This was like nothing I’d ever read before! The whole society (which I’ll get to), but specifically sentient space ships that are an actual part of society, to the point where they can marry and have families - with humans. The synopsis of this book is very clear that there is an arranged marriage between a human scavenger and a sentient ship, and yet there was me, seeing that play out in early chapters, surprised Pikachu-ing it up. But the fact that I apparently can’t actually comprehend plot summaries worked out in my favour, I think, as I just took in this weird new world with surprise and delight.

The world building was by far one of the most intriguing parts of the book, and you get fairly thrown into it. Which I didn’t mind at all, but looking at the book as a whole, I don’t have a good grasp on the world outside of the very specific parts that impacted the main characters, so I would have liked to see a more vast and defined piece of world building. Seeing there will be at least one additional book set in this universe gives me hope that the world will be expanded upon, though I do wish that had, you know, happened a bit more in this book.

The other part that I felt was a touch lacking was the character development. Is it a bad thing to want more from the characters? I don’t think so, because it’s proof that they’re engaging characters - but I don’t think they got the development they needed or deserved, especially Xích Si and Rice Fish. Which is kind of important for the emotional stakes. Both characters had good setups and good arcs, but I don’t think enough time was spent with them as characters throughout their arcs, especially as it pertains to their relationship, which was positioned at the very centre of the entire story, and which was also one of the weakest parts to me. They weren’t given the time, in-universe or actually on the page, to grow into one another. I wanted MORE from them and for them.

The plot was tight, though pacing was a bit off at times, but I can overlook that because the plot itself hit on politics and relationships and action, so a lot of really good things there. The last quarter of the book was super engaging writing, but just think of how much more engaging it would have been had there been stronger early development of the characters so that the emotional stakes were built up!

This book had so much promise and potential and . . . didn’t quite live up to it all, but I still really enjoyed it, enough to err on the more generous side in rating. And there’s a follow-up? Yes, please.

I always look forward to new stuff from Aliette de Bodard, and this delivered on more levels than I was even expecting honestly. First off - the multiple meanings in the title here, because there's wake in the sense of funeral, and wake in the ship sense, which is is a fun preview for the complexity that happens here. On top of the general fun that is Vietnamese inspired space pirates with the mind ships of her Xuya universe, we also get the complexity of grieving for a person who maybe wasn't all that good of a partner, and dealing with the after effects of how she lived on the people around her. Getting to watch Xich Si and Rice Fish learn to trust each other, even though they start out with a fake marriage/marriage of convenience trope, is wonderful. This also integrates the interestingness of introducing your child to your new wife (who in this case also happens to be a pirate ship) and becoming a family with her adopted son. There's also apparently more coming, from the preview at the back of the book! Definitely pick this up when it comes out this month; it's a treat and then some.

I loved this so much!! I was already a fan of Aliette de Bodard's novellas, so I was absolutely thrilled to see that she was releasing a full-length novel--and it fully lived up to my excitement. The Red Scholar's Wake is a sapphic space opera set in the author's Universe of Xuya. It's both cerebral and moving, and its characters unpack a lot of baggage about societal inequities and flawed relationships over the course of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed the growing relationship between the two main characters, especially Xich Si's growth. The second half of the novel is action-packed--I could hardly put it down. And from the sneak peek at the back... it looks like there's a follow up on the way???

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sapphic space pirates that deal with their own morality, corrupt societies and marriage of convenience are a recepy for an amazing book. Did I also mention that one of these pirates is a sentient space ship?

I really enjoyed the plotline, world building and characters, but found the pacing a bit strange. Once I was halfway through the book it got better, but I struggled at the begining. Still, this is a solid 4 stars and I hope to pick up more works by this author!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

The Red Scholar’s Wake has been massively hyped on Twitter, including by the likes of Katee Robert (who has rarely steered me wrong when it comes to book recs). And in theory, this book has a lot of promise…I mean, sapphic space pirates! The world building is also so much fun. I love the Vietnamese cultural inspirations, even if sometimes it comes off a bit odd in some of the choices (i.e. the choice to address one lead as Xich Si, and the other as Rice Fish).

