I absolutely loved Ann Leckie’s Imperial Radch trilogy, particularly the first book, Ancillary Justice which blew me away when I first read it.

Since then I’ve enjoyed the other books she’s written in the same universe, dealing with the fallout of the events in the original series. Radiant Star is the latest addition to the canon.

I think the story falls into the category of planetary romance; the narrative is very much driven by the unique characteristics of the world we find ourselves on. Or should I say, in. The setting here is a rogue planet without a sun. Everything happens underground in an technology-mediated ecology that works great until it doesn’t.

This is a self-contained story with just vague rumours and nods to the events of the Imperial Radch trilogy. By the end of the book, those events—and the subsequent decisions reached in Translation State—make themselves felt keenly.

There’s a lot in here about infrastructure, admin, religion, hierarchy, social structures and power dynamics. I have to admit that the initial groundwork laid out at the start of the book was tough going, but once the story hit its stride, it really took off. Stick with it.

Any Ann Leckie book is guaranteed to be a good read, and Radiant Star is no exception. I thoroughly enjoyed this.