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A review by catbooking
Steles of the Sky by Elizabeth Bear
4.0
Removed one star because I wish it was longer. Maybe another 100 pages or a whole another book would have given me the satisfaction and let me stay in this world, with these characters, a bit longer.
My complaint doesn't only stem from the aversion to leaving these characters behind, it also comes to the fact that a lot of plot lines were dropped and others were conveniently tied off. I am not saying luck cannot suddenly be in the protagonists' favor, nor that I do not enjoy that for once people that deserved a happy ending got it (some of them), but it doesn't feel as authentic. It was also really convenient how every oppressed female character wanted the same from her free life, to wear pants and ride horses and have babies. Could maybe some of them have enjoyed being a court flunky just with personal autonomy?
I am not saying that I did not enjoy the diversity and the morally good characters winning due to their moral goodness. I loved it! I just wish less of it felt like a convenient ass-pull.
PS: I LOVED trying to figure out what country corresponded to what country in the real world. :)
My complaint doesn't only stem from the aversion to leaving these characters behind, it also comes to the fact that a lot of plot lines were dropped and others were conveniently tied off. I am not saying luck cannot suddenly be in the protagonists' favor, nor that I do not enjoy that for once people that deserved a happy ending got it (some of them), but it doesn't feel as authentic. It was also really convenient how every oppressed female character wanted the same from her free life, to wear pants and ride horses and have babies. Could maybe some of them have enjoyed being a court flunky just with personal autonomy?
I am not saying that I did not enjoy the diversity and the morally good characters winning due to their moral goodness. I loved it! I just wish less of it felt like a convenient ass-pull.
PS: I LOVED trying to figure out what country corresponded to what country in the real world. :)