The Empress ordered her fleets to destroy the Citadel of Weeping Pearls and its ruler – her daughter – for fear of the weapons their unusual science was creating. But the Citadel disappeared. 30 years later, with war looming against an enemy who can turn their mindships against them, can the Bright Princess be found – and persuaded to come home?
Continue reading “Bite-size Books: The Citadel of Weeping Pearls”
Unexpected saviours of Ilus, the crew of the Roci scatter for a well-earned break. But old feuds die hard. As humanity streams through the Gates to colonise new worlds, the Solar System is ripped apart by unexpected violence on an unimaginable scale. Can Alex, Amos, Jim and Naomi survive alone?
Yoon Ha Lee’s Machineries of Empire is hands-down my favourite space opera of recent years. The third book, Revenant Gun, was published this week, bringing the series to a close (or does it? There’s a promise of short stories to come, at least) and I’m delighted to be part of the supporting blog tour. To celebrate, I’m giving you my top ten reasons to join the Hexarchate…
The Gates are open and humanity is headed for the stars. When Belter refugees colonise Ilus first, they’re not prepared to make way for the official corporate mission that follows – the Rocinante is sent to keep the peace – with Miller determined to come along for the ride.
The Hexarchate is no more. Only two Hexarchs survive: slippery Shuos Mikodez, backing Cheris’s nascent democracy; and immortal Nirai Kujen, determined to resurrect the high calendar to maintain his grip on life. And even Protector-General Kel Inesser and her fleet don’t back him. Kujen isn’t worried: he has another incarnation of Shuos Jedao at his command…
Continue reading “Revenant Gun: the final battle for the Hexarchate’s soul”
In the outer reaches, the protomolecule has built a gate to… somewhere else. It’s the last place a haunted Jim Holden wants to go, but a determined young woman with a vendetta against him holds all the cards. Leaving human space may be the only way the Rocinante can escape her well-laid plans…
Six months after Eros, the solar system still hovers in uneasy peace as it watches Venus to see what the protomolecule will do next. Can UN Deputy Undersecretary of Executive Administration Chrisjen Avasarala keep the nervy planets focused on the greater threat?
As Binti struggles to adjust to the zinariya, she is overwhelmed by visions of her family in mortal danger. With no sign of Okwu, she and Mwinyi rush back. Can the master harmonizer who sits at the nexus of so many cultures bring peace, or is her legacy to be only conflict?
Continue reading “Bite-sized Books: Binti – The Night Masquerade”
The last war ended in an atrocity. The Trouble Dog resigned her post afterwards, seeking redemption in salvage. Now she’s the closest craft to a civilian distress call, summoned to the carven worlds of the Gallery with a mess of former enemies aboard. Has anybody put the war behind them?
Continue reading “Embers of War: the start of an epic space opera”
There’s a secret being kept in the outer reaches of the Belt – a secret worth killing for. Soon a washed-up detective from Ceres and a ramshackle salvage crew will find themselves at the heart of a system-wide conspiracy that could shatter the uneasy peace between Earth, Mars and the Belt. If only they could stop asking awkward questions…
Separated by the Gate and a terrifyingly dangerous spaceship, the dissidents aboard Medina and the final fleet of the Solar System prepare to bring the fight to the Laconians. But Holden is in enemy hands…
Continue reading “The Expanse Read-along: Persepolis Rising – Week 4”
Binti and Okwu have settled into life at Oomza Uni – in so far as they can as a Meduse and a Himba with blue tentacles for hair. Troubled by nightmares and erratic rages, Binti becomes convinced she needs to go on pilgrimage to be ritually cleansed. She needs to go home.
