Book Note: John Barnes, A Princess of the Aerie

This is book 2 of the "Jak Jinnaka" series.

This note contains spoilers for the book.

Sequel to The Duke of Uranium. The main character seems a less pleasant person in this book, and I'm afraid that sets the tone for future books in the series. The Princess, who we met in the previous book, certainly is less pleasant.

The main character seems to be trapped in his position. He's not struggling much, but he doesn't have much freedom of choice. His uncle raised him to be an agent, and conspires with the Princess, the Dean of the Public Service Academy, and others to make sure he gets the experiences he needs to shape him to that task. Now, none of this is presented as pleasant or good. But it's still not all that pleasant or good.