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Universe of Xuya
Tea and Murder
The Citadel of Weeping Pearls & The Tea Master and the Detective
Two novellas set in Aliette de Bodard’s award-winning, critically acclaimed Xuya universe, a timeline where Asia became dominant and where the space age has Confucian galactic empires of Vietnamese and Chinese inspiration.
The Citadel of Weeping Pearls
The Citadel of Weeping Pearls was a great wonder; a perfect meld between cutting-edge technology and esoteric sciences - its inhabitants capable of teleporting themselves anywhere, its weapons small and undetectable and deadly. Thirty years ago, threatened by an invading fleet from the Dai Viet Empire, the Citadel disappeared and was never seen again. But now the empire itself is under siege, on the verge of a war against an enemy that turns their own mindships against them; and the Empress, who once gave the order to raze the Citadel, is in desperate need of its weapons.
Meanwhile, on a small isolated space station, an engineer obsessed with the past works on a machine that will send her 30 years back, to the height of the Citadel’s power. But the Citadel’s disappearance still extends chains of grief and regret all the way into the fraught atmosphere of the Imperial Court; and this casual summoning of the past might have world-shattering consequences.
The Tea Master and the Detective
Welcome to the Scattered Pearls Belt, a collection of ring habitats and orbitals ruled by exiled human scholars and powerful families, and held together by living mindships who carry people and freight between the stars. In this fluid society, human and mindship avatars mingle in corridors and in function rooms, and physical and virtual realities overlap, the appearance of environments easily modified and adapted to interlocutors or current mood.
A transport ship discharged from military service after a traumatic injury, The Shadow’s Child now ekes out a precarious living as a brewer of mind-altering drugs for the comfort of space-travellers. Meanwhile, abrasive and eccentric scholar Long Chau wants to find a corpse for a scientific study. When Long Chau walks into her office, The Shadow’s Child expects an unpleasant but easy assignment. When the corpse turns out to have been murdered, Long Chau feels compelled to investigate, dragging The Shadow’s Child with her.
As they dig deep into the victim’s past, The Shadow’s Child realises that the investigation points to Long Chau’s own murky past - and, ultimately, to the dark and unbearable void that lies between the stars.
Two novellas set in Aliette de Bodard’s award-winning, critically acclaimed Xuya universe, a timeline where Asia became dominant and where the space age has Confucian galactic empires of Vietnamese and Chinese inspiration.
The Citadel of Weeping Pearls
The Citadel of Weeping Pearls was a great wonder; a perfect meld between cutting-edge technology and esoteric sciences - its inhabitants capable of teleporting themselves anywhere, its weapons small and undetectable and deadly. Thirty years ago, threatened by an invading fleet from the Dai Viet Empire, the Citadel disappeared and was never seen again. But now the empire itself is under siege, on the verge of a war against an enemy that turns their own mindships against them; and the Empress, who once gave the order to raze the Citadel, is in desperate need of its weapons.
Meanwhile, on a small isolated space station, an engineer obsessed with the past works on a machine that will send her 30 years back, to the height of the Citadel’s power. But the Citadel’s disappearance still extends chains of grief and regret all the way into the fraught atmosphere of the Imperial Court; and this casual summoning of the past might have world-shattering consequences.
The Tea Master and the Detective
Welcome to the Scattered Pearls Belt, a collection of ring habitats and orbitals ruled by exiled human scholars and powerful families, and held together by living mindships who carry people and freight between the stars. In this fluid society, human and mindship avatars mingle in corridors and in function rooms, and physical and virtual realities overlap, the appearance of environments easily modified and adapted to interlocutors or current mood.
A transport ship discharged from military service after a traumatic injury, The Shadow’s Child now ekes out a precarious living as a brewer of mind-altering drugs for the comfort of space-travellers. Meanwhile, abrasive and eccentric scholar Long Chau wants to find a corpse for a scientific study. When Long Chau walks into her office, The Shadow’s Child expects an unpleasant but easy assignment. When the corpse turns out to have been murdered, Long Chau feels compelled to investigate, dragging The Shadow’s Child with her.
