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Machineries of Empire
Machineries of Empire is a series of military science fiction/science fantasy/space opera novels by American writer Yoon Ha Lee and published by Solaris Books. It consists of Ninefox Gambit (2016), Raven Stratagem (2017) and Revenant Gun (2018). A collection of short stories set in the same universe, Hexarchate Stories, was published in 2019. This collection includes Glass Cannon, a novella which functions as a sequel to the original trilogy. The main trilogy follows the young infantry captain Kel Cheris and the traitorous general Shuos Jedao in a war among factions of a despotic interstellar empire, the Hexarchate, whose esoteric technology is based on the population's adherence to the imperial calendar.
The novels cover "space opera, fantasy, Korean folklore and mathematics" themes. Several of Lee's short stories are prequels to the trilogy.
The hexarchate is a galactic government led by six factions: Shuos, Kel, Nirai, Vidona, Rahal, and Andan. A seventh faction, Liozh, was destroyed for advocating democracy, which was deemed a heresy. The power of the hexarchate is linked to a calendar system, where citizens' adherence enables the use of exotic technologies that defy traditional physics.
Approximately 400 years before the events of the novel, General Shuos Jedao suppressed a heretical rebellion, but in doing so, caused the deaths of over one million people. His consciousness was preserved in a device called the black cradle for future use.
When heretics take control of the Fortress of Scattered Needles, soldier Kel Cheris is assigned the task of reclaiming it. She is implanted with Jedao's consciousness to assist in the mission. Together, they breach the fortress’s defenses, leading a military assault. During the operation, Cheris discovers that a human civilization called the Hafn is invading hexarchate space. Kel Command, fearing Jedao's influence, withholds this information. It is later revealed that Vahenz afrir dai Noum, a high-ranking heretic, is a Hafn operative.
After several battles, Cheris gains control of the Fortress, but is betrayed by Kel reinforcements who use an exotic weapon to destroy Jedao. However, Cheris absorbs his memories, merging their consciousnesses. She then learns that Jedao orchestrated his preservation in the black cradle with the intent of eventually destroying the hexarchate. In the end, Cheris kills Vahenz, steals her ship, and decides to overthrow the hexarchate.
Following the events of Ninefox Gambit, General Shuos Jedao appears to have seized control of Kel Cheris’s body and identity. Jedao commandeers a Kel fleet, leveraging his legendary status to command obedience. The hexarchate responds by sending General Kel Khiruev to eliminate the threat, but Khiruev and her troops are quickly brought under Jedao’s control. Khiruev invokes the Vrae Tala protocol, a protocol that allows her to defy Kel Command’s formation instinct at the cost of a shortened lifespan. Formation instinct is an exotic effect, based on the hexarchate's high calendar, that compels Kel soldiers to obey superior officers.
Kel Brezan, a conflicted but loyal officer, is promoted and tasked with assassinating Jedao. When Brezan finally meets him, Jedao reveals that he is, in fact, Kel Cheris. Cheris's true objective is to collapse the Hexarchate's authority and reset the calendar. The existing calendrical system, enforced by violent rituals called remembrances, enables exotic technologies but also functions as a tool of ideological control. Her plan is to replace it with a new system in which exotic effects can only target willing participants. Brezan decides to join her, abandoning his mission and helping her fight against the hexarchate.
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Machineries of Empire
Machineries of Empire is a series of military science fiction/science fantasy/space opera novels by American writer Yoon Ha Lee and published by Solaris Books. It consists of Ninefox Gambit (2016), Raven Stratagem (2017) and Revenant Gun (2018). A collection of short stories set in the same universe, Hexarchate Stories, was published in 2019. This collection includes Glass Cannon, a novella which functions as a sequel to the original trilogy. The main trilogy follows the young infantry captain Kel Cheris and the traitorous general Shuos Jedao in a war among factions of a despotic interstellar empire, the Hexarchate, whose esoteric technology is based on the population's adherence to the imperial calendar.
The novels cover "space opera, fantasy, Korean folklore and mathematics" themes. Several of Lee's short stories are prequels to the trilogy.
The hexarchate is a galactic government led by six factions: Shuos, Kel, Nirai, Vidona, Rahal, and Andan. A seventh faction, Liozh, was destroyed for advocating democracy, which was deemed a heresy. The power of the hexarchate is linked to a calendar system, where citizens' adherence enables the use of exotic technologies that defy traditional physics.
Approximately 400 years before the events of the novel, General Shuos Jedao suppressed a heretical rebellion, but in doing so, caused the deaths of over one million people. His consciousness was preserved in a device called the black cradle for future use.
When heretics take control of the Fortress of Scattered Needles, soldier Kel Cheris is assigned the task of reclaiming it. She is implanted with Jedao's consciousness to assist in the mission. Together, they breach the fortress’s defenses, leading a military assault. During the operation, Cheris discovers that a human civilization called the Hafn is invading hexarchate space. Kel Command, fearing Jedao's influence, withholds this information. It is later revealed that Vahenz afrir dai Noum, a high-ranking heretic, is a Hafn operative.
After several battles, Cheris gains control of the Fortress, but is betrayed by Kel reinforcements who use an exotic weapon to destroy Jedao. However, Cheris absorbs his memories, merging their consciousnesses. She then learns that Jedao orchestrated his preservation in the black cradle with the intent of eventually destroying the hexarchate. In the end, Cheris kills Vahenz, steals her ship, and decides to overthrow the hexarchate.
Following the events of Ninefox Gambit, General Shuos Jedao appears to have seized control of Kel Cheris’s body and identity. Jedao commandeers a Kel fleet, leveraging his legendary status to command obedience. The hexarchate responds by sending General Kel Khiruev to eliminate the threat, but Khiruev and her troops are quickly brought under Jedao’s control. Khiruev invokes the Vrae Tala protocol, a protocol that allows her to defy Kel Command’s formation instinct at the cost of a shortened lifespan. Formation instinct is an exotic effect, based on the hexarchate's high calendar, that compels Kel soldiers to obey superior officers.
Kel Brezan, a conflicted but loyal officer, is promoted and tasked with assassinating Jedao. When Brezan finally meets him, Jedao reveals that he is, in fact, Kel Cheris. Cheris's true objective is to collapse the Hexarchate's authority and reset the calendar. The existing calendrical system, enforced by violent rituals called remembrances, enables exotic technologies but also functions as a tool of ideological control. Her plan is to replace it with a new system in which exotic effects can only target willing participants. Brezan decides to join her, abandoning his mission and helping her fight against the hexarchate.