cathepsut's review
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
A vaguely dystopian setting in a flooded city. The poor bury their dead by sinking them in the canals surrounding their dwellings. Our MC Jewel is an enslaved courtesan, living a relatively comfortable, if restricted and not entirely safe life in a luxury brothel. One of the other women in her house is beaten to death by a client. But she doesn‘t stay dead. She comes back to life, looking for revenge and taking Jewel along for the ride.
80 pages, pretty odd, with a rambling and overloaded prose. The actual plot could have fit into a much shorter story. The rest didn‘t really work for me. It was just a lot of fluff, with the odd shocking bit in between. I skimmed through the last part. The ending was quite nice, at least for Jewel. But the mystery of the dead girl coming back to life was never explored and the world could have done with a little more background. I didn‘t really like this, sorry.
The cover looks nice, but is as overloaded as the prose.
Nebula Award Winner, Best Novella in 2021
Author‘s website at http://premeemohamed.com
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher or author through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was not required to give a positive review
80 pages, pretty odd, with a rambling and overloaded prose. The actual plot could have fit into a much shorter story. The rest didn‘t really work for me. It was just a lot of fluff, with the odd shocking bit in between. I skimmed through the last part. The ending was quite nice, at least for Jewel. But the mystery of the dead girl coming back to life was never explored and the world could have done with a little more background. I didn‘t really like this, sorry.
The cover looks nice, but is as overloaded as the prose.
Nebula Award Winner, Best Novella in 2021
Author‘s website at http://premeemohamed.com
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher or author through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was not required to give a positive review
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
lauraglovestoread's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
And What We Can Offer You Tonight packs a lot into a novella-length work: richly described setting, enough world-building to know what's going on while leaving a lot of the societal background vague, beautiful writing, and some complex themes. Mohamed can definitely write, and I'm very much looking forward to reading more from her.
What didn't work for me in this one was the character development. Everyone felt very two-dimensional and, in conflict with the story's themes, characters were entirely defined by their social roles. I feel like characters' social positions -- rich sexist man, exploitative brothel owner, etc. -- are here treated like they're personality traits: there doesn't seem to be a lot else going on even with the main characters.
What didn't work for me in this one was the character development. Everyone felt very two-dimensional and, in conflict with the story's themes, characters were entirely defined by their social roles. I feel like characters' social positions -- rich sexist man, exploitative brothel owner, etc. -- are here treated like they're personality traits: there doesn't seem to be a lot else going on even with the main characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Classism, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Torture
howard's review
4.0
A searing indictment of late-stage capitalism and how fighting to survive under present conditions is not only counterrevolutionary but will end up hurting yourself and your loved ones in the end. It took me a minute to get into the universe but this is a wonderful novella.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Death, Trafficking, Sexual violence, and Rape
maryellen's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Slavery, Death, Murder, Classism, Physical abuse, and Violence
Minor: Gun violence, Blood, and Grief
booksthatburn's review
It’s hazy and dream-like in a way that made it hard to hang on to what’s happening. The premise is interesting, but I expected a mystery, not an existentialist meditation.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content, Cursing, Blood, Grief, Violence, Medical trauma, and Death
Minor: Murder and Sexual content
ceallaighsbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
“And the priest said, Blessed are the bodies, and we said, Whose bodies. And he said, Yours. Yours.”
TITLE—And What Can We Offer You Tonight
AUTHOR—Premee Mohamed
PUBLISHED—2021
GENRE—speculative fiction; sci-fi
SETTING—futuristic city with canals
MAIN THEMES/SUBJECTS—community & spirituality, justice & revenge, capitalism/anti-capitalism, economic slavery, socioeconomic & political oppression, sex work, futuristic worldbuilding
WRITING STYLE—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
CHARACTERS—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
STORY/PLOT—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
BONUS ELEMENT/S—“Can you die of this, can you die of memory?”
PHILOSOPHY—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“I am angry and then I am angry that I am angry. And all of this I have to shove under the cool surface of my smile, and hold its head there till it stops struggling.”
Oof! Such a short novella that packs in SO much goodness. I love when books aren’t a word longer than they need to be. I loved everything about this one—the story, the characters, the subtle worldbuilding and visceral atmosphere, the writing style, the philosophy—it was an easy five-star read for me. I’m always here for a good speculative fic story that champions community-first values and anti-capitalist sentiments while incorporating a good revenge story in there for good measure. Highly recommended! And it’s short so what do you have to lose. 😉
“You fell far, I wanted to tell her, but you have fallen into our arms, and we will carry you as best we can.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
TW // sex work (not explicit), murder, capitalist injustice, oppression & exploitation (Please feel free to DM me for more specifics!)
