Oh gosh this is just a wonderful book.

Good sci-fi has a way of making you feel small. The universe is a big, big place and even stars are only tiny dots from a distance. We are minuscule and unimportant in comparison. But the best sci fi also makes you feel warm. Yes we are small but our experiences, our lives, our loves and our fears are all important.

The story itself takes place in a solar system wide empire, spanning 8 planets. But, as impressive as that is, it’s quickly stated to be nothing in the grand scheme of things. In fact much of the conflict in the book centres around the renewal of a treaty that would protect them from invasion. If the treaty doesn’t go through, they’ll be quickly gobbled up by larger rivals.

But that is all just the background because Winter’s Orbit is a romance.

It’s the standard set up. Two people are forced together because of means outside their control, in this case a diplomatic wedding, and overtime become closer and find that they are in love. It’s a classic because it works so well. What I particularly like in this case is that this isn’t a ‘these people never seem to have been with anyone else’ kind of relationship. They have, and that’s brought some baggage into their marriage. One of them was married before and the impact of that is felt throughout the book. All in all, it seems very real in a way that romance books often don’t. But still very, very sweet.

All in all, this is just a fantastic book and I heartily recommend it.