I’ve been a big fan of Melissa Scott for a long time. Many of her works that I’ve read have been collaborations, like her Order of the Air series with Jo Graham and her Death by Silver series with Amy Griswold, but of course she has also written many novels entirely her own, such as Mighty Good Road (1990), a science fiction novel that I remember my sister and I happily discussing for an hour because it had such interesting ideas.
The Novels of Astreiant, the Point of … series, began as a collaboration with Lisa A. Barnett, with Point of Hopes (1995) and then Point of Dreams (2001); after her partner Barnett’s death in 2006, Scott returned to the series in 2012 with Point of Knives, set between Hopes and Dreams, and continued the timeline with Fairs’ Point (2014) and Point of Sighs (2018).
In 2024, Queen of Swords Press picked up this fantasy/mystery series and started reissuing what Scott calls “lovely new editions” of the books; on March 20, the first new book in years will be issued. I’m happy to say that Point of Hearts: A Novel of the Astreiant (#6) fully lives up to its predecessors. It was an engrossing read; the characters continue to be fully engaging and the protagonists sympathetic (even though not always in agreement with each other), and the rich worldbuilding continues with interdepartmental squabbling providing insights into the politics. Fans of the series should definitely plan to read this one, too, and I hope we’ll get some more Astreiant novels eventually.
However, if you’re new to the series, it’ll be better to start from the beginning, in Point of Hopes (Astreiant #1). That’s where readers meet the series’ pair of protagonists: Philip Eslingen, an ex-officer trying to find a new place in the city where he was just discharged, biding his time until the next military campaign he can join, and Nicolas Rathe, Adjunct Point. The pointsmen are sort of like police in the city of Astreiant, investigating crimes and trying to keep order; however, it’s common knowledge that most of them (besides Rathe) accept “fees” to initiate investigations or pursue them more vigorously – or look the other way (think of how the legal system works on Jackson’s Whole in Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosiverse series). Rathe first meets Eslingen working as a Knife (bouncer, bodyguard, etc.) at a tavern/inn that’s under suspicion of being involved with children going missing. They come to respect each other fairly quickly, and end up working together to solve that mystery.
The city of Astreiant is complex and richly detailed enough to almost be a character itself. The Points of the book titles are districts of the city, and there’s a lot of territorial jealousy between the pointsmen of those districts. Astreiant has a Renaissance feel, with guilds, and upwardly mobile merchants, and nobles who resent erosion of their privileges. Pistols are rare and expensive, and require paying a bond for the privilege of carrying. The only way that magic affects most people’s daily lives directly is the universal reliance on horoscopes (this world has two suns, so astrology is extra complicated); however, there are also scholar-priests and necromancers and other magic users, serving the university, patrons, and their own agendas.
MINOR SPOILER WARNINGS for the later books: By the beginning of Point of Hearts, Nico and Philip are romantic partners living together. Rathe has been transferred to a different Point due to enemies he’s made throughout his investigations, but Philip has come up in the world, appointed to the newly formed City Guard, which is empowered to carry investigations and actions beyond its borders and led by his former commander, Prince Coindarel, and hence slightly more respected by the nobles than the pointsmen, who mostly come from lower-class origins. Philip keeps getting delegated to try to mitigate frictions between the Guard and the pointsmen, due to his experience with the points (and his relationship with Rathe).
There are several mysteries going on in this book. What’s the deal with the noblewoman who found herself guilty of tax evasion and locked herself in a tower? Why are muffled carts rumbling through back streets late at night? Why is a playwright assaulted in the street? Who is stirring up the Levelers faction? Is any of this going to interfere with the wedding that’s expected to finally settle the royal succession? There’s a lot of plot going on in this short novel, blending police procedural and political intrigue, and plenty of action.
I suppose some readers may not like the pacing in part of Point of Hearts, after one protagonist is injured and the other has to take them both into hiding for a while, but there is plenty of suspense throughout that section. And I really like how grounded this feels, that after a man is concussed, he doesn’t bounce back the next morning, as in many fantasy works, but needs constant care for a significant period of time. This also provides an opportunity to showcase Philip and Nico’s relationship, their frictions and their trust in each other. These books aren’t explicit, rarely if at all going beyond kisses in the text, but they do depict a really solid romantic relationship between adults whose duties sometimes pull them in different directions.
I also really appreciate that issues aren’t always resolved neatly in these books. Full justice isn’t always possible, especially against nobles, given the politics in this city; sometimes the authorities (even the queen) have to settle for warnings and half-measures, especially when guilt is circumstantial and unproven. That may not sound morally satisfying, but it’s very realistic, and anyway, as the series progresses, deeper strategies and indirect responses to those problems are revealed. Prior events have consequences that echo throughout the sequels.
I highly recommend the entire Astreiant series. The city and worldbuilding are immersively fascinating, and the characters are well developed and continue evolving, always engaging my interest and affection. Books #1-5 are currently on sale until March 20, when #6, Point of Hearts, comes out, so now is a great time to start reading them!
Content warnings: Murder, violence, other crimes.
Comps: K.J. Charles’ Charm of Magpies series.
Disclaimers: I received a free eARC of Point of Hearts for review from the publisher.
