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lightreads ([personal profile] lightreads) wrote2023-08-15 03:10 pm

The Stars Undying by Emery Robin

The Stars Undying

3/5. Cleopatra in space with some heavy queer undertones in re genderswapped Mark Antony. There’s a lot more to it than that – wars for the throne, the soul of space!Alexander the Great preserved as an AI, imperial politics, etc.

Good at what it’s doing, but I’m not sure I want more of that. The author is a bit of a cryptid (respect) and calls themselves a “gay tragedian” (good for you, not my thing). And this book is, well. The characters are compelling, certainly. Likable comes a very distant second or not at all. It also has the extremely uneven pacing of a story tied to historical events rather than its own rhythms. The sequel could very well be a sizzlingly queer drama, which it is certainly set up to be. But I know how this story ends and, uh, I’m good. If you like this sort of thing, you'd probably like this version a lot.