Caesar: “What sayst thou to me now? Speak once again.”
Soothsayer: “Beware the Ides of March.”
Caesar: “He is a dreamer. Let us leave him. Pass.”
This snippet from Act 1, Scene 2 of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is quite famous. Often the clues that nod to a fate we don’t want to see are so clear, in retrospect. Even with this prophecy, Shakespeare’s subject perished in terrible surprise when he was betrayed by his besties.
Here are six reading suggestions full of betrayals that you’ll never see coming!
The Silverblood Promise by James Logan
Ah, Saphrona! Fabled city of merchant princes! You can find anything you might like here, for a price, and loyalty? Well. That can be very cheap. Saphrona is the destination of Lukan Gardova, a disgraced noble scion on a quest to unravel the mysterious murder of his father. It’s a good thing Lukan is an excellent cheat in his own right (cardsharp) because in this investigation, a single lie could spell death.
One for My Enemy by Olivie Blake
Sometimes love is betrayal. In this modern speculative reimagining of Romeo & Juliet, the two sparring factions are rival corners of the Manhattan magic underworld. The Antonova sisters are the daughters of the elusive chemical supplier Baba Yaga. The Federov brothers are the sons of the shadow kingpin Koschei the Deathless.
To fall in love would constitute a betrayal of their families. To act for your family would be a betrayal of your lover.
Uh oh.
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
This book is actually the most amount of betrayal one can fit in a book, probably. There’s so much. Literally so much. Our protagonist Zhu’s engagement with both betrayal and murder is well above average, but General Ouyang is the real revenge warrior. His entire life is revenged and the only person he loves is his target. Ouch.
Daughter of Redwinter
by Ed McDonald
After so many shocking betrayals, here’s a new angle: Our main character Raine is the one doing the betraying. Kind of. Her primary goal is to accumulate power so she can stay alive, and she’s staying true to that, even if it means lying to everyone else. Here’s the thing: Raine can see the dead. Everyone around her would just hate that if they found out. Probably to a lethal degree.
So they never will.
The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey
In marriage, you’re supposed to have your partner’s back. Evelyn’s husband goes behind her back when he steals her cloning research to create a gentler replicant of his wife. He’s the worst. Luckily, he’s soon dead. Evelyn and her clone, Martine, have a mess to clean.
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
Sha stared at Wang for a long time and then nodded. “I understand. Strange things have been happening to scientists lately…”
“Yes.” Wang ducked into the car. He didn’t want to discuss the subject any further.
“Is it our turn?”
“It’s my turn, at least.” Wang started the engine.
The Trisolarans are coming. They have inside help.
The Three-Body Problem will release soon as a Netflix series!
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