New out May 12, 2026
Radiant Star
- 301
- Pages
- about 6 h
- Reading time
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Our view
“Radiant Star” brings Ann Leckie back to the Radch for a standalone novel in which faith, politics and empire collide in one city. An ancient holy site the empire dismisses as a nuisance is about to be absorbed, and one man is allowed to join its mummified dead as a living saint. Leckie follows the consequences through very different viewpoints as food runs short. It suits readers of quieter, politically minded space opera.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
Space opera's sharpest mind returns to the world of the Imperial Radch in this brilliant standalone from award-winning author Ann Leckie. The Temporal Location of the Radiant Star has always been a source of both conflict and hope for the people of Ooioiaa. However, the imperial Radch see it only as an inconvenience, an antiquated religious site soon to be absorbed into their own, superior culture. But local politics is complicated, and the Radch have made one last concession: One last man will be allowed to join the mummified bodies in the temporal location to become a "living saint". But this one decision will ripple out to affect every part of the city. Amidst a slowly worsening food shortage, riots, and a communication blackout from the rest of the Radch Empire, a religious savant will entertain visions of his own sainthood, a socialite will discover zer comfortable life upended, and a young man sold into servitude will find unlikely escape.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.6 across 47 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 24% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Rankings average of 7.8. That is how 7.7 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 7.6 | 47 | 100% |
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