hardcover, 176 pages
Published Oct. 31, 2020 by Subterranean, Subterranean Press.
Vân is a scholar from a poor background, eking out a living in the orbitals of the Scattered Pearls Belt as a tutor to a rich family, while hiding the illegal artificial mem-implant she manufactured as a student. Sunless Woods is a mindship - and not just any mindship, but a notorious thief and a master of disguise. She's come to the Belt to retire, but is drawn to Vân's resolute integrity. When a mysterious corpse is found in the quarters of Vân's student, Vân and Sunless Woods find themselves following a trail of greed and murder that will lead them from teahouses and ascetic havens to the wreck of a mindship - and to the devastating secrets they've kept from each other.
I've enjoyed Aliette de Bodard's short stories for years but hadn't gotten to read any of her longer works before now. This novella wraps a romance in fascinating scifi ideas and a carefully crafted world. It's a bit languid, but thoroughly enjoyable.
This book tells the story of Vân, a young scholar and teacher, and Sunless Woods, a mindship who is actually a master thief looking to retire. Their paths cross when a murder happens and they proceed to unravel the mystery, while also unraveling each of their secrets as they become entangled themselves.
Pretty interesting little book (only about 175 pages), with plenty of lyrical writing and some solid world building in such a short number of pages. I am particularly drawn to multi genre books, and this one flits from one (mystery) to another (romance) to another (crime), all the while set in an Asian influenced far far future.
There were some great lines and I wish I had been reading the ebook version so I could have highlighted them. Some powerfully romantic and some with serious insights. I loved how each of the protagonists had some deeply hidden secrets …
This book tells the story of Vân, a young scholar and teacher, and Sunless Woods, a mindship who is actually a master thief looking to retire. Their paths cross when a murder happens and they proceed to unravel the mystery, while also unraveling each of their secrets as they become entangled themselves.
Pretty interesting little book (only about 175 pages), with plenty of lyrical writing and some solid world building in such a short number of pages. I am particularly drawn to multi genre books, and this one flits from one (mystery) to another (romance) to another (crime), all the while set in an Asian influenced far far future.
There were some great lines and I wish I had been reading the ebook version so I could have highlighted them. Some powerfully romantic and some with serious insights. I loved how each of the protagonists had some deeply hidden secrets and how they ever so slowly became exposed. I can't wait to read more of this series.
