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timinbc's review
5.0
4.5 but if a book ever deserved upward rounding this is it.
De Bodard is determined to insert Vietnamese and other culture into the body of modern F/SF, and she continues to do a terrific job of it.
I don't actually even LIKE her Fallen Paris series, but here she's using it to focus on individual players doing the best they can in hard times, and facing hard decisions. That's edging into Guy Gavriel Kay territory, and from me there is no higher praise.
I do like the Xuya setting, and I particularly like most authors' takes on mindships. Now try to imagine de Bodard's agent with a new publisher: A: you know mindships? P: Sure, worked for Leckie and Reynolds and Asher. A: Good, because we're gonna use Vietnamese minds. P: Say what now? A: Yeah, and live births of cyborg minds that will go into ships, and when they die they will be surrounded with warped reality and .... . P: (pushes hidden button under desk)
But somehow it works, and we take it as a given, then de Bodard builds a situation, and tells a gripping story, and it's space opera, often with a techno-magic thing you just have to go along with, and at the end it breaks your heart and you realize what a perfectly crafted jewel that story was. (I didn't say "gem" because that's part of one of the heartbreaks ...)
If you're all Star Wars and MARVEL Avengers, this may not be for you. But if you can imagine having tea with a dragon Sherlock Holmes on a spaceship ... but wait, that's a different de Bodard book.
Someday maybe we can have tea with this author, and watch the sparks of ideas crackling out of her brain, and it's no ordinary brain.
Footnote: the cover art captures the author as well as ANY I have ever seen. It's gorgeous and elegant and totally RIGHT.
De Bodard is determined to insert Vietnamese and other culture into the body of modern F/SF, and she continues to do a terrific job of it.
I don't actually even LIKE her Fallen Paris series, but here she's using it to focus on individual players doing the best they can in hard times, and facing hard decisions. That's edging into Guy Gavriel Kay territory, and from me there is no higher praise.
I do like the Xuya setting, and I particularly like most authors' takes on mindships. Now try to imagine de Bodard's agent with a new publisher: A: you know mindships? P: Sure, worked for Leckie and Reynolds and Asher. A: Good, because we're gonna use Vietnamese minds. P: Say what now? A: Yeah, and live births of cyborg minds that will go into ships, and when they die they will be surrounded with warped reality and .... . P: (pushes hidden button under desk)
But somehow it works, and we take it as a given, then de Bodard builds a situation, and tells a gripping story, and it's space opera, often with a techno-magic thing you just have to go along with, and at the end it breaks your heart and you realize what a perfectly crafted jewel that story was. (I didn't say "gem" because that's part of one of the heartbreaks ...)
If you're all Star Wars and MARVEL Avengers, this may not be for you. But if you can imagine having tea with a dragon Sherlock Holmes on a spaceship ... but wait, that's a different de Bodard book.
Someday maybe we can have tea with this author, and watch the sparks of ideas crackling out of her brain, and it's no ordinary brain.
Footnote: the cover art captures the author as well as ANY I have ever seen. It's gorgeous and elegant and totally RIGHT.
mermahoney's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
4.25
Great collection of stories, mostly from de Bodard's Xuya universe. The author's introduction and the story notes added a lot to the reading experience.
pocketsknight's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-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
4.25
rhodered's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
pshotts's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
emtobiasz's review
Love aliette de bodard, but her writing style is very demanding and I don’t have the attention span for it right now. Hoping to return to it later— I enjoyed the two stories I read.
rosie_reads_7's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0