This is book 5 of the "Safehold" series.

This note contains spoilers for the book.

 

What's next for the Empire of Charis? Looks like we're about to get another assassination attempt on the Empress, anyway. Also the Inquisition is about to get its hands on the prisoners from their first significant naval defeat. Looks kind of grim for a while, and the payoff in the last book was kind of downplayed, too.

Oh, and Merlin has found some old artifacts which include a video from Schuler himself saying that in 1000 years the Archangels will come beck to check things out. That might be about 11 years from now. This does not leave them feeling better about the power sources in the Temple basement that they haven't been able to research (but does give them a key to that area).

Nobody has thought of the possibility that a returning Archangel would be appalled at the corruption of the Church. I think they actually would; but they wouldn't share Merlin's goal of advancing tech to eventually meet the aliens, the Archangels decided to hide forever. So it'd be a mixed blessing at best. Still, they should think of it.

Also Merlin is thinking about making more PICAs (that's what he is), and also whether the Archangels will return in PICA form, or AI form, or what. Maybe PICA form but with the "10 days of autonomous operation" rule still intact? That might explain why they only check in every 1000 years.

Charis is managing to make friends of some of its old enemies; in this one Ivy and Daivyn or however the heck that's spelled come in from the cold. And have to escape Church assassins to do so.

Also we're getting the start of a foothold on the mainland. No further progress on PICAs, though; apparently that's just planted for future reference (they do get a three-person virtual reality box going though, I assume that will become relevant).

Still feels remote, distanced, and slow.