by Vernor Vinge
First published 2023
Humanity has searched the galaxy for millennia before discovering an alien civilization on a distant world. Two human factions converge on the aliens' star system: the Qeng Ho traders who value freedom and innovation, and the Emergents who control minds through brutal technology. Both groups want to establish trade relations and claim the vast wealth that will follow. They must wait in orbit while the aliens' strange star completes its cycle and reignites every two hundred and fifteen years, awakening the planet below. The Emergents betray their rivals and enslave Qeng Ho minds using their horrific technology. The surviving Qeng Ho must fight back while protecting the innocent aliens, who remain unaware of the human conflict above their world. The aliens themselves hold secrets that neither human faction suspects, and their role will prove crucial to the outcome. This story explores how courage emerges from betrayal and how love can redeem even the darkest circumstances.
Genres: science-fiction, adventure, space-opera, political-thriller
Vibes: epic, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Qeng Ho, Emergents
Period: Millennia, Two Hundred And Fifteen Years
576 pages · Paperback · Tor Books
Content warnings: violence