Redsight is a book that hovers somewhere between fantasy and science fiction. It takes place in a setting where magic and technology are one and the same, in a universe created by three goddesses, Radiosa, Vermicula, and Furia. The priestesses and priests of these goddesses are directly descended from them and share their powers, which is based in a magical element called “tactus.” At some point in the distant past, there was a falling out between the goddesses and Furia was locked away by the other two, and her Order destroyed.
(This turns out to have been a Bad Idea, despite Furia being the goddess of Entropy/Gravity/Thermodynamics and her priestesses being literal “Star Eaters.”)
Our main protagonist is a priestess of Vermincula named Korinna. She has grown up believing that she is not very powerful as a “redseer,” but would desperately like to leave the monastery/ship she was raised on to avoid the possibility of being “recycled.” (A redseer’s blood can apparently strengthen the powers of another redseer.) She does not have much hope of this happening, and is suffering from a great deal of trauma because she has Survived Some Things. The only way for her to leave is to become the navigator (read: navigation and propulsion system) of a starship. She does not have much hope of this happening, because she is very weak.
After encountering a mysterious woman, things take a turn for the strange as Korinna makes a number of discoveries about herself and finds herself in a situation she never expected: serving as the navigator of a warship. This particular warship is being sent out to a region of space known as the Umbra, to hunt down an infamous pirate. While this is going on, a priestess of Radiosa stumbles across some forbidden technology, and the last priestess of Furia is working toward a plan of revenge against the the Orders and Imperium that entombed her mother.
Redsight is basically a high fantasy setting disguised as a space opera. It has some intriguing worldbuilding, but was a little difficult to get into. Some of the characterization felt a little emotionally flat, so it was hard to relate to the characters. The plot takes a few unexpected turns, but not in a “stupid random twist” way. This is a book I think is worth reading for the worldbuilding and some aspects of the plot (especially the romantic arc). However, this is likely to be a “one time read” for me unless there’s a sequel.
This review is based on a galley received from NetGalley.
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