Ahoy there me mateys!  I received this sci-fi eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  So here be me honest musings . . .

The cover drew me in and three things convinced me to read this book:

1) I love the author's Universe of Xuya;
2) It is a Subterranean Press book and they do great work; and
3) Do I need another reason? . . .

I was introduced to the Universe of Xuya with Subterranean's edition of the tea master and the detective.  The author’s excellent page discussing this world says that:

The premise of Xuya is that China discovered the Americas before the West, and that the exploration of this new continent prevented China from sinking inwards (not to mention being invaded by the Manchu, who later founded the ill-fated Qing dynasty, China’s last imperial dynasty). Xuya (旴 涯), a Chinese colony founded in the 15th Century in North America, plays a central role in the stories.

I have a soft spot for ships of any kind (Arrr!) and this world has mindships.  They are awesome.  In this new story, the mindship is The Wild Orchid in Sunless Woods who pays a visit to Vân, a human, to discuss the inner politics of their poetry club.  But soon there are bigger problems when a person suddenly drops dead in Vân's household.  From the outside it looks like murder.  From the inside it is the part of a bigger mystery.

Like other Xuya stories, the dead body problem is not the focus of the story.  The murder drives the character interactions and growth.  The point is very much the inter-character dynamics between the AI ship and the human.  There is also a strong look at past secrets and choices of each character and how those issues affect their relationship.

Some of the plot points of this story were not what I was expecting but for the better.  I have to admit that I find meself more and more driven to read all the Xuya tales.  I am very glad to have read this one.

So lastly . . .

Thank you Subterranean Press!