Ada Palmer's Terra Ignota series was such a delight too, starting with Too Like the Lightning. Beautiful threads of high Rennaisance drama in a interesting spec

Ada Palmer's Terra Ignota series was such a delight too, starting with Too Like the Lightning. Beautiful threads of high Rennaisance drama in a interesting speculative future earth. And I keep find myself recommending Arkady Martine's A Memory Called Empire. Amabassador from the independent sparse asteroid mining frontier sent in to the great core of expanding empire. Intrigue & outsiderdom & culture.