Queen of Candesce

Starred review from July 9, 2007
Schroeder’s ambitious sequel to 2006’s Sun of Suns
further explores Virga, the vast enclosed realm containing a miniature cosmos of floating worlds, wheellike townships and intriguing mysteries about the construct’s origins and creators. Heated and lit by numerous artificial suns, the individual populations have evolved on divergent paths. When the delightfully amoral Venera Fanning finds herself on Spyre, an ancient and decaying cylindrical world that’s slowly breaking apart, and realizes the Key of Candesce could not only unlock the secrets of a long-lost technology but also destroy entire worlds, she inadvertently disrupts Spyre’s delicate political balance and rigid cultural mores and ignites a revolution. Comparable to classic SF epics like John Varley’s Gaean trilogy and Jack L. Chalker’s Well of Souls series, Schroeder’s saga is an awe-inspiring example of masterful world-building. A myriad of themes, from rogue artificial intelligences to the evolution of human bodies and culture, make this futuristic epic one to reckon with.

August 1, 2007
Continuing from Sun of Suns (2006) the fabulous world of Virga, Schroeder follows Venera Fanning as she falls from Candesces great sun onto Spyre, a collection of tiny, warring nations housed in a crumbling, cylindrical craft. She has the key to Candesce, a powerful bargaining chip, and is keen on avenging her husbands almost certain death. Her talents for manipulation and subterfuge excel in Spyre, whose secretive powers want the key. Schroeders world building continues fascinating, and the intrigue among inbred nations thrown into confusion by an outsider keeps the pace at a satisfying clip.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)