Aliette de Bodard 
Seven of Infinities 

From the award-winning author of The Tea Master and the Detective comes a science fictional whirlwind romance against the background of a murder mystery…On a string of orbitals called the Scattered Pearls Belt lives Sunless Woods-sentient spaceship, master of disguise, and master thief who chafes against the obscurity that comes with her retirement. There, too, lives Van, a poor scholar with little confidence but plenty of heart, and whose income comes from tutoring a wealthy student.Their lives are turned upside down when Van finds a corpse in her student’s quarters and Sunless Woods, intrigued by Van’s sense of justice, offers her help. Scholar and spaceship must chase the mystery around the empire’s forgotten edge: from rundown teahouses to ascetic havens, and even in the wreck of a spaceship-and all the while, they begin to fall for each other in earnest. But the secrets they’ve kept from each other are large and devastating-will they and their love survive the revelations?REVIEWS"With this lush, immersive sci-fi tale, de Bodard (The House of Sundering Flames) delves into a world as gritty as it is ethereal… [R]eaders will be swept away by the vivid prose, intrigue, and romance of this intricate tale. This fascinating, unusual story is sure to entrance." -Publishers Weekly"Seven of Infinities is a novella concerned with forgiveness, deserved or not, about cages, self-made or otherwise. It concerns itself with growth, with grace, with ruthlessness and its costs and consequences. It’s a tightly written jewel of a story, intense and full of feeling, and I recommend it highly." -Liz Bourke, Locus"A magnificent sf mystery, nuanced, intense, and romantic, with a complex, clever plot nested inside de Bodard’s rich, evocative, and vivid Xuya universe." -Kate Elliott, author of Unconquerable Sun and Cold Magic Other stories in the Xuya Universe (stories can each be read independently)1. On a Red Station, Drifting2. The Citadel of Weeping Pearls3. Of Wars, and Memories, and Starlight4. The Tea Master and the Detective5. Seven of Infinities