The Starbridge Chronicles Series by Paul Park

Where the seasons last for generations, winter is a hard time suited to hard religion. The theocratic Starbridge caste consider themselves virtuous wardens in a sinners' purgatory, reading infant cries and birthmarks to judge the unpunished crimes of previous incarnations. On the battlefield, all but nobility are denied medicine and anaesthetic. Only the Antinomials have endured winter outside this oppressive social system... moreWhere the seasons last for generations, winter is a hard time suited to hard religion. The theocratic Starbridge caste consider themselves virtuous wardens in a sinners' purgatory, reading infant cries and birthmarks to judge the unpunished crimes of previous incarnations. On the battlefield, all but nobility are denied medicine and anaesthetic. Only the Antinomials have endured winter outside this oppressive social system. People without language, eaters of meat, they are being driven from their lands in the north to seek sanctuary against the very belly of their tormentors, in the slums of the great capital city of Charn. Here a Starbridge doctor and a drunken prince begin a dangerous experiment in compassion that will soon demand heavy sacrifices, just as the people brace for spring, with its flammable and suffocating sugar rain less

The second book in the Starbridge Chronicles, SUGAR RAIN relates the stories of Thanakar and Charity Starbridge during the revolution that ended the first book in the series, SOLDIERS OF PARADISE. The generations-long winter has drawn to a close, and with it the power of the tyrannical Starbridge theocracy that maintained order during the years of hunger... moreThe second book in the Starbridge Chronicles, SUGAR RAIN relates the stories of Thanakar and Charity Starbridge during the revolution that ended the first book in the series, SOLDIERS OF PARADISE. The generations-long winter has drawn to a close, and with it the power of the tyrannical Starbridge theocracy that maintained order during the years of hunger. But a cruelly pragmatic priest has set the stage for a new faith, and even those who defy him seem fated to play out roles that will inevitably bring it to pass. As Thanakar struggles in exile to find safe harbor for his adopted family, Charity Starbridge undertakes a mythic journey to join him, passing through various underworlds to defy a tragic destiny. less

OmnibusSoldiers of ParadiseWhere the seasons last for generations, hard winter makes for hard religion. The worlds of the solar system are the hells through which all souls must incarnate on their journey to Paradise; all, that is, but the Starbridges, nobles who serve to enforce the "divine will... moreOmnibusSoldiers of ParadiseWhere the seasons last for generations, hard winter makes for hard religion. The worlds of the solar system are the hells through which all souls must incarnate on their journey to Paradise; all, that is, but the Starbridges, nobles who serve to enforce the "divine will." In the lowest slums of the city-state of Charn, a Starbridge doctor and a drunken prince defy the law to bring medicine to the poor and hear the story-music of the refugee Antinomials, a wild people who shun words, infidels pressed to the edge of extinction. As a decades-long pitched battle approaches the city and the Bishop of Charn herself is condemned for impurity, the doctor and the prince will follow their compassion into the heart of a revolution, just on the eve of spring, with its strange and treacherous sugar rain.Sugar RainThe second book in the Starbridge Chronicles, Sugar Rain relates the stories of Thanakar and Charity Starbridge during the revolution that ended the first book in the series, Soldiers of Paradise. The generations-long winter has drawn to a close, and with it the power of the tyrannical Starbridge theocracy that maintained order during the years of hunger. But a cruelly pragmatic priest has set the stage for a new faith, and even those who defy him seem fated to play out roles that will inevitably bring it to pass. As Thanakar struggles in exile to find safe harbor for his adopted family, Charity Starbridge undertakes a mythic journey, passing through various underworlds to join him. Sugar Rain was a finalist for the Locus Reader Poll Award. less

In the third and final book of the Starbridge Chronicles, THE CULT OF LOVING KINDNESS, more than two generations have passed since the events of SUGAR RAIN, and barren tundra has given way to fecund, steamy jungle at the height of summer. Deep in the forest, a twin boy and girl grow up among a strange race of philosophers, oblivious to the outside world where the secular regime is now as fanatical and orthodox as the old religious one. When their home is invaded, the pair take flight... moreIn the third and final book of the Starbridge Chronicles, THE CULT OF LOVING KINDNESS, more than two generations have passed since the events of SUGAR RAIN, and barren tundra has given way to fecund, steamy jungle at the height of summer. Deep in the forest, a twin boy and girl grow up among a strange race of philosophers, oblivious to the outside world where the secular regime is now as fanatical and orthodox as the old religious one. When their home is invaded, the pair take flight. Among the new faith called The Cult of Loving Kindness, they awaken to their mythic heritage, becoming the catalyst of another revolution and the re-ascendance of the Starbridges. less