As they dig deep into the victim’s past, The Shadow’s Child realises that the investigation points to Long Chau’s own murky past - and, ultimately, to the dark and unbearable void that lies between the stars.
7 pages, Audible Audio
Published February 9, 2021
2 people are currently reading
226 people want to read
About the author
Aliette de Bodard
265 books2,253 followersAliette de Bodard lives and works in Paris. She has won three Nebula Awards, an Ignyte Award, a Locus Award, a British Fantasy Award and four British Science Fiction Association Awards, and was a double Hugo finalist for 2019 (Best Series and Best Novella).
Her most recent book is Fireheart Tiger (Tor.com), a sapphic romantic fantasy inspired by pre colonial Vietnam, where a diplomat princess must decide the fate of her country, and her own. She also wrote Seven of Infinities (Subterranean Press), a space opera where a sentient spaceship and an upright scholar join forces to investigate a murder, and find themselves falling for each other. Other books include Of Dragons, Feasts and Murders and its standalone sequel Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances, (JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.), fantasy books of manners and murders set in an alternate 19th Century Vietnamese court. She lives in Paris.
Her most recent book is Fireheart Tiger (Tor.com), a sapphic romantic fantasy inspired by pre colonial Vietnam, where a diplomat princess must decide the fate of her country, and her own. She also wrote Seven of Infinities (Subterranean Press), a space opera where a sentient spaceship and an upright scholar join forces to investigate a murder, and find themselves falling for each other. Other books include Of Dragons, Feasts and Murders and its standalone sequel Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances, (JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.), fantasy books of manners and murders set in an alternate 19th Century Vietnamese court. She lives in Paris.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
January 13, 2023
I really like the writing style here and I want to read more books by Bodard.
February 23, 2021
This audiobook consists of two novellas, both set in the Xuya universe, but otherwise unconnected.
In The Citadel of the Weeping Pearls, it's thirty years after Empress Mi Hiep quarreled with her daughter, the Bright Princess Ngoc Minh, and Ngoc Minh took her followers, created the Citadel of Weeping Pearls, and pursued studies not approved of at the Imperial Court. This led to the ability to teleport, and weapons small enough to be smuggled anywhere, yet devastatingly powerful. Alarmed by these weapons, the Empress sent a fleet to destroy the Citadel, and the Citadel disappeared.
Now the Empire is threatened, and those weapons would be valuable. Also, the Empress is now quite old, and perhaps has started to realize that Ngoc Minh would be a better choice of heir than the Bright Princess's brother is. Mi Hiep has sent General Soo Nuoc to find the Citadel--until his search is interrupted by the disappearance of Bach Cuc, Grand Master of Design Harmony, who was on the track of the Citadel's technology, and perhaps the Citadel.
What follows is a complex and fascinating story, grounded in family ties, the ties of tradition, the ties of personal connection and obligation. It's told in four separate voices and viewpoints, and the characters are beautifully developed.
The Tea Master and the Detective is a very different story, a Holmes pastiche, extremely well done. The Shadow's Child is Mindship, a former military transport injured in the war, and now earning a meager living brewing mind-altering drugs to assist space travelers when their ships enter the Deep Spaces, and for other purposes. Long Chau, an abrasive, eccentric scholar, walks into her office seeking a brew to enable her to travel into the Deep Spaces seeking a corpse, to further her research. The Shadow's Child quickly concludes that Long Chau is already so precariously balanced with her existing drug load that the Mindship will have to also be the scholar's transport for the trip--an unpleasant but fairly simple assignment, and Long Chau can pay.
Unfortunately, the corpse they find is a murder victim, and neither of them can simply walk away from the case, especially once The Shadow's Child understands what Long Chau knew from the beginning--the Magistrate's office is not going to regard it as a priority or give it any serious investigation.
It's a nicely done, very enjoyable Holmes pastiche, and I'd love to see more with these characters.
Recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
In The Citadel of the Weeping Pearls, it's thirty years after Empress Mi Hiep quarreled with her daughter, the Bright Princess Ngoc Minh, and Ngoc Minh took her followers, created the Citadel of Weeping Pearls, and pursued studies not approved of at the Imperial Court. This led to the ability to teleport, and weapons small enough to be smuggled anywhere, yet devastatingly powerful. Alarmed by these weapons, the Empress sent a fleet to destroy the Citadel, and the Citadel disappeared.
