moirwyn's review against another edition
5.0
This review originally appeared on my blog, Books Without Any Pictures:
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2014/08/04/the-mirror-empire-kameron-hurley/
The Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley is one of the most stunning epic fantasies I’ve read this year. The setting is unique and plays a major role in the story. Magic exists, but magic is controlled and influenced by the stars. Para, Tira, and Sina cycle through relatively frequently, and people with an affinity to them become more powerful during each satellite’s ascendance. Then there’s Oma, which only appears every couple thousand years. When Oma appears it causes major cataclysms, because the fabric that separates the many parallel worlds becomes permeable, which means that people can invade from one world into another.
When Lilia is a young child, her mother pushes her into another world to save her from people who are trying to harness her power. She’s an omajista (meaning she can channel Oma’s power), but she doesn’t know that because (1) she’s just a kid, (2) Oma hasn’t shown up in a very long time, and (3) the people on her new world don’t know that there are parallel worlds or that omajistas exist. Lilia is raised by the Dhai, a warrior race that had fallen and been tamed. However, Oma is on the rise, and the Dhai are about to get a nasty surprise, because the Dhai who won in a parallel existence will stop at nothing to conquer their neighboring world.
One of the neatest things about The Mirror Empire is the way that Kameron Hurley handles gender. Rather than a two-gender worldview, she imagines a world where the prevalent socio-cultural worldview is more diverse.
Not only does Hurley establish a completely different gender system, but she also manages to create characters who fall outside of it. A character named Taigan is so far in the in-between that he/she’s gender randomly changes throughout his/her life. Taigan doesn’t know what causes it, except that it happens outside of his/her control.
The Mirror Empire is not light reading. I’m so impressed that Hurley was able to pull off such a complex cast of characters from multiple cultures and worlds. And the worlds that she presents are so different than anything I’ve read about before–even the flora and fauna are completely alien. Worldbuilding is interwoven into the story without any kind of introductory infodump early in the book, and while I never felt lost, I also couldn’t take anything for granted and was constantly surprised when my expectations were challenged.
The Mirror Empire is a spectacular novel. It comes out on August 26 and is definitely worth a pre-order. I am eagerly anticipating the next installment in the Worldbreaker Saga and to see what else Kameron Hurley has to offer.
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2014/08/04/the-mirror-empire-kameron-hurley/
The Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley is one of the most stunning epic fantasies I’ve read this year. The setting is unique and plays a major role in the story. Magic exists, but magic is controlled and influenced by the stars. Para, Tira, and Sina cycle through relatively frequently, and people with an affinity to them become more powerful during each satellite’s ascendance. Then there’s Oma, which only appears every couple thousand years. When Oma appears it causes major cataclysms, because the fabric that separates the many parallel worlds becomes permeable, which means that people can invade from one world into another.
When Lilia is a young child, her mother pushes her into another world to save her from people who are trying to harness her power. She’s an omajista (meaning she can channel Oma’s power), but she doesn’t know that because (1) she’s just a kid, (2) Oma hasn’t shown up in a very long time, and (3) the people on her new world don’t know that there are parallel worlds or that omajistas exist. Lilia is raised by the Dhai, a warrior race that had fallen and been tamed. However, Oma is on the rise, and the Dhai are about to get a nasty surprise, because the Dhai who won in a parallel existence will stop at nothing to conquer their neighboring world.
One of the neatest things about The Mirror Empire is the way that Kameron Hurley handles gender. Rather than a two-gender worldview, she imagines a world where the prevalent socio-cultural worldview is more diverse.
There were five genders in Dhai–female assertive, female passive, male assertive, male passive, and ungendered. Saronia always used the female-assertive for herself, while Lilia thought of herself in the female-passive. But Roh happily used the ungendered pronoun in referece to Saronia. It was considered a rude thing, to use the wrong gender once you knew it, but it seemed to especially annoy Saronia.
Not only does Hurley establish a completely different gender system, but she also manages to create characters who fall outside of it. A character named Taigan is so far in the in-between that he/she’s gender randomly changes throughout his/her life. Taigan doesn’t know what causes it, except that it happens outside of his/her control.
The Mirror Empire is not light reading. I’m so impressed that Hurley was able to pull off such a complex cast of characters from multiple cultures and worlds. And the worlds that she presents are so different than anything I’ve read about before–even the flora and fauna are completely alien. Worldbuilding is interwoven into the story without any kind of introductory infodump early in the book, and while I never felt lost, I also couldn’t take anything for granted and was constantly surprised when my expectations were challenged.
