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This is the second book in the first Foreigner trilogy, and one where Bren gets a little bit more agency than the first, where he is mostly kept in the dark.

It's a classic Foreigner book where the bulk of the book is careful, slowly building politics--internal Atevi ones, external mainland ones with Deana Hanks the temporary paidhi, and ones from the ship with its people imminently landing--all of which come together in a satisfying action sequence. I think this book is where the first trilogy really starts going, and sets up the third book which is probably my favorite of the three. It's the book where Bren starts to realize that his loyalty is truly more towards keeping the treaty and its peace than with the institute of his own state department that technically gives him the authority to do what he is doing.

I like the tension here with Bren's fiance Barb and the increasing romantic tension between Bren and Jago. Barb is absolutely incredibly emotionally immature, both pushing Bren away because the relationship is (understandably) not working for her but also asking for him back (because her new relationship isn't working either); I think it is a little over the top but it works because it's such a contrast with Atevi mindsets.

I said this in the first book, but I feel like this entire first trilogy is one where Illisidi is an independent wild card, where she has her own agenda and politics and Bren (and the reader) can never fully depend on her support and where her loyalties will lie.

Also extremely minor, but as touchpoints for future books, we also get our first pizza party, our first trip to the Taiben hunting lodge, and our first meeting with Tabini's fiancee Damiri.

I also really enjoyed volume 2. However, I should point out to others that, unlike the first volume, it contains a horror element. But I enjoyed the ride and the new alliances. Oh, and unlike in the last book, I was more attached to the human characters.

The epilogue is somewhat strange but optimistic. That's why I read sci-fi!

... sind schwarze Löcher deshalb, weil alle sie interessant finden, meint die Autorin. Ich kann ihr da nicht widersprechen. Das Buch ist unterhaltsam und verständlich geschrieben. Die von der Autorin angefertigten Illustrationen passen wunderbar dazu und auch die farbig gedruckten Photos sind toll. Ich kann jedem an Astronomie/ Astrophysik interessierten Menschen dieses Buch nur wärmstens empfehlen.

This was engrossing. The setting - aboard a generation ship - is a well-worn trope in sci-fi, as is the conceit of having severe inequality on the ship, with the protagonist as a revolutionary. What made this story stand out: the protagonist's sardonic observations about becoming a mass murderer on the path to revolution, her symbiotic link with several non-human intelligences whose provenance is unknown, the throughline of a database of old earth music and movies giving all characters a reference point, and the confusion about whether aliens, humans, modified humans, or all three, constitute the main bulk of the ship's population.

I hope there's a sequel.

First there were two generation ships. Then somebody blew up Titania, leaving Olympia to continue the journey alone.

Oichi survived by accident - she couldn't get her preferred job a a scientist on Titania due to class-based discrimination, so she emigrated to Olympia. Fortunately she has implants given to her by her father before he died. She thinks they just provide her access to her father's immense music library, but they do so much more, including opening her up to communication with mysterious non-human intelligences. Then again, is she even human...?

A compelling space adventure with distinct noir mystery tones.

Auch wenn die Verbrecher in diesen Büchern nie ihre gerechte gesetzliche Strafe bekommen, kommen sie doch selten ungestraft auf der Sache raus. Sollte uns das genug sein? Für mich ist das irgendwie das zentrale Thema dieser Bücher, worüber ich jedesmal wieder nachdenke. Zu einem Schluss bin ich noch nicht gekommen.