The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard

The story works as well as both science fiction and murder mystery, exploring a future where pride, guilt, and mercy are not solely the province of humans.” “…De Bodard constructs a convincingly gritty setting and a pair of unique characters with provocative histories and compelling motivations. Set in de Bodard’s ‘Xuya’ universe ( The Waiting Stars), this novella offers sf fans an imaginative read.” Absorbing prose pulls readers into the dark, frigid space between stars, where ships can fail, physically and emotionally, as easily as people. “This slim volume packs a visceral punch. When the corpse turns out to have been murdered, Long Chau feels compelled to investigate, dragging The Shadow's Child with her.Īs they dig deep into the victim's past, The Shadow's Child realises that the investigation points to Long Chau's own murky past-and, ultimately, to the dark and unbearable void that lies between the stars. When Long Chau walks into her office, The Shadow's Child expects an unpleasant but easy assignment. Meanwhile, abrasive and eccentric scholar Long Chau wants to find a corpse for a scientific study.

In this fluid society, human and mindship avatars mingle in corridors and in function rooms, and physical and virtual realities overlap, the appearance of environments easily modified and adapted to interlocutors or current mood.Ī transport ship discharged from military service after a traumatic injury, The Shadow's Child now ekes out a precarious living as a brewer of mind-altering drugs for the comfort of space-travellers.

Welcome to the Scattered Pearls Belt, a collection of ring habitats and orbitals ruled by exiled human scholars and powerful families, and held together by living mindships who carry people and freight between the stars.

The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard