Michael Barnes
A fantastic new writer in the Space Opera genre. If like me you have read Megan E. O’Keefe’s work, Elizabeth Bear’s White Space series, and Ann Leckie’s Imperial Radch series this one will appeal. Esek Nightfoot is an appalling character who is I resisted liking for most of the book, Liz Bourke at Locus describes her thus "Charismatic, brutal, and clever, Esek is fiercely ambitious, loyal to her family over the priesthood (because her family better serves her ambitions), possessive, and disinclined to either empathy or sympathy. The novel opens with her diverting an exceptionally talented young student’s career – ruining it – and challenging them to impress her for no better reason than that she can".
And whilst this challenge is pursued across decades and more of the incredible world (universe) building is revealed we learn more of these other compelling actors in this stellar (see what I did there) play. Six, is a descendant of a man reviled for committing genocide against the Jeveni a marginalised community. Jun Ironway the hacker (and what's a scifi story without one of these to move the plot when needed) who Esek would have killed her entire family, instead of just some of them, if a mysterious benefactor hadn’t spirited them away, and last but not least Chono the good cleric, beloved conflicted in her emotions: She was Six’s classmate and then Esek’s novice, and has been part of Six and Esek’s cat-and-mouse game of obsession and revenge for a very long time. Her connections to Six and to Esek are fraught: violence, loyalty, gratitude, and affection all tangle together.
As I alluded to earlier I resisted liking Esek, and then that twist, which I didn't see coming. Brilliant.
A fantastic new writer in the Space Opera genre. If like me you have read Megan E. O’Keefe’s work, Elizabeth Bear’s White Space series, and Ann Leckie’s Imperial Radch series this one will appeal. Esek Nightfoot is an appalling character who is I resisted liking for most of the book, Liz Bourke at Locus describes her thus "Charismatic, brutal, and clever, Esek is fiercely ambitious, loyal to her family over the priesthood (because her family better serves her ambitions), possessive, and disinclined to either empathy or sympathy. The novel opens with her diverting an exceptionally talented young student’s career – ruining it – and challenging them to impress her for no better reason than that she can".
And whilst this challenge is pursued across decades and more of the incredible world (universe) building is revealed we learn more of these other compelling actors in this stellar (see what I did there) play. Six, is a descendant of a man reviled for committing genocide against the Jeveni a marginalised community. Jun Ironway the hacker (and what's a scifi story without one of these to move the plot when needed) who Esek would have killed her entire family, instead of just some of them, if a mysterious benefactor hadn’t spirited them away, and last but not least Chono the good cleric, beloved conflicted in her emotions: She was Six’s classmate and then Esek’s novice, and has been part of Six and Esek’s cat-and-mouse game of obsession and revenge for a very long time. Her connections to Six and to Esek are fraught: violence, loyalty, gratitude, and affection all tangle together.
As I alluded to earlier I resisted liking Esek, and then that twist, which I didn't see coming. Brilliant.