A review by marmarta
Daughter of Elysium by Joan Slonczewski
5.0
"Daughter of Elysium", Joan Slonczewski's second book set in the same universe, is a somewhat overwhelming, but amazing exercise in world-building and idea-wrangling. While the huge cast of characters is sometimes overwhelming, and at times I found it difficult to care which of the wealthy and influential banker-politicians are which, the world Joan Slonczewski has created was wondrous enough to offset that problem. This is a book for everyone who likes struggling with difficult ideas and various social systems - the amazing comparison between matriarchal and communal Bronze Skyans, quasi-immortal, egalitarian, but proud and disdainful Elysians, primitive, warlike, patriarchal (but strangely tolerant to 'sub-humans') Urulans and anarchist-communitarian Sharers raises many interesting moral questions.
The pace is slow - despite some moments of faster action, "Daughter of Elysium" is not a book for those who like stories to progress quickly. But if you want to take a breath-taking view at a complicated universe and to explore interesting moral quandaries - what makes a human? what makes a person? when genetic engineering is good, and when destructive? how about terraforming - when can we destroy an entire ecosystem to suit our needs? how can a culture change without destroying itself? - this is a book for you.
On a closing note, "Daughter of Elysium" is quite unique in one more aspect - motherhood and fatherhood are crucial both to the plot and to the worldbuilding, and children are neither an untenable burder to the heroic protagonist, nor a women's be-all and end-all. I liked this change of style, and liked the heroine for whom childbearing is a normal part of life, to be integrated in her career and life without taking over either.
The pace is slow - despite some moments of faster action, "Daughter of Elysium" is not a book for those who like stories to progress quickly. But if you want to take a breath-taking view at a complicated universe and to explore interesting moral quandaries - what makes a human? what makes a person? when genetic engineering is good, and when destructive? how about terraforming - when can we destroy an entire ecosystem to suit our needs? how can a culture change without destroying itself? - this is a book for you.
On a closing note, "Daughter of Elysium" is quite unique in one more aspect - motherhood and fatherhood are crucial both to the plot and to the worldbuilding, and children are neither an untenable burder to the heroic protagonist, nor a women's be-all and end-all. I liked this change of style, and liked the heroine for whom childbearing is a normal part of life, to be integrated in her career and life without taking over either.