Seven of Infinities

Another cool story set in the Xuya universe. Once again, I enjoyed the writing and the worldbuilding. The main characters are easy to like, and this time, it was interesting to follow those who do not accept how their society works. And I love sentient spaceships, of course!

The murder mystery/heist plot was not particularly interesting; it was more of a vehicle for characters’ relationships and emotions. That was fine with me. The emotions were turbulent, everything bursting at the seams, the strings wound tight, and sometimes this novella was on the verge of going too far, right into the soap opera territory. Thankfully, it didn’t, but I had a feeling the author had trouble keeping her characters under control. I did like the show more teacher-student relationship, which was beautifully shown. When it comes to the romance, I could have done without – there was slightly too much sugar syrup and instalove. Friendship/"will-they-won’t they" would have sufficed, IMO…

Overall, I enjoyed this novella more than The Citadel of Weeping Pearls, while The Tea Master and the Detective and On a Red Station, Drifting remain my favourites. In case anyone is wondering, I do intend to read all the Xuya stories (somehow). Because, well, sentient spaceships :) show less

I have enjoyed whatever short fiction I’ve come across till date by Aliette de Bodard, so I excited when I got the advance copy of this one. However, this was my first in her Xuya universe and it was such a fascinating dive into this world.

I wasn’t sure how much I would understand being thrown into this universe which already has many published stories set in it, so I decided to read up about the world itself on the author’s website, and I thought it was nice to get that background. But I was very glad that I really didn’t need to know too much of it before getting into this story, because it’s self contained and vague enough to be intriguing as well as rewarding. The writing in this is really beautiful and poetic, captivating show more me right from the get go. I couldn’t understand how a romance between a human and an AI mind ship would work, but the author makes it absolutely believable as well as emotional, and I was completely enchanted. Add to this a very interesting and mysterious murder plot, a lovely teacher student relationship and some very eccentric past heist crew members, and this becomes a short but very enjoyable story.

I also enjoyed the theme of filial piety, what it means to be dutiful towards the younger ones in your family and how far should one be ready to go for the sake of duty. There are also some interesting conversations about righteousness, doing the correct thing even if it goes against empire’s policy and how it’s possible to be critical of such policy and wanting to be a part of it to make it change for the better.

To conclude, this was a beautifully written murder mystery with a romantic plot, and I thoroughly enjoyed both the elements. You’ll probably love it even more if you’ve read any of the other stories set in the Xuya universe, but it should be equally compelling for anyone like me just treading into this world. My only complaint with works such as this is as usual that it’s short and I wish it was longer and we could see more of the characters. And now I’m just more excited for the author’s next work, which unfortunately doesn’t come out for quite a while. show less

Vân is a scholar of modest background with no connections, and a single mem-implant (which she built herself )nd represents no ancestor of hers) to help her on her way. She's working as tutor for the daughter of a dead war hero, and helping maintain her own image of respectable standing by participating in a poetry group.

It's not a good start to the day when another member of the poetry group, the mindship, The Wild Orchid in Sunless Woods, arrives to warn her that some of the socially higher-ranked members have decided she's not worthy of the group and must be expelled. Sunless Woods takes it for granted that Vân will want to fight her expulsion--but Vân has secrets she can't risk attracting attention to. They're at an impasse, when show more a worse interruption arises.

Vân's student, Uyên, has admitted her own visitor, who has dropped dead in her room.

The three quickly determine that none of them knows this woman, who has been sufficiently modified that there's no hope of readily identifying her--and that she has implants that mark her as a thief who has been permanently banished. It's likely that those implants are what killed her. Sunless Woods persuades Vân that while of course they need to report this to the militia, they also need to investigate themselves, before the overworked militia gets around to it, and looks for the easiest answer.

Sunless Woods has her own secrets that she'd rather not have attract attention, although, having been a very successful thief who got a lot of media attention while keeping her identity
hidden, boredom in retirement is also an issue for her. She's also, it's fair to say, rather attracted to Vân.

What follows is a high-stakes adventure, involving past associates of Vân and Sunless Woods, as well as the former owner of the home Uyên and her Second Mother reside in, part of the honors and awards bestowed after the death of her war hero First Mother. It's a satisfying novella-sized adventure, with Vân, Uyên, and even the far older Sunless Woods learning, growing, and both revealing and discovering more of their own true natures and values.

Recommended.

