RETURN OF THE JEDAO

Yoon Ha Lee’s Machinery Of Empire series wraps up with Revenant Gun

Described as “Starship Troopers meets Apocalypse Now”, Yoon Ha Lee’s Machinery Of Empire trilogy centres around the rivalry between far-future soldier Captain Kel Cheris and traitorous General Shuos Jedao. But as the author reveals, the dynamic between the deadly foes has shifted radically between 2016’s opening volume Ninefox Gambit and final instalment Revenant Gun.

“In the first book, they’re adversaries in a prickly mentor/mentee relationship, because Cheris needs Jedao’s experience but has to be wary of the fact that he’s a mass murderer who might betray her,” Lee tells Red Alert. “In book two, Raven Stratagem, Cheris and Jedao take the role of antagonist, as they race to start their revolution. In Revenant Gun, Jedao is under the control of the immortal Kujen, and Cheris is out to assassinate them both.”

Confirming that Jedao is the titular Revenant Gun, Lee insists that Jedao is a different person to the character we first met in Ninefox Gambit. “He’s come back from the dead, thanks to mad scientist Kugen,” he explains. “As he’s got an odd sense of humour – he names his flagship, a prototype with a deadly weapon, the Revenant. Also the catchphrase associated with Jedao is ‘I’m your gun’. The original Jedao saw himself as a weapon more than a person, so the question is whether Jedao Two can grow beyond that.” SJ

Revenant Gun is published on 14 June.