Lives of Bitter Rain

The first two books of the Tyrant Philosophers series are epic in scope: the first giving a panoramic view of a city under occupation, and the second following a group of magic-wielding medics in the chaos of war. With this novella Tchaikovsky narrows the focus to one person, Angilly, a diplomat of the ever-conquering Palleseens.

We are given vignettes of Angilly from her childhood through different postings of her career, with each step showing more of how the Pals operate and the larger world. Although I think starting with the first book is best, Lives of Bitter Rain would probably be an okay entry place for those new to the series.

Received via NetGalley.

A solid contribution to the world of the Tyrant Philosophers. Some very engaging and likeable characters are introduced and their relationships develop in a satisfying narrative.

Once again, the excellent narration and Tchaikovsky's deliberately whimsical style are very entertaining. So much so that I ended up listening twice back to back because I had enjoyed the experience and felt it was over a little too quickly.

Effectively this is book 2.5 in the series, so now I am straight on to book three!

Prequel to the next book in the series, from the point of view of an idealistic young Paleseen officer rising through their Outreach department, which is essentially diplomacy, spying and dirty tricks. Things are far more complicated and less black-and-white than she ever thought possible, but she has a knack for navigating the tricky world of getting cities and countries and societies to the point where her people can take over and make them perfect.

Tyrant Philosophers novella. Angilly, a Pal orphaned because she was the child of Pal soldiers, experiences various losses and compromises on her way to the circumstances in which we find her in an earlier book. This is another look at how tyranny corrupts individual goodness and ambition.

A brief look at the frog-god city that featured in book2. Why exactly did the Prefect leave before the new envoy arrived?

Read out of sequence I initially got the names mixed up with the demon summoner from book3, buyt it's not her, it's the Prefect. Confusingly who does also summon demons. It's a quick read in a fun setting just fleshing out a few details of the series.