![]() ![]() I think this is why Winter’s Orbit works so well. Whether it’s the Tudor reign or books about imperial Japan or any other powerful dynastic settings, there’s something compelling and awful about people’s lives being used for political advantage, but it’s certainly been a reality for generations. If you strip away the sci-fi trappings, in many ways this book can be compared to any novel about arranged marriages. It works very well - even though we readers may cringe at how badly they’re bungling their attempts to connect, it helps that we’re let into their thoughts and feelings and understand WHY they’re having such a hard time. Kiem and Jainan are both complex characters, and they alternate POV chapters, so we get to know their inner workings, their doubts and fears, well before either of them start to grasp what the other is experiencing. Where Winter’s Orbit is at its best is in the depiction of Kiem and Jainan’s relationship, from its awkward beginning through all sorts of turmoil and misunderstanding, until finally they break through their miscommunications and cross-purposes and start to truly talk to one another. He’s not at all interested in a political marriage, particularly to the grieving partner of his dead cousin, but duty calls - and it’s an order directly from the Emperor, so really, there’s no choice. ![]() Enter Prince Kiem, the ne’er-do-well, dissolute, party boy of the royal family. When Taam is killed in an accident only months before the treaty renewal, it’s imperative that a new political marriage is arranged. In the case of the small planet Thea, it’s through the marriage of Thean representative Jainan to Prince Taam of Iskat’s royal family. Treaties within the Empire are cemented by political marriages. ![]() And here’s where the person-focused aspects of the plot come into play. In other words, the Resolution treaty is vital to the Empire’s survival.Ī key piece of the treaty renewal is passing muster by the Resolution’s Auditor, an inspector who comes to verify that the planets of the Empire are maintaining their treaties with Iskat appropriately and without conflict. Without the official reestablishment of the treaty, the Iskat Empire would be on its own, unprotected, and subject to invasion by the powerful armies of the huge conglomerates that control other galaxies. (Bear with me.)Įvery twenty years, the Empire re-ups with the Resolution through a formal ceremony. The Empire, though, is but a small system in the known universe, which is ruled by the Resolution and accessed by the Iskat Empire through one single space/time link. Winter’s Orbit takes place in the Iskat Empire, seven planets bound together by treaties and ruled by the Emperor from the system’s dominant planet Iskat. But there’s so much more to this book, and it’s worth looking beyond marketing blurbs to learn more. I assume that’s just meant to make sure anyone who glances at this book knows that (1) it’s in space! and (b) there’s a royal match between two male characters. Ugh, ignore the bit in the synopsis about Ancillary Justice meeting Red, White & Royal Blue. When tragedy befalls Imperial Prince Taam, his Thean widower, Jainan, is rushed into an arranged marriage with Taam’s cousin, the disreputable Kiem, in a bid to keep the rising hostilities between the two worlds under control.īut when it comes to light that Prince Taam’s death may not have been an accident, and that Jainan himself may be a suspect, the unlikely pair must overcome their misgivings and learn to trust one another as they navigate the perils of the Iskat court, try to solve a murder, and prevent an interplanetary war… all while dealing with their growing feelings for each other. ![]() While the Iskat Empire has long dominated the system through treaties and political alliances, several planets, including Thea, have begun to chafe under Iskat’s rule. Ancillary Justice meets Red, White & Royal Blue in Everina Maxwell’s exciting debut. ![]()
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