stacksoftbr's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
slow-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
4.0
tanya_the_spack's review against another edition
I gave up halfway through. Really boring.
karireads's review against another edition
emotional
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
3.0
ginnikin's review against another edition
4.0
I'm quite angry that Quyen and Linh were both so sympathetic to the reader yet so antipathetic to each other. Hmph!
raven_morgan's review against another edition
4.0
Read as part of the 2013 Hugo Packet.
Beautiful written and extremely evocative. Didn't quite hit the emotional mark for me, which probably says more about me as a reader than the novella.
Beautiful written and extremely evocative. Didn't quite hit the emotional mark for me, which probably says more about me as a reader than the novella.
geekmom's review against another edition
3.5
I am really not sure what to make of this book. I didn’t dislike it, but I couldn’t quite understand the reasons for the characters’ intense negative feelings toward each other.
thetainaship's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
essinink's review against another edition
3.0
So, I didn't realize this when I added it to my TBR a couple years back, but this is apparently an installment in Alliette de Bodard's persistent Xuya Universe--an alternate reality in which China beat Europe to the New World. While my understanding is that they can be read independently, I get the distinct impression that I might have liked this one more with more background.
The Dai Viet empire is disintegrating. The Emperor's failure to take action has led to political paralysis while outlying planets fall in waves, the fortunate members of their population scattering to the stars. Among the refugees who come to Prosper Station is the Magistrate Linh, whose close family ties to both administration and the station itself create the underlying tension for this story.
This novella is all about people and relationships. The station administrator Quyen is keenly aware of her failings (or what her society sees as failings). Linh's arrival puts her on the defensive, trying to maintain her authority in the face of an outsider whose objective qualifications exceed her own. To add to the injury, the station's Mind is faltering under the strain of a sudden population increase, and one of Quyen's in-laws has stolen a priceless family artifact.
Linh's achievements don't outweigh a certain petty childish streak that continually gets her into trouble, but as the story goes on, she learns restraint. The decision she makes at the end of the book is appropriately final--in many ways, her life was over before she even landed on the station--but allows the possibility (or at least the illusion of such) of moving forward. Quyen also has to make sacrifices, but in the face of those losses fulfills her own potential.
Ultimately, it's a very quiet story, and it feels like an interlude in something larger. I liked it, but I suspect that it's not an ideal introduction to de Bodard's work.
The Dai Viet empire is disintegrating. The Emperor's failure to take action has led to political paralysis while outlying planets fall in waves, the fortunate members of their population scattering to the stars. Among the refugees who come to Prosper Station is the Magistrate Linh, whose close family ties to both administration and the station itself create the underlying tension for this story.
This novella is all about people and relationships. The station administrator Quyen is keenly aware of her failings (or what her society sees as failings). Linh's arrival puts her on the defensive, trying to maintain her authority in the face of an outsider whose objective qualifications exceed her own. To add to the injury, the station's Mind is faltering under the strain of a sudden population increase, and one of Quyen's in-laws has stolen a priceless family artifact.
Linh's achievements don't outweigh a certain petty childish streak that continually gets her into trouble, but as the story goes on, she learns restraint. The decision she makes at the end of the book is appropriately final--in many ways, her life was over before she even landed on the station--but allows the possibility (or at least the illusion of such) of moving forward. Quyen also has to make sacrifices, but in the face of those losses fulfills her own potential.
Ultimately, it's a very quiet story, and it feels like an interlude in something larger. I liked it, but I suspect that it's not an ideal introduction to de Bodard's work.