The plot is pretty engaging, although the pacing did feel a bit off at times. The mystery does manage to keep me from losing interest in the story, for the most part.

The major weak spot was the characters, who I found rather underdeveloped and basic. It can work in a shorter length, and from what I’ve read from de Bodard before, she manages that length well. She could have easily had a more effective story if she had streamlined other elements to suit the length, or perhaps developed her characters to match the ambitious plot and world.

This is just the first book, and it seems, based on the excerpt at the back, that there will be more. Here’s hoping de Bodard will refine her craft going forward, and perhaps some of the weaknesses stem just as much from issues of needing to provide exposition. There is a lot of promise here, especially if you enjoy high concept sci-fi romance.

2022 continues to be the reading year of grief and trauma, which is no surprise giving everything that has been going on in the world for, well, a really long time. I can see how the generational trauma of colonialism has informed this universe.

As I read, it became clear that Aliette de Bodard was playing with the word ‘wake’ in the title, The Red Scholar’s Wake. Wake: to transition from sleep; a gathering before the funeral, the track left by a moving body. Huân, the Red Scholar, the leader of the Red Banner pirates is dead. She leaves behind grief and uncertainty. Huân’s wife, the mindship Rice Fish, and her son, Hô, the leader of the Purple Banner pirates are grieving and angry. There is a wake. Rice Fish struggles for stability in the wake of her wife’s death. And if the pirates are going to survive, they need to wake up to the threat in their midst.

The book opens with Xích Si held captive by Red Banner pirates, remembering the brutally cruel way pirates murdered her former partner. Rice Fish rescues Xích Si from captivity, but she never forgets that she was a captive because of the pirates. Rice Fish also remembers when she was held captive by pirates, and rescued by Huân.

The Red Scholar’s Wake is gorgeous. I haven’t read any of de Bodard’s Xuya Universe books, and I may have missed some details as a result, but I never felt like I was missing important information. I have read other books by the author, and love the way she builds worlds that are so lived in. The details are rich and I could see the nebulas swirling through Rice Fish‘s avatar’s hair. I loved that Xích Si counters her grief and trauma by reaching for connection and intimacy. It leads to the hope that there is a way to live that does depend on the suffering of others.

CW: description of torture and murder, description of death in battle, capture, enslavement, children put up for sale, corruption, bribery, battle, injury, betrayal.

I received this as an advance reader copy from NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to review this for my upcoming subscription box book choice.

I was SUPER excited to read this after Katee Robert on tiktok. Delved right into this arranged marriage Vietnamese inspired Sapphic novel but.... the plot was so straightforward and spoiled from the mouth of Rice-Fish herself. Also the main reason I didn't vibe with this book is the lack of supporting explanations needed for this story to make sense. The bots, not described well, the AI are all forms of descriptions but it was severely lacking and confusing. I really couldn't connect to them, xich si was very immature in her thoughts and actions, more coming from a 18 year old than a grown woman with a 6 year old. The romance felt forced, the repeated flavor of oil (I hope not moto oil) whenever they kiss was really sticking to my head.

I had to dnf but overall it's not well written, had such high Sapphic hopes.

I honestly can't believe I fell in love with a spaceship. This sapphic space opera is soft and full of love. I'm absolutely blown away by the descriptions in this story that not only help you remember we're in the depths of space but also make you feel like this story is infinite. The constant draw backs to space, nebulas, galaxies, and stars give this book such a giant and beautiful scope.

I have read and enjoyed some of Aliette de Bodard's shorter fiction in the past so when I saw her next release was going to be sapphic space pirates, I knew I had to read it as soon as possible.

Per usual, de Bodard's imagination is unmatched. I loved the details we got and the world was super interesting. I could have easily read more of just this world. That being said, there were places where I found myself wondering if the way the world building was presented was the most efficient. I also kept wanting more explanation or more detail, which is not a new observation I've made with this author's work but in a novella it feels more understandable.

Similarly, I was not fully on board with this romance. It's a pitched as an arranged marriage between a scavenger and a pirate, which it is but the relationship between Xích Si and Rise Fish is very insta-love, though I did appreciate the angst the political tension and mystery surrounding the death of the Red Scholar brought to the table.

