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A review by caitcoy
The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard
4.0
"Long Chau was an expanding star, burning loud and bright, mesmerising in her relentlessness, and ultimately one that would swallow you whole."
The Tea Master and the Detective is a novella set in Aliette De Bodard's Xuya universe, an alternate timeline in which Asia became a dominant superpower and space is controlled by galaxy-wide empires heavily influenced by Chinese and Vietnamese history and culture. In the Scattered Pearls belt, a collection of exiles and powerful families are served by powerful mindships which are capable of conveying humans through depths of space which would be impossible for them on their own. One such mindship, The Shadow's Child is still traumatized from a previous disastrous trip in deep space and makes a living brewing teas which allow humans to tolerate the pressures of space. When The Shadow's Child is hired by an abrasive and relentless investigator named Long Chau to look into the death of a corpse found in space, The Shadow's Child will be forced to face her fears and the dangerous mystery of Long Chau's past if she wants to get back to her normal, sedate life.
I was completely unfamiliar with de Bodard's other stories set in the Xuya universe, or actually any of her work. I will admit that I mostly picked up The Tea Master and the Detective because of its Nebula nomination (and also being a sucker for stories described as similar to Sherlock and Watson). I've previously really liked the idea of other kinds of mindships and was immediately intrigued by the blending of Chinese and Vietnamese elements and the often confrontational way that The Shadow's Child and Long Chau interacted. The Shadow's Child is a very reluctant Watson and I liked that even with this being my first introduction to the Xuya universe, there was enough to keep me compelled to turn the next page. I'm hoping to read many more stories, even if we don't get to return to The Shadow's Child and Long Chau.
The Tea Master and the Detective is a novella set in Aliette De Bodard's Xuya universe, an alternate timeline in which Asia became a dominant superpower and space is controlled by galaxy-wide empires heavily influenced by Chinese and Vietnamese history and culture. In the Scattered Pearls belt, a collection of exiles and powerful families are served by powerful mindships which are capable of conveying humans through depths of space which would be impossible for them on their own. One such mindship, The Shadow's Child is still traumatized from a previous disastrous trip in deep space and makes a living brewing teas which allow humans to tolerate the pressures of space. When The Shadow's Child is hired by an abrasive and relentless investigator named Long Chau to look into the death of a corpse found in space, The Shadow's Child will be forced to face her fears and the dangerous mystery of Long Chau's past if she wants to get back to her normal, sedate life.
I was completely unfamiliar with de Bodard's other stories set in the Xuya universe, or actually any of her work. I will admit that I mostly picked up The Tea Master and the Detective because of its Nebula nomination (and also being a sucker for stories described as similar to Sherlock and Watson). I've previously really liked the idea of other kinds of mindships and was immediately intrigued by the blending of Chinese and Vietnamese elements and the often confrontational way that The Shadow's Child and Long Chau interacted. The Shadow's Child is a very reluctant Watson and I liked that even with this being my first introduction to the Xuya universe, there was enough to keep me compelled to turn the next page. I'm hoping to read many more stories, even if we don't get to return to The Shadow's Child and Long Chau.