Aliette de Bodard

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-red-scholars-wake-by-aliette-de-bodard/

A space opera romance, where the extra wrinkle is that the central relationship is between a human woman and the AI of a pirate spaceship. The setup is clear and the emotional perspective of the characters totally convincing. Also the economic and political basis for pirate spaceships controlled by artificial intelligence is pulled off with assurance. Not a book you could imagine Arthur C. Clarke writing, but one you could well imagine him enjoying.… (more)

At first glance, this is part of the Dominion of the Fallen series, but actually isn't. It's probably set in the same world, but appears to be very much further in the future, featuring skyscrapers and computers. It does not share the Parisian setting either.

A witch teams with a human and a Fallen to investigate a series of murders.

I thought it a bit weak, especially on the world-building - if the world has been comprehensively trashed by the Fallen and their wars over several centuries, how did humanity develop a technological society? The post-Edwardian apocalyptic setting of the main series works better in that respect as it suggests the Fall was more recent.… (more)

This review covers the 3 novels of the Dominion of the Fallen series, plus the short stories:

Of Books, and Earth, and Courtship
In Morningstar's Shadow
Court of Birth, Court of Strength
Children of Thorns, Children of Water

The series is set in an alternate universe where the fallen angels have fallen to Earth not to Hell - although it could be construed that by landing on Earth, Earth is now Hell. It certainly seems that way to the mortal inhabitants. All the novels and short stories are set in Paris which is ruled by various Fallen Houses; we see House Silverspires ruled initially by Morningstar then Selene, House Hawthorn ruled by Asmoedeus, House Harrier ruled by Guy and his consort Andrea, and various minor houses. Additionally, unbeknownst to the houses initially, there is a dragon kingdom beneath the Seine, and various gangs and Houseless areas, plus other Immortals.

The thread throughout the series is the appalling suffering inflicted by the Fallen on humanity; not necessarily through sadism and direct action, but most frequently the wars between the Fallen affect humanity as fallout - humans can't stand up to the Fallen directly, and Fallen magic has turned Paris (and the world) into a toxic wasteland, scarred by the fighting and poisoned by magic. So in a way, the series is also about surviving the unthinkable and what choices have to be made to ensure survival - if possible.

The Fallen themselves are depicted as human monsters: rarely do they show empathy to their human subjects, seeing them more as resources to be used. This conflicts with their overriding desire to return to the Heavenly City where they once dwelt. If they have been cast out to seek redemption, they are thus doomed to fail.

Humans do their best to survive in a ruined and toxic world; if they are lucky (in some respects) they become part of a House, serving the Fallen. Unhoused humans often end up in the gangs hunting the newly Fallen to murder them and strip their corpses to sell as alchemical ingredients. Alternatively, they become part of a human enclave like the Annamite (Vietnamese) enclave which also includes Maghrebi and Senegalese. The French colonies were used for troops in the Great War and the few survivors remained in Paris. This why there is an isolationist dragon kingdom in the Seine along with some Immortals living in Paris.

Overall, the series is about colonialism: the Fallen are in effect colonisers with little or no desire to understand the colonised. The colonised variously survive, cooperate with, ignore or strike back at the colonisers. Love does bloom in the stories; rarely though does it redeem.

So, what did I think of the books and stories? Well written, thought-provoking and something to read slowly not devour. The slow reading is partly because of the large cast and partly because of the non-Western background of many characters. What may help is a character list noting House affiliation for the Fallen and humans, titles, honourifics and nicknames for the Annanmese and dragon kingdom characters, and a map of Paris showing the House territories.

Recommended, but take your time over reading them.… (more)