Winter's orbit

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A Sunday Times Bestseller!A 2022 Alex Award Winner! “Sparks fly” (NPR) in Everina Maxwell’s gut-wrenching and romantic space opera debut.Prince Kiem, a famously disappointing minor royal and the Emperor's least favorite grandchild, has been called upon to be useful for once. He's commanded to fulfill an obligation of marriage to the representative of the Empire's newest and most rebellious vassal planet. His future husband, Count Jainan, is a widower and murder suspect. Neither wants to be wed, but with a conspiracy unfolding around them and the fate of the empire at stake they will have to navigate the thorns and barbs of court intrigue, the machinations of war, and the long shadows of Jainan's past, and they'll have to do it together. So begins a legendary love story amid the stars.Like Ancillary Justice meets Red, White and Royal Blue, Winter’s Orbit is perfect for fans of Lois McMaster Bujold. “High-pitched noises escaped me; I shouted, more than once, 'Now kiss!' ... in a world so relentlessly uncertain, there’s a powerfully simple pleasure in the experience of a promise kept.” —The New York Times Book Review

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Similar Titles From NoveList

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for titles you might like if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
These books have the appeal factors intensifying and world-building, and they have the theme "court intrigue"; the genres "space opera" and "lgbtqia+ fiction"; the subjects "political intrigue," "conspiracies," and "imaginary empires"; and include the identities "lgbtqia+" and "lesbian."
Both compellingly written science fiction novels feature royal protagonists drawn into court intrigue because of murdered nobles. Family obligations limit their choices and put them in danger, forcing the protagonists to find strength by facing their traumas with new partners. -- Matthew Galloway
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These intricately plotted science fiction (Winter's Orbit) and historical fantasy (Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation) novels offer plenty of political intrigue and feature a slow-burn romance between two men who work together to uncover a grand conspiracy. -- Kaitlin Conner
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Although Strange and Stubborn Endurance is fantasy fiction and Winter's Orbit is social science fiction, these intricately-plotted novels follow men traumatized by past abuse and forced into arranged marriages. Court intrigues play out against vividly rendered worlds. -- CJ Connor
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Readers looking for queer science fiction will appreciate these intricately plotted, suspenseful novels about royals who face intergalactic danger and betrayal among their courts. Winter's Orbit is more romance-focused than Stars Undying. -- CJ Connor

Similar Authors From NoveList

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Both authors write moving and action-packed space opera starring LGBTQIA+ characters who push against political corruption while also going through journeys of emotional growth. Emily Tesh also writes fantasy; Everina Maxwell is primarily a science fiction author. -- CJ Connor
These authors' works have the genres "space opera" and "lgbtqia+ fiction"; the subjects "political intrigue," "conspiracies," and "imaginary empires"; and include the identity "lgbtqia+."
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Published Reviews

Booklist Review

Palace intrigue is always tough to manage, especially when you want no part of it. When fun-loving Kiem is summoned to the Emperor's office, the last thing he expects is an arranged marriage to the strait-laced Jainan. Not to mention a conspiracy that threatens the Empire. Oh, and the suspicious death of Jainan's previous partner. Looks like the honeymoon will have to wait. Maxwell's debut combines romance and thrills in a unique package. The narrative swaps between Kiem and Jainan, each with their own strong personalities, and quickly grows in urgency. Romantic tension volleys back and forth between the two leads, proving just as compelling as the political machinations. Winter's Orbit is soft on science fiction but heavy on world building. Other characters wear jewelry to show their gender, keep their identity in a wristband, and exist within a hierarchy that suggests a much larger universe beyond the scope of this novel. Suggest this to fans of Katherine Addison's The Goblin Emperor (2014) or N. K. Jemisin's The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (2010).

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
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Publisher's Weekly Review

The intricate royal protocol of The Crown intertwines with the adventure of Louis McMasters Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga series in Maxwell's gorgeously plotted LGBTQ space opera debut. After Prince Taam of icy planet Iskan V dies, his wayward, charismatic cousin Prince Kiem is drafted into a political marriage to Taam's flinchingly self-effacing widower, Thean Count Jainan. Through their marriage, Kiem and Jainan hope to salvage Iskan's imperial treaty with Thea and satisfy a visiting galactic superpower that Iskan is stable enough to continue accessing the faster-than-light link network--and through it the wider universe. But when Taam's death proves suspicious and secrets about his past come to light, Jainan and Kiem must navigate both their budding mutual attraction and the political minefield surrounding the treaties binding worlds. Maxwell's plot elegantly combines clan politics, galactic power struggles, and marriage dynamics, though the delicate handling of abuse and trauma--enabled by Kiem's un-self-conscious sweetness in his relationship with the skittish Jainan--gives way to heavy-handed melodrama in the story's climax. Despite the soapy conclusion, this exciting adventure is sure to win Maxwell many fans. (Feb.)