While I did have some complaints, overall I found this to be a really engaging and fun read. I liked the mystery and learning about the politics of the world and I love the way de Bodard layers in Vietnamese customs and culture.

I've previously read and very much enjoyed this author's speculative fiction at the novella length; this was my first full novel from them. While I did still enjoy the world-building, premise, and plot, I found the characters underdeveloped. That didn't bother me as much in a novella, where I expect to not have a full journey with characters, but for a novel, it kept me from loving this as much.
Still if you are looking for a high premise SF mystery with a big old dollop of romance, I think this was quite entertaining

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
This books has a great premise, who doesn't like sapphic space pirates?
Unfortunately the book turned out to be a bit...meh for me.
It just couldn't really engage me and while I didn't dislike the character I also didn't like them. I found the writing to be to vague and the worldbuilding a little sloppy. Especially the whole bot and avatar thing.
I did like the finale though, it was exciting and tense and definitely elevated my opinion of the whole book. I also think we need more fantasy/SciFi books with older women and/or mothers as protagonists, so plus points for that as well.

If you have read something frome Aliette de Bodard before and enjoyed the writing style you might like this a lot better than me.

Enjoyable. However the fact that both the pirate society and the society it preys on are both super evil and screwed up. Slavery, rape etc etc…. So, while it’s a little hard to believe in falling in love with your captor the non pirate society s so screwed up and desperate a captor that treated you well and fed you enough would be appealing with the right perspective. The author does write very well though so even though I found the evil society vs evil society setting less than my favorite I still liked the book!

This was a solid read all around. I loved the space setting, I loved the romance, and I loved the pirate/fleet/space politics that was the plot focus. It hits all the great space opera notes without feeling too long or too slow, and the intrigue kept me engaged throughout. The themes of family and loyalty really shone through, and as our characters grapple with their pasts and presents, it was satisfying to see them make choices that impacted their futures. I'm already a big fan of the author, so I'd definitely recommend if you've read some of her other works. In general, if you're a fan of space themed politics and sci fi, it's a great read.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to the author for providing an ARC through NetGalley

I'll start with what I really liked about this book:
- The character descriptions are vivid and imaginative.
- The bots are both cute and useful, I like the image of them helping in various different ways.
- There is a bit of a Treasure Planet feel to this, and that's one of my favorite movies from childhood so I really appreciate that.
- The Vietnamese-inspired motifs are beautiful and added great imagery to the book.

What I didn't like:
- The romance is almost an insta-love and while I do like a good marriage of convenience story, this felt underdeveloped. I just wish we got to see more of the character development leading to a romance instead of an instant attraction both physically and romantically. Because of this, their romance was not believable or something I really felt any emotional attachment to.
- The dialogue and timing of some scenes felt choppy.
- The character motivations did not make a lot of sense to me.
- The worldbuilding is just... not good? The premise of this story is so cool, and the idea of having different banners and a pirate city is so cool, but sadly there was almost no pirating in this book? Those elements were really not used at all in the story, they felt almost like background settings for the political schemes going on between Rice Fish, the council, and the An O empire. And even then, those political schemes left a lot to be desired.
-And finally, the use of "big sis" and "lil sis" is something I just could not get into. I know they're meant to be Vietnamese honorifics, and I'm sure it would not sound this awkward if the book was written in Vietnamese, but in English, these just don't work. It's really awkward and cringy to hear the MARRIED characters call each other "child" and "big sis/lil sis". I wish they had chosen different words to convey the honorifics or even kept them in Vietnamese.

I wanted to like this book more than I did, unfortunately it just did not meet my expectations and I likely won't be continuing this series.

