The Stars Undying

Robin’s epic and extensively detailed debut and Empire Without End series launch puts a space opera spin on the love triangle between Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, and Marc Anthony. Altagracia “Gracia” Caviro Patramata is the true queen and prophet of Szayet, but her more militaristic sister, Arcelia, stages a coup and seizes the Pearl of the Dead, a quicksilver computer containing an AI version of Szayet’s founder, Alekso. Gracia’s only chance at reclaiming the throne is rolling herself up in a carpet, smuggling herself into the quarters of Matheus Ceirran, admiral of the Empire of Ceiao, and seducing him to her side. Though Gracia regains her throne, inviting foreign military to intervene in the Szayeti government soon backfires: the Alekso AI is furious with Gracia, Ceirran’s hotheaded assistant captain causes trouble, and Ceirran himself faces deadly opposition from the Merchants’ Council of Ceiao. Robin’s worldbuilding relies so heavily on classical history that it feels subsumed by it, and readers unfamiliar with the intricacies of Cleopatra or Julius Caesar’s lives may struggle to keep track of the shifting politics and extensive cast. Still, for fans of plot-heavy space opera—and particularly classicists who enjoy SFF—there’s much that will appeal in this galaxy of clever, casually queer characters scheming and double-dealing through the stars. Agent: Isabel Kaufman, Fox Literary. (Nov.)