The Red Scholar's Wake

Hardcover, 320 pages

English language

Published Oct. 15, 2022 by Orion Publishing Co.

ISBN:
978-1-3996-0138-2
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4 stars (3 reviews)

Xich Si: bot maker, data analyst, mother, scavenger. But those days are over now-her ship has just been captured by the Red Banner pirate fleet, famous for their double-dealing and cruelty. Xich Si expects to be tortured to death-only for the pirates' enigmatic leader, Rice Fish, to arrive with a different and shocking proposition: an arranged marriage between Xich Si and herself.

Rice Fish: sentient ship, leader of the infamous Red Banner pirate fleet, wife of the Red Scholar. Or at least, she was the latter before her wife died under suspicious circumstances. Now isolated and alone, Rice Fish wants Xich Si's help to find out who struck against them and why. Marrying Xich Si means Rice Fish can offer Xich Si protection, in exchange for Xich Si's technical fluency: a business arrangement with nothing more to it.

But as the investigation goes on, Rice Fish and Xich Si find …

3 editions

Perhaps not the best introduction to the universehe

3 stars

Having finished the book I still don't understand what 'bots' are in this, they're small but not too small and fix things but also provide touch?

I think I'm not really destined for romance, the plot is interesting until the main characters have a fight that feels needlessly dramatic.

Also one of the lovers is also a spaceship, and emotions cause displays to flicker or even loss of attitude control.

Review of 'Red Scholar' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Enjoyed this. The characters were interesting and in a story with a familiar romantic shape but a very different setting. I've not read any stories in this universe before so there was a lot to get used yo, but it was presented well through the characters. Felt a bit hurried at some points and occasional clumsy jumps between characters that had me backtracking to see who was ssying what, but makes me want to see more of this world.