Publisher – Tor

Published – Out Now

Price – £9.99 paperback £2.06 Kindle eBook

Fire burns bright and has a long memory….

Quiet, thoughtful princess Thanh was sent away as a hostage to the powerful faraway country of Ephteria as a child. Now she’s returned to her mother's imperial court, haunted not only by memories of her first romance, but by worrying magical echoes of a fire that devastated Ephteria’s royal palace.

Thanh's new role as a diplomat places her once again in the path of her first love, the powerful and magnetic Eldris of Ephteria, who knows exactly what she wants: romance from Thanh and much more from Thanh’s home. Eldris won't take no for an answer, on either front. But the fire that burned down one palace is tempting Thanh with the possibility of making her own dangerous decisions.

Can Thanh find the freedom to shape her country’s fate—and her own?

It is said that drama can be about confrontation. Two characters in opposition to one another. In fantasy we tend to think of bigger forces – good and evil, the powerful versus the powerless – we like to go large in fantasy! In Aliette de Bodard’s fascinating Fireheart Tiger we get to explore these parallels between the political and the personal as a young heir to the throne finds her past relationships and her country’s future are entwined much more than she imagined.

Thanh is the daughter of the Empress of Binh Hai. Her country has an uneasy relationship with its neighbours and so increasingly the country has been using the power of the powerful Ephetria to bolster itself via their use of weapons to defend their borders. Thanh has even been sent to stay a few years ago with its rulers to strengthen despite her visit ending in a mysterious palace fire. An Ephetrian delegation arrive to set new terms for the countries’ future relationships and leading it is Princess Eldris whom Thanh entered a relationship with while abroad. Eldris seeks greater Ephetrian presence, power and control over their business dealings in Binh Hai but also a re-connection with her former lover with a proposal of marriage. Thanh has to weigh up her feelings for Eldris with the needs of her country but also finds herself now visited by a strange young woman named Giang who Eldris recalls was there in the palace when it caught fire. The relationships between countries and women will be tested and strained.

This is an extremely intelligent piece of storytelling as de Bodard explores abusive relationships not just between former lovers but also countries. Initially Thanh who has felt side-lined in her mother’s kingdom (and often chastened by her mother for her behaviour) is initially delighted to see the bold and proud Eldris who soon once again sweeps ger off her feet while at the same time laying down terms to her mother. But the reader may start to notice Eldris is less romantic and more someone who takes what she wants and less. De Bodard is very good at looking at describing how a character’s body language in a scene perhaps tells you more than the honeyed words someone offers. Thanh starts to see that her lover may not quite see her as an equal and more a future possession. Intriguingly then we see a wider parallel with the pair’s respective international diplomacy. Arriving initially with gifts that are desperately and slowly colonising and taking charge for their own empire’s growth. It’s subtly delivered but fascinating to see a fantasy tale exploring how it happens in real life.

If this was simply just international relations it would have been a very good tale but de Bodard adds on a magical dimension. Thanh finds fires now haunt her ever since the Palace incident and it appears the young woman named Giang knows more about what is going on. Here the story talks about people finding a more balanced relationship and the tension of the tale is whether Eldris ca be stopped from taking over Thanh’s life (and her world). I was impressed how the story moved from intense romance to exploring a more toxic relationship and makes the reader start to look at how subtly a relationship works or doesn’t. This works in particular as young woman the reader gets to put themselves in the place of having to decide where she stands and ultimately this is an empowering tale of taking charge of your own life.

This is a fine novella that tackles difficult subjects sensitively and thoughtfully. Fantasy that explores real world ideas is always something to treasure. On top of that we get de Bodard’s trademark development of character and world building that makes this another wonderful piece of storytelling.