Now the Empire is threatened, and those weapons would be valuable. Also, the Empress is now quite old, and perhaps has started to realize that Ngoc Minh would be a better choice of heir than the Bright Princess's brother is. Mi Hiep has sent General Soo Nuoc to find the Citadel--until his search is interrupted by the disappearance of Bach Cuc, Grand Master of Design Harmony, who was on the track of the Citadel's technology, and perhaps the Citadel.
What follows is a complex and fascinating story, grounded in family ties, the ties of tradition, the ties of personal connection and obligation. It's told in four separate voices and viewpoints, and the characters are beautifully developed.
The Tea Master and the Detective is a very different story, a Holmes pastiche, extremely well done. The Shadow's Child is Mindship, a former military transport injured in the war, and now earning a meager living brewing mind-altering drugs to assist space travelers when their ships enter the Deep Spaces, and for other purposes. Long Chau, an abrasive, eccentric scholar, walks into her office seeking a brew to enable her to travel into the Deep Spaces seeking a corpse, to further her research. The Shadow's Child quickly concludes that Long Chau is already so precariously balanced with her existing drug load that the Mindship will have to also be the scholar's transport for the trip--an unpleasant but fairly simple assignment, and Long Chau can pay.
Unfortunately, the corpse they find is a murder victim, and neither of them can simply walk away from the case, especially once The Shadow's Child understands what Long Chau knew from the beginning--the Magistrate's office is not going to regard it as a priority or give it any serious investigation.
It's a nicely done, very enjoyable Holmes pastiche, and I'd love to see more with these characters.
Recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
September 28, 2022
All of this author's stuff has sounded good to me, but this first foray was incredibly dull :(
February 11, 2024
Two fun, inventive and heartfelt short stories from a world far in the future, where space has been conquered East-Asian peoples, with ships controlled by human-birthed minds that have all but united with the electrical and mechanical components. The ships, as characters themselves, plunge into warped spacetime, protect passengers, and solve mysteries, but also project holographic avatars to sit and have tea with their families. Add in a few mysteries, deaths, and some deeply broken and emotional characters, and you have a blend that is altogether unique. Bravo.
April 22, 2023
This collects 2 novellas set in the Universe of Xuya Series. Links are to reviews.
The Citadel of Weeping Pearls - 3½⭐
The Citadel of Weeping Pearls is a marvel blending cutting edge technology and esoteric science. It's special since its citizens can teleport, plus they have small, undetectable, deadly weapons. It disappeared thirty years after the Dai Viet Empress, fearing assassination, sent a fleet to capture the Citadel. Now that a new dangerous enemy threatens the empire, they need the Citadel back! The book is written as a mystery but in the end it's all about the various relationships.
The Tea Master And The Detective - 4½⭐
This was billed as a Sherlock type story, and the parallels could not be more obvious. The Shadow's Child, a mindship discharged from the military after a catastrophic injury, clearly suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder like Watson. She ekes out a barely subsistence living brewing mind-altering drugs for space travelers. Clearly she has terrible advertising, I mean drugs while traveling? People would pay for that if she just marketed it right.
Scholar Long Chau hires her to grab a corpse for scientific study, but it is that of a murder victim, so they should investigate since as a detective she can solve the crime before the magistrate's tribunal. The drug addiction and deductive ability mean she's the Sherlock in this story. It's smart, well written and realistic, so no surprise this story got a ton of nominations and won the 2018 Nebula for best Novella.
The Citadel of Weeping Pearls - 3½⭐
The Citadel of Weeping Pearls is a marvel blending cutting edge technology and esoteric science. It's special since its citizens can teleport, plus they have small, undetectable, deadly weapons. It disappeared thirty years after the Dai Viet Empress, fearing assassination, sent a fleet to capture the Citadel. Now that a new dangerous enemy threatens the empire, they need the Citadel back! The book is written as a mystery but in the end it's all about the various relationships.
