The Trade of Queens

How it reads

The Trade of Queens is science fiction (space opera, specifically), and its dominant mood is funny. The humour is the point, not garnish. It moves fast: plot-driven and hard to put down, the kind of book that carries you along even when you're tired.

It's set in several locations, in the future, told in the third person across several viewpoints. Its central concerns are power and politics, identity and secrets. In weight it sits in the middle: substantial without being heavy going.

It's a later book in a series — you'll usually want to start earlier. The ending resolves happily. At 384 pages it's an ordinary novel's length. It's moderately known: read by plenty of people, but not a household name.