Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
This is a complex tale of political and familial intrigue set on a distant space station, part of an empire that encompasses many inhabited worlds and space outposts. The characters are interestingly of Vietnamese descent. Frankly, I had a hard time following the plot; I don’t know if this is part of a series or a novel excerpt, but there seemed to be background information that was missing. The writing style is excellent.
Lots of interesting ideas going on in this novella, most interesting to me
Spoiler
is the human/machine hybrid AI as an ancestor.
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really love the Xuya universe - the more you read the series, the more you flesh out your understanding of the worldbuilding and it's just so freaking cool! Vietnamese history inspired scifi with sentient spaceships, what more could you want? I always love reading the descriptions of settings (overlays lend themselves to some really cool things) and as ever her descriptions of food are mouth-watering.
The plot of this one isn't my favourite in the series - I tired of how much of it revolves around two seemingly intelligent women just virulently hating each other and arguing. I think I prefer the ones that are more mysteru-based or more explicitly political. This has made me want to reread The Citadel of Weeping Pearls because I can't quite remember the role Linh has and it was one of my faves from the series so far.
The plot of this one isn't my favourite in the series - I tired of how much of it revolves around two seemingly intelligent women just virulently hating each other and arguing. I think I prefer the ones that are more mysteru-based or more explicitly political. This has made me want to reread The Citadel of Weeping Pearls because I can't quite remember the role Linh has and it was one of my faves from the series so far.
Ahoy there me mateys! I was introduced to the Universe of Xuya in her novella the tea master and the detective. I adored the sentient spaceship and avidly wanted more. So I was super happy to get this story. The biggest problem is that the majority of this series are short stories and not all are easily accessible (give us an omnibus please!). The author's excellent page discussing this world says that:
The site also gives a chronology, background, and links to the Xuya short stories available online.
This tells the stories of two women. The Empire is at war and a magistrate, Lê Thi Linh, spoke against the Emperor. She flees as a refugee to her ancestral station. This station has a sentient Mind. Lê Thi Quyen is the human administrator who helps maintain the station. Familial ties bind the two women but neither likes the other. It would be a bad relationship under normal situations but the Mind seems to be failing even though that should be impossible. With the station about to self-destruct, the family dynamics aren't helping.
This book had a tiny bit of a rough start for me because the tone was so different from what I was expecting. The tea master was intimate in feel. This one was like I was watching from afar. Plus the narrative jumps back and forth between characters and it was slightly hard to adjust. That said, those are minor issues and I still avidly wanted to know what was going on.
I didn't really like either of the two women because they both are obstinate to the detriment of everyone. They were still fun characters even if they are knuckleheads. I adored the world building and politics. There are other familial issues besides the antagonistic relationship of the two main characters. I found the life of the family and their relationships to be fascinating.
The ending was absolutely stunning in how it tied everything together and packed an emotional punch. This wasn't quite a perfect read because of the start but damn did I enjoy it. I can see why it was nominated for the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus in 2013. Arrrr!
The premise of Xuya is that China discovered the Americas before the West, and that the exploration of this new continent prevented China from sinking inwards (not to mention being invaded by the Manchu, who later founded the ill-fated Qing dynasty, China’s last imperial dynasty). Xuya (旴 涯), a Chinese colony founded in the 15th Century in North America, plays a central role in the stories.
The site also gives a chronology, background, and links to the Xuya short stories available online.
This tells the stories of two women. The Empire is at war and a magistrate, Lê Thi Linh, spoke against the Emperor. She flees as a refugee to her ancestral station. This station has a sentient Mind. Lê Thi Quyen is the human administrator who helps maintain the station. Familial ties bind the two women but neither likes the other. It would be a bad relationship under normal situations but the Mind seems to be failing even though that should be impossible. With the station about to self-destruct, the family dynamics aren't helping.
This book had a tiny bit of a rough start for me because the tone was so different from what I was expecting. The tea master was intimate in feel. This one was like I was watching from afar. Plus the narrative jumps back and forth between characters and it was slightly hard to adjust. That said, those are minor issues and I still avidly wanted to know what was going on.
I didn't really like either of the two women because they both are obstinate to the detriment of everyone. They were still fun characters even if they are knuckleheads. I adored the world building and politics. There are other familial issues besides the antagonistic relationship of the two main characters. I found the life of the family and their relationships to be fascinating.
The ending was absolutely stunning in how it tied everything together and packed an emotional punch. This wasn't quite a perfect read because of the start but damn did I enjoy it. I can see why it was nominated for the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus in 2013. Arrrr!
mysterious
tense
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Book 24 / 30 days challenge
Not sure what to say, I loved the writing and the overall story but I'm not sure if it's because it's a novella or what but some things just happened because it was convenient for them to do so, and some of the characters actions seemed out of place or just out of nowhere just move the story forward I guess?.
If not for that I would have give this 5 stars.
Not sure what to say, I loved the writing and the overall story but I'm not sure if it's because it's a novella or what but some things just happened because it was convenient for them to do so, and some of the characters actions seemed out of place or just out of nowhere just move the story forward I guess?.
If not for that I would have give this 5 stars.
Ok, I am a total Aliette de Bodard fan girl now. I've been reading through her Xuya universe short stories over the last couple weeks, which I am learning really deepens my enjoyment and appreciation of her longer works. I am blown away by the gorgeously detailed universe she has created, and even more so by the complex characters inhabiting that universe. Linh and Quyen are painfully, humanly flawed, and as a reader, I deeply sympathized with both. Their story, like many by this author, is a beautiful blend of heartbreaking and hopeful. I loved it all.