The Tea Master And The Detective - 4½⭐
This was billed as a Sherlock type story, and the parallels could not be more obvious. The Shadow's Child, a mindship discharged from the military after a catastrophic injury, clearly suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder like Watson. She ekes out a barely subsistence living brewing mind-altering drugs for space travelers. Clearly she has terrible advertising, I mean drugs while traveling? People would pay for that if she just marketed it right.
Scholar Long Chau hires her to grab a corpse for scientific study, but it is that of a murder victim, so they should investigate since as a detective she can solve the crime before the magistrate's tribunal. The drug addiction and deductive ability mean she's the Sherlock in this story. It's smart, well written and realistic, so no surprise this story got a ton of nominations and won the 2018 Nebula for best Novella.
April 11, 2026
I loved these two novellas! It was difficult to find hard copies of the book so I rented the audiobook. The Xuya Universe, which is a universe where Chinese and Vietnamese cultures are the dominant/most influential cultures, and human life has expanded to the theatre of space, is so rich and interesting, it makes me want to read more that Aliette de Bodard has written in the Universe so I can spend some more time in it!
I loved The Tea Master and the Detective a lot - it is a sci-fi (space opera), genderbent retelling of Sherlock Holmes and I loved the relationship between Long Chau and the Mindship, The Shadow's Child. I also thought it was really interesting the presence of drugs/intoxicants in the story, and the fact that Watson's character was a sentient ship that Long Chau lived on as well as worked with.
The Citadel of Weeping Pearls was also really great but the pacing was a little slow for me. I ended up really enjoying all of the characters, the time travel aspects, and the blending of tangible and virtual realities, but I did find myself questioning how much more story could there be after the climax. Still, the story was great and I thought every part of it made sense and fit in, even after I had finished a chapter that felt like an ending. Would definitely recommend this.
I'm going to be reading Seven of Infinities next since it takes place in the same place as The Tea Master and the Detective.
I loved The Tea Master and the Detective a lot - it is a sci-fi (space opera), genderbent retelling of Sherlock Holmes and I loved the relationship between Long Chau and the Mindship, The Shadow's Child. I also thought it was really interesting the presence of drugs/intoxicants in the story, and the fact that Watson's character was a sentient ship that Long Chau lived on as well as worked with.
The Citadel of Weeping Pearls was also really great but the pacing was a little slow for me. I ended up really enjoying all of the characters, the time travel aspects, and the blending of tangible and virtual realities, but I did find myself questioning how much more story could there be after the climax. Still, the story was great and I thought every part of it made sense and fit in, even after I had finished a chapter that felt like an ending. Would definitely recommend this.
I'm going to be reading Seven of Infinities next since it takes place in the same place as The Tea Master and the Detective.
Read
January 27, 2022I think the cover of this dual audiobook edition is lovely. I'm glad that my library put me on auto-hold for this when it became available even though I'd only requested the tea master and the detective.
didn't much care for the citadel of weeping pearls (granted, I was doing other stuff while listening, but I found myself wondering why I should care about or attend to certain, or many, details).
the tea master and the detective, however, is probably my favorite of what I've read from de bodard. given how little I thought of fireheart tiger , that wasn't a high bar to clear, but I did enjoy it. yes, holmes and watson should both be women[**** you know what I mean], and yes, watson should absolutely be a ship mind. you know I love ship-based intelligences!!!
choice of narrators felt a little strange. I find the depth of rudnicki's voice distracting. it only sort of worked for
didn't much care for the citadel of weeping pearls (granted, I was doing other stuff while listening, but I found myself wondering why I should care about or attend to certain, or many, details).
the tea master and the detective, however, is probably my favorite of what I've read from de bodard. given how little I thought of fireheart tiger , that wasn't a high bar to clear, but I did enjoy it. yes, holmes and watson should both be women[**** you know what I mean], and yes, watson should absolutely be a ship mind. you know I love ship-based intelligences!!!
choice of narrators felt a little strange. I find the depth of rudnicki's voice distracting. it only sort of worked for
February 7, 2024
There are two novellas combined into this short story.
