Breakaway Books

Authored by Ann Leckie; Published May 2026; Science Fiction

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Radiant Star may be set on a faraway planet in a foreign empire, but its commentary is all too relevant to our society. So relevant, in fact, that this may not be what you’re looking for in a sci-fi novel.

In Radiant Star, the planet of Ooioiaa has been colonized by the Radchaai, and under their rule, the three competing sects of the inhabitants’ religion are shaken up. As the last saint of the planet is laid to rest, we observe how the religious authorities and the Radchaai governor struggle to hold on to their power in spite of significant obstructions in trade and widespread hunger. The ruling families of the planet, although nominally dedicated to their religious sects, are truly only faithful to their own search for power and survival.

I haven’t read any of Leckie’s other novels about the Radchaai empire, and that did make for a bit of a rough entry into this novel. But it is true that you do not need to have read the full Radchaai library to understand the plot—the message rings true regardless of whether you have a comprehensive knowledge of the context. On the one hand, this novel is chock full of more than its fair share of cynicism. Every political and religious authority is concerned with their own grasp on power above all else, including such old-fashioned concepts as truth and justice, and the narrator gives us a front-row seat to their innermost (selfish) thoughts. As a cynic myself, I’m inclined to think of it as realistic, but I don’t read science fiction for realism. If you’re already convinced that religion is just another way to grab for power, this book will reinforce that idea with vigor.

But no matter what, you are sure to enjoy the rich world-building. I loved the way that the novel portrayed the small factors that accumulate and build the discontent of the populace until apparent peace explodes into riots. Is this not how all revolutions break out? The internet is down, the bread doesn’t quite make it to market, a single person dies publicly—and rebellion breaks out, after years of oppression. On Ooioiaa, food is a much more central cause, and the description of the famine that strikes the city and the rich who manage to evade it seems depressingly true to life. It’s a study in how a populace that seems to be ground into submission can rise up with just a few turns of bad luck.

Radiant Star takes place on another planet, but what it depicts is anything but foreign. It is unfortunately all too familiar.