Further Reading—
- Bitter, & Pet, by Akwaeke Emezi
- How Long Til Black Future Month, by NK Jemisin
- The Good Luck Girls, by Charlotte Nicole Davis
Favorite Quotes…
(For such a short novella, this book had SO many incredible quotes I have to share more of my favorites…)
“Cemeteries in the city have been mostly built over… The few left are guarded like prisons, and only for the use of the very rich. …everyone [else] just puts their dead into a canal. Lots of those around. Free, too. Once, I know, there was an idea of eternal life, or life after death, but everyone has abandoned that idea except them, the rich I mean, who are like another species. We have not even given our god a name. Maybe in another thousand years.”
“Yes, now, when we are set free, like fairies in a story, from our bondage, and fly the wide woods… but that itself is a fairy story. We are still bound.”
“For you don’t climb to us. You fall only, you don’t climb. She had fallen, or been thrown. Now she would never rise again. A long sad time, never.”
“And the priest said, Blessed are the bodies, and we said, Whose bodies. And he said, Yours. Yours.”
“You fell far, I wanted to tell her, but you have fallen into our arms, and we will carry you as best we can.”
“May they sicken and die. May they go unremembered.”
“The way you hate to hear that you are right about an abomination.”
“…a sanctuary not because it was safe but because it was sacred.”
“In life we are paid to imitate art.”
“Why do I keep thinking about possession? The gods don’t need our bodies.”
“We still say: bird in a gilded cage. But better a cage than an oven.”
“Imagine Beowulf showing up only to discover the Danes protecting Grendel, guarding him while he eats their people.”
“What will she bring upon us if she does what she says she will do? It would be like an earthquake.”
“We should be used to the world in which the victim is punished instead of the instigator but something inside us still cries out that it is wrong, not just logistically wrong, causatively or chronologically wrong, but wrong in some other way as well. Something deeper. More cellular.”
“Not justice, no. She won’t mete out justice. But as close as we can get, because no one else is handing it out these days either, the so-called authorities are not for people like us except in the sense that we may sometimes be on the receiving end.”
“Why can I not be as brave and careless as her? (Because I am alive, because I am still alive.)”
“Can you die of this, can you die of memory?”
“…the eager lichen that eats dirty air…”
“…there’s nothing more dangerous (the city teaches us) than someone who’s got nothing left to lose.”
“I am filled with so much hate sometimes that I wonder that whatever rich bastard grunts and pants above me cannot smell it coming through my skin. But maybe that’s how you get rich or at least how you stay rich: you ignore that smell, which is given off by everyone around you.”
“We have nothing to love but each other.”
“For a second I am wild with anger and I wonder how I ever thought of self-destruction when it is so clear that it is the world that needs to be thrown off something high…”
“You’re allowed to hate gods, after all. Because they are allowed to smite you.”
“I am angry and then I am angry that I am angry. And all of this I have to shove under the cool surface of my smile, and hold its head there till it stops struggling.”
“…because if you had to choose between a fight you could not win, and trying to feed yourself and your family, you made the choice. An easy one. I had done it, growing up. Most of us have.”
“They think boot polish gives you magical powers and the more you lick the closer you come to god.”
“If you do this, you’re no better than them.” … “What a boring saying. When has that ever convinced anyone? In a movie, maybe. I don’t care if I’m better than them. It’s not a contest.”
“To live well, they say, is the best revenge. But if it’s suffering she wants in her revenge, why not let them suffer in the way that only life can manage?”
“…hold one another close, and hold one another up.”
“Wet as the church is, steeped from foundation to windows with seawater, it still burns; hotly at the top, subdued and smoky at the bottom, twisting with curious colours from the centuries of salt, lichen, moss, chemicals, pollution, everything we deposited in it, everything the world deposited on it.”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual assault
thelittlestmermaid's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
* Thanks to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review! *
I have never read a story like And What Can We Offer You Tonight. It was shorter than most books I read and it didn't dive very deep into character development or world building but it was still enjoyable.
The story opens with the main character Jewel, a courtesan, grieving the loss of her friend Winfield after she was murdered by a client. However, at the funeral Winfield comes back from the dead with the intent to get revenge for her own murder. Then Jewel has to decide whether or not to keep herself safe in a high-stakes world or help Winfield.
