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The Dragon that Flew out of the Sun
Three Short stories in the Xuya Universe, setting of other stories by Alliette de Bodard.
Originally published in various magazines and now available to all via Patreon (please note that you do not need to be a current subscriber to access this book).
Contents:
The Dragon That Flew Out of the Sun (2017)
Ship's Brother (2012)
The Frost on Jade Buds (2014)
Originally published in various magazines and now available to all via Patreon (please note that you do not need to be a current subscriber to access this book).
Contents:
The Dragon That Flew Out of the Sun (2017)
Ship's Brother (2012)
The Frost on Jade Buds (2014)
77 pages, ebook
First published March 29, 2020
1 person is currently reading
96 people want to read
About the author
Aliette de Bodard
265 books2,244 followersAliette de Bodard lives and works in Paris. She has won three Nebula Awards, an Ignyte Award, a Locus Award, a British Fantasy Award and four British Science Fiction Association Awards, and was a double Hugo finalist for 2019 (Best Series and Best Novella).
Her most recent book is Fireheart Tiger (Tor.com), a sapphic romantic fantasy inspired by pre colonial Vietnam, where a diplomat princess must decide the fate of her country, and her own. She also wrote Seven of Infinities (Subterranean Press), a space opera where a sentient spaceship and an upright scholar join forces to investigate a murder, and find themselves falling for each other. Other books include Of Dragons, Feasts and Murders and its standalone sequel Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances, (JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.), fantasy books of manners and murders set in an alternate 19th Century Vietnamese court. She lives in Paris.
Her most recent book is Fireheart Tiger (Tor.com), a sapphic romantic fantasy inspired by pre colonial Vietnam, where a diplomat princess must decide the fate of her country, and her own. She also wrote Seven of Infinities (Subterranean Press), a space opera where a sentient spaceship and an upright scholar join forces to investigate a murder, and find themselves falling for each other. Other books include Of Dragons, Feasts and Murders and its standalone sequel Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances, (JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.), fantasy books of manners and murders set in an alternate 19th Century Vietnamese court. She lives in Paris.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 22, 2024
The three short stories in this small collection examine the effects of war on survivors, the stories we tell to process grief and loss, how trauma can lead to family strife, and revenge. Each story is set in Aliette de Bodard's expansive Xuya universe of space stations, mindships, and huge galactic empires comprised of complicated societies.
The Dragon that Flew out of the Sun: 4 stars. 4 stars.
A girl discovers that though it was thirty years ago, the war between the Dai Viet Empire and the RomFederation still casts a long shadow over the survivors.
Ship’s Brother: 4 stars.
A boy is horrified of the physical costs on his mother for carrying and delivering the being who will be the heart of a mindship.
The Frost on Jade Buds: 4 stars.
War leaves long lasting scars and trauma on those who survived. One being who did wants her revenge.
The Dragon that Flew out of the Sun: 4 stars. 4 stars.
A girl discovers that though it was thirty years ago, the war between the Dai Viet Empire and the RomFederation still casts a long shadow over the survivors.
Ship’s Brother: 4 stars.
A boy is horrified of the physical costs on his mother for carrying and delivering the being who will be the heart of a mindship.
The Frost on Jade Buds: 4 stars.
War leaves long lasting scars and trauma on those who survived. One being who did wants her revenge.
June 12, 2019
“Everything is a lie. Everything is a fragment of the truth.”
The collection contains the titular story plus “Ship’s Brother,” and “The Frost on the Jade Buds.”
“… seemed to be perpetual mourning, as if some spring within them had broken a long time ago.”
Well-written, but lacks depth. Presumably much backstory is developed in earlier Xuya Universe novels. This is not a good place to start.
“Tales for children. Bedtimes stories: the only narratives that can be stomached.”
The collection contains the titular story plus “Ship’s Brother,” and “The Frost on the Jade Buds.”
“… seemed to be perpetual mourning, as if some spring within them had broken a long time ago.”
Well-written, but lacks depth. Presumably much backstory is developed in earlier Xuya Universe novels. This is not a good place to start.
“Tales for children. Bedtimes stories: the only narratives that can be stomached.”
Read
April 5, 2021Haven't been a fan of Bodard's writing in the two novels I read before this - Servant of the Underworld and The House of Shattered Wings - despite LOVING some of her ideas. Maybe it works better in short stories, maybe she's improved, maybe my mood has changed: whatever the reason(s), I liked these a lot more! I love the universe and how the stories approach themes of family and the consequences of colonialism in different ways. The second story, Ship's brother, was my favourite.
October 30, 2021
A collection of 3 stories from the Xuya Universe, exploring themes of family, memories, colonialism and selfhood, all through the lens of warring space empires, space stations and sentient space ships. Deftly combining the personal and the cosmic to devastating effect.
November 26, 2023
Short love letter to a sibling. A story that leaves you wondering if you can really mourn tech or not.
