I continue to be stunned by the Queen’s Thief series, which is so good at writing politics that you care, on a deep personal level, about maneuvering between ambassadors and kings. It helps that the character at the center of this book, Sophos of Sounis, has a sweet, open-hearted, earnest nature that somehow makes him uniquely suited to face kidnapping, war, and imperial conquest. Love the interactions between the kings and queens, and how they balance their inner lives with the fact that every action they take will be evaluated for political impact. The language is deceptively simple; the plot is extremely layered and compelling.
Day: September 18, 2022
The Edge of Worlds, by Martha Wells
4th in the Books of the Raksura. Moon having arrived in an emotionally stable space, this book is less concerned about his journey and more about the society, namely how groundlings as a whole tend to feel about flying shapeshifters like the Raksura. It also lays the groundwork for some really interesting confrontations with the Fell. Does not stand alone well, but a fun read for fans of the series, with plenty of action and sarcastic observations by Moon.