The setting is a world in the far future mostly destroyed by late stage capitalism. People are heavily modified with horns, wings, bionic breasts, and the like. If you're lucky enough to have a purpose and a job then you're safe but if not then you're at risk of being culled. Law no longer exists and those with money get away with whatever they want.
The cast of characters was very interesting. Jewel is a very passive main character and for most of the story is unable to make up her mind on anything she wants to do. The other two main characters were more interesting to me and yet we barely learn anything about either of them.
The stream of consciousness narration in the story is very dreamlike and poetic. There is some beautiful imagery, however at times it is hard to discern exactly what is happening. When Jewel's thoughts become confused or upset it becomes confusing to read.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this novella and will likely end up purchasing a physical copy when it comes out. I do wish it were longer, if only to to understand the world and surrounding characters better. I think that this story will appeal to fans of the dystopian and science fiction genres.
3.5 Stars
I have never read a story like And What Can We Offer You Tonight. It was shorter than most books I read and it didn't dive very deep into character development or world building but it was still enjoyable.
The story opens with the main character Jewel, a courtesan, grieving the loss of her friend Winfield after she was murdered by a client. However, at the funeral Winfield comes back from the dead with the intent to get revenge for her own murder. Then Jewel has to decide whether or not to keep herself safe in a high-stakes world or help Winfield.
The setting is a world in the far future mostly destroyed by late stage capitalism. People are heavily modified with horns, wings, bionic breasts, and the like. If you're lucky enough to have a purpose and a job then you're safe but if not then you're at risk of being culled. Law no longer exists and those with money get away with whatever they want.
The cast of characters was very interesting. Jewel is a very passive main character and for most of the story is unable to make up her mind on anything she wants to do. The other two main characters were more interesting to me and yet we barely learn anything about either of them.
The stream of consciousness narration in the story is very dreamlike and poetic. There is some beautiful imagery, however at times it is hard to discern exactly what is happening. When Jewel's thoughts become confused or upset it becomes confusing to read.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this novella and will likely end up purchasing a physical copy when it comes out. I do wish it were longer, if only to to understand the world and surrounding characters better. I think that this story will appeal to fans of the dystopian and science fiction genres.
3.5 Stars
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Violence
Minor: Alcohol and Drug use
allisonwonderlandreads's review
dark
hopeful
reflective
fast-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
3.0
In this whirlwind of a novella, readers are welcomed into a House of courtesans in a dystopian future where the once sparkling Winfield has ruined her funeral by coming back from the dead. Murdered by a client, Win will use her second chance to become an antihero vigilante seeking vengeance. But actually, our protagonist is the practical, routine Jewel rather than the fiery Win. Jewel is both worried about and drawn to her friend Win's chaos, wanting justice for the many tragedies inflicted on the courtesans as a matter of course, while also fearing the loss of her livelihood.
I found the story to be a biting commentary on capitalism in this future world where society has collapsed but the increasingly stark differentiation between the rich and poor persists. I think Jewel's turmoil shows the internal struggle with revolutionary change-- a yearning for something better mixed in with a fear of lost safety and the dangers of a fight for survival. She's a sympathetic character and a worthy guide.
My only complaint with this one is the world-building. It's a quick read, and I think the author relies on the overwhelming similarities between our world and this possible future to skip explaining things about how it functions. While I was more than happy to skip an info-dump, I had to choose not to fixate on unfamiliar terms that came up as unnecessary distractions from the meat of the story. Once I started dismissing them rather than poking and prodding at them, I had a much better time of it.
I recommend this to readers seeking a fast, gritty dystopian story peopled by complex characters facing down the capitalist system that keeps them downtrodden.
Thanks to Neon Hemlock Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this gripping novella, out 7/20.
I found the story to be a biting commentary on capitalism in this future world where society has collapsed but the increasingly stark differentiation between the rich and poor persists. I think Jewel's turmoil shows the internal struggle with revolutionary change-- a yearning for something better mixed in with a fear of lost safety and the dangers of a fight for survival. She's a sympathetic character and a worthy guide.
My only complaint with this one is the world-building. It's a quick read, and I think the author relies on the overwhelming similarities between our world and this possible future to skip explaining things about how it functions. While I was more than happy to skip an info-dump, I had to choose not to fixate on unfamiliar terms that came up as unnecessary distractions from the meat of the story. Once I started dismissing them rather than poking and prodding at them, I had a much better time of it.
I recommend this to readers seeking a fast, gritty dystopian story peopled by complex characters facing down the capitalist system that keeps them downtrodden.
Thanks to Neon Hemlock Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this gripping novella, out 7/20.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Murder, Physical abuse, and Violence
Minor: Sexual content
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