Radiant Star
- Published2026
- Read in 2026
- Genre Sci-fi/fantasy
Synopsis
The story is set on a star-less planet that is somehow important spiritually for different space cultures.
People have visions there, and sects are of course attracted and live there - and the successful ones are close to the rich people y'of the planet.
The planet is dependent on transport because they can't grow much.
And some years ago, they've been annexed by the Raadchai empire (? - I forgot if it's an empire, it's introduced in the Ancillary Justice books )
We follow 3 to 5 characters in an important change on the planet.
One of them is a young "boy" ( gender is always multiple and different from gender on earth - though this point is never important ) - raised to be an amazing servant to be sold by his mother, a high priestess of sort. - since the raadchai annexation though he has been in a vat and wasn't sent to his destination and is instead assigned to a raadchai citizen.
Speaking priest Kermaat, a priest everybody go to to hear about his visions and his talks.
Shtel, the companion of Iono, this latter is the son of the richest man on the planet.
And these are the most important characters, and mostly because they are side kicks to "important" characters of some sort.
The planet has no more ships coming to it, and the raadchai start growing an algae that is nourishing. But a plant from the planet starts feeding on this algae, and people start starving.
The raadchai people in the end find a solution ( onion ) and manage to announce it as a spiritual announcement, and save the planet.
And the people somehow change for the best, have their own spiritual/emotional growth.
People have visions there, and sects are of course attracted and live there - and the successful ones are close to the rich people y'of the planet.
The planet is dependent on transport because they can't grow much.
And some years ago, they've been annexed by the Raadchai empire (? - I forgot if it's an empire, it's introduced in the Ancillary Justice books )
We follow 3 to 5 characters in an important change on the planet.
One of them is a young "boy" ( gender is always multiple and different from gender on earth - though this point is never important ) - raised to be an amazing servant to be sold by his mother, a high priestess of sort. - since the raadchai annexation though he has been in a vat and wasn't sent to his destination and is instead assigned to a raadchai citizen.
Speaking priest Kermaat, a priest everybody go to to hear about his visions and his talks.
Shtel, the companion of Iono, this latter is the son of the richest man on the planet.
And these are the most important characters, and mostly because they are side kicks to "important" characters of some sort.
The planet has no more ships coming to it, and the raadchai start growing an algae that is nourishing. But a plant from the planet starts feeding on this algae, and people start starving.
The raadchai people in the end find a solution ( onion ) and manage to announce it as a spiritual announcement, and save the planet.
And the people somehow change for the best, have their own spiritual/emotional growth.
My take
It's a fun weird book -- the style is like a history event that has been narrativised a bit for the sake of raadchai history book, that's how it felt anyway.
The sci-fi part, in a way, was missing. The ancillary are background characters that have nothing to bring ( ancillaries are bodies taken over by a ship)
The sci-fi part, in a way, was missing. The ancillary are background characters that have nothing to bring ( ancillaries are bodies taken over by a ship)