A review by saevers
Barsk: The Elephants' Graveyard by Lawrence M. Schoen
4.0
This was a lovely and compelling story. Like other reviewers, I’m not normally interested in stories about anthropomorphic animals, but the characters were relatable and well developed and the story dealt with themes of loss, exploitation, and bigotry in ways that were resonant and tragic.
Barsk is a story set on another world thousands of years in the future, and follows a sentient elephant who is an academic historian with the ability to communicate with the dead. His species is loathed and discriminated against by all of the others in the galaxy, but they produce a powerful resource that enables them to balance power and ensure their own safety. This story deals with a complex political plot, and carefully examines the protagonist’s place in the world, his relationships with others, the importance of culture in our lives, and the appropriate use of power.
I enjoyed the complexity of the characters and the fact that the story depicted nuanced behavior and motivations. Characters that could have been left as one-dimensional archetypes were well developed and their motivations were scrutinized. Scenes of tragedy were deeply moving. I also enjoyed the author’s description of nature and the ways that the characters employed natural metaphors in their speech.
This is listed as Book #1 in Goodreads. I was unaware that the story continued when I purchased this book and generally avoid series, but I enjoyed Barsk well enough that I may continue with this one.
Barsk is a story set on another world thousands of years in the future, and follows a sentient elephant who is an academic historian with the ability to communicate with the dead. His species is loathed and discriminated against by all of the others in the galaxy, but they produce a powerful resource that enables them to balance power and ensure their own safety. This story deals with a complex political plot, and carefully examines the protagonist’s place in the world, his relