Unconquerable Sun
1st Edition
Published on 1. October 2020
528 pages
978-1-80024-319-4 (ISBN)
Description
'An entertaining shoot-'em-up, replete with epic starship battles, court intrigue and Machiavellian betrayals' Guardian
It has been eight centuries since the beacon system failed, sundering the heavens. Rising from the ashes of the collapse, cultures have fought, system-by-system, for control of the few remaining beacons. The Republic of Chaonia is one such polity. Surrounded by the Yele League and the vast Phene Empire, they have had to fight for their existence. After decades of conflict, Queen-Marshal Eirene has brought the Yele to heel.
Now it is time to deal with the Empire. Princess Sun, daughter and heir, has come of age.
In her first command, she drove a Phene garrison from the beacons of Na Iri - an impressive feat. But growing up in the shadow of her mother - a ruler both revered and feared - has been no easy task. While Sun may imagine that her victorious command will bring further opportunity to prove herself, it will in fact place her on the wrong side of court politics. There are those who would like to see Sun removed as heir, or better yet, dead. To survive, the princess must rely on her wits and companions: her biggest rival, her secret lover, and a dangerous prisoner of war.
It has been eight centuries since the beacon system failed, sundering the heavens. Rising from the ashes of the collapse, cultures have fought, system-by-system, for control of the few remaining beacons. The Republic of Chaonia is one such polity. Surrounded by the Yele League and the vast Phene Empire, they have had to fight for their existence. After decades of conflict, Queen-Marshal Eirene has brought the Yele to heel.
Now it is time to deal with the Empire. Princess Sun, daughter and heir, has come of age.
In her first command, she drove a Phene garrison from the beacons of Na Iri - an impressive feat. But growing up in the shadow of her mother - a ruler both revered and feared - has been no easy task. While Sun may imagine that her victorious command will bring further opportunity to prove herself, it will in fact place her on the wrong side of court politics. There are those who would like to see Sun removed as heir, or better yet, dead. To survive, the princess must rely on her wits and companions: her biggest rival, her secret lover, and a dangerous prisoner of war.
Reviews / Votes
A maelstrom of palace intrigue, interstellar back-stabbing, devious plots, treachery, blistering action, ferocious confrontations - and a heroine for the ages... Enthralling, edge-of-your-seat stuff hurtling along at warp speed. Grab!' * Kirkus Starred Review * Elliott launches a space opera trilogy with this impeccable coming-of-age adventure... Rich with history, tongue-in-cheek humor, cultural references, and vibrant characters, this highly entertaining series launch will have readers clamoring for more' * Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW * A sweeping saga of a fierce and indomitable conqueror and her companions, this is breathtaking and mindblowingly good Non-stop action! Space battles! Intrigue! This is the kind of space opera that I love best - but Elliott does it even better A complex political thriller and an action-packed coming of age story, wrapped up in a grand, sweeping space opera... This is a story that manages to be both brilliantly character-driven and breathlessly exciting... If ambitious, expansive, detailed space opera is your thing, and you like a novel with masses of brilliant female characters that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish, Unconquerable Sun comes highly recommended' * Grimdark Magazine * This entertaining shoot-'em-up, replete with epic starship battles, court intrigue and Machiavellian betrayals, is book one of the Sun Chronicles * Guardian * The far-future culture depicted here is a nice fusion of East Asian and Hellenistic influences, with polyamory and pansexuality normalised, and women to the fore... A vigorous narrative pace and some vivid action scenes' * Financial Times * If you like Space Opera, then this is a book which not only ticks all the boxes but makes for a very enjoyable read. There is intrigue, there are space battles, there are rivals who might be allies, and friends who may betray you ...[An] exciting read. The worldbuilding is excellent and there is a fast-paced and engrossing plot * Birmingham SF Group * Elliott's fast-unfolding plot is expertly constructed and paced, holding the attention from start to finish. The reader's investment is amply rewarded... with a dramatic flourish that sets the stage for the book to come * ParSec Magazine *More details
Series
Edition
1. Auflage
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Head of Zeus
ISBN-13
978-1-80024-319-4 (9781800243194)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Kate Elliott
Unconquerable Sun
Book
03/2021
Head of Zeus -- an AdAstra Book
€11.50
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Kate Elliott
Unconquerable Sun
Book
10/2020
Head of Zeus -- an AdAstra Book
€43.51
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Person
Kate Elliott has been writing stories since she was nine years old, which has led her to believe that writing, like breathing, keeps her alive. Writing science fiction and fantasy, her particular focus is immersive world building and centering women in epic stories of adventure, amid transformative cultural change. Kate was born in Iowa, raised in Oregon and now lives in Hawaii, where she paddles outrigger canoes and spoils her schnauzer. You can find her online at kateelliott.com, kateelliott.substack.com, and @KateElliottSFF.
