Triangulum

This elegant and layered space opera from Wijeyeratne (The Slixes) follows three young humans in a far-future galaxy sliding into war. The Night, a deity of immense power, arrives aboard her enormous juggernaut Skōlex to destroy the empire of her sister, the Dawn. Down on the planet Daitya, Indra learns the Dawn empire’s cruelty as his family is tricked into slavery. He is separated from his parents and castrated, only surviving with the help of Kadrū, who is also enslaved. Soon the two are parted, however, and sold to different masters. Indra becomes a granthapālah, a librarian, and befriends the precocious Little Princess, exiled heir to throne of the planet Yama. As Night inches closer, the three mortals are caught up in the war brewing above them and learn that the gods are not what they seem. Dizzyingly loaded with rich galactic history and sophisticated extraterrestrial beings, Wijeyeratne’s world surprises at every turn. Gritty, graphic, and fantastic, this will please those looking for inventive, immersive space opera that makes them think. (Jan.)