emdowd's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted this to be something other than what it was and never forgave it for not being that, which isn't fair.
This is a really ambitious book and I respect that. I think it might have worked better as an epic series because as it is, the story felt rushed and incomplete while at the same time being meticulously detailed and thorough.
Also I think I don't know enough about the steampunk genre to "get" a significant portion of this - seems like a response to something I didn't know was said.
This is a really ambitious book and I respect that. I think it might have worked better as an epic series because as it is, the story felt rushed and incomplete while at the same time being meticulously detailed and thorough.
Also I think I don't know enough about the steampunk genre to "get" a significant portion of this - seems like a response to something I didn't know was said.
kolymaarasto's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
bewithoutcontext's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
4.0
casefarr's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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
3.5
janeanger's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mrsbluejay's review against another edition
3.0
Very interesting alternate history steampunk fantasy epos. I did like the premise, the technology and the characters. Why then do I rate it at three stars only? In my opinion the amount of characters that play an important role in the book is relatively high, especially if you take into account that it's a standalone novel and not very long. Therefore the characters stayed quite one-dimensional and I had a hard time feeling a deeper bond to any if them. The book also portrays events over the span of some decades, so everything really felt rushed to me. I was also feeling a bit bothered by the anti-climactic ending.
However, the book is quite educational in a sense and I do understand and appreciate why the author decided to write it as it is.
However, the book is quite educational in a sense and I do understand and appreciate why the author decided to write it as it is.
shoutman's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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
xeni's review against another edition
3.0
This book attempts a lot, quite a lot, and it only passably makes good returns on those attempts. I am sad to say it, since I think I would have *adored* the book, had only a few changes been made.
I wish this was the book I was hoping to read rather than the pseduo-short-story collection that it actually was. It was hard to connect to any character, to care about any events. There's a haziness surrounding the entire tale that is incredibly hard to penetrate. I wish the author had given us a deeper connection to 2-3 characters rather than try to make a protagonist out of everyone.
On top of that, most of the protagonists are white colonists rather than native Africans, which I just don't understand. I wanted to read a story about Africans rebelling against white colonialism and triumphing and instead got this.
There were some good points. Nisi Shawl is excellent at focusing in on one dysfunctional relationship and seeing it from all angles. Why most of the major relationships had massive age gaps, however, was never explained.
I did enjoy how much art and artists play a role in revolution and bringing people together and also trying to change their minds. Writing, plays, songs, etc all serve Everfair immensely, far more than a traditional fantasy warrior perspective would have. Engineers, diplomats, even religion play a huge part in the telling of this story.
I feel that Everfair is an exploration of prejudice first and foremost: racism is at it's heart, but there's also the Christians vs "Heathans" vs atheists, misogyny, abilism, etc. Every character has some kind of prejudice (just like in real life), and the exploration of it did keep me reading. I didn't care much for the plot, or most of the relationships, but seeing everyone try to evolve but slipping up again and again was great. For example, when Matty finally gets with Fwendi and after tries to "do better" when engaging with black people, whereas before he'd basically assumed he was not racist at all.
Martha, in a similar situation, only gets more and more small minded as time goes on. I went from being annoyed and angry with her in the first part, to just feeling sorry for her by the second. When she falls to her knees and calls the black man a terrible person for trying to claim "her" god (though, isn't that why she is there? To bring "her" god to all of these "heathens"?) all I feel is pity. She says she would be prejudiced against, if she traveled to America, for her marriage (why exactly? It's never really said) but that doesn't allow her to grow compassion instead.
And then there is Daisy. The poet, the free-spirit, the one who will lay with a woman as well as her husband and not call it adultery, the one who is so racist against blacks Lisette doesn't want to be with her anymore but makes statements like "Race should not, could not, did not divide them." It perfectly captures the sentiment most people have of themselves.
Now, did I learn much about myself from this reading? I don't particularly think so. Maybe if I had read this when I was younger and less annoyed with the state of the current world.
I wish this was the book I was hoping to read rather than the pseduo-short-story collection that it actually was. It was hard to connect to any character, to care about any events. There's a haziness surrounding the entire tale that is incredibly hard to penetrate. I wish the author had given us a deeper connection to 2-3 characters rather than try to make a protagonist out of everyone.
On top of that, most of the protagonists are white colonists rather than native Africans, which I just don't understand. I wanted to read a story about Africans rebelling against white colonialism and triumphing and instead got this.
There were some good points. Nisi Shawl is excellent at focusing in on one dysfunctional relationship and seeing it from all angles. Why most of the major relationships had massive age gaps, however, was never explained.
I did enjoy how much art and artists play a role in revolution and bringing people together and also trying to change their minds. Writing, plays, songs, etc all serve Everfair immensely, far more than a traditional fantasy warrior perspective would have. Engineers, diplomats, even religion play a huge part in the telling of this story.
I feel that Everfair is an exploration of prejudice first and foremost: racism is at it's heart, but there's also the Christians vs "Heathans" vs atheists, misogyny, abilism, etc. Every character has some kind of prejudice (just like in real life), and the exploration of it did keep me reading. I didn't care much for the plot, or most of the relationships, but seeing everyone try to evolve but slipping up again and again was great. For example, when Matty finally gets with Fwendi and after tries to "do better" when engaging with black people, whereas before he'd basically assumed he was not racist at all.
Martha, in a similar situation, only gets more and more small minded as time goes on. I went from being annoyed and angry with her in the first part, to just feeling sorry for her by the second. When she falls to her knees and calls the black man a terrible person for trying to claim "her" god (though, isn't that why she is there? To bring "her" god to all of these "heathens"?) all I feel is pity. She says she would be prejudiced against, if she traveled to America, for her marriage (why exactly? It's never really said) but that doesn't allow her to grow compassion instead.
And then there is Daisy. The poet, the free-spirit, the one who will lay with a woman as well as her husband and not call it adultery, the one who is so racist against blacks Lisette doesn't want to be with her anymore but makes statements like "Race should not, could not, did not divide them." It perfectly captures the sentiment most people have of themselves.
Now, did I learn much about myself from this reading? I don't particularly think so. Maybe if I had read this when I was younger and less annoyed with the state of the current world.
storytimed's review against another edition
4.0
Super interesting. More of a collection of vignettes than a pure narrative, but I really dug the epic scale and huge cast. This is the story of a society and the structure of the book reflects that, dipping in for glimpses of its characters' lives at different pivotal moments in history and then flitting out again. The experiment doesn't work all the time (some character were definitely more interesting to me than others), but I still enjoyed the attempt.
Everfair wouldn't work so well if not for the excellent worldbuilding. The different factions (socialists! Black American missionaries! The people of the Congo!) highlighted in this new society are fascinating, the steampunk and magical elements expertly deployed. Reminded me a little of The Grace of Kings in its focus on a non-Western fantasy.
Everfair wouldn't work so well if not for the excellent worldbuilding. The different factions (socialists! Black American missionaries! The people of the Congo!) highlighted in this new society are fascinating, the steampunk and magical elements expertly deployed. Reminded me a little of The Grace of Kings in its focus on a non-Western fantasy.
laurenbookwitchbitch's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
3.0
I know very little about the history of the Congo, and Belgian imperialism (thanks US “world history” curriculum). Nisi Shawl’s book, Everfair explores a brilliantly imagined steampunk alternative history wherein the Congo sets aside a large tract of land known as Everfair to be kept safe, a utopia for indigenous peoples of the Congo and formerly enslaved people escaping from the US. Through a cast of characters from all different backgrounds, Shawl creates a captivating story that is both informative and imaginative. Plus bonus points for the sapphic love story!