Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

Die Verräterin by Seth Dickinson

98 reviews

omniscienttrees's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

One of the best depictions of imperialism i've ever seen in fiction. This book also served as the best inoculation against the pain of 'bury your gays' tropes in media ever, and kind of cured me of the pain of a lot of films growing up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

likeopomp's review against another edition

challenging dark informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The Baru Cormorant series could be my favorite fantasy series, despite having read plenty of fantasy more epic in scope, cast, stakes and prose.

The premise is haunting and unforgiving and the main character is molded by what she has been exposed to. The setting is much more imaginative, grounded, elaborate, natural and intellectually interesting than most without any reliance on magic of any sort.

Also the plotting and set-up is absolutely incredible.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Grief, and Colonisation

dragonslayerz's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Genocide, Hate crime, and Classism

Minor: Police brutality

kers_tin's review against another edition

challenging mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

receal's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-paced

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

3.0

For a historical fantasy book with a great set up on the evils of colonialism and power, I was quite disappointed that I couldn't connect with the main character Baru. It felt like I was always on the cusp of getting a deeper look into Baru but then suddenly pushed to the next plot point. And despite feeling this, the pacing was quite slow. Loved the concept of the plot but the execution was uninspiring. Same with the characters; an interesting cast put together and yet their motivations, interactions and opinion from Baru felt flat and lifeless. To put it simply, I'm very curious about what may happen in the next book but won't be reading it do to how much this book's execution bore me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Torture, Excrement, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Biphobia and Body horror

handove's review against another edition

5.0

the political parts felt like they dragged a little and so i didn't think i'd give this five stars but baru and tain hu have consumed my brain

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Colonisation, and War

sourcherrysyrup's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Baruuuuu

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Violence, Lesbophobia, Colonisation, and War

Minor: Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Sexual violence

Child is almost victim of lesbophobic sexual abuse conversion therapy

notbambi's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-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

Baru Cormorant sets out to fight monsters, only to become one herself. This is a book that has you thinking, "what is her endgame?" up to literally 30 pages from the end, and then you hit it and you're gobsmacked. 

This book spends a lot of time exploring local politics, economics, colonialism, and war, and it turns out that made-up geopolitics are totally my jam. For once, the map in the front of the fantasy novel was indispensible for keeping track of the web of dukes and their shifting alliances as the story went on (also, nice touch that the map is an in-universe sketch of the region, with pithy notes about all the dukes). And at the centre of it all, Baru Cormorant, ostensibly trying to save her people from the empire by bringing them down from the inside, and being fundamentally transformed by that empire into a completely ruthless, calculating bitch. She has just enough blindspots and vulnerability for us to at least be captivated by her contradictions, if not always sympathetic.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual violence, Violence, Lesbophobia, and Colonisation

dataphract's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense 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

5.0

jesus christ seth

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Colonisation, and War

liokamino's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense 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

5.0

perfect fucking book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Outing, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic