Mazes of Power
Written by Juliette Wade
Narrated by Michael Crouch, Will Ropp and Brian Nishii
4/5
()
About this audiobook
This debut work of sociological science fiction follows a deadly battle for succession, where brother is pitted against brother in a singular chance to win power and influence for their family.
The cavern city of Pelismara has stood for a thousand years. The Great Families of the nobility cling to the myths of their golden age while the city's technology wanes.
When a fever strikes, and the Eminence dies, seventeen-year-old Tagaret is pushed to represent his Family in the competition for Heir to the Throne. To win would give him the power to rescue his mother from his abusive father, and marry the girl he loves.
But the struggle for power distorts everything in this highly stratified society, and the fever is still loose among the inbred, susceptible nobles. Tagaret's sociopathic younger brother, Nekantor, is obsessed with their family's success. Nekantor is willing to exploit Tagaret, his mother, and her new servant Aloran to defeat their opponents.
Can he be stopped? Should he be stopped? And will they recognize themselves after the struggle has changed them?
Juliette Wade
Juliette Wade's habit of asking "why" about everything has led her to explore the world both above and below the ground. She has lived in Japan and France, and holds degrees in linguistics and anthropology. The author of many published short stories, she lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her Aussie husband and her two sons, who support and inspire her.
Related to Mazes of Power
Titles in the series (2)
Mazes of Power Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Transgressions of Power Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related audiobooks
The Unwilling Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Conspiracy of Truths Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Palimpsest Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Choir of Lies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Strange Beasts of China Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bird King Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Past Is Red Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The First Sister: The First Sister trilogy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Vita Nostra: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5False Hearts: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Breath of the Sun Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Gossamer Mage Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Traitor Baru Cormorant Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Daughter from the Dark: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Last Exit Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Deathless Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Meet Us by the Roaring Sea: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsScorpica Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dreams and Shadows: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All the Birds in the Sky Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blackfish City: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Witness for the Dead: Book One of the Cemeteries of Amalo Trilogy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Gutter Mage Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5City of Last Chances Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Zero Repeat Forever Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Frontier Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The City in the Middle of the Night Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Grand Dark Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Two Doctors Górski Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Fantasy For You
A Court of Silver Flames Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Legends & Lattes: A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Court of Thorns and Roses Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Alchemist Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Court of Mist and Fury Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Court of Frost and Starlight Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fourth Wing Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Court of Wings and Ruin Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Good Omens: A Full Cast Production Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5From Blood and Ash Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The House in the Cerulean Sea Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This Is How You Lose The Time War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fairy Tale Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of The Oxford Translators' Revolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Omens Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Poppy War: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silmarillion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5American Gods: The Tenth Anniversary Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hobbit Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Outlander Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Return of the King Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Parable of the Sower Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Two Towers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Neverwhere Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Name of the Wind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Starling House: A Reese's Book Club Pick Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stardust Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure (The "Good Parts" Version) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for Mazes of Power
11 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I read the author's Big Idea on John Scalzi's blog and immediately put a hold on the book from my library. That was in February 2020 and by the time the book came to the library the whole library system in my city was closed for the COVID-19 pandemic. So it wasn't until this summer that I was finally able to read the book and by that time I had forgotten what Wade had said in her Big Idea. I have now reread it and it's such a great discussion of the book that I wish I could just copy it. I'm sure this is the first book in a series set on the world of Varin so it behooves me to make cogent enough notes that I will remember the book when the next one comes out. Because, yes, I will be reading the next one.Varin is a planet where almost all the people live in underground caverns. It's never completely explained why everyone dwells under the surface of the planet but from discussions about the surface it seems like it is a pretty hostile environment. Except food is grown on the surface and the lower classes must go to the surface to plant and harvest and care for the crops and animals. There are seven classes of people on Varin ranging from the nobles who are called Grobal to the underclass called Akrabitti. The nobles live in luxury and control all the rest of Varin's inhabitants but they are susceptible to a disease called Kinders fever which kill almost everyone who falls sick with it. As the book opens the supreme leader collapses on stage as he is about to give a speech and he dies. Everyone in attendance flees to the safety of their own homes but many fall ill. The designated heir takes power and immediately a competition to appoint the next heir starts. One man from each of the twelve noble families enters the competition. Tagaret, the main character, a seventeen-year-old elder son of a noble family is chosen to represent the First Family. Before he can continue he falls ill with Kinders fever. He survives thanks to the ministrations of Aloran, the servant hired to guard Tagaret's mother who is trained in the arts of healing. While he is ill, however, the competition for heir continues and Tagaret's younger brother, Nekantor, takes his place. Nekantor has mental health problems that have been successfully hidden most of his life but Tagaret is quite aware of his issues. When he recovers he is horrified to learn that Nekantor may become the next heir and he tries to prevent that. To add to the complexity of his life he has fallen in love with Della, a young noble lady who has been promised in marriage to one of the other contestants for heir. And then there's the violence his father, Garr, perpetrates against his mother, Tamelara, because in this society women have no rights. As Wade said in her Big Idea article the society is a maze and every person is trying to find the correct path through the maze. Tagaret sometimes takes a wrong turn but at least he is trying to do the right thing when he does. Nekantor has an almost uncanny ability to see the path through the maze but his rationale is anything but altruistic. It's a fascinating beginning to a series.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD. I was blessed to be sent an advance copy from the publisher, and more than happy to send back a blurb:"Mazes of Power is a gasp-inducing political Hunger Games packed with intrigue, assassins, and stunning social dynamics. I didn't want it to end!"Seriously, preorder this so you can get your hands on it on February 4, 2020. But don't start reading too close to bedtime, or you'll be in trouble...