Unconquerable Sun - Kate Elliot

Before I get into the detail: Unconquerable Sun is incredible. It blends tightly written heart-pounding sci-fi action with sharply observed and complex characterisation, in a richly detailed universe. It had me turning pages at 2AM, wanting to know what happened and not wanting the story to end. If you’re a fan of military sci-fi, this is for you. If you’re a fan of politics, intrigue and family drama with the occasional bout of lasers, this is for you. If you enjoy exploring a soaring worldscape, filled with fascinating institutions and a deep cultural background...this is for you. That may seem like a lot, and it is - this is a cracking story, which takes each individual element, themselves wonderfully done, and blends them into something on a whole new level.

Again: Unconquerable Sun is incredible.

Part of that is the personalities at play. Sun herself is equal parts empathetic heroine and ruthless political player. She clearly cares for her companions, will laugh with them, stand with them in their trials, and avenge their deaths. But Sun is equally willing to eliminate a potential threat, to take drastic action quickly, and to rely on her skills to ride out the consequences of her actions. This is an intelligent woman, no doubt, forceful and driven and determined - but also one with a temper, and perhaps a little too keen to take what she feels she needs, rather than wait for it to arrive. But the energy and the drive and the ambition, tempered with that ruthless streak and a visible intelligence, mean that all of her time on the page absolutely sizzles.

The other central point of view is Persephone, one of the children of a family that bears Sun and hers no friendship. They’re powerful, vicious, and determined that in any given power struggle, they’re going to come out on top. Persephone, however, has flown the coop, setting out with an assumed name and a can-do attitude in order to make a name for herself somewhere far, far away from the family business. This...does not go entirely to plan. Persephone is a study in contrasts with Sun. She’s incisive, quick witted, but more contemplative. A decent shot, but willing to stand beyond her leader and offer good advice.Able to compromise, but perhaps not compromise her principles. The pair are fire and ice, and they make an absolutely dazzling pair.

There are others represented here too - including the enemies of both women, and those they might think of as antagonists, but who may have other motivations. But I’d suggest they hold the central dynamic, and that the sparks between them are a marvel to behold. Others - like Sun’s companions, who act as her honour-guard in whatever trouble she falls into - are given enough room to manoeuvre that they feel real, and I have a special place in my heart for the implied history between the Queen, Sun’s mother, and one of Persephone’s family, which just simmers with old loyalties and newer grudges. The characters are alive, is the point. They walk the stage with passionate intensity, and quiet humanity.

That stage spans star systems. Linked together by artificial lines that allow faster than light travel, empires and republics sprawl beneath the light of a great many distant suns. We hear some of the history of Sun’s home, and those of its nearest and dearest aggressors. They are, after all, what informs the conflicts occurring right now. It’s a rich and vivid history, and, I can’t lie, one I want to hear more about, as soon as possible. There are little details scattered around the text, building a history of these worlds in the background, alongside the more up front information. There’s a lot to unpack, which is wonderful - and the story gives us splashes of history, colour and context as it goes along - never enough to be overwhelming, but always enough that we feel informed. I’d really like to hear more about the ancient history of these polities, and how they shaped themselves to where they are now - but in the end, all I can say is that the world feels lived in, feels real, feels true.

The story is a whirlwind of espionage, intrigue and high-octane action sequences. The story gives us an empire writ large, with knives out in the streets, blood in the gutters, and the sparkling of beam-weapon fire in the graceful dance of starships overhead. This is a glorious space opera, filled with personal conflicts, with love and tragedy in equal measure, with starships sweeping between solar systems in epic geometry, and soldiers face down in the mud. It’s a soaring epic, this narrative, but focused by its strong characterisation on the human element. In summary, this is a smart, fast-paced work of space opera, and one which will keep you turning pages long, long into the night.