The setting for QoC is not quite as jaw-droppingly awe-inspiring as [b:Sun of Suns|77887|Sun of Suns (Virga, #1)|Karl Schroeder|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312030230s/77887.jpg|75218], in that this story takes place almost entirely on a world-cylinder within Virga. (If none of that makes sense to you, then do yourself a favor and read Sun of Suns.) But on the other hand, the deeper character building in this sequel makes it quite satisfying in a way that its predecessor did not. So I can confidently recommend both of them, and I look forward to reading the next in the series: [b:Pirate Sun|2321054|Pirate Sun (Virga, #3)|Karl Schroeder|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312036297s/2321054.jpg|2327576]. ( )

The world, characters and politics are top notch. ( )

Super liked it. The world where a character from Book #1 ends up is endlessly fascinating and so visual. How is this not a mini-series yet? The spy networks, the democratizing handbill printers, the weird and secretive trade, the HORSES. Wow. And then the feeling of being home and having friends - and having that all snatched away. Nonstop action, again. ( )

OK, so this Schroeder guy who I had never even heard of a year ago is now one of my favorite SF writers. I would not call him a "crossover" writer however; this is strictly for nerds. But nerds are cool, right?
..right?

Anyway, this is the second one in a series, obviously, and the deal with this Virga thing is that it's kind of an inside-out planet, with a big man-made sun in the middle, and a bunch of littler suns farther out, and then a sort of skin around the whole thing, so it's like a balloon in space with the atmosphere inside, if that makes sense.

And so there are all these like, floating cities, and gravity is sort of a commodity, so poor people tend to have long skinny legs and arms because they couldn't afford to grow up in somewhere with normal gravity. Anyway, this book is all about this woman who is WILY! and an aristocrat, and she has migraines, and secret plans for world domination, and she's also hot. but mean.
So she ends up on this one city/country place (through a series of events that took place in the first book, and I mostly forget what they were) and through her WILES tries to take over the city/country.

It's all very elegant and sort of steampunk-y, if you're into that, and it reminds me a little bit of the Gormenghast books. But with more action! And less weird. ( )

At the conclusion of Sun of Suns, most of the main characters are missing or presumed dead. Both Hayden Griffin and Venera Fanning are left drifting off in freefall, with no gravity whatsoever to pull them anywhere.

Rather than continuing on with Griffin's story, Schroeder focused on Venera, who was, at first glance, a character I loved to hate. She's paranoid, cunning, power hungry, and lacks empathy.

Queen of Candesce opens as Venera lands on Spyre, one of the most ancient nations of Virga, with a powerful treasure in her possession. From then on, she is entangled into local politics, which she quickly uses as means to her own ends. This also means gaining allies as well as enemies.

Her goal is two-fold: returning home, and exacting revenge on the Pilot of Slipstream, whom Venera is convinced has killed her husband, Admiral Chaison Fanning.

The universe in which is the story is set is still very well detailed throughout the novel, very believable. The way the author combines advanced and archaic technologies is flawless, as if it were the natural order of things, as if this was simply how people have eventually evolved to.

While we learn more about the origins of Virga, how it came to be, and a glimpse of what lurks outside the balloon, the novel focuses mainly on Venera, her motivations, and what means she takes to make things happen. In the process, she changes, she grows, she starts caring about the people who become her allies. She discovers much about her world's history, and how it affects her and her future actions. She thus emerges as a much more complex character than one would believe.

Queen of Candesce, in essence, is a swashbuckling and a political adventure, as well as an intriguing character study. Venera Fanning will emerge stronger and more determined than before, and who knows where that determination will lead her... ( )