Furious Heaven

Kate Elliott Furious Heaven Sun Chronicles - Book #2 ISBN: 9781800243231, 9781800243248 Kindle / ASIN: B08MV4M5P3 Genre: Science Fiction Goodreads Rating: Hardcover, 528 pages Published: 2023 Non-stop action, space battles and intrigue abound in the second in a galactic-scale, gender-swapped space opera trilogy inspired by the life of Alexander The Great. The Republic of Chaonia fleets under the joint command of Princess Sun and her formidable mother, Queen-Marshal Eirene, have defeated and driven out an invading fleet of the Phene Empire, although not without heavy losses. But the Empire remains strong and undeterred. While Chaonia scrambles to rebuild its military, the Empire's rulers are determined to squash Chaonia once and for all by any means necessary. On the eve of Eirene's bold attack on the rich and populous Karnos System, an unexpected tragedy strikes the republic. Sun must take charge or lose the throne. Will Sun be content with the pragmatic path laid out by her mother for Chaonia's future? Or will she forge her own legend despite all the forces arrayed against her? 2023 - ePub verification and revisions by zardox FURIOUS HEAVEN Kate Elliott AN AD ASTRA BOOK www.headofzeus.com First published in the US by Tom Doherty Associates in 2023 First published in the UK in 2023 by Head of Zeus, part of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Copyright © Katrina Elliott, 2023 The moral right of Katrina Elliott to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. 9 7 5 3 1 2 4 6 8 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN (HB): 9781800243248 ISBN (XTPB): 9781800243255 ISBN (E): 9781800243231 Head of Zeus Ltd 5–8 Hardwick Street London EC1R 4RG WWW.HEADOFZEUS.COM There is but one true sun, and each of us casts nothing more than her reflected glory. Contents Cover Chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 90 | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 Acknowledgments About the Author 1 Never Say the Wily Persephone Can’t Take the Triceratops by the Horns in a Crisis The heart of Lady Chaos is a knot, which some call binding fate while others thought it nothing more than luck’s capricious cull. Or call, if destiny has any power. Philosophers debate these questions now and have debated them for untold years. Do humans live in harmony with fate? Or do they suffer powerless in life as fate’s demands adhere to a set pattern? We are the spears cast at the furious heaven. “That we are spears means we have been loosed from the hands of those who brought us into the world. It doesn’t mean we are forever bound to the trajectory they choose for us,” says Sun Shān, heir to the throne of the Republic of Chaonia. “Fate is not just the command of heaven. It is also a matter of strategy.” She pauses with perfect timing and flattering intensity to survey us, her loyal Companions. We sit on cushions beneath the red gazebo. In the night courtyard a lamp shines, casting a golden aura over the outdoor hearth, the troughs of flowers, and the expanse of pavement where we drill morning and afternoon. The sounds of washing-up drift in from the kitchen, which opens off the courtyard. I would far rather be on mess duty than trying to hold my own in this cutthroat crowd. Three of her loyal Companions are paying close attention to the long-winded discussion of the Sayings of the Elder Sages, which is the sort of evening entertainment a meticulously educated princess like Sun and her royal-academy-trained intimates naturally love best. Since I am neither meticulous nor royal academy trained, I am picking my way through platters of five-spice pumpkin seeds, lightly salted edamame, and the particularly delicious red bean buns. “Is that what ‘spears’ means?” counters the Honorable James Samtarras, tugging on the obnoxious flatcap he always wears, although I couldn’t tell you if he sleeps in it. “Trajectories? Commands? Strategies?” Sun gives him one of her put-up-or-shut-up stares. “Did you have an interpretation to offer, or are you just sticking spokes in the wheel of discussion?” “Spokes,” I mutter under my breath as I toy with another bun. Two is usually my limit, but I feel I can make an exception for a third given how long this discussion on knots, fates, and destinies has ground on and the likelihood it will continue to grind for another hour at least. James doesn’t