The sci-fi elements of this book were very intriguing. The world incorporates a lot of virtual reality layers. People can go places physically or in avatar form. The virtual layers were beautifully described: there were moving tattoos and designs on robes, and avatars could be human-like or not. Plus there are characters that are not human. Rice Fish is a mindship and she can feel things happening on her body (the ship itself). It was fascinating to read about. The politics of the pirates and beyond were interesting. Each character was well fleshed out in their own views and as the reader, you understood why they felt that way based on their own past experiences.
However, the central relationship did not work for me. I was expecting a slow-burn enemies to lovers where Xich Si and Rice Fish go from being on opposite sides to reluctant allies to understanding each other and then developing feelings. But the feelings are present almost right off the bat. They stopped being enemies really quickly given the years that Xich Si spent being afraid of pirates. I think that if their romance had been given more time to develop in the beginning, the whole book would have been more enjoyable for me.
I also didn’t love how much “subtext” was told to us. The words used to address were often explicitly explained in the narration. The narration would say things such as she used this pronoun because…. Or he used a word that meant this. For me, this over-explanation detracted from those moments. I get that the author was explaining the cultural significance but I think that the same message could have been relayed by describing the character’s reactions to certain changes and leaving the reader to infer the meaning.
Overall, I would recommend this book to fans of sci-fi because the world-building was impressive but don’t expect too much from the romance.

This was a lovely book with lush world-building. I fell in love with the premise after seeing the author tweet about it -- a sapphic romance between a space pirate and a sentient spaceship? Sign me up! The Vietnamese inspirations make for such a vivid setting. The characters are precious. The pacing was a little quick for me but otherwise I had no complaints.

What a gorgeous read! One of my favourites this year. I loved the world and the characters. I really enjoyed the way the culture and customs were layered into the worldbuilding. The way in which the characters connected and evolved was so very reminiscent of real relationships, the ways in which people come together in a rush of limerance, but also the power they have to hurt each other. The differing ways motivations and ideals clash - brilliantly written by de Bodard. I can't wait to read more from this world and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read and review this. This is an introspective narrative book not an action book - it's about characters and politics and the clash between personal motivations and ideals.

A book about pirates? Sign me up. A book about lesbian pirates? Hell yes, give me it immediately! A book about lesbian pirates in space? I'm in heaven.

Unfortunately, though, this book was a bit of a let down. Bodard is a master with pretty prose and while I do really enjoy that, the characterization and pacing really took a hit. The premise was really interesting, and the world she set the book in had a lot of potential, but unfortunately the characters just didn't pull me in.

Xich Si had the potentially to be a really awesome character (love a good techy bot mechanic in my sci fi), but I just didn't buy it with her and Red Fish. This was the kind of premise that needed a decent slowburn, but this wasn't really it. The pacing was a bit off, and if this was a novella or even just a shorter novel I think I'd be able to buy how quickly things happened and how some of the world-building and character development lacked. It was a pretty fun read though, but I unfortunately don't think I'll be revisiting it.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Gollancz for the e-ARC.

Fast paced and fun sapphic space opera romance. I’ll admit, even being not much of a romance reader, I really enjoyed this not least because it contained one of my guilty pleasure favourite tropes – the marriage of convenience that turns into the real deal. Not hard sci-fi but then it doesn’t have to be. (If you’re looking for gritty space lesbians try Kameron Hurley’s The Stars are Legion instead.) This was an oddly sweet fluffy romance set in space with lots of fell good moments.

Aliette de Bodard has some of the most inventive SF out there. The Red Scholar's Wake opens with space scavenger Xich Si, imprisoned by space pirates, being offered a marriage of convenience by the second in command of the pirate band, Rice Fish. Oh, yes - and Rice Fish is a Mind Ship, a ship embodied by a human person. Rice Rish wants Xich Si to use her scavenging skills to investigate and discover who was behind the betrayal and death of Rice Fish's first wife, the pirate band leader. Because Xich Si doesn't want to be enslaved or killed, she agrees to the marriage, only to discover that she's been embroiled in a mess of internecine pirate politics and fraught family dynamics.

Bodard uses the romance conventions - marriage of convenience, slow coming together based on ideals, HEA and all - as a structure to base her story on. Since the time period of the book is necessarily short (Xich Si must discover the traitor in a matter of days, just in time to halt an invasion fleet!), the emotional side of the romance suffered. However, the themes of motherhood, family duty, love vs. ideals are real strengths. And as always, Bodard's worldbuilding is second to none, presenting a far future interstellar society influenced by Vietnamese culture in detail, but allowing the reader time to understand for herself.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.