nekoshka's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Vomit, Body horror, Gore, Child death, Death, Gun violence, War, and Injury/injury detail
Moderate: Xenophobia, Mental illness, Death of parent, Animal death, Torture, Chronic illness, and Suicide
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Classism
hendrixpants's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Violence
Moderate: Torture
sleepy_yoshi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Quite an enjoyable book although not always the easiest to read. It can be violent, bleak, and quite dark at times although not without purpose. I wanted to point out something I appreciated from the start though, so on a bit of a tangent!
I was hooked to this book almost immediately and the reason for this is how it displays mandatory training. It reminds me a lot of basic training. Exaggerated and embellished of course, but if someone had told me Hurley had been in the military I wouldn't have batted an eye. What do I mean? Small things, for example, the mantra's about killing they yell out during bayonet training are very similar to some of the same things you will say in boot camp. The Drill Sergeant will yell things like "What makes the grass grow green" the response of course "blood, blood, bright red blood". "Who are we?" "The Quick." "Who are they?" "The dead". The dead being figurative here as this was actually before Iraq or Afghanistan, but I digress.
She even writes about that burning desire to be praised and recognized by the very people yelling at you and making you do push up's. There's enough element of truth to what Dietz is saying and experiencing during said training, that I instantly understand and have an immediate connection with the character.
Moving on though, overall I quite enjoyed the journey. I like the theme's it brings up about war, power, governance, and the power of the people. None of this is new and you can find many stories like this out there, but not every book needs to re-invent the wheel. Sometimes it's enough to add something to existing theme's and execute on it well and that's what we have here.
My biggest complaints I suppose is outside Dietz I don't have any attachments to any characters. Some people die...it's war obviously...but I don't really feel much outside of how it effects Dietz, because I don't ever feel like they're really that important. The other complaint and the main one is that the ending is kind of...well for lack of the better word lame. I would certainly have liked something a bit different in that regard, but while cliche, sometimes it is true that it's the journey and not the destination. Last bit will be in a spoiler even though not integral to the story it's something I certainly missed.
I was hooked to this book almost immediately and the reason for this is how it displays mandatory training. It reminds me a lot of basic training. Exaggerated and embellished of course, but if someone had told me Hurley had been in the military I wouldn't have batted an eye. What do I mean? Small things, for example, the mantra's about killing they yell out during bayonet training are very similar to some of the same things you will say in boot camp. The Drill Sergeant will yell things like "What makes the grass grow green" the response of course "blood, blood, bright red blood". "Who are we?" "The Quick." "Who are they?" "The dead". The dead being figurative here as this was actually before Iraq or Afghanistan, but I digress.
She even writes about that burning desire to be praised and recognized by the very people yelling at you and making you do push up's. There's enough element of truth to what Dietz is saying and experiencing during said training, that I instantly understand and have an immediate connection with the character.
Moving on though, overall I quite enjoyed the journey. I like the theme's it brings up about war, power, governance, and the power of the people. None of this is new and you can find many stories like this out there, but not every book needs to re-invent the wheel. Sometimes it's enough to add something to existing theme's and execute on it well and that's what we have here.
My biggest complaints I suppose is outside Dietz I don't have any attachments to any characters. Some people die...it's war obviously...but I don't really feel much outside of how it effects Dietz, because I don't ever feel like they're really that important. The other complaint and the main one is that the ending is kind of...well for lack of the better word lame. I would certainly have liked something a bit different in that regard, but while cliche, sometimes it is true that it's the journey and not the destination. Last bit will be in a spoiler even though not integral to the story it's something I certainly missed.
Spoiler
When I was reading this book I thought Dietz was male. It's never stated that they were male, they have relationships with both sexes through the story, so it begs the question why I thought that. Could write a paper on that likely, but I appreciate that the book caused that kind of reflection without it feeling unnatural or shoehorned in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Violence
spaghetti_noodle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was a solid 4 star read. I started reading this in September of 2021 and finished in February of 2022, and throughout that time I was reading this book off-and-on. For that reason, I don't completely remember everything that happened and there were some parts of the book that were confusing to me. There's probably an underlying message that I'm not picking up on because my brain is fried from school work and stress, but I like the vibes. I would absolutely read this book again. I enjoyed it while I read it, and I think I would enjoy it even more if I read it consistently!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Minor: Sexual content
There are moments when the gore is described in just the right amount of detail that makes you realize how horrific the situation is. In regards to the sexual content: while it's present, it's not written in a lot of detail and it's not written in a way that really focuses on the arousal (nor is it meant to make the reader aroused). It's very matter-of-fact and Hurley doesn't linger on it. All of it is consensual. There was a quote on page 295 (around 83%) that really stuck out to me for how horrifying it was and I just needed to write it down because it really shook me. I had to stop listening to music when I first read this. TW for gore. Minor spoilers.Spoiler
Logistics started encountering issues. That was how they put it. Our experience was different. A whole platoon from Tangine Company came back wrong. They dropped into the deployment field as a mass of contorted bodies, arms and legs attached to the wrong torsos, heads facing backward, spines made impossibly sinuous, feet twisted like claws, when they were recognizable as limbs at all. I didn't see them come in, but somebody put a bootleg recording, and I downloaded and watched a copy before the corp had them all purged--including the soldier who shared it. What shook me wasn't even the images as much as the sound. The grunting, sobbing mass of them, like listening to a squealing bunch of pigs in a pen destined for the slaughter.anxiousnachos's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.5
This was a really cool concept: sci-fi war between Mars and corporations on Earth with soldiers who are turned into light to beam them across the galaxy, but sometimes that results in them experiencing the war differently. It raised such interesting questions around culpability in war, power structures, and how people can change cycles of violence. But the writing was a little detached for me and so I didn’t feel very strongly about any of the characters. But very cool premise!
Content warnings: extreme and graphic depictions of war (inc use of both biological and chemical weapons), torture, blood/gore, violence (inc against civilians and children), death
Content warnings: extreme and graphic depictions of war (inc use of both biological and chemical weapons), torture, blood/gore, violence (inc against civilians and children), death
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Gore, Blood, Torture, Death, Child death, Gun violence, Violence, and Police brutality
kelseyland's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
If "Starship Troopers but make it gayer" is up your alley, look no further than this book. A fast-paced, engaging and extremely entertaining page-turner.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Torture
foreverinastory's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was confusing in the best way possible. Heavy military sci-fi. Lots of wild time things.
Rep: Latine bisexual trans MC, latine female side character, side character with a prosethetic hand, queer side characters, non-gendered society--no gender roles.
CWs: Abandonment, alcohol consumption, blood, confinement/quaratine, colonization, cursing, death, excrement, fire/fire injury, genocide, gun violence, military brutality, murder, sexual content, torture, violence, war.
Rep: Latine bisexual trans MC, latine female side character, side character with a prosethetic hand, queer side characters, non-gendered society--no gender roles.
CWs: Abandonment, alcohol consumption, blood, confinement/quaratine, colonization, cursing, death, excrement, fire/fire injury, genocide, gun violence, military brutality, murder, sexual content, torture, violence, war.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gun violence, Murder, Sexual content, Violence, and Torture
alina_leonova's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I can't even tell you how big an impression this book made on me! But let's start with the basics, as always.
Characters
The main character is Dietz, and since I wasn't sure about their gender until the end of the book, and I don't know if that was meant this way or I just missed it (i totally could have missed it), I won't reveal it here either, just in case. Dietz enlists in the army after losing their family to the Martian attack. They are a bitter but caring person who wants to protect the people they love. The character arc is very compelling, as the reader gets to observe the gradual change of Dietz's beliefs and goals as they discover more and more information about the war. There are also quite a lot of people they serve with, and sometimes I got lost as to who was who, but the author did a great job keeping track of them, considering the nature of the story.
Plot
The plot is so original and fascinating! It's non-linear, all of the events happen out of order as time travel is involved. It requires a lot of skill to pull off something like that, and Kameron Hurley did it brilliantly.
World-building
The world-building is done just right to be immersive. The world is ruled by six big corporations, and people are divided into a class system: citizens, who have the most privileges, access to health care and best living conditions, residents, who have only some of the privileges and ghouls, who basically have no rights. It's possible but extremely tough to move into a higher class, and joining the army is the only way for ghouls like Dietz. Citizenship is, in fact, belonging to a certain corp, not a country. The corps control access to information and posses advanced technology, the most impressive of which is probably their ability to turn people into light and send them anywhere in the world at the speed of light.
Impressions
I couldn't put the book down! There is so much in it that I liked: the plot twists, the complexity and ingenuity of its structure, the clever observations about human nature, the intimate first person narration, the flawed protagonist who gets a chance to grow, the criticism of some of the real-world issues, the originality. It's a great and well-written story, but what made it stand out most was the way it was told.
The book explores the meaninglessness and cruelty of war, poses the questions about inequality, class system, capitalism, exploitation, manipulation and brainwashing. It's gory, which I think is suitable for a story about war, and at the same time human connection and taking care of each other are a crucial part of it. I really enjoyed the author's style and her unique voice.
You might enjoy the book if you like military and time travel sci-fi, mind-bending thrillers, non-linear stories and don't mind gore / violence / death.
Check out my website about sci-fi by women and non-binary authors for book reviews, lists, interviews, short stories and more.
Characters
The main character is Dietz, and since I wasn't sure about their gender until the end of the book, and I don't know if that was meant this way or I just missed it (i totally could have missed it), I won't reveal it here either, just in case. Dietz enlists in the army after losing their family to the Martian attack. They are a bitter but caring person who wants to protect the people they love. The character arc is very compelling, as the reader gets to observe the gradual change of Dietz's beliefs and goals as they discover more and more information about the war. There are also quite a lot of people they serve with, and sometimes I got lost as to who was who, but the author did a great job keeping track of them, considering the nature of the story.
Plot
The plot is so original and fascinating! It's non-linear, all of the events happen out of order as time travel is involved. It requires a lot of skill to pull off something like that, and Kameron Hurley did it brilliantly.
World-building
The world-building is done just right to be immersive. The world is ruled by six big corporations, and people are divided into a class system: citizens, who have the most privileges, access to health care and best living conditions, residents, who have only some of the privileges and ghouls, who basically have no rights. It's possible but extremely tough to move into a higher class, and joining the army is the only way for ghouls like Dietz. Citizenship is, in fact, belonging to a certain corp, not a country. The corps control access to information and posses advanced technology, the most impressive of which is probably their ability to turn people into light and send them anywhere in the world at the speed of light.
Impressions
I couldn't put the book down! There is so much in it that I liked: the plot twists, the complexity and ingenuity of its structure, the clever observations about human nature, the intimate first person narration, the flawed protagonist who gets a chance to grow, the criticism of some of the real-world issues, the originality. It's a great and well-written story, but what made it stand out most was the way it was told.
The book explores the meaninglessness and cruelty of war, poses the questions about inequality, class system, capitalism, exploitation, manipulation and brainwashing. It's gory, which I think is suitable for a story about war, and at the same time human connection and taking care of each other are a crucial part of it. I really enjoyed the author's style and her unique voice.
You might enjoy the book if you like military and time travel sci-fi, mind-bending thrillers, non-linear stories and don't mind gore / violence / death.
Check out my website about sci-fi by women and non-binary authors for book reviews, lists, interviews, short stories and more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, and Violence
deedireads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
The Light Brigade is an exciting, well-written smart puzzle of a sci-fi military thriller. That’s not my usual genre, but I really liked it!
For you if: Talk of aliens doesn’t turn you off a book.
FULL REVIEW:
TL;DR REVIEW:
The Light Brigade is an exciting, well-written smart puzzle of a sci-fi military thriller. That’s not my usual genre, but I really liked it!
For you if: Talk of aliens doesn’t turn you off a book.
FULL REVIEW:
“They said the war would turn us into light.
I wanted to be counted among the heroes who gave us this better world.”
“Military sci-fi thriller” isn’t my usual genre — in fact, “military” and “thriller” are usually anti-Deedi signals. But this one was nominated for the Hugo and people seem to really love Kameron Hurley, so I decided to give it a shot! I’m glad I did. Once I settled into it, I was totally sucked in — and VERY impressed, given that Hurley (successfully) used one of the most notoriously difficult devices in fiction. (Telling you what it is would be a bit of a spoiler, but trust me.)
The story is about a person named Dietz, whose family was killed in a mass attack and decided to join the corporate military (this world is fully ruled by a handful of powerful corporations). Soldiers are sent to the war on Mars to battle against the people who colonized it years ago and then went dark. They get there via “drops,” in which their mass is transformed to light and then reassembled. But then Dietz’s experience with the “drops” is…not quite what was expected. And, as you can imagine, neither is pretty much anything else, either.
One really cool thing about this book: the treatment of Dietz’s gender. There are only two moments, by my count, in which anyone genders Dietz. Otherwise, it’s left ambiguous. This works because in Hurley’s universe, gender norms are also not really a thing, nor are assumptions about sexuality.
It did take me a bit to sink into this book for two reasons: First, the talk of “aliens” and “martians” felt a little cheesy, but that’s probably because I don’t really read sci-fi as much. Second, the first 25% or so was really, idk, bro-ish? It was military training time. Lots of swearing and showboating and bodily functions. But once the training period ended, I fell RIGHT in and LOVED the rest.
Ultimately, this book was smart and masterfully planned/plotted, exciting and intriguing. A giant, fast-paced puzzle that was a pleasure to journey through. I really enjoyed it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Death, and Grief
spoth's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Racism, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, and Xenophobia