_Carpe Diem_ was the second of Steve Miller's and Sharon Lee's books which I read, directly after having come to it by way of alexlit.com and _Conflict of Honors_. Having been throughly delighted by the latter, my expectations were high when I began _Carpe Diem_. Fortunately for myself, I was not disappointed as Val Con and Miri's stories were told.
Shan and Priscilla from _Conflict of Honors_ make small appearances throughout the story, as do other members of Val Con's family, Edger and others of the Clutch as well; as I would find out later, the first chapter of _Carpe Diem_ is edited from the closing of _Agent of Change_; while it is obviously a follow-up to _Agent of Change_, enough so that as I read _Carpe Diem_ I could tell that _Agent of Change_ would *have* to be about Val Con as well just for the level of development evident in the backstory.
_Carpe Diem_ is, however, fully enjoyable in its own right, offering the opportunity to "see" Nova and Anthora, the robotic butler Jeeves, and learn more about Liad and what might be up and coming in _Plan B_, all intertwined with a telling of Val Con's and Miri's struggle to make a place for themselves on an interdicted word--and, when the opportunity presents itself, to find their way off the planet and back to kin.
Intertwined with these plots are also the growth of Val Con's and Miri's relationship with each other, and the redemption--or resurrection--of Val Con himself from his bleaker persona of an Agent of Change. The friends whom Miri and Val Con make are worth remembering, as are the enemies; and I greatly anticipate the continued unfolding of their stories in _Plan B_!