The Mirror Empire is a spectacular novel. It comes out on August 26 and is definitely worth a pre-order. I am eagerly anticipating the next installment in the Worldbreaker Saga and to see what else Kameron Hurley has to offer.
saoki's review against another edition
4.0
Good story, great characters, amazing setting, but the best thing are the cultures. I would read non-fiction about the cultures in this book. I just want to know more about their relationships, politics, books, how they dress and how they talk.
It's incredible, a real secondary world fantasy. It feels so fresh that I'm sure people will copy the hell out of it in the near future.
So, yeah, recommended.
It's incredible, a real secondary world fantasy. It feels so fresh that I'm sure people will copy the hell out of it in the near future.
So, yeah, recommended.
diaryofthebookdragon's review
3.0
Very unique, beautiful and imaginative. But stuffed with so many new words and customs. Who can follow all this? Not me. Hopefully Kameron Hurley can. I just floated along and hopped that the dots will connect by the end. Many of them didn't though. :(
scrollsofdragons's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed this book but I couldn't really care about much of the characters and just because women are the ones in power, its still bloodly sexist and makes my skin crawl when the men are mistreated in the same way it does in other fantasys when its the women getting mistreated, it doesn't change things!
kodkod's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-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
3.5
The world-building is lush, provocative, and a cultural anthropologist's delight. Alternate universes, carniverous plants and walking trees, star magic, diverging skies and histories... It's fun, even if I'm now jaded about multiverses after years of Marvel and Sanderson content.
The prose is dialogue and action heavy, but also filled with unfamiliar terminology and world-building related jargon. This results in a text that is simultaneously fast-paced and challenging to immerse in initially. It admittedly feels a tad clunky, but no more or less than some other technical fantasy and sci-fi works.
The character work, though... I consider this to be one of Kameron Hurley's weaknesses across her works, but it's more pronounced here. This is a grimdark series (or a rebuttal/reversal of the misogyny found in grimdark), and I have a hard time imagining the large, unlikeable cast developing in a direction in future installments that I find particularly compelling or enjoyable. Still, I'll eventually read on when I'm in that special mood that allows me to bask in a storyline consisting of terrible people making terrible choices.
3.5 stars, rounded up — because, even though it's not my favourite, Hurley does excellent dark fantasy and grimdark work. She incorporates perspectives (queer, women, disabilities, poc) and socio-political systems that most authors in the subgenre fail to consider, especially around the time this was published.
The prose is dialogue and action heavy, but also filled with unfamiliar terminology and world-building related jargon. This results in a text that is simultaneously fast-paced and challenging to immerse in initially. It admittedly feels a tad clunky, but no more or less than some other technical fantasy and sci-fi works.
The character work, though... I consider this to be one of Kameron Hurley's weaknesses across her works, but it's more pronounced here. This is a grimdark series (or a rebuttal/reversal of the misogyny found in grimdark), and I have a hard time imagining the large, unlikeable cast developing in a direction in future installments that I find particularly compelling or enjoyable. Still, I'll eventually read on when I'm in that special mood that allows me to bask in a storyline consisting of terrible people making terrible choices.
3.5 stars, rounded up — because, even though it's not my favourite, Hurley does excellent dark fantasy and grimdark work. She incorporates perspectives (queer, women, disabilities, poc) and socio-political systems that most authors in the subgenre fail to consider, especially around the time this was published.
antonism's review against another edition
4.0
4 / 5
The Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley is a great book. In many ways, it is a typical well-done fantasy book but that is only scratching the surface. There are so many new ideas, tropes turned upside-down and novelties that a casual reader might find himself overwhelmed. Yes, this book requires some more effort than your usual page-turner but it is certainly worth it. Hurley has crafted an amazing world, with multiple cultures, deep history and complex politics. Add to that a special mix of more traditionally fantastical elements like some unbelievable and unusual creatures and an incredible magical system and things really start to heat up! The story is great and fast-paced, with the main characters always having an interesting or tense scene relative to their plot-thread. Hurley's writing is superb and very easy to read and enjoy with a good balance of descriptive and action passages.
