What if Genghis Khan got his wish, and brought the entire planet under the control of the Mongols? Where would he have gone next?
A thousand years after Khan's death, Yellow Dog is the codename of a female spy working for a vast Mongol-dominated galactic empire. When she learns of anomalous events happening on the edge of civilised space -- phantom ships appearing in the faster-than-light transit system which binds the empire together -- Yellow Dog puts herself forward for the most hazardous assignment of her career. In deep cover, she must penetrate the autonomous zone where the anomalies are most frequent, and determine whether the empire is really under attack, and if so by who or what. Yellow Dog's problems, however, are only just beginning. For the autonomous zone is under the heel of Qilian, a thuggish local tyrant with no love for central government and a reputation for extreme brutality. Qilian already knows more about the anomalies than Yellow Dog does. If she is going to learn more, she will have to earn his confidence -- even if that means working for him, rather than against him.
So begins a deadly game of subterfuge and double-cross -- while the anomalies increase...
Reynolds’ impressive new space opera is a novella about the Mongol Empire 999 years after the death of its founder. Yellow Dog is a spy whose investigations have revealed troubling anomalies in the faster-than-light pathways that keep the empire functioning. The khan sends her to the edge of civilized space to find out what exactly the phantoms, as the anomalies are called, are. Commander Qilian, none too fond of the central government, knows at least some of what Yellow Dog has come to find out. Then begins a complex game of delicate maneuvering, in which Yellow Dog’s eventual shaky truce with Qilian is only the beginning. There are stranger things awaiting them in the pathways than anyone suspected, including other human empires and unimaginably strange aliens. Set in a solidly built universe, full of excellent espionage and adventure, Six Directions of Space is a surprisingly small package to contain such a lot of entertainment. --Regina Schroeder
Description:
What if Genghis Khan got his wish, and brought the entire planet under the control of the Mongols? Where would he have gone next?
A thousand years after Khan's death, Yellow Dog is the codename of a female spy working for a vast Mongol-dominated galactic empire. When she learns of anomalous events happening on the edge of civilised space -- phantom ships appearing in the faster-than-light transit system which binds the empire together -- Yellow Dog puts herself forward for the most hazardous assignment of her career. In deep cover, she must penetrate the autonomous zone where the anomalies are most frequent, and determine whether the empire is really under attack, and if so by who or what. Yellow Dog's problems, however, are only just beginning. For the autonomous zone is under the heel of Qilian, a thuggish local tyrant with no love for central government and a reputation for extreme brutality. Qilian already knows more about the anomalies than Yellow Dog does. If she is going to learn more, she will have to earn his confidence -- even if that means working for him, rather than against him.
So begins a deadly game of subterfuge and double-cross -- while the anomalies increase...
From Publishers Weekly
Reynolds (The Prefect) is a master of fitting large-scale space opera into just a few pages, and this novella is no exception. The Mongols, led by Genghis Khan, conquered Earth a thousand years ago and now rule an interstellar civilization via a wormhole transportation system created by extinct aliens. Yellow Dog, a spy for the current khan, is sent on a mission to a distant part of the empire where phantom starships have been glimpsed during wormhole transit. Taken prisoner by the sadistic local Mongol commander, Yellow Dog discovers that the commander has collected artifacts from these phantoms, and she soon finds herself in charge of interpreting them as she investigates the appearance of several alien races with humanlike DNA. Technology, history and an unlikely friendship add dimension to the short but intriguing universe-spanning mystery. (Jan.)
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From Booklist
Reynolds’ impressive new space opera is a novella about the Mongol Empire 999 years after the death of its founder. Yellow Dog is a spy whose investigations have revealed troubling anomalies in the faster-than-light pathways that keep the empire functioning. The khan sends her to the edge of civilized space to find out what exactly the phantoms, as the anomalies are called, are. Commander Qilian, none too fond of the central government, knows at least some of what Yellow Dog has come to find out. Then begins a complex game of delicate maneuvering, in which Yellow Dog’s eventual shaky truce with Qilian is only the beginning. There are stranger things awaiting them in the pathways than anyone suspected, including other human empires and unimaginably strange aliens. Set in a solidly built universe, full of excellent espionage and adventure, Six Directions of Space is a surprisingly small package to contain such a lot of entertainment. --Regina Schroeder