The Architect of Aeons

Wright continues his latest space opera (following The Judge of Ages) in this galaxy-spanning extravaganza with nods to the Odyssey, Shakespeare, and Japanese legend, as well as classic visionary and military SF. Brilliant posthumans Ximen del Azarchel, suave and snobbish, and Menelaus Illation Montrose, earthy and stubborn, continue their multifaceted relationship as friends, allies, deadly foes, and bitter rivals for the love of the Princess Rania, who long ago departed from Sol’s planetary system. As the two geniuses debate whether to oppose or welcome the invasion of the solar system by planet-sized intelligences sent from afar, their ongoing dispute over the princess also continues unabated, sometimes in jests between the two and at other times in actions that affect the fates of millions of people. The years roll by in the tens of thousands while humans ascend to the stars, revert to barbarity, and ascend again. Wright revels in a linguistic phantasmagoria, including Montrose’s detailed and colorful cursing and numerous multisyllabic scientific and pseudoscientific terms. The jacket copy claims this is the last book in the series, but there’s easily room on this broad canvas for Wright to add another. Agent: Jack Byrne, Sternig & Byrne Literary. (Apr.)