Ann Leckie continues to shine with new sci-fi novel Radiant Star

Radiant Star
Ann Leckie, Orbit Books UK

Ann Leckie has quickly established herself as a force to be reckoned with in science fiction since the publication of her stunning debut, Ancillary Justice, in 2013. Ancillary Sword and Ancillary Mercy came along hard on the heels of her debut. All three books in the so-called Imperial Radch trilogy ended up heavily garlanded with top sci-fi awards.

Since then, except for one detour into a fantasy setting in The Raven Tower, Leckie has turned to writing standalone novels in the Radch universe. To my shame, I haven’t yet read Provenance, but I deeply enjoyed Translation State, particularly as it focused on Leckie’s delightful and terrible Presger aliens, which like to take things apart – whether the things happen to be dead or alive. Now comes her third Imperial Radch standalone novel, Radiant Star, which is out this month.

Radiant Star is set on one planet, called Aaa, but it is an unusual world. Aaa has lost its star, meaning that its population is forced to live underground in its only city, Ooioiaa.

As you might expect, the underground city is quite an inward-looking backwater, and its central focus is a rather arcane religious site called the Temporal Location of the Radiant Star. The site is home to many “saints”, who may or may not just be dead bodies. Outside the Temporal Location, the city is a very political place. The locals are fractious, and oddly reliant on onions (which becomes important later).

Anyway, one day the Radchaii, rulers of Radch space, decide to annex the sun-less world, and a sentient spaceship called The Justice of Alba abruptly drops out of “gate space” to apprise Aaa’s locals of the situation. On board is Governor Charak Svo, who has come to take charge of the planet with the ship’s enslaved human bodies as back-ups. Without ruining the story, ruling over Aaa doesn’t prove much fun for Charak when events lead to the planet being cut off from the galaxy.

So, is Radiant Star any good? The short answer is: yes. Leckie’s world-building, her attention to detail and her ability to quickly sketch out a character you find yourself caring about are all truly stellar. Her voice is sensationally strong and self-assured. She is extremely witty, and deft at dialogue that feels real and fresh. The drama that unfolds on Aaa, as the Radch empire implodes and famine strikes on the planet, feels fully credible from first to last.

That said, I think this is one for established fans, rather than new entrants to the Radch universe. Ooioiaa is quite a claustrophobic place. A lot of the action takes place in meetings. The city’s warring inhabitants and its political and religious factions, while fantastically well fleshed out, don’t make for the most riveting companions when set against, for example, a Presger ambassador.

Personally, I would much rather have spent the whole book inside the mind of The Justice of Alba, or perhaps focused more closely on one of the more engaging locals, rather than so many less lovable natives of Aaa. That said, when it comes to Leckie, I am, of course, going to take whatever I’m given and be happy about it. She is one of the top-tier sci-fi writers in the business, and this is simply one of her quieter books.

In precis, this novel may not be the brightest star in the Imperial Radch sky, but it is a more than worthy contribution to Leckie’s brilliant body of work in this universe.

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Another instalment in our beloved Murderbot’s adventures is also out this month. I now find myself reading Murderbot’s inner dialogue with Alexander Skarsgård’s voice in my head (from the Apple TV adaptation of the books), and I think it makes it even more amusing.

Emily H. Wilson is the author of the Sumerians series (Inanna, Gilgamesh and Ninshubar, all published by Titan) and she is currently working on her first sci-fi novel. She is a former editor of New Scientist and you can follow her on Instagram @emilyhwilson1