A Fire Born of Exile

Starred review from August 28, 2023
In this intricate and emotional standalone space opera set in Nebula Award winner de Bodard’s Xuya Universe (last visited in The Red Scholar’s Wake), three women struggle to balance self-respect with family obligation against the backdrop of a dazzling far-future universe full of mind-bending technology and government intrigue. Far from the center of the Empire, Minh, the daughter of the Prefect of the Scattered Pearls Belt, chafes against her mother’s plans for her future. After she’s saved from kidnappers by scholar Quỳnh, Quỳnh’s attention and approval awakens a tentative self-confidence and new suspicions about her mother’s government. However, Quỳnh isn’t what she seems—and she’s on a quest for revenge against those in power in the Belt. Meanwhile, technologist Hoà takes over an enormous project from her ailing sister: fixing a damaged mindship, or sentient spaceship. Quỳnh’s revenge plans are disrupted by whirlwind romance after she meets Hoà and agrees to teach her about mindships. As the vulnerable characters reckon with the past and find the strength to grasp the future, de Bodard’s worldbuilding dazzles, complete with cute toddler mindships and technology that can generate immersive new worlds in an instant. The result is a touching sci-fi romance that will delight fans and new readers alike. Agents: John Berlyne, Zeno Agency and Joshua Bilmes, JABberwocky Literary.

September 15, 2023
In a story pitched as The Count of Monte Cristo in space, de Bodard brings readers an elaborate tale of revenge, courtly machinations, filial relationships, and a romance which surprises only the characters involved. Minh, eldest daughter of the prefect, and her mindship friend, The Fruit of Heart's Sorrow, have made elaborate plans to sneak out for the Tiger Games. Unfortunately, things starts to go wrong fast. The mysterious scholar Quỳnh comes to her aid and asks for what seems like a small favor: Guts of Sea, her mindship companion, is looking to settle down. This is all part of Quỳnh's plan, a long quest for revenge on the people who betrayed her. A chance meeting at Quỳnh's teacher's grave introduces Ho�, visiting her elder sister in preparation for attempting a job repairing Flowers at the Gates, a damaged mindship and Minh's great aunt. There was no room in Quỳnh's plans for emotional entanglements, and yet she is suddenly entangled with Ho�. As usual in the Xuya stories, de Bodard weaves a solid adventure; this stands alone and so might be a perfect introduction to the series.

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