January 28, 2023
Beautiful, sad and thoughtworty pieces as usual
January 19, 2023
[This review is for the short story "Ship's Brother", no longer catalogued separately by Goodreads.]
Wow. This one hit home hard. One of Kate Baker's best ever Clarkesworld narrations, and a shining example of 2nd person POV.
http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/debod...
Wow. This one hit home hard. One of Kate Baker's best ever Clarkesworld narrations, and a shining example of 2nd person POV.
http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/debod...
April 17, 2020
Originally published in
Interzone
Issue 241. Or you can read it for free over at
Clarkesworld
.
Another similar book to the last two with another birth of a ship's mind. This is another book, like The Shipmaker , that i feel would be better placed in the reading order before Shipbirth as we are given even more information about these minds and their beginnings that i would have liked to have known before Shipbirth.
In this story Aliette explores the sibling dynamics between a human boy and his mind ship sister, but its a dynamic that begins corrupted by the boy attending the extremely difficult birth of the ship's mind. Aliette also introduces us to the fact that these mind ships can communicate as fully sentient beings and that the ship is part of the family from which it is birthed.
We're also introduce to another fact in this ever more interesting universe: that some cultures do not use mind ships and have banned them from their space. So we're given quite a few teasers of more interesting things to come, which i'm looking forward to.
Once again, very well written and just at that perfect length to enjoy in one easy, flowing read without even having to put the Kindle down -- so make a cuppa, go to the loo and turn your phone off before you start.
Next up: Two Sisters in Exile.
Merged review:
Well this is a new one on me: genocide by nebula.
It does make one wonder what depths of fucked-up-ness humans will descend to as we get ever more dangerous technology to play with. Like what will happen when we eventually develop the ability to destroy whole suns, allowing one group of Homo sapiens to eradicate another, purely out of fear and mistrust, or just plain and simple, old fashioned, nastiness.
I like to think that future species of Hominids will be a lot nicer than this current bunchacunts, the arrogantly self titled Homo sapiens. Heaven help the universe if Homo sapiens ever escapes this solar system.
Anyway, it's free to read over at Uncanny, so have at it.
Another similar book to the last two with another birth of a ship's mind. This is another book, like The Shipmaker , that i feel would be better placed in the reading order before Shipbirth as we are given even more information about these minds and their beginnings that i would have liked to have known before Shipbirth.
In this story Aliette explores the sibling dynamics between a human boy and his mind ship sister, but its a dynamic that begins corrupted by the boy attending the extremely difficult birth of the ship's mind. Aliette also introduces us to the fact that these mind ships can communicate as fully sentient beings and that the ship is part of the family from which it is birthed.
We're also introduce to another fact in this ever more interesting universe: that some cultures do not use mind ships and have banned them from their space. So we're given quite a few teasers of more interesting things to come, which i'm looking forward to.
Once again, very well written and just at that perfect length to enjoy in one easy, flowing read without even having to put the Kindle down -- so make a cuppa, go to the loo and turn your phone off before you start.
Next up: Two Sisters in Exile.
Merged review:
Well this is a new one on me: genocide by nebula.
It does make one wonder what depths of fucked-up-ness humans will descend to as we get ever more dangerous technology to play with. Like what will happen when we eventually develop the ability to destroy whole suns, allowing one group of Homo sapiens to eradicate another, purely out of fear and mistrust, or just plain and simple, old fashioned, nastiness.
I like to think that future species of Hominids will be a lot nicer than this current bunchacunts, the arrogantly self titled Homo sapiens. Heaven help the universe if Homo sapiens ever escapes this solar system.
Anyway, it's free to read over at Uncanny, so have at it.
July 15, 2019
The dragon that flew out of the sun ***
A child's eye view of learning about being a refugee from a great space war. Save us all from righteous indignation.
Ship's brother ****
Perfect for the 'best series'. A story that is both a family drama, and answers some of the questions about how this universe works.
The frost on the jade buds **
Feels like the 2nd act of a three act play. All the action, but I didn't feel like I got to know the protagonists enough to follow what they were doing.
A child's eye view of learning about being a refugee from a great space war. Save us all from righteous indignation.
Ship's brother ****
Perfect for the 'best series'. A story that is both a family drama, and answers some of the questions about how this universe works.
The frost on the jade buds **
Feels like the 2nd act of a three act play. All the action, but I didn't feel like I got to know the protagonists enough to follow what they were doing.
December 25, 2019
3 Kurzgeschichten.
Die ersten beiden ganz okay, die dritte habe ich kaum verstanden.
Die ersten beiden ganz okay, die dritte habe ich kaum verstanden.
March 31, 2020
3 stories from Aliette de Bodard's Xuya universe where China and Vietnam have galactic space empires -- of minships and familes and after effects of war.
April 13, 2020
Three Xuya Dai Viet short stories. Vietnamese space opera.
I enjoyed this collection very much.
I enjoyed this collection very much.
January 7, 2024
Beautiful prose.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews