The Orb of Cairado
Katherine Addison
A true scholar at work
The Orb of Cairado is a short novella set in Katherine Addison‘s Osreth -- in the Goodreads reckoning it is number 1.1 in the Chronicles of Osreth. That is, it takes place shortly after (or perhaps contemporaneous with) The Goblin Emperor.
Ulcetha Zhorvena is a failed scholar in Cairado, making a living from petty crime. He works for a shopkeeper who sells fake elven artifacts. The people who buy these artifacts want to know that they’re genuine. Ulcetha writes fake provenances for these forged artifacts.
Ulcetha was forced into this business when he was kicked out of the university for the theft of a famous artifact, a work of jewelry called the Orish Veltavan. There was never any proof that Ulcetha stole it -- indeed, there could not be, since he was innocent. He obviously knows that, and since we’re inside his head, we know it, too.
The story begins with an event that is also important in The Goblin Emperor -- the explosion of an airship. Ulcetha’s best friend dies in the explosion. It transpires that his best friend left him a puzzle, whose solution leads him to the hiding place of the Orish Veltavan.
The Orish Veltavan is, it transpires, a kind of treasure map -- a very cryptic one -- leading to a much more famous jewel that’s been lost for centuries, the Orb of Cairado after which the story is named.
The Chronicles of Osreth have in common that they are centered on smart, kind heroes -- people you can really like and even admire. Ulcetha is not quite as admirable as Maia the Goblin Emperor, or Celehar, The Witness for the Dead of novels 2-4. But he is still a good guy, and I quite enjoyed the story.
Sounds like an excellent story! 💯
The idea of proving that fake objects aren’t fake is intriguing. ⚖️
Thanks for sharing this review with us readers! 🙏