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Ziggy, taught the importance of compassion and meditation by her Tibetan mother, is an appealing main character who refuses to harm others even when her own life is at stake. Xuya is an alternate history inspired universe where Asia rose to Terran dominance and subsequently, Vietnamese and Chinese empires have spread across the galaxy.
The Red Scholar’s Wake: A Xuya Universe Romance (Xuya
The Soviets are in attack mode when the Americans arrive, and there are casualties, but before long members of both crews have entered the alien vehicle, where distinctions between hallucination and reality are blurred. When her friend Ngá suggests they join a trade ship, she has no choice but to take the risk and head out into the void. Much of the story centres on Liff, the first child born on Imir, a witness to the colony’s struggle and decline. This combination of cold war space race with the theory of “ancient astronauts” popularised in Erich von Daniken’s bestselling Chariots of the Gods makes for a wild and fascinating story.The latest novel set in the Hugo-nominated, Vietnamese-inspired Universe of Xuya begins with that cliche of genre romance, two people entering into a marriage of convenience. The tension and weirdness keep ratcheting up in both narrative strands, making for a memorable, spooky tale. This is a refreshing change from the usual macho adventure story, one more about inner than outer space. A traditional structure and simple yet elegant style add to the impression that these modern tales could be timeless classics. They would press her into service as a bondsperson on their own ships, using her until she broke, if she was lucky.
The best recent science fiction and fantasy – reviews roundup
This debut novel taps into that fascination, telling parallel stories on separate timelines in a fictional patch of English woodland. From fairytales onward, the idea of a mysterious forest in which anything can happen has deep-rooted appeal.
Each story can be read as a standalone however, it helps to have an understanding of the history and the current composition of the universe before jumping in to this book. But as much as the space rogues and cool tech send my heart palpitating, the way Bodard describes not only the appearance of the mindship’s avatar, but also the biotech mash up descriptions of kissing her, nearly sent me into cardiac arrest.
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