#sargassa

aro & ace books: Jewish authors

authors; not necessarily all of the books/characters are Jewish.

The Sins on Their Bones - dark fantasy duology, gay demisexual MC, aroace & aroallo SCs

The Siren The Song and The Spy - YA fantasy sequel, 2 aroace MCs (of cast, book 2)

Pluralities - scifi/contemp novella, aro-coded MC

Two Dark Moons - YA fantasy trilogy, arospec MC, acespec MC (2/3)

This Dark Descent - YA fantasy duology, demi-aroace MC, aroacespec MC

(also Ravenfall (MG, aroace), and The Library of Amorlin (A, demi) by the same author)

The Lighthouse At The Edge of the World - historical urban fantasy, ace lesbian MC (1/2)

Sargassa - speculative trilogy, demi-coded MC (1/5)

The Spy With The Red Balloon - YA historical fantasy, gay demisexual MC (1/2)

The Deep - speculative novella, demi-coded love interest

(An Unkindness of Ghosts by Solomon has an aroace SC)

The Liars Guide To The Night Sky - YA contemporary, aro 'love interest'

#aspec books / aspec database / tumblr masterpost

Selah Kleios is twenty-two years old and suddenly one of the most important women in the empires. The role of Imperial Historian is her birthright, something she’s been preparing for since birth—but she was supposed to have more time to learn the role from her father, the previous Historian. In the wake of her father’s sudden and shocking assassination, Selah finds herself custodian of more than just the Imperial Archives, the towering central library that safeguards all collective knowledge of the Roman Imperium and its client empires. There’s also the question of the two puzzling classified items her father left in her care—an ancient atlas filled with landscapes that don’t exist, and a carved piece of stone that seems to do nothing at all. Soon, though, it becomes clear that the Iveroa Stone is more than just a slab of rock. With the reappearance of an old lost love who’s been blackmailed into stealing it for an unknown entity, Selah finds herself in a race to uncover the mysteries the Stone holds. But she isn’t the only one with an interest in it—she’ll have to contend with the deputy chief of police, an undercover spy, and her own beloved half brother along the way. What begins as an act of atonement and devotion ultimately pulls her into the crosshairs of deep state conspiracy, the stirrings of an underground independence movement, and questions that threaten to shake the foundational legitimacy of Roma Sargassa’s past, present, and future.

"She will always choose change."

Sophie Burnham's Sargassa is an incredible alt-history novel, set in a world where the Roman Empire never fell and injustice runs rampant. When Selah's father dies, she has to fill his shoes pretty quickly and take his place as Historian, a hereditary job that's meant to be like a custodian of ancient knowledge. But the world she has to move in, a world where indentured servitude was never stopped, forces her to come to terms with some very harsh truths.

This is a multi-POV epic that also follows her slave-adjacent half-brother, a nonbinary rebel, a righteous cop, and an idealistic thief. Their characters meet and play off of each other beautifully, even the racist misogynist of a cop who's tragically in the wrong place at the wrong time. The luring corruption of the city functions as a backdrop to this delightful mystery as a millennia-old lie unfurls into the light and battle-lines are drawn.

The setting is perfect, with fantastic pieces of worldbuilding, little things you can really trace to the actual Roman Empire. At the end of the book is a helpful compendium explaining how this colony came to be, and the revelations only enrich the experience. You get the sense, early on, that not everything is as it seems, and it's fun to follow the clues clearly left for the reader.

Between the themes of systemic violence and slavery, there wouldn't seem to be much time for love stories, but two delicate queer romances unfold organically, following the course of the novel to its incredible conclusion. In particular, the sapphic love story featuring Selah has the strongest foundation, and a strong development.

Sargassa is the fantastic first book of a series that promises to be explosive.

✨ 4.5 stars

Release date: 8 October 2024

Genre: adult speculative fiction

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis

In a world where Rome never fell, an unlikely group of protagonists are ready to burn down the empire in the first of this new speculative trilogy.

Selah Kleios is twenty-two years old and suddenly one of the most important women in the empires. The role of Imperial Historian is her birthright, something she’s been preparing for since birth--but she was supposed to have more time to learn the role from her father, the previous Historian. In the wake of her father’s sudden and shocking assassination, Selah finds herself custodian of more than just the Imperial Archives. There’s also the question of the two puzzling classified items her father left in her care—an ancient atlas filled with landscapes that don’t exist, and a carved piece of stone that seems to do nothing at all.

Soon, though, it becomes clear that the Iveroa Stone is more than just a slab of rock. With the reappearance of an old lost love who’s been blackmailed into stealing it for an unknown entity, Selah finds herself in a race to uncover the mysteries the Stone holds. But she isn’t the only one with an interest in it—she’ll have to contend with the deputy chief of police, an undercover spy, and her own beloved half brother along the way. What begins as an act of atonement and devotion ultimately pulls her into the crosshairs of deep state conspiracy, the stirrings of an underground independence movement, and questions that threaten to shake the foundational legitimacy of Roma Sargassa’s past, present, and future.

Picked this one up from the library new book section. In a world where the Roman Empire never fell, the province of Sargassa teeters on the edge of revolution, and a royal historian has been assassinated. Meanwhile, his daughter Selah struggles to fulfill his legacy, his acknowledged son Arran chafes against his low social status due to his illegitimate birth, and revolutionary spy Theo attempts to infiltrate the family.

This was a solid but not particularly original or outstanding epic fantasy. The Roman setting isn't especially vivid—which does have a textual explanation which is explained later, but it's still a bit of a letdown. Selah's slow realization that the society she lives in sucks, actually, is tired ground, and so is the underlying debate about how an effective revolution should operate. What I did like is Burnham's depiction of a society where most of the population is enslaved. Which is, of course, the brutal reality of what the real Roman Empire was like. Arran's situation is especially well done, depicting how he's trapped in a world where he's been brought up as a noble scion—but due to the fact his mother was a slave, his rights are extremely curtailed and he can never become a citizen.

My debut novel Sargassa won the 2024 Sidewise Award and was shortlisted for the Locus Award for Best First Novel. Its sequel Bloodtide can now be found wherever books are sold. I currently find myself in the very bizarre position of being a current finalist for the Astounding Award for Best New Writer.

This is the Queer Liberation Network's annual fundraiser. They do incredible work empowering queer & trans folks with direct aid microgrants & resources, and there are some truly incredible items up for auction this year!

Including, on my end...

☀️ 2 virtual bookclub visits ☀️ 2 signed hardcover copies of Bloodtide + 2 exclusive Sargassa dust jackets ☀️ 1 paperback copy of Sargassa + 1 hardcover copy of Bloodtide

There's still time to bid!