The Red Scholar's Wake (Xuya Universe)

by Aliette de Bodard

'So romantic I may simply perish' Tasha Suri, award-winning author of THE JASMINE THRONE

'LESBIAN SPACE PIRATES. Enough said' Katee Robert, NYT bestselling author of NEON GODS

Xích Si: bot maker, data analyst, mother, scavenger. But those days are over now-her ship has just been captured by the Red Banner pirate fleet, famous for their double-dealing and cruelty. Xích Si expects to be tortured to death-only for the pirates' enigmatic leader, Rice Fish, to arrive with a different and shocking proposition: an arranged marriage between Xích Si and herself.

Rice Fish: sentient ship, leader of the infamous Red Banner pirate fleet, wife of the Red Scholar. Or at least, she was the latter before her wife died under suspicious circumstances. Now isolated and alone, Rice Fish wants Xích Si's help to find out who struck against them and why. Marrying Xích Si means Rice Fish can offer Xích Si protection, in exchange for Xích Si's technical fluency: a business arrangement with nothing more to it.

But as the investigation goes on, Rice Fish and Xích Si find themselves falling for each other. As the interstellar war against piracy intensifies and the five fleets start fighting each other, they will have to make a stand-and to decide what kind of future they have together...

An exciting space opera and a beautiful romance, from an exceptional SF author.

'A fizzingly inventive space opera, quite unlike anything I've encountered before, and told with style, grace, and a big dose of heart. SF is lucky to have Aliette de Bodard' Alastair Reynolds, SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author


'A "read-in-one-sitting" novel with a beautifully-realized setting amid a complex examination of power and consequences, all intertwined with an intense and gripping romance' Kate Elliott, author of UNCONQUERABLE SUN

'Thrillingly exciting and achingly romantic, THE RED SCHOLAR'S WAKE is rich with political intrigue and piratical adventure. It took my breath away!' Stephanie Burgis, author of SNOWSPELLED and SCALES AND SENSIBILITY

'Space battles! Arranged marriage! Politics and pirates! Aliette de Bodard has a knack for concocting the most glittery and delicious candy-shell of space opera, and then filling it with a bittersweet romance between two fractured people trying to hold on to their ideals. Every new book of hers instantly becomes my favourite book of hers, and this was no exception' Freya Marske, author of international bestseller A MARVELLOUS LIGHT

'An epic tale of piracy and romance in the void of space. A new book from Aliette de Bodard is always a treasure' Gareth L. Powell, BSFA Award Winning Author

'Confident, sexy, and touching - THE RED SCHOLAR'S WAKE gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "star-crossed lovers"!' Max Gladstone, Hugo and Nebula Award Winning Author

'The Red Scholar's Wake is a fizzingly inventive space opera, quite unlike anything I've encountered before, and told with style, grace, and a big dose of heart. SF is lucky to have Aliette de Bodard' - Alastair Reynolds, author of REVELATION SPACE and EVERSION

'A gripping science fiction adventure, full of cool science-fictional ideas, plot twists, and high stakes... Most importantly, this story has heart, with characters you really care about' Laura J Mixon, author of UP AGAINST IT and the Avatars Dance trilogy
'The Red Scholar's Wake takes you on an exhilarating dive into space piracy with passion, politics, dazzling settings, and-even better-a profound core of love transcending hopelessness that rings throughout the story' Everina Maxwell, author of WINTER'S ORBIT

• ISBN10: 1399601393
• ISBN13: 9781399601399
• Publish Date: 24 November 2022
• Publish Status: Forthcoming
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Gollancz
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Pages: 336
• Language: English