I have to admit that this short read stretched me somewhat, I'm a bit too comfortable in the space that is Western SFF, there's an ease and a familiarity with Western Fantasy and SF that I don't have with other fantasy, and I know that that western fantasy sometimes gets my own culture wrong (oh so wrong) and I'm reluctant to really criticise this books handling of culture. It is a book more about political machinations rather than the people and that really isn't my thing. It also felt like part of a story, a novel trying to get out and give me more. It's an interesting future she presents and I have enjoyed other stories in it. I'm looking forward to reading more but I don't think it will get my top vote for Hugo Series.
It's a story about a lost Citadel and a daughter who lost her mother and about war at the borders. It's full of people with different reasons for wanting to find the truth and a truth that could harm. ( )

30 years ago the Citadel of Weeping Pearls vanished, taking with it one of the Empress's daughters. Now the Empress needs her daughter's special abilities to help her fend off a threatened invasion, but the only scientist to ever find traces of the Citadel has also vanished.

Reading the preview, I thought this was going to be a mystery, with the Empress's former lover investigating the disappearances, but as the POV rotated through different characters it became clear that the story didn't really fit any subgenre. I still enjoyed it though. ( )

*3.7, rounded up*

I am very fond of Aliette de Bodard's Xuya universe, with its intricate imagery and beautiful world-building. Unfortunately, this particular novella did not sing to me in the same way as On a Red Station, Drifting or The Tea Master and the Detective I still enjoyed it, but in a detached way, without being emotionally invested in either the story or the characters. The resolution felt like dust scattered by the wind - that was the idea, I think, but it left me dissatisfied.

Still looking forward to more Xuya and other books by de Bodard, though :) ( )

Very much in keeping with the rest of the Xuya books and i absolutely recommend reading them before diving into this deep space.

A lot longer than the previous short stories and novellas that we've so far been used to: as such, this one is available as a real book that you can buy over at Amazon.

For those reading my previous review on Pearl, you'll now know how i feel about pricing and this is no different to that.   At the time of writing this the brand new paperback is £7.75 while the Kindle version is £7.34.   And Amazon will deliver the paperback for free if you buy something else from them for £2.25 to make the total £10.00.

However, i'm not going to get back into my rant on the pricing of a teeny tiny data file compared to a forest of processed trees and environmental damages of such, you can read all about that at Pearl.   Like that, it's up to you if you are willing to pay that or not, or you can simply get a copy elsewhere, like get your local library to buy the paperback and then a thousand people can read it for free.   Or you can buy the paperback with free delivery and then sell it on ebay to make some money back, or share it with a few friends, or give it to a charity shop.   At the end of the day, it's up to you, but ebooks aren't going to be priced fairly for what they are if people -- you the reader -- keep paying silly prices for them.   It's utterly ridiculous to be charging every Kindle user similar prices for a single use, data protected copy while the paperback can be bought once and shared and read by dozens of people for years and years.

So, onto the content: great story, this time we're going into the deep spaces within the deep spaces.   Yeah, deep spaces squared get seriously bizarre.   Lots of court intrigue and military invasion matters and the normal everyday life things as well.

Once again, super great writing from Aliette that keeps your attention from beginning to end.   Shame about the ebook pricing. ( )

I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed this short novella. The heart of the story, an heir goes in a direction not supported by her Mother, and disappears. 30 years after this event, the Empress has need of her - either for the strange weapons that she created, or to get her heir back, or maybe just see her one last time.

When the lead scientist working on this project disappears, and her child, a mind ship called "The Turtles Golden Claw" and an outsider to the court promoted to a membership on the military affairs board.

Its a simple story but full of humanity - love of ones children vs responsibility to a whole empire. A forced birth and guilt from not loving that child. Lost parents who dispensary without a trace. And ultimately, a mystery.

The writing is clear but written with an eye for poetry. And while the length is right - longer and the story gets muddled. Shorter and it becomes stunted. ( )