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Library Journal Review

The Iskat Empire has continued its control through treaties and political marriages on each of its vassal planets. When Imperial Prince Taam is killed in a horrible accident, the Emperor knows she must quickly re-establish the connections, especially before the Auditor arrives to reapprove the treaties and ensure peace for years to come. The Emperor decides to marry Taam's widower, Jainan, to her playboy grandson, Kiem, much to Kiem's chagrin. Politics were never his focus, and now to be married to a man he does not even know? Kiem's arrival on Thea reveals some hidden truths, including the fact that Taam's death may not have been an accident, and Jainan is the primary suspect. As the light shines brighter on their marriage and their pasts, Kiem and Jainan must find a way to discover the answers before their relationship crumbles--along with the entire Iskat Empire. While the story contains themes of emotional and physical abuse in relationships, it brings a galaxy of gender and sexual choice, balancing the dark with light. VERDICT Maxwell's delightful debut will please science fiction and romance readers alike, telling a slow burn of a relationship fraught with high stakes and action.--Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

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Booklist Reviews

Palace intrigue is always tough to manage, especially when you want no part of it. When fun-loving Kiem is summoned to the Emperor's office, the last thing he expects is an arranged marriage to the strait-laced Jainan. Not to mention a conspiracy that threatens the Empire. Oh, and the suspicious death of Jainan's previous partner. Looks like the honeymoon will have to wait. Maxwell's debut combines romance and thrills in a unique package. The narrative swaps between Kiem and Jainan, each with their own strong personalities, and quickly grows in urgency. Romantic tension volleys back and forth between the two leads, proving just as compelling as the political machinations. Winter's Orbit is soft on science fiction but heavy on world building. Other characters wear jewelry to show their gender, keep their identity in a wristband, and exist within a hierarchy that suggests a much larger universe beyond the scope of this novel. Suggest this to fans of Katherine Addison's The Goblin Emperor (2014) or N. K. Jemisin's The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (2010). Copyright 2020 Booklist Reviews.

Copyright 2020 Booklist Reviews.
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Library Journal Reviews

Least loved among the emperor's many grandchildren, hapless Prince Kiem is expected to help cement ties with the empire's newest vassal planet by marrying recently widowed Count Jainan. Himself suspected of murdering his consort, Count Jainan joins forces with Prince Kiem to find out what really happened. A debut with a 100,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2020 Library Journal.

Copyright 2020 Library Journal.
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Library Journal Reviews

The Iskat Empire has continued its control through treaties and political marriages on each of its vassal planets. When Imperial Prince Taam is killed in a horrible accident, the Emperor knows she must quickly re-establish the connections, especially before the Auditor arrives to reapprove the treaties and ensure peace for years to come. The Emperor decides to marry Taam's widower, Jainan, to her playboy grandson, Kiem, much to Kiem's chagrin. Politics were never his focus, and now to be married to a man he does not even know? Kiem's arrival on Thea reveals some hidden truths, including the fact that Taam's death may not have been an accident, and Jainan is the primary suspect. As the light shines brighter on their marriage and their pasts, Kiem and Jainan must find a way to discover the answers before their relationship crumbles—along with the entire Iskat Empire. While the story contains themes of emotional and physical abuse in relationships, it brings a galaxy of gender and sexual choice, balancing the dark with light. VERDICT Maxwell's delightful debut will please science fiction and romance readers alike, telling a slow burn of a relationship fraught with high stakes and action.—Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

Copyright 2020 Library Journal.

Copyright 2020 Library Journal.
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Publishers Weekly Reviews

The intricate royal protocol of The Crown intertwines with the adventure of Louis McMasters Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga series in Maxwell's gorgeously plotted LGBTQ space opera debut. After Prince Taam of icy planet Iskan V dies, his wayward, charismatic cousin Prince Kiem is drafted into a political marriage to Taam's flinchingly self-effacing widower, Thean Count Jainan. Through their marriage, Kiem and Jainan hope to salvage Iskan's imperial treaty with Thea and satisfy a visiting galactic superpower that Iskan is stable enough to continue accessing the faster-than-light link network—and through it the wider universe. But when Taam's death proves suspicious and secrets about his past come to light, Jainan and Kiem must navigate both their budding mutual attraction and the political minefield surrounding the treaties binding worlds. Maxwell's plot elegantly combines clan politics, galactic power struggles, and marriage dynamics, though the delicate handling of abuse and trauma—enabled by Kiem's un-self-conscious sweetness in his relationship with the skittish Jainan—gives way to heavy-handed melodrama in the story's climax. Despite the soapy conclusion, this exciting adventure is sure to win Maxwell many fans. (Feb.)

Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly.

Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly.
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