The Citadel of Weeping Pearls - This was a 5 star story for me. I was effortlessly incorporated into the this new and different far future, so far ahead that aspects of science seem almost magical. I loved the emotional journeys our characters went through and was on the edge of my seat toward the end.
The Tea Master and the Detective - This was a 3 star story for me. I love the unique view of mindships and the exploration of trauma for something so seemingly vulnerable. Unfortunately, I felt the mystery was a little heavy handed because it seemed squeezed and shaped to fit into a Sherlock and Watson model that did not work for me. The writing was still amazing and I think this was just a bad fit for me as a reader.
I will continue to explore de Bodard's worlds and stories as her blend of science and beautiful writing make my heart happy.
The Citadel of Weeping Pearls - This was a 5 star story for me. I was effortlessly incorporated into the this new and different far future, so far ahead that aspects of science seem almost magical. I loved the emotional journeys our characters went through and was on the edge of my seat toward the end.
The Tea Master and the Detective - This was a 3 star story for me. I love the unique view of mindships and the exploration of trauma for something so seemingly vulnerable. Unfortunately, I felt the mystery was a little heavy handed because it seemed squeezed and shaped to fit into a Sherlock and Watson model that did not work for me. The writing was still amazing and I think this was just a bad fit for me as a reader.
I will continue to explore de Bodard's worlds and stories as her blend of science and beautiful writing make my heart happy.
April 30, 2025
The second novella in this collection, The Tea Master and the Detective, was a solid 5 stars from me. However, I kept getting lost in the names and changing affections of The Citadel of Weeping Pearls, which cut into my enjoyment, even if I appreciate the expansive world.
And also the choice to present the two novellas together, in this particular order.
And also the choice to present the two novellas together, in this particular order.
November 1, 2021
I love the Xuya universe, but I’m glad I didn’t buy this audiobook and so have to go deal with the refund process. The narration is clear, fluent, and absolutely littered with the sort of careless reading mistakes that are why professional audiobooks are supposed to have editors and producers - word reversals, mixed up character names, and that particular mispronunciation that is grabbing a word that looks similar but doesn’t actually make any sense in the sentence. I can tolerate a few of those - audiobook narration is hard, and re-recording for errors is worse - but they throw me badly out of a book, and this one has far too many for a professional production.
December 12, 2023
I didn't get very far into this far-eastern space sci fi mystery. I am not certain which eastern cultures the society is modeled on, but they've come up with a way to give birth to souls that are part of AI spaceships - literally members of the royal family - and to preserve the souls of the departed for future advice and collaboration. There was a fortress (with many inhabitants) that escaped (?) into another dimension, and the royals are hunting for it, hoping to bring it back because the unwanted technology it possessed is now needed to fight off a dangerous foe. The dimension part is not fully proven, and not well understood.
May 12, 2023
14 This was an excellent read. I am definitely going to be looking for more books set in this universe. I have liked other books by this author but they were more fantasy than science fiction. I was gripped by the very first page and the page turning did not stop. Loved it! ”A sixteen year old girl, chafing at the strictures of family life, vanished without a trace with dark speculations she’d simply been sold into slavery. Or to a bidder with a taste for a young and pliant concubine.”
November 10, 2023
Audio review
I enjoyed listening to this even though I had very little understanding of what was actually going on.
The narrator I thought was an odd choice, their voice didn't work for either the characters or the story , but given how personal and subjective voice narration is, YMMV.
I love Aliette's writing, even if I don't understand it all, I still get pleasure from the almost poetic prose.
While I'll definitely read Aliette again, I'm not sure if I'll venture too far into the Xuya universe.
I enjoyed listening to this even though I had very little understanding of what was actually going on.
The narrator I thought was an odd choice, their voice didn't work for either the characters or the story , but given how personal and subjective voice narration is, YMMV.
I love Aliette's writing, even if I don't understand it all, I still get pleasure from the almost poetic prose.
While I'll definitely read Aliette again, I'm not sure if I'll venture too far into the Xuya universe.
April 12, 2024
3.75* rounded up
2 novellas in one audiobook.
The Citadel of Weeping Pearls - sweeping, majestic space opera at its core dealing with female on female conflict.
The Tea Master & the Detective - space Sherlock Holmes
Connected by a universe but otherwise unconnected and can be read as standalone stories.
