Instant reactions needed: this is a test, this is only a test

[kinzel]

I'm on the road this morning, but after a breakfast discussion and consideration I have a question for you:

without re-reading the complete works, working from memory, right now, making a short list without looking at other people's answers:

which three Lee & Miller books are the least violent
which three Lee & Miller books are the most violent


Thanks -- we can talk about this next week.

meanwhile, we still are planning on seeing some folks at BangPop tomorrow.

Comments

[enleve.livejournal.com]

This question was tough for me to answer, because there seems to be violence in every novel I thought of. I decided to leave out the short story collections and non-Liaden books from consideration when I was making the list. Some of the short stories would fall in the least violent category though.

SPOILER WARNING

Least violent:

Balance of Trade
Fledgling
Local Custom

There are scenes in all of these where the lives of the main characters are threatened, and there is violence involved, but that violence isn't the focus of the book, and isn't repeated much, and the scale seems to be individuals clashing with each other. Sometimes larger plots by the villains are involved, but we don't see much more of those plots and the possible other violence springing from those plots. I was tempted to put Carpe Diem in there, since most of it was about culture clash on a peaceful planet, but the violence with the Agent at the end was too scary and memorable.

Most violent:

Plan B
I Dare
Mouse and Dragon

The conflict in Plan B and I Dare is of a larger scale - war, multiple assasinations. I include Mouse and Dragon because a main character dies.