A review by capsandclauses
Terra Nullius by Claire G. Coleman

challenging reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

“You think you are smarter than us, you think your brains are bigger, you think we can't learn. We know more than you, we have stories and songs, we have art and culture. What do you have? You have guns and fury and hate. The war has so far been about guns and death. When you think we are defeated, the war will change.

The next war will be about resilience and survival, culture and art. When that war begins you will discover you are not well armed. You have no art, your stories have no power.”

I loved the concept, but not necessarily the execution.

This was a really interesting novel. It was initially set up as a historical novel, and the reader assumes from the context clues that it is set in colonial Australia. In reality, its set hundreds of years later, after an alien invasion has made all of humanity an colonised species.

Ultimately, I don't think that the storylines of this novel completely came together. But I enjoyed the discussion I had around this book, and its insight.