Content
- Intro
- The Sun Chronicles
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Contents
- Map
- 1. The Precipitating Action of This Account Begins Here
- 2. A Fresh and Sharper Thorn of Disquiet
- 3. Her Obsidian Eye
- 4. History
- 5. A Dispatch from the Enemy
- 6. A Flower in Full Bloom
- 7. Introducing the Wily Persephone and the Loyal Solomon with the Predictable Result of Their Foray into Battle
- 8. There's More Going on Here than Even the Wily Persephone Can Know
- 9. Royal Wedding Updates!
- 10. In Which the Wily Persephone's Hopes and Dreams Are Shot Through the Lungs and Turned to Greasy Ash
- 11. The Gatoi Prisoner
- 12. Their Laughter and Careless Smiles
- 13. In Which the Wily Persephone Is Reminded That White Is the Color of Death
- 14. Rule of Sun, Rule One
- 15. A Feast for Weary Souls
- 16. The Wily Persephone Realizes This Is Going to End Badly
- 17. There Is Nothing the Wily Persephone Can Do That Sun's Companions Can't Do Better
- 18. Sun Is Forced to Admit She Hadn't Seen This Coming
- 19. In Which the Wily Persephone Experiences Turbulence
- 20. The Masks That People Wear
- 21. In Which the Wily Persephone Wonders If Treachery Has Sunk Her Beneath Notice
- 22. Leave No Companion Behind
- 23. The Pyres of Autumn West
- 24. A Dispatch from the Enemy
- 25. In Which the Wily Persephone Twists and Turns
- 26. In Which the Wily Persephone Is Hyped on Adrenaline
- 27. In Which the Wily Persephone Is Stabbed by a Splinter of Rebellion
- 28. There's Only One Body Outside
- 29. In Which the Wily Persephone Reflects That No One Who Grew up in Chaonia Could Fail to Recognize Him
- 30. What Is Done Cannot Be Undone
- 31. Everything Gets Torn Away
- 32. All the Wily Persephone Lacks Is a Club in Her Hands
- 33. We Are But Insignificant Objects Surrounded by the Vastness of Space, All Except One
- 34. The Wily Persephone's Face Is Going to Burn Off-In Fact, It Would Be Better If It Did
- 35. In Which the Wily Persephone Is Ready to Move Fast If Need Be
- 36. A Dispatch from the Enemy
- 37. Hard Left Rudder
- 38. A Brief Dispatch from the Beleaguered Enemy
- 39. What the Wily Persephone Experiences Deep in the Heart of a Black Nothingness That Is Transition
- 40. Hard Landing
- 41. In Which the Wily Persephone Unwittingly Races up the Charts
- 42. The Heat of the Wily Persephone's Lust
- 43. A Brief Handoff from One Body to Her Other Half
- 44. Its Oleaginous Contents
- 45. In Which the Wily Persephone Has to Make a Decision in Forty-Two Seconds
- 46. You Might Hear the Whispers of All That Had Been Lost
- 47. The Space They Stand in Is So Vast
- 48. A Dispatch from the Enemy
- 49. The Cost of Victory
- 50. In Which the Wily Persephone Takes the Last Shot
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- An Invitation from the Publisher