I bought this book. show less

An unusual genre-bender set in de Bodard’s Xuya Universe. It combines sci-fi, a murder mystery and a bit of romance, wrapped in the feel of a structured Vietnamese society. The Xuya Universe is a loose collection of stories set in a future and alternate universe where Asia is dominant and sentient mindships are part of familial timelines (link for de Bodard’s brief explanation). I have [b:The Tea Master and the Detective|36686547|The Tea Master and the Detective (The Universe of Xuya)|Aliette de Bodard|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1511987651l/36686547._SX50_.jpg|58480498] in my collection, so I was sure this was going to be equally interesting.

One day the scholar Vân has an unexpected visit show more from a respected member of her poetry group, the mindship, The Wild Orchid in Sunless Woods. Many people in this culture have ancestor mind implants, reminiscent of imagos in [b:A Memory Called Empire|48758557|A Memory Called Empire (Teixcalaan, #1)|Arkady Martine|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1573569403l/48758557._SX50_.jpg|59457173] but Vân’s is illegal and discovery of it would mean social exile. Meanwhile, her charge, the teenager Uyên, has her own unexpected–but unknown–visitor. By the time Uyên returns from making the visitor tea, the visitor has mysteriously died. Sunless Woods involves herself to prevent Van from running afoul of the militia and because she might just be a bit bored.

I didn’t know what to expect, which was kind of wonderful. It feels a little darker than some of the other Xuya stories, with Vân carrying a lot of guilt about her past that continues to impact her ability to carry herself now. The characters developed quickly for a novella, and I felt like everyone had a little bit of good and interesting with the flaws. Sunless Woods has secrets of her own, and I spent a little bit of time wracking my brain trying to remember how mindships work.

“Her avatar was as unconventional as her name… it was a vaguely humanoid shape: at first glance, she appeared to have two arms and two legs and to be about Vân’s size, but whenever she moved Vân would catch a glimpse of something far, far larger00sleek and polished metal, the reflection of distant stars, and a feeling the room, the entire habitat were twisting and folding back on themselves, unable to contain the vastness of her.”

On the downside, there’s instant attraction between two of the leads, that results in a rather extreme insta-emotional connection. It’s a device that ordinarily doesn’t set that well with me, but I suppose the fact that one of the players has severe emotional baggage is part of it. At any rate, it plays out reasonably well, and there are a couple of moments that are truly sweet, along with truly poetic. de Bodard is pushing boundaries here.

“Up close, the hull looked as if a giant, distorted flower of metal had burst outwards from the heart of the ship–and behind that hold was a vast, profound darkness in which nothing lived or breathed, a silence more final than that of stars or planets. Vân toggled, with a flick of her fingers, the light on her own glider. It illuminated a large structure that looked like a hanger, with the scattered debris of shuttles, and a single bloodied thread linking each of them back to the ship.”

Yes, probably worth it, although you’ll get a better bargain with Kindle.

No, you don’t need to have read any stories in the Xuya Universe. It’s all quite self-contained, although some of the stories will tell you more or less about the mind-ships or the culture.

Yes, you’ll probably note that I liked it significantly better than T[b:To Be Taught, If Fortunate|43190272|To Be Taught, If Fortunate|Becky Chambers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552530326l/43190272._SY75_.jpg|67034571], another novella I read at the same time, even though I’m not crazy about romance. I thought it a challenging, interesting read with a lot of re-read potential. I’m glad I added such a beautiful edition to my personal library. show less

So, this is my first exposure to Bodard's "Xuya" universe, and I was mostly impressed, as a tutor with a shady past, and a spaceship keeping its own spectacular past under wraps, find themselves dealing with a murder and what it really all means. While I gather that one doesn't need to have read any of the previous "Xuya" stories, it's a lack that I do feel. Also, the climax of the story did leave me with a bit of a "deus ex machina" feeling, though I have to admit it was pretty cool. To say much more would be to give the story away.

Vân is a scholar who has created her own memory implant, something that in this culture could result in social exile and no respect for her scholarship. When a visiting scholar dies in her house she becomes embroiled in controversy and has to investigate to save her reputation. Into this mix comes one of her poetry group the Mindship the Wild Orchid in Sunless Woods, who has their own secrets. Nothing is obvious and the investigation keeps people working together and finding out more about each other.
Complex and interesting with characters that lingered.

Another great novella set in the Xuya Universe, this one featuring a tutor and a mindship, both with secrets to hide, investigating a mysterious death. This slim volume is packed with enough mystery, thrills, and romance to fill a lengthy novel, but Bodard manages it all so well that it's a perfect little jewel of a read.

Received via NetGalley.