I didn't find everything perfect though. I have 2 minor complaints that eventually forced me to take down the rating by 1 star. First, the characters sometimes felt a bit off, as if there was something that didn't allow me to like them as much as I'd expected. I like grey characters (Oh, Joe Abercrombie...!!!) but only if they are grey because they are real and life-like. Here, sometimes the main characters gave off a feeling of not making perfect sense. This was probably not helped by their motivations not always being very clear or believable in many instances.
My other gripe has to do with the ending... or lack of it! I will admit that I started reading this book without knowing it was planned to be the first of a trilogy, but even then, I would have expected some kind of ending, with at least a few minor-plot threads being resolved in some way. What I want to say is... I wanted a better ending and not something so abrupt and inconclusive as if the first book was cut with a hatchet.
But, minor complaints aside, I still loved this book and I will definitely be reading the second one as soon as it comes out! I would recommend The Mirror Empire for most fantasy fans, and especially for more experienced ones that like and miss the wonder of older traditional works but want something fresh and modern!
4 / 5
The Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley is a great book. In many ways, it is a typical well-done fantasy book but that is only scratching the surface. There are so many new ideas, tropes turned upside-down and novelties that a casual reader might find himself overwhelmed. Yes, this book requires some more effort than your usual page-turner but it is certainly worth it. Hurley has crafted an amazing world, with multiple cultures, deep history and complex politics. Add to that a special mix of more traditionally fantastical elements like some unbelievable and unusual creatures and an incredible magical system and things really start to heat up! The story is great and fast-paced, with the main characters always having an interesting or tense scene relative to their plot-thread. Hurley's writing is superb and very easy to read and enjoy with a good balance of descriptive and action passages.
I didn't find everything perfect though. I have 2 minor complaints that eventually forced me to take down the rating by 1 star. First, the characters sometimes felt a bit off, as if there was something that didn't allow me to like them as much as I'd expected. I like grey characters (Oh, Joe Abercrombie...!!!) but only if they are grey because they are real and life-like. Here, sometimes the main characters gave off a feeling of not making perfect sense. This was probably not helped by their motivations not always being very clear or believable in many instances.
My other gripe has to do with the ending... or lack of it! I will admit that I started reading this book without knowing it was planned to be the first of a trilogy, but even then, I would have expected some kind of ending, with at least a few minor-plot threads being resolved in some way. What I want to say is... I wanted a better ending and not something so abrupt and inconclusive as if the first book was cut with a hatchet.
But, minor complaints aside, I still loved this book and I will definitely be reading the second one as soon as it comes out! I would recommend The Mirror Empire for most fantasy fans, and especially for more experienced ones that like and miss the wonder of older traditional works but want something fresh and modern!
4 / 5
allanvdh's review against another edition
1.0
This story is quite confusing to follow with the various names and then the same names used in the other world.
It’s taken me a long time to get through this story and quite often I lost interest or only 1:2 followed on the audio book. Not an easy read or listen and the author spends way too much time explaining various things to the point that it’s nauseatingly boring.
It’s taken me a long time to get through this story and quite often I lost interest or only 1:2 followed on the audio book. Not an easy read or listen and the author spends way too much time explaining various things to the point that it’s nauseatingly boring.
riley_rose's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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? Yes
3.75
lyrrael's review
4.0
So… I made the mistake of reading The Language of Knives (short story) at the same time as this. And the two paired just give a whole new meaning to bringing relatives to dinner. Okay, having said that, and having read the Bel Dame Apocrypha, I knew what I was getting into here: Hurley is a master (mistress?) of the creation of TRULY unique worlds with intricate worldbuilding, but also being able to delicately throw that information at the reader. I have absolutely zero doubt that she’s figured out plumbing for each of her cultures, but she has the grace not to explain it to the reader. I have to admit that most of her writing leaves me in the mind of China Mieville, who I consider the king of the New Weird genre, but honestly? I think she’s better at it. Unfortunately for me, I’m not a huge fan of New Weird, so while I enjoyed the uniqueness of the setting, it also had a tendency to get under my skin. THIS IS NOT TO SAY this is not an awesome book, because it is -- it is to say that I’m not one for this much complexity in my reading.
indefinitelyme_reads's review against another edition
3.0
Aggressive world building, no romance. The world is vast there are many differencing races, magic, politics going on. War may be coming. All in all i did not enjoy it felt very heavy as the world building and than there was mention of marriage but not romance aside from one character saying she would rather be home F**** he husband.