I had been craving the exact flavour of sci-fi presented in The Dragonfly Gambit for a long while now. Though our knowledge of the wider world is scant, there is military-tinged political tension, and an empire to unseat. There are also some complex attraction-based (I truly hesitate to say romance!) sideplots as well. I was fascinated by this novella - admittedly, knowing (and adoring) Neon Hemlock's publication style, I saw the "twist" from a mile away. That wasn't a disappointment, however - I felt vindicated. This is a dark, at times challenging, book, and I was gripped for every moment of it. I can't wait to get to read more of AD Sui's work.

Even without the word "Gambit" in the title I would be reminded of Nine Fox when reading this novella. There's a lot about piloting a ship and revenge. Certainly if you liked Nine Fox you will like this novella and if you haven't read Nine Fox then you are in for a treat here.

“All empires fall. It’s only natural.”

“The Dragonfly Gambit” deals with colonialism, queerness and disability and I loved it so much that I’ve already read it twice. Just from the first sentence of the prologue I was extremely hooked and knew I was going to love this story and the ending destroyed me as much the second time around as during my first read. I grew attached to both main characters and absolutely loved the sapphic enemies to enemies plot line with all the hatred, revenge and double-crossing as well as the world building.

Thank you to NetGalley and Neon Hemlock Press for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

actual rating: 4,5 stars

Scale information:
1: terrible, awful, I cannot stop ranting about how bad it was; 3: this is exactly what I expect from a book of this genre; 5: I cannot stop thinking about this book, I must own a copy, I will tell everyone to read it.

As I closed the book, I sat and just chewed on the ending. I have not yet decided if I feel like its a satisfying ending to the story. Which, itself, is a good outcome in my opinion.

This novella has been an incredible journey. Such a short format can make it very difficult to set the stage for this large of a setting. But it was incredibly well executed. I do wish this was a full length novel, and will eagerly await to see what the author releases next.

3.25

A revenge centered sci-fi novella featuring a disabled former pilot ready to tear down the empire, The Dragonfly Gambit fits a whole lot of world building into a pretty tiny novella. I won't say much because the story is so short, but I will say this was engaging and thought provoking. The plot and pacing were perfect for a novella, which isn't something I say often. Sui interrogates power and empire in interesting ways, and I found the ending to be quite satisfying if sad.

The Dragonfly Gambit explores themes of queerness, disability and colonialism. Sui does an incredible job building dread throughout the story.

The story follows Nez, a former pilot of the Rule, who was disabled while in service. We learn about the history of her home planet, which was colonized by the Rule, leading to her and her friends, Shay and Kaya’s conscription. Despite their home planet’s compliance it is pulverized by the Rule, out of fear of dissension, leading to Nez’s radicalization against the imperial power.

This book has so many interesting twists. Nez is a complex and charismatic narrator, with conflicting motivations, she held my attention and would not let go until I had finished reading.

What a wonderfully tight work of rage and rebellion in prose! For what is essentially a constant action and intrigue of sabotaging an Empire, it's a very simple and powerful story. All Empires come to an end, and they always fall to the same simple hubris of power. Power that is seductive and destructive and coercive. And revenge is a dish best served on a dish of iced anger. So bloody and brutal and inevitable! Can't wait to see what the author does next!

The phrase “burn it all down” is a popular one, but how many people really mean it? What would that look like? A.D. Sui explores this in The Dragonfly Gambit, a revenge novella featuring a former fighter pilot with nothing to lose, an empire staving off a rebellion, and a small cast of supporting characters caught in the middle. I received a review copy.

Inez Kato was a hot-shot pilot for the Rule—until an accident changed her life. Tossed aside, bitter, and on the wrong side of the Rule’s fascism, Inez hatches a plan to take down the empire from the inside. Bringing this plan to fruition will require her to work with her ex, as well as the Rule’s new hot-shot pilot, and the general who oversees it all. Inez has no one she can trust, no one to back her up, and as she wrestles with her attraction to the general, she realizes she is running out of time.

As it is, this book is about power. Who wields it. What they do with it. Inez is nominally powerless, a prisoner, conscripted to win a war she is opposed to. Yet she tells us she is the one with all the power, that she has a plan to win the war—for the other side—and destroy the Rule. Is she delusional? Will she be found out? Or will her plan succeed?

There are some good sapphic elements here—the sexytimes stuff doesn’t do that much for me, and I don’t entirely understand the appeal of “enemies to lovers,” but if that is your thing then Sui does it well. There’s a good kind of love (or at least attraction) triangle going on here, limited only in the sense that, as a novella, there isn’t much time to fully develop the relationships.

