Okay, I knew that "Furious Heaven" is part of a series, but apparently didn't realize that it's the SECOND book in it and not the first until... now 🤦🏻
I didn't even notice. I think that speaks well for the incluing. Or my ability to cope with being thrown into an unknown universe and just roll with it.
It's very well written, and the many different narrative strands are held together by Sun's relentless forward drive. As is the Republic, I guess; as was Alexander's empire.
There are similar themes of empire, holding it together, companionship of rulers, loss of technology and the use of distributed consciousness in both @ArkadyMartine's Teixcalaan duology and @deuceofgears's Machineries of Empire trilogy - a detailed comparison would be very interesting!
(5/n, n=5)
All depicted cultures have rich backstories, contradictions, and depth. The Chaonians use dinosaur-themed proverbs a lot, and may have the dinosaurs as well, which is a lot of fun. It's a very rich tapestry, against which much warfare, palace intrigue, friendship, love, and rivalry play out.
We get to see this through a diverse cast of characters: Sun herself, her closest companions, but also some ordinary people giving intriguing views of the lower classes.
(4/n)
If one considers travel and communication, the universe is an "age of sail" type at first glance: there's FTL travel, but the Chaonians have no faster communication.
The Phene, however, have Riders: people who share a collective consciousness and can communicate instantly. This asymmetry, and the consequences it has for warfare and diplomacy, is a fascinating bit of worldbuilding I liked very much.
There's a lot of very neat worldbuilding here anyway!
(3/n)
We're in a space empire whose backstory is fascinating: founded by trade syndicates, whose faster-than-light travel beacons started to fail and everything fell apart. Thus rose the Phene empire, and, as an offshoot, the Republic of Chaonia.
Both are named somewhat misleadingly, as the Republic is a monarchy and the Empire ruled by an elite council. They are at war: Eirene, ruler of Chaonia, has won major battles and her successor, Sun, wants to finish it.
(2/n)
So. "Furious Heaven" by @KateElliottSFF. Or, in short, "genderbent Alexander the Great in space with dinosaurs". I don't really have much to say about the first part; it's an interesting idea, but I don't know enough about Alexander, and gender doesn't seem to play a huge role for this figure anyway. So more learned people must comment on that.
But the rest is pretty neat, too, and there /are/ some obvious Alexander references, especially in names.
(1/n)
"They didn’t deserve to inherit the empire their ancestors had built."
Does anyone?
This going after potential rivals, even if they're children, up to and including simply murdering them is giving me "A Song of Ice and Fire" vibes. With Kurash being like Ser Davos, drawing a hard line there: "we do not murder children".
We'll see if infanticide has dire consequences here as well. Or descending to assassinating rivals, period.
(And there's a murder on a bridge in a storm here, too...)
"There is a reason, brash youth, that we in the Coalition rule by threes. The ancient one brings wisdom to the table of governance. The Matrone offers stability and sustenance. The Magava provides the fresh ideas and vigor of youth. Because youth is not meant to rule alone."
Ah, that kind of triumvirate. Feels a bit like the "Foundation" one...
Interesting: today, we're mostly ruled by old age, not youth. Even middle age's an exception.
"From the galley, Petty Officer Thea James Alhonolulu gestures toward a cooling rack of ginger buns, sweet fried sesame buns, and compsognathus-tail buns. The smell is divine."
I don't eat meat, but... real dinosaur buns? 😋
(Will we actually get to see the dinosaurs?)
Jules