Back in November for SciFi Month, the Otherworlds discord group read Behind the Throne for the sci-fi month read-a-long. We enjoyed it so much and decided to continue the trilogy in January. And here we are. The first week’s questions were posted by Lisa over at Dear Geek Place. There is a schedule and if you are following it, then you know that I am week behind. But, if you are wanting to join in I am proof that it’s not too late. Here is the blurb, but I don’t recommend you continuing on if you have not read the first one.

After the Crown by K.B. Wagers

December 13, 2016- 416 pgs

Former gunrunner-turned-Empress Hail Bristol was dragged back to her home planet to fill her rightful position in the palace. With her sisters and parents murdered, the Indranan empire is on the brink of war. Hail must quickly make alliances with nearby worlds if she has any hope of surviving her rule. 

 When peace talks turn violent and Hail realizes she’s been betrayed, she must rely on her old gunrunning ways to get out of trouble. With help from an old boss and some surprising new allies, she must risk everything to save her world.

The story resumes almost where it left off at the end of Behind The Throne, with the public executions of Ganda and Laabh following the failed coup attempt, though we quickly learn that Hail’s stoic front is masking a lot of (unsurprising) trauma. Do you think Hail is going to be able to hold up under the strain she is, at least partly, putting on herself?

This is the second book in a trilogy. Hail has been in a position that she is never wanted, but accepted because it was the right thing to do. It is not the life that she would have chosen and there is a part of her that is still trying to convince herself that she is capable. And she will be the first to tell you that she is not worthy of the position. And yet. There is a big difference between being capable and being worthy. There is a transition between being capable and knowing that one is capable. Also. No one has bothered to tell her that she is what the empire NEEDS. Just as a second book in a trilogy posits itself as the transition/arc between book 1 and book 3, this is Hail’s transition. And I think she is going to break. I think she has to break so that she can stop being the empress who used to be a gunrunner. Those skills and characteristics that made her into a deadly gunrunner, are exactly what she needs to be the empress that the empire needs at this point in its history. And she has to realize that she is both and there isn’t really as much a separation as she might think. I also think that this is a book where she will need her gunrunning contacts.

Another thread from Book 1 that’s yet to be tied off is the matter of Bial, as the manhunt for the missing traitor continues. Any guesses or theories so far on if/how/when he’ll reappear?

I think Bial is a wildcard. He did what he did for the betterment of the empire. But I think he was also a little misled. I don’t think he was a part of the attempt at the throne, and maybe assumed that Hail was involved and when he saw that she wasn’t, he saved her. But, if he suspected her then he had to have a legitimate reason for doing so. He doesn’t seem like the type to suspect someone just because he didn’t like her. So maybe someone was feeding him or playing into his suspicions- someone he trusted. So right now, I think he is sitting back to see what happens, gathering his own information. I think he is going to come into play in the final book, or at a crucial moment. And he is going to tilt the balance between Hail succeeding at a critical point. (I say this because I think that he is going to come to the conclusion that Hail is what the empire needs or he’s going to realize that helping her honors the empress he served.)

We see Hail and Emmory have yet another clash of opinions, only this one seems to take a much more serious toll on a personal level. Are you picking a side in this particular fight, or just chewing on the tasty conflict? 

I’m groaning in annoyance. She’s dreaming that he’s dying. He’s dreaming that she’s dying and they’re not talking to each other. They’re holding back to keep from burdening the other. But Hail has only a small circle of people she can absolutely trust, so get over it and communicate. If this was a romance, this would be the miscommunication trope and that’s annoying on a good day. But it’s also a sign that they are getting closer, so I am curious as to where this is going to lead them. And I’m not sure if I like where I think it’s going, I’m still undecided.

Some new(ish) faces appear here, as not only does Abraham Suda briefly return, but we get to meet Tazerion, an old friend of Hail’s from her pre-gunrunner days, now among the high ranks of the Upjas. What did you make of their reunion, and of the political proceedings that bring Taz back onto the scene? 

There is history between Taz and Hail. And I am not sure if she’s seeing him with her current eyes or the ones in the past. People change. She has changed, but is she wiling to see that he has. From the first meeting with Abraham, he seems to be looking out for her (not wanting her weakness broadcast) and then offering to go after Christoph AND handing over the people he finds without hesitation. Call me skeptical, but what’s his play? Is it really about finding a way to peace for their people or is it something else?

We end this section with Hail deciding to be direct in her dealings with King Trace, in order to clear the air between them and gain more information about just what is going on with the Saxon Alliance. … Any predictions on that front? 

I don’t think that she decided to be direct in her dealings. There is a reason she picked the library and a reason she let Toropova see that she was reading The Art of War. If she is trying to stop a war before it starts, she’s using the backdoor. An approach she has to use, since Indrana would not survive a frontal attack. I am definitely curious to see what happens though.

Always Shine!