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wordswritinstarlight's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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
Martha Wells is the only bitch who can handle me. I fucking loved this book. I’m thinking about listening to the audiobook Immediately. It’s like Martha Wells heard me lamenting my book situation last month and went “hey, you know what it sounds like you need? A fantasy dystopia that takes a HARD left into cosmic horror in the back half.” And you know what Martha? Yeah. Yes I did need that. Spent all of last month being promised monsters and getting nothing, and this book is a really fun fantasy heist until two thirds of the way through where Martha grabs you by the shoulders and looks you in the eye and goes “It’s fucking Cthulhu. Like, it’s about rampant abuse of resources and colonialism, but it’s fucking Cthulhu.” And I needed that shit.
Anyway, Khat is a fantastic main character who I think will really appeal to anyone who likes the Murderbot Diaries—he’s smart, genre savvy, and easily convinced to abandon both of those things under the right circumstances. Honestly watching him go from a genre he’s incredibly well-equipped for (fantasy dystopia) to a genre he didn’t even know was an OPTION(fucking Cthulhu) was delightful. I would read a whole book of just him and Sagai and their ENORMOUS family kicking around post-canon. He’s also great at my favorite Martha Wells Technique(TM), which is having her characters drop some totally insane lore as an offhand “and obviously EVERYONE knows about fleebles,” or whatever. and then explaining NOTHING. Charisat is as compelling and fucked up as the Corporation Rim, but it’s post-apocalyptic capitalist fantasy dystopia rather than spacefaring capitalist sci-fi dystopia. I loved it. I had a great time with it. I want to read a history textbook set in this world.
Also, @Martha Wells, I’m dying to know: did you come up with themarsupial pouch in order to make the plot work, or did you come up with a species with a marsupial pouch and then go “I gotta use these guys”. Because I would believe either.
Anyway, Khat is a fantastic main character who I think will really appeal to anyone who likes the Murderbot Diaries—he’s smart, genre savvy, and easily convinced to abandon both of those things under the right circumstances. Honestly watching him go from a genre he’s incredibly well-equipped for (fantasy dystopia) to a genre he didn’t even know was an OPTION
Also, @Martha Wells, I’m dying to know: did you come up with the
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Racism, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Murder, Colonisation, Classism, and Deportation
misterwisp's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
It's pretty good. The enjoyable aspects are the world and the characters. The biggest difficult aspect is the slow pacing in parts, and elaborate excessive attention to small details can make things drag a bit.
The world is centuries into the aftermath of some kind of magical eco-disaster that left behind a harsh desert. The cities are shaped by extremes of poverty and wealth. Acquisition, ownership, and trading of relics from the mage culture before the big disaster is the big shaping force in the society and culture. It feels interesting and unique. It's not just pseudo medieval Europe or anything like that. The characters are well written and felt worth investing in.
The plot is a bit slow. Things take a long time to happen. Scenes often have a high level of description including specific breakdown of lighting conditions, the exact details of patterns on the furniture, and the minutiae of the clothing characters are wearing, etc. After a certain point it felt unnecessary and repetitive.
Frustrations aside it was a good read and the pace picked up in the last quarter. Time spend was not regretted. The author has a creative imagination. There was payoff and the ending was satisfying.
The world is centuries into the aftermath of some kind of magical eco-disaster that left behind a harsh desert. The cities are shaped by extremes of poverty and wealth. Acquisition, ownership, and trading of relics from the mage culture before the big disaster is the big shaping force in the society and culture. It feels interesting and unique. It's not just pseudo medieval Europe or anything like that. The characters are well written and felt worth investing in.
The plot is a bit slow. Things take a long time to happen. Scenes often have a high level of description including specific breakdown of lighting conditions, the exact details of patterns on the furniture, and the minutiae of the clothing characters are wearing, etc. After a certain point it felt unnecessary and repetitive.
Frustrations aside it was a good read and the pace picked up in the last quarter. Time spend was not regretted. The author has a creative imagination. There was payoff and the ending was satisfying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia and Classism
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Police brutality
Minor: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Blood, and Medical trauma
pvbobrien's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Cannibalism, and Classism
Minor: Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Racism, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
zed_dog's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
3.75
We love a scrappy, resourceful hero who uses others' underestimation of them to their own advantage.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality and Classism
Moderate: Torture