In the same way, I’d say that Sui makes good use of a lot of standard tropes in military science fiction: decrepit, fascist empire; a rebellion; war-weary soldiers. Yet I never really felt like the story was interested in saying anything about any of these things. This is very much a revenge plot through and through; if you are hoping for a deeper story about fascism, resistance, or war, then you won’t find that here.

That being said, while I won’t spoil it, I’ll say is that this is the most satisfying downer ending I have had in a while. The Dragonfly Gambit is a tragedy through and through, and I admire Sui’s commitment to the bit. I picked up heavy Battlestar Galactica vibes—maybe it was the discussion of fighter plots and hangar decks and the mention of how rundown the ship feels after Inez boards.

The Dragonfly Gambit is a pitch-perfect example of the pacing appropriate for a novella. Too long for a short story yet too short for a full novel, the plot here works perfectly for its length. I read the book in a single day, though not a single sitting, very much enjoying the steady elevation of tension as Inez worms her way deeper into the Rule’s hierarchy. Sui has a good grasp of when to sketch a character and when to fill them in, and it’s this careful awareness that makes this novella so tight and satisfying.

This is a book for fans of Transformers, Fast and Furious, Gundam, Top Gun. A fast-paced, action-packed, tense novella filled with messy and complex characters and toxic relationships with disability rep, exploring trauma, closure, betrayal, love, fear, and what it means to leave a legacy.

Well, I picked up this book in a very different mood to putting it down.

I liked the premise a great deal (the sprawling yet doomed matriarchal space empire, the main character who picked herself up and was purposefully moving towards her goal, the way disability was treated throughout, all of it), and the cynical narration resonated with me as well - but at about 30% in things went downhill, if not to say stepped right off a cliff. I sort of blame it on the ambition that’s hard to reconcile with the novella format: if there is supposed to be a game of chess and a battle of wits and all kinds of manipulation, all happening between people with complicated personalities and conflicting loyalties, a novella just doesn’t seem like enough space to set it up properly. As much as I love a good f/f, the sex scenes here took me by surprise. For such a short story, they do nothing for the pacing, which becomes more and more ungainly as we move towards the - admittedly fitting, all things considered - end.

Honestly would love this idea to have been executed in a better way, and had a larger sandbox to play in.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a review copy.

A vindictively tragic tale of betrayal and revenge. This is going to be for fans of The Masquerade Series (Seth Dickinson) and And Machines Shall Surrender. (Benjanun Sriduangkaew). When this story isn't tearing your heart out, its setting you on fire.

This novella certainly took me by surprise. For such a short length, it is packed full of revenge scheming, backstabbing, pining after the enemy, and several moments that I didn’t see coming.

The story is fast paced with just enough backstory and world building. It is perfect for readers who don’t typically reach for sci-fi. Even more perfect for sci-fi readers looking for something quick that still packs a punch.

There were a few moments of dialogue that didn’t work for me… but in the grand scheme of things, I have to stop and wonder if it was the dialogue I didn’t like or the character speaking. With that said, I absolutely loved how the story unfolded. The narration was clever and kept me hooked the entire time. The epilogue was *chef’s kiss* and immediately cemented A.D. Sui on my list of auto-buy authors.

I highly recommend checking this out if you enjoy the combination of sapphic sci-fi with overreaching military rule and characters that are in it to end it. 😏

This was a great novella. I was engrossed in the story with all the twists and turns; I thought the book was going to end a certain way and was completely shocked during the last chapter. The characters were interesting and the dialogue was engaging. I specifically enjoyed Nez and the Third Daughter. I would recommend this book highly.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

AD Sui has written a taut, elegant short novel about vengeance and betrayal in a far future human empire. Reminiscent of Adrienne Martine and Aliette de Bodard, the short novel effectively paints a portrait of bitter and physically damaged Inez Kato as she maneuvers to destroy the empire she once and now again serves. The plot is linear but the characters are twisty and absorbing. Excellent long-form debut, with beautifully structured prose.

Ahhhhh!!!!! This was just so good. I don’t know what to say about this, but if you like fucked up sapphics fucking each other over and violence, this is for you. Which is to say that if you’re sapphic, this is for you. The writing? Flawless. The vibes? Immaculate. The trauma? Phenomenal.

4.75 stars

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Oh this was an absolute joy to read. I’m definitely going to get my hands on a physical version when it’s released.

This is a novella sci-fi treat with a delicious power struggle between Inez, woman who was once a pilot for the empire called The Rule before an accident disabled her and stole her dream, and the woman Ennis who leads the empire.

It’s really a character study - there are interesting bits of the world and technology, but I would advise not going into this novella expecting massive explanations about the entirety of the world. The plot is just there to put these characters in the same place, and for a book like this I’m ok with that. I raised an eyebrow slightly at a convenient explanation end, but I still loved it.

Given that it’s short, I would hate to spoil anything, but this is a very fun chess game to read and it kept me reading quickly