by K. J. Parker
First published 2011
Gignomai met'Oc belongs to a disgraced noble family trapped on a remote island colony. Seventy years ago, his ancestors were exiled here after a civil war, and the colonists who followed expected to find silver mines. They found nothing. Now an uneasy truce holds the island together. The colonists tolerate the met'Oc family despite their cattle raids because only the nobles possess the weapons needed to fight off the island's dangerous natives. Gignomai, the youngest of his generation, has lived his entire life under this arrangement. But family expectations weigh heavily on him, and the colonial peace grows more fragile each day. When Gignomai finally learns what his family truly demands of him, he faces an impossible choice. His decision will either preserve the delicate balance that keeps the island stable or shatter it completely, plunging everyone into a war that will consume them all.
Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, fantasy, alternate-history
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Remote Island Colony
Period: Seventy Years Ago
413 pages · Paperback · Orbit
Content warnings: colonialism, violence