Two novels packed into one cover.

Local Custom is all about forbidden love and duty. Master Trader Er Thom yos'Galen caught squarely between his responsibility to a dwindling people and his lost love. Seeking only to put the past behind him, he tracks down Terran scholar Anne Davis, only to find her raising her young son Shan yos'Gaeln alone. So begins a gut-wrenching comedy of manners in which the formal ways of the Liaden nearly put paid to Anne and Er Thom's happily ever after.

For Liaden Delm Daav, the intricate dance of duty and custom binds hard after his previous life as a Scout. Slipping away to do grease-monkey labor amid the Jump ships, he hopes to find some bit of peace and relief. Survival maths teacher Aelliana Caylon finds something amid the Jump ships too - escape from a brutal older sibling who custom dictates will one day rule her life utterly. A game of chance has brought Aelliana an opportunity she means to grasp with both hands. Fate throws Aelliana and Daav together - but circumstances in Scout's Progress may yet conspire to rip them apart.

Scout's Progress was for me the more readable and faster moving of the two. I found the characters more interesting and the action quicker - but neither disappointed. If you haven't encountered the Liaden Universe before, don't hesitate to jump in here. ( )

Pilot's Choice consists of two books: Local Custom and Scout's Progress. Both books are fairly independent of the rest of the series in that you don't need to have read prior books to understand these two. Personally I enjoyed Local Custom most because I found the story of Anne Davis and Er Thom to be more original. It was fun watching their relationship change and grow throughout the book. As for Aelliana and Daav in Scout's Progress, the overall story seems to have been half told already because it follows some of the same trajectories as the romance in the first book. Overall, it was enjoyable, but after having read Local Custom it seemed less original. The characters are of course wonderful but the basic plot line is happening once again: two people become lifemates despite the odds. I would recommend reading the two books separately instead of back to back. The authors show a great deal of character development and creativity and these books are just as fun to read as everything else in the Liaden Universe. ( )

http://www.sfreader.com/read_review.asp?ID=3 ( )