Behind The Throne - K. B. Wagers
Synopsis
(From Goodreads)
"Quick, sarcastic, and lethal, Hailimi Bristol doesn't suffer fools gladly. She has made a name for herself in the galaxy for everything except what she was born to do: rule the Indranan Empire. That is, until two Trackers drag her back to her home planet to take her rightful place as the only remaining heir.
But trading her ship for a palace has more dangers than Hail could have anticipated. Caught in a web of plots and assassination attempts, Hail can't do the one thing she did twenty years ago: run away. She'll have to figure out who murdered her sisters if she wants to survive."
Review
What. A. Book. As an avid Star Wars and Science Fiction lover, I was enthralled from page one.
The plot is a tense political drama--someone wants to overthrow the Empire and they have to find out who before they get killed. To be honest, it's a simple plot, but it was very well paced and definitely interesting enough to move me along. The way Hail navigates through all the drama and court conspiracy with her sassiness was spectacular.
What really sold me on this book (and if you've read enough of my reviews you'll know how important this is to me) was the world building and the characters. Even a simple plot can be made great by the people carrying it out.
The book is really about Hail and her relationships with those around her, including herself. Hail is aweome. For one thing, she's older, in her late 30's (which is nice after reading so much YA where everyone is 16-18). She ran away from the Empire when she was 18 and became someone else, who she felt was her "real" self. And it is. But she is also an heir to an Empire, and throughout this book (and series), she has to learn to balance and reconcile being a gunrunner (think Han Solo) with being the ruler of a large intergalactic empire. Hail, despite being sassy and kick-ass, is also a very kind person who feels the responsibility of caring for the billions of people in her Empire, and she shows that care and empathy by how she treats everyone around her, and especially the people that work for her. She only gets mean when threatened, and then you better watch out. Oh, and she has dark green hair. LOVE.
Some of the other major characters include Emmory, her BodyGuard. He provides a steady balance to Hail, and is one of the only people she fully trusts (along with his partner Zin). Their friendship is really fun and their banter had me grinning.
The world building. Oh man! Where to even start?!
First off, it's far, far off in our future, where humankind has spread out among the stars and been established there already for thousands of years. The Indranan Empire is based on Hindu/Indian culture (as that's where the ancestors of the empire came from) and they still retain many cultural elements, though it has developed into a new religion and culture. I thought it was extremely well-done. Not just a cut-and-paste "India in Space!" but really well thought out of how traditions could evolve and change and have other things incorporated into it.
And the technology! Everyone basically has a computer chip in their brain, computer screens on their eyes, senses enhanced, etc. And it's standard. It's introduced as being totally normal--you pick up on it as you read along. And of course different types of space ships, laser guns, etc.
I'm hoping in the next books we get more space travel, as this book was mostly based planet-side, and I would love to see more of this universe.
Overall, a highly inventive new space opera with a kick-ass main female character, enthralling world building, and tense political plot.
Rating
I give this book 5 stars.
Details
Genre: Sci-Fi.
Language: Yes, a fair amount of strong language.
Sex: None.
Violence: A good amount of violence.
Synopsis
(From Goodreads)
"Quick, sarcastic, and lethal, Hailimi Bristol doesn't suffer fools gladly. She has made a name for herself in the galaxy for everything except what she was born to do: rule the Indranan Empire. That is, until two Trackers drag her back to her home planet to take her rightful place as the only remaining heir.
But trading her ship for a palace has more dangers than Hail could have anticipated. Caught in a web of plots and assassination attempts, Hail can't do the one thing she did twenty years ago: run away. She'll have to figure out who murdered her sisters if she wants to survive."
Review
What. A. Book. As an avid Star Wars and Science Fiction lover, I was enthralled from page one.
The plot is a tense political drama--someone wants to overthrow the Empire and they have to find out who before they get killed. To be honest, it's a simple plot, but it was very well paced and definitely interesting enough to move me along. The way Hail navigates through all the drama and court conspiracy with her sassiness was spectacular.
What really sold me on this book (and if you've read enough of my reviews you'll know how important this is to me) was the world building and the characters. Even a simple plot can be made great by the people carrying it out.
The book is really about Hail and her relationships with those around her, including herself. Hail is aweome. For one thing, she's older, in her late 30's (which is nice after reading so much YA where everyone is 16-18). She ran away from the Empire when she was 18 and became someone else, who she felt was her "real" self. And it is. But she is also an heir to an Empire, and throughout this book (and series), she has to learn to balance and reconcile being a gunrunner (think Han Solo) with being the ruler of a large intergalactic empire. Hail, despite being sassy and kick-ass, is also a very kind person who feels the responsibility of caring for the billions of people in her Empire, and she shows that care and empathy by how she treats everyone around her, and especially the people that work for her. She only gets mean when threatened, and then you better watch out. Oh, and she has dark green hair. LOVE.
Some of the other major characters include Emmory, her BodyGuard. He provides a steady balance to Hail, and is one of the only people she fully trusts (along with his partner Zin). Their friendship is really fun and their banter had me grinning.
The world building. Oh man! Where to even start?!
First off, it's far, far off in our future, where humankind has spread out among the stars and been established there already for thousands of years. The Indranan Empire is based on Hindu/Indian culture (as that's where the ancestors of the empire came from) and they still retain many cultural elements, though it has developed into a new religion and culture. I thought it was extremely well-done. Not just a cut-and-paste "India in Space!" but really well thought out of how traditions could evolve and change and have other things incorporated into it.
And the technology! Everyone basically has a computer chip in their brain, computer screens on their eyes, senses enhanced, etc. And it's standard. It's introduced as being totally normal--you pick up on it as you read along. And of course different types of space ships, laser guns, etc.
I'm hoping in the next books we get more space travel, as this book was mostly based planet-side, and I would love to see more of this universe.
Overall, a highly inventive new space opera with a kick-ass main female character, enthralling world building, and tense political plot.
Rating
I give this book 5 stars.
Details
Genre: Sci-Fi.
Language: Yes, a fair amount of strong language.
Sex: None.
Violence: A good amount of violence.
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