Reviews

The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein

andreacpowers's review

4.0

I liked this very much and ordered the second. It somehow avoids being and '80's book (Dynasty in Space?). It's timeless.

cliffsboats's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

celiapowell's review

5.0

This book (and series) is possibly not for everyone - the pacing can sometimes be slow, as it goes off into details about one part of the world (through the eyes of the narrator, the steerswoman Rowan) - but I absolutely loved it. The world is so detailed and different, and it's science fiction that takes at least a book or two to slowly reveal itself as science fiction rather than fantasy.

ceciliatan's review against another edition

5.0

Excellent science fiction that feels like fantasy

I first read this when it first came out and it’s a delight to rediscover this world and these characters. This book and this series remind me so much of everything I loved when I first discovered Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern books.

bluecanarykit's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious

5.0

cj_librarian's review

5.0

A forgotten classic that's sadly out of print nowadays. Fantasy novel that begins pretty simple but goes in an extremely creative direction as the series goes on. It presents a massive amount of questions in front of the reader and trusts that the reader will be interested enough and clever enough to figure everything out. Has huge Gene Wolfe energy but feels way more accessible.

zorkkanna's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

lily1304's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense slow-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? No

4.25

I'm not very into fantasy usually, but I liked this a lot more than I expected to. The plot builds slowly but the world building was interesting enough to keep me going. There is a lot of random death though - almost like NPCs, minor characters or extras who just casually get killed? It was a little weird.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Torture, Fire/Fire injury, and War

Minor: Incest, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

peregrine's review

3.0

This was surprisingly compelling! At first it felt like a fairly generic 80s medieval fantasy of a kind that I've been unimpressed with in the past, but it became more and more interesting as it went on and I learned more about the world and the philosophies of the characters.

I can't describe my favorite thing about it without spoiling that thing, so I'll stay vague: I felt like I as a reader (especially as a spec fic reader) was a participant in the story in an unusual and very satisfying way. The careful, logical problem-solving employed by the protagonist to solve a mystery in her world mirrored my own logic as I tried to solve a different but related mystery, one inaccessible to the characters themselves but that I as a 21st century reader had the background to engage with. And while in another book this might have created more distance between me and the characters, here it did the opposite. Rowan and Bel are pleasant traveling companions, and I felt like I was right there with them, helping to untangle the mystery with the knowledge I could add to the mix.

At the end of the book, the mystery I'm intrigued by still hasn't been solved, but I'll definitely keep reading the series!

howardgo's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Originally published at myreadinglife.com.

I am a big fan of Cory Doctorow and regularly read his blog. There, he occasionally posts a review of a book that he's loved reading recently. Back in May he posted a review of this book. His praise was high enough that I went right out and bought this book. I just finished it and wow!.

Doctorow does not give any plot summary. In fact, he says pretty much nothing about the story. He says that it is hard to peg to a single genre and it was recently republished by the author when the rights reverted back to her. If I had to put a genre label on it, I would call it fantasy, but that is only at the first layer. I will also give a very short plot summary. A steerswoman is researching the source of a mysterious gem that seems to be magical. That's about all I can say without spoiling the mystery at the heart of this book that makes it so interesting.

The writing is thoughtful and engaging. I felt that I was right there along with the main characters engaged in the mystery and adventure. It is a book that explores ideas like one's place in the world, integrity, the power and strength of truth, and coming together as a team. It is the kind of book that I find myself enjoying even more after having read it and thinking about it afterword. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel. In fact, I am off now to go buy and download the rest of the series!

My rating: 4.5/5