Saltation by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

Saltation may refer to:

* Saltation (biology), an evolutionary hypothesis emphasizing sudden and drastic change
* Saltation (geology), a process of particle transport by fluids.
* Saltation (Software Engineering), the antithesis of Continuous Integration
* Saltation (novel), a novel set in Sharon Lee and Steve Miller's Liaden universe.

Or, according to the headnote in Saltation (novel), a novel set in Sharon Lee and Steve Miller's Liaden universe: that which proceeds by leaps rather than by smooth and orderly progression.

Okay, that established, I'm still not entirely certain how it applies to this novel and I wish I had some inkling of the etymology. I suppose in the case of the book title it refers to the headlong development of Theo, introduced in Fledgling. With Mouse and Dragon, these go a fair way to round out the story between the "happily ever after" of Scout's Progress and Conflict of Honors in which the children are all grown up and the previous generation is dead or missing. Actually, it overlaps Agent of Change, Carpe Diem, and Plan B. It ends with a repeat of the final scene from Plan B, told this time from Theo's POV. And I still think it is a set-up for another story. Theo's situation is certainly not resolved at that point.

Also, minimal research has shown that Lee and Miller have quite a number of other pieces set in this universe. Probably most of them are short stories, but I expect that I will devote some time to digging them out. Some of them are likely included in the Omnibus volumes - so maybe they are already available.

Now, I really must reread Wuthering Heights.