An interesting read. The story and characters are well defined. A good sci-if read.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author, Emery Robin. and to Orbit Books for allowing me this ARC for a review! This book is my first real space opera, and by the gods, I am so happy it is! I always like a good sci-fi, and in space??? Yes please! And, of course, the classicist in me LOVES the Caesar, Cleopatra, and Antony connections.

This book was such a phenomenal read, and I cannot wait for it to be published. I really enjoyed the characters and the different relationships we see in between all the characters. The different motivations and personalities makes this story so good and impossible to put down!

My favorite part, however, was the world building. I loved the aspect of religion and the political intrigue. When looking to the ancient Mediterranean for inspiration, religion and politics is such an important aspect to consider and I really felt that in this story. It’s also easy to do wrong, but The Stars Undying passed that test with flying colors in my opinion. The religion felt complex and interesting without being redundant or annoying, and the politics was believable but not overburdening. Both were handled fantastically.

Lastly, being a classicist, I REALLY enjoyed the references to the Ancient Mediterranean. I’m usually not a philosophy person at all outside of the Greek philosophers, but the inclusion of philosophy reminiscent of Plato and the likes made it so interesting and digestible. I even recognized some of the specific philosophical questions brought up in this book from my translations of Plato, which was fun! But regardless, I thought this aspect was handled well. The philosophy is not thrown in our faces in a way that we can’t understand, and that’s hard to do so well done.

I really, really enjoyed this book and I will absolutely reread it if I’m ever in a reading slump. I feel like it would be exactly what I need to get out of one, and I also think it’s the type of book where you could read it a million times and find something new each time. Thank you again for the ARC—I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity.

Look, I will read basically any palace intrigue space opera and anything about Cleopatra so I probably still would've enjoyed this if it hadn't been as great as it turned out to be, but this is not only one of the best debuts but just one of the best books I've read in recent years period, and I know I'll be recommending it for years to come. The copy is actually accurate in that I do think it's perfect for readers of Arkady Martine and Anne Leckie, as well as Kate Elliott, Tamsyn Muir, early Catherine Asaro, Everina Maxwell, and to be completely honest, fans ofJupiter Ascending--although more on vibes than plot in the last case, obviously! See also: the recent TV adaptation of Foundation. If classical retellings and brilliant, epic storytelling (in SPACE!) appeal to you even a little, do not miss THE STARS UNDYING.

An amazing space opera that embodies some fascinating worlds, cultures and religions.

I like the similarities to the tales of Caesar and Cleopatra (the carpet even was fantastic!). The Gracia character was well developed and I found myself sympathizing with her at every turn that lead to tragedy and betrayal.

Some of the side characters I was “meh” about.

I could see the inspiration from Cleopatra and Julius Caesar, I never really thought of them in a scifi setting but it worked really well. I enjoyed getting to know this world and loved the scifi elements in the story. The characters were what I wanted from this type of book and enjoyed the world. Emery Robin has a great way of writing and I wanted to read more from Emery Robin.

"But one palace alone stands uninhabited. No one since the last high priest has ever slept in the Libeiracópolan. The line which was once the Wall is visible from above the city. Call that circle a sort of pupil. If it is, then the Libeiracópolan is the gleam inside."