The series takes place in the far off future of humanity where mankind uses magic to supplement its technological space travel but most of our race has degenerated to barbarism. One planet may be ruled by what seems like Vikings but occupied by cybernetically enhanced Legionaires who are terrified of the Inquisition.
The sequel picks up immediately after the end of the first novel, THE SKALD'S BLACK VERSE, where the protagonist's homeworld was destroyed by the destruction of their moon as well as the showering of it with the subsequent debris. All those villagers who did not successfully evacuate the world are, understandably, dead and the ones who did are left with nowhere to go as well as subject to the whims of the lawless void's raiders.
I have to give credit where credit is due, Jordan Loyal Short creates a evocative and bleak science fiction setting where barbarity is a daily part of life. One protagonist manages to make a brave but seemingly futile escape from his dying world in a one-man ship, only to have a miracle occur and get picked up before his supplies run out. Then he finds out his rescuers have no intention of doing anything but selling him into slavery on the nearest planet, which happens without our protagonist able to do anything about it.
The ship of refugees, which has stolen a starship from the Federation, finds itself hijacked by a group of pirates who don't even have a sadistic desire for bloodshed or a vicious greed. No, it's not even a particularly lucrative job for them so killing or leaving their prisoners alive is something they respond to with a chilling ambivalence. Throw in the political machinations of the fact that the Federation is dying and about to collapse into anarchy and you have a very interesting space opera setting.
Part of what I like is we see how "civilized" life functions in the Federation versus the Norn's backwater and it is evocative of Rome but also has elements of the Spanish Inquisition. It has an almost Joe Abercrombie-esque feel but more ancient and decryptid. It is an old society and the rules are arcane as well as confusing but no less important as a time of chaos threatens to upend the old social order.
Another thing I liked was the absolute utter evil of slavery that is shown rather than told. Slavery is rarely shown as something good in fantasy but you hardly get into the nitty gritty of what a dehumanizing awful institution it is or how utterly destructive it must be to be forced into it. Jordan handles the process well and it leaves our protagonists as confused as well as tortured. How does one navigate a life where you must constantly appeal to the vanity of someone who holds absolute power over your every moment? The fact they aren't likely going to kill for a minor offense you doesn't mean your life isn't still miserable as well as tortured.
The Weeping Sigil is an excellent novel that combines elements of fantasy, politics, science fiction, and desperation. All of the characters are struggling to survive and there's a very real chance they won't. Morality almost doesn't enter into the equation because it's such a harsh and unforgiving galaxy. This is certainly a grimdark book but it manages to do that almost entirely with offscreen violence and its barbaric but all-too-familiar world.
