A Complex, Politically Charged Space Opera
The Stars Undying is a fascinating and complex novel, one that marries both science fiction and Ancient mythology into a richly detailed world. There are many parallels here to both Cleopatra and Julius Caesar, and perhaps that’s hardly surprising given these two are the inspiration for the story that follows. ..
Gracia is a young girl who has lost everything in a civil war with her twin sister Alectelo. After seeking the help of a powerful and wise man who just so happens to rule most of the Swordbelt Arm, Gracia finds herself in the company of Matheus Ceirran. Ceirran tells her that she has found what she was looking for and that he can help her find it again. Gracia is hesitant at first, but decides to take his advice. She goes on a journey to find her lost items and comes back with new knowledge and an understanding of herself that she never knew before.
Gracia’s unorthodox approach to seeking help from the Interstellar Empire’s commander has not gone well. Anita, the right-hand woman, is not exactly happy with Gracia’s methods and has been watching her closely. However, Gracia’s ties with Ceirran ultimately entwine their fates together and as the pair play a deadly game of mental chess, trying to suss out the other out, Anita waits in the wings, ever watchful – and ever vigilant.
The story of Ceirran and Gracia is an intriguing one, with both narrators being unreliable in their own ways. Gracia even throws out a few big lies to lead the reader into believing a certain truth, only to then back this up with a surprise chapter that contradicts this. However, the final part of the book does a great job capturing this, reframing what we’ve seen across the book. ..
Although this has been dubbed as a space opera, this is much less a swashbuckling adventure of laser battles and daring dogfights in space and much more a politically charged drama. The second part of this story in particular screeches to a halt, revelling in its slow and – ever so often -laborious pace at times, with a lot of politics to boot. ..
As the story moves across to Ceirran’s home planet, it brings with it a lot of political backstabbing, power plays, council meetings and long-winded discussions and parties. In essence, we’re told about events happening around the galaxy rather than shown. This can be frustrating for readers as they want to see more of Ceirran and her world. ..
This book is an excellent example of character-driven storytelling. Emery Robin has crafted a fascinating narrative here, with both Gracia and Ceirran as complex, flawed and unpredictable players in this game. Alekso and Anita make up the four main players of this tale, but the latter is the real stand-out here. The way Anita is written is fascinating and we see her from both Gracia and Ceirran’s perspective, as well as from our own point of view throughout the 500+ pages. ..
The Stars Undying is one of those books that will likely have mixed reactions from many readers. It’s well written, no doubt, but the writing style relies on long paragraphs for worldbuilding as well as a lot of name drops. In fact, when the story moves across to Ceirran’s home, the sheer number of ministers and officials that crop up can be quite overwhelming. ..
The ensemble is pretty diverse across the board and there are some pretty steamy sex scenes in here too, but ultimately their actions feed back into the idea of power. Power is the central theme of the story and you can feel that through both Ceirran and Gracia’s chapters. The gravitas of their actions, echoing that of Caesar and Cleopatra from our own history, is so well constructed and understanding what drives the pair will have you itching to pick up a history book and learn more about ancient history. ..
The Stars Undying is a complex and difficult book to get through. This is not one advised to binge through, given the detail put into its characters and worlds. This is one you need to savour over time, although that taste may be more acquired than some may be comfortable with. The middle of the book does sag quite a bit but thankfully a strong opening and closing act makes it worth persevering with. The Stars Undying is not perfect, but as a debut novel, this is a worthy venture and certainly worth reading.
Our thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group for the advanced reader’s copy! The Stars Undying will be published on 8th November 2022. You can pre-order the novel here!