I didn't truly connect to either story, but thought TCoWP was beautifully imagined with some interesting themes and a striking ending - 4*
TTM&TD was a 3.5* - I liked the concept and how the story unfolded but didn't love it.
2 novellas in one audiobook.
The Citadel of Weeping Pearls - sweeping, majestic space opera at its core dealing with female on female conflict.
The Tea Master & the Detective - space Sherlock Holmes
Connected by a universe but otherwise unconnected and can be read as standalone stories.
I didn't truly connect to either story, but thought TCoWP was beautifully imagined with some interesting themes and a striking ending - 4*
TTM&TD was a 3.5* - I liked the concept and how the story unfolded but didn't love it.
October 9, 2024
I wanted to like this. I really did, I love sci-fi and I love eastern culture and mythology but I was so incredibly bored. I found myself drifting and just wishing to be over. Maybe it was because I did the audiobook, but my main issue was I didn’t feel there was enough engaging world building. I knew why they wanted to find the bright princess and what was happening so I should have been excited or interested but the world fell flat for me. I almost DNF the book so I couldn’t give it 3 stars for that reason alone but otherwise it was fine just not super engaging to me.
April 3, 2024
An interesting take on time traveling to the past, you can interact a little with people, but they forgot everything very shortly afterword. Also time machines are extremely dangerous, keep them away from me! Also the tea master detective is a nice change of pace and reminds me a bit of Sen no Rikyū, who played politics with tea. A decent read set in a unique universe.
February 4, 2022
This is an audio bind up of short stories “The Citadel of Weeping Pearls” and “The Tea Master and the Detective.” It was okay, both stories are sci-fi mysteries and the writing reminded me a little bit of Becky Chambers. I recommend for folks who read a lot of sci-fi, but wouldn’t suggest it if you rarely read the genre.
May 25, 2025
Interesting couple of novellas. The setting is interesting and I will likely read more by the author.
However the first novella is far and away the superior of the pair in basically every way. Better set up, mystery, scope of the universe etc etc.
The latter one was a bit too on the nose as a Holmes/Watson thing without really capturing either that dynamic or what makes a great mystery.
However the first novella is far and away the superior of the pair in basically every way. Better set up, mystery, scope of the universe etc etc.
The latter one was a bit too on the nose as a Holmes/Watson thing without really capturing either that dynamic or what makes a great mystery.
February 9, 2022
Picked after a search for Tea books. Didn't check the summary. I probably should have because I spent the first novella trying to figure out what was going on. The second novella I got it and enjoyed the ride.
May 31, 2023
3.75 Novellas and short stories are often a hit or miss for me but I really enjoyed this one. Of the two stories, I preferred the first one as it felt more fleshed out
August 8, 2023
Good listening.
June 3, 2024
3.5. I think I would have enjoyed this more if I haven’t picked it up in the middle of the series. I did enjoy the sci-fi elements pointing back to Enders Game and Firefly though.
October 19, 2024
A beautiful universe that will read more from. I had a hard time rooting for any one character, except the tea master. The detective was a simple mystery, easily guessed.
Did Not Finish
December 15, 2024🥱
January 10, 2025
3.5⭐️ - I enjoyed both stories. The detective story is definitely giving Sherlock Holmes vibes.
July 7, 2025
Great pair of short stories and I’m hoping a good introduction to the works of Dr Bodard
March 15, 2024
The Citadel of Weeping Pearls : a captivating space-time-travelling and mystery story , mixing high-stake level politics and conflicts with intimate family connections and drama, in the fantastic Xuya universe.
The Tea Master and the Detective: a brilliant detective story, with a "tea master" mindship joining the investigation of the client-detective, lots of secrets to uncover and unexpected plot twists.
The narrators did a great job on these.
The Tea Master and the Detective: a brilliant detective story, with a "tea master" mindship joining the investigation of the client-detective, lots of secrets to uncover and unexpected plot twists.
The narrators did a great job on these.
January 2, 2022
This is beautiful, and I'm aching to see it on a big screen. The ships!! The unexpected gender flip Sherlock AU!
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews