemporary military into an SF story, with heavy emphasis on strategy, discipline and chain of command. My take on the military, I have to admit, is almost satirical. I was child of the Seventies, so I was raised on M*A*S*H. More, I was raised by a USAF Colonel. I’ve always viewed the military (as does my Dad) as a collection of fallible human beings, who have differing levels of success trying to mesh into a fighting unit. His career impressed on me that it’s frequently the character and ability of a few individuals that make a difference, not the structure in which they operate.
Nor do I claim my space navy to be typical of today’s military. We don’t currently have officers openly buying their commissions the way Sestus Blaurich has. Nor do an officer’s family or business connections (I hope) allow him to play the games with the rules that Captain Atal and Professor Mors can. The military I portray is more of a metaphor for the flawed and often corrupt power structures many of us encounter in our lives.
As to the sexual content, you hit one of my reasons for the amount of sex in the book. It is intended to set a tone. The Arbiters are young — college age. For many people, that’s a hyper-sexual time of life. And then there’s my desire to write a story that I would want to read. That’s not to say I want to read utter porn. But fiction that works for me is fiction that creates a world that I would want to live in, and revisit. So I try to reflect that my characters have a zest for living, that they have fun, that it doesn’t altogether suck to be them, even though their lives can be very challenging.
Anyway, thanks for listening, and thanks for the encouragement and the insights. They’re truly appreciated!
May 18th, 2007 at 6:22 pm
This is a most refreshing discovery. Thank you for a great story! A few comments follow:
I am a little confused by earlier references to the amount of sexual content…realizing that tastes are different and that everything is relative, I am still surprised, considering my age (over 50) and faith based denominational affiliation (Pentecostal), that other contributing respondents seem to be more conservative (repressed?) than myself. It seems that they may have overlooked the basis upon which the primary plot and characters were developed.
Specifically, Aer’La is a fugitive one-time sex slave of a world that does not recognize her as possessing any civil liberties. While she has successfully hidden her fugitive status in the past, a recent medical examination has placed her continued liberty at risk. The rest of the story flows from that basic premise. As I listened to the podcasts, I found nothing offensive in the sexual content because (knowing the origin of the main character) the content was in line with the necessary historical plot development. Had the background not been included, and had Aer’La not been portrayed in accordance with her learned behavioral patterns, the story would not have been nearly as engaging and believable.
Cisco did, indeed, offer an interesting observation about the thematic role of the military in this story. I offer the following point of view:
Science fiction is a form of futurist theory development in which writers attempt to observe and evaluate past and present conditions, and from those observations, extrapolate what society will look like at some future time.
The vast majority of early science fiction writers envisioned future societal development following dictatorial and militaristic structures. This is understandable considering the times in which they were raised and by the events by which they were influenced (WWI & WWII, for example). I am not only speaking of the early greats such as Asimov and Heinlein, but also about their predecessors such as Verne and Welles.
These writers recognized that mankind (collectively and individually) is a particularly controlling and selfish creation that is not satisfied until he (it) has either gained complete control over his (its’) environ or attained complete personal liberty, even if at the expense of another.
This being the case, the common view of a space-faring humanity structured in a military confederacy type of system is purely understandable. Furthermore, (once again considering our historical examples) it is also a reasonable assumption that conflicts will arise between cultures that are so distant and isolated from each other.
Taken Liberty is one of the best examples that I have found (in recent years) of presenting a believable balance between humanity’s best and worst qualities. Aer’La is a character that can be admired and reviled at the same time, as can we all. The other characters, and the situations in which they are presented, are believable and present situations that are as relevant in today’s reality as in the future that this story has envisioned.
I again offer my congratulations and appreciation for a job well done and a story well told!
July 29th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
The comic, light-hearted tavern brawl cartoon in Chapter 3 preceded by graphic child sexual abuse in Chapter 2 was a disturbing, off-putting combination. “Hey how did this child porn get in my rollicking space opera? And now that I’m totally traumatized, aren’t we having fun!?”
November 28th, 2007 at 5:25 am
This is another book that I really liked. It was actually quite funny how I couldn’t help but find myself transported back to old England in the era of Oliver Twist whenever Harl appeared or Arla’s past cropped up. Similarly, a smile crept over my face and my mind was transfixed with scenes from ‘Mutiny on the bounty’ whenever ‘The gentry’ of the inner-worlds came into focus. “Cor Blimey gov’ner, a smashing bit o work!” Seriously though, as a Brit I felt no anti-English sentiment, and quite liked the way the author managed to use the accents to paint so clear a picture of unscrupulous behavior from the characters in question. I didn’t have any of the criticisms about the nature of the world either. In fact I thought it was all molded together pretty convincingly… and besides, it’s only a story right, so you can do as you wish. My criticisms would be of the end and the hurried manner that seemed to take over the story towards the conclusion. I think it should definitely have continued for another two or so chapters, with perhaps a twist (or difficulty) or two thrown in for good measure. It was almost as if you had to dash off quickly for tea and crumpets at six! I also think that there is room for much more in both the development of characters, and the adventures they encounter on their travels. hint hint!
November 29th, 2007 at 9:16 pm
Thanks, Jim! I’m extremely gratified to hear that you liked the accents, and that I didn’t offend! Aer’La as a stepchild of Dickens is a concept that cracks me up. Hadn’t thought of it before, but you’re right! I could easily see her hanging out with Fagen. As to the end, the breakneck pace was intentional, as I feel the latter half of a story should move quickly. I do know how it feels to get to the end of a book, though, and think, “But I wanted MORE!”
And the hint is taken! There’s plenty more development of the characters and relating of their adventures on the way. In fact, I’ll be posting a short story set shortly after Taken Liberty on my podcast tomorrow. (prometheus.libsyn.com.) There are fourteen episodes of the Arbiter Chronicles audio dramas in my podcast archives as well, with more to come. I’ll also be writing a new Arbiters novel in 2008. Thanks for listening!
March 10th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
It is an intriguing story and I did enjoy the book. But I cant get past an issue with the main character Aer’La. That being if someone had gone through that much sexual abuse, there seemed to be no affects of this in her later life. Aer’La is portrayed as a nymphomaniac sleeping with her whole ship, aghast that the little girl had not had sex by the age of twelve …? Surely someone who had gone through sexual abuse would hate the very thing she was forced into. It seems the author is portraying his own sexual fantasies where ’sex’ seems to be talked about far too often and in stages of the story where it seemed strange. I was left feeling unconvinced of the futuristic world he was trying to create. But overall it had good plot and I kept listening wanting to find out what was going to happen next.
April 20th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Hi, Pam. Glad you enjoyed the book overall. As to portraying sexual fantasies, a book which is heavy on sex will certainly portray someone’s fantasies. I can’t really say I directly put mine into TL, though. It’s just that the Arbiters live in a highly sexualized culture, as we do. Unlike us, they don’t disapprove so strongly of something they enjoy so much. I’m a little baffled how that presents an unconvincing picture of the future. Should future culture encourage less sex than our current one? Or do you perhaps mean that these people seem too sex-obsessed to be believable characters?
There’s probably a thin coating of generalized wish-fulfillment here. These characters are young, and in a time of their lives where they’re experimenting. They’re probably having a bit more fun than most of us have day in and day out. But, for me, that’s the point of fiction.
I’m guessing that you found it strange that characters were depicted having sex when their lives and freedom were in danger, when they were sad, angry or upset. But, really, sex can be about so many things — play, escape, comfort and deep and profound love. Aer’La sleeping with Cernaq on the night before she’s to be sent away into slavery (which she’s accepted as the night before she’s going to die) isn’t frivolous. It’s a very important statement of how there two people feel about each other. (And I don’t consider Aer’La a nymphomaniac. When she brags about her many partners, she’s simply acting like a sailor. I wonder if that seems out of place because she’s a woman? But why should it? Why shouldn’t a tough woman sailor have her share of conquests, just as the male sailors would?)
Finally, as regards Aer’La’s being a victim of childhood sexual abuse… I certainly wouldn’t say it has NO effect on her, but not everyone experiences the same effects to the same cause. I’ve known several victims of child sexual abuse, and a couple very well. They’ve all reacted differently. None, that I know of, has avoided adult sex. That would be an understandable reaction at one level, I suppose, but a person having that reaction needs additional counseling, in my opinion. We each should own our personal sexuality. I think Aer’La owns hers. She learned too young (and too personally) the difference between voluntary and involuntary sexual contact. She made a decision that she would enjoy what belonged to her. I believe she even says in her narrative something about sex being a completely different act when it’s carried out voluntarily and with love. As is so often said, rape is not sex. It’s violence.
As you can guess, I’ve given these issues a lot of thought. Thanks for giving me some additional things to think about!