Ocean’s Echo, the second novel by Everina Maxwell, takes place in the same universe as Winter’s Orbit and has the same appeal: likable characters in a cozy romance arc have a rollicking adventure full of intergalactic peril and intrigue.
Ocean’s Echo
Everina Maxwell
Tor Books
November 1, 2022
Tennal is an absolute fuck-up and his politician aunt despairs of him in a way that reminds me of Bertie Wooster’s many disapproving aunts. In his society, genetic modification using alien remnants has enabled “architects” who can temporarily coerce people into doing things telepathically, and “readers” who can read minds, perhaps surreptitiously.
If Tennal lived in Wodehouse’s 1920s London instead of the extremely military star system of Ocean’s Echo, he would absolutely get drunk and steal a policeman’s helmet as a lark.
Instead, he evades his aunt and the rest of the society that disapproves of his “reader” abilities to delve deep into others’ thoughts and secrets, and takes a bunch of drugs in the company of gamblers, until his aunt comes to collect him.
He’s promptly drugged in a whole new way, much less fun, and packed off to the military for a mandatory mind-meld with a different kind of neuro-modified adept: an architect who can “write” other people, controlling their actions.
The architect he is assigned to, however, turns out to the extremely upright, handsome, and devastatingly capable Surit Yeni, who is horrified that Tennal has been coerced into this position against his will.
That’s when the romance begins, as Surit and Tennal work together to figure out what the hell is going on in a military that would allow this kind of thing.
As in Winter’s Orbit, trust is really important to the developing relationship. As in that book neither partner is used to being trusted, and figuring out that they can rely on each other is fraught with past trauma on all accounts.
Also like Winter’s Orbit, the couple is composed of a playboy and a rule-following genius, but this time both are outcasts. Their social status creates hurdles for them, but not in a bleak way.
Because I have confidence in the genre conventions of romance, I enjoy each new hurdle for the couple as a well-wrought feat of the author, thinking “how will Maxwell get them out of this?” rather than being worried any given plot point might separate or threaten Our Lads permanently. This genre awareness makes the reading experience cozy.
While Ocean’s Echo is a standalone book, I do recommend reading Winter’s Orbit first, for worldbuilding reasons. Even though this isn’t a sequel with the same characters, I think it helps to understand the context of intergalactic political maneuvering that is the premise for both books.
You could definitely go in with just the genre awareness to know that the magic-seeming ancient debris they call “remnants” are the equivalent of first ones tech from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, or the wonder engines from T. Kingfisher’s books in the World of the White Rat, and you’ll be fine. But references to the “High Chain” and various other distant political entities and power structures will make more sense if you read Winter’s Orbit first.
And honestly, if Ocean’s Echo seems like the kind of book you will like, Winter’s Orbit will also fit your requirements handily. Ocean’s Echo follows an extremely similar formula.
Interestingly, while the romance arcs have a lot in common (rich playboy and upright less-advantaged genius must publicly act as a team while they learn to trust each other in private and also there’s an adventure plot) I’d say Ocean’s Echo is actually more romantic. The mind meld thing is extremely intimate and leads to a lot of descriptions of each character from the other guy’s point of view. The language is thus more flowery as the connection is more spiritual and … internal.
Ocean’s Echo is a book that rewards genre expectations by offering a really fun ride, along a course you can predict. I like to look at a roller coaster and then ride it, and this book gives a similar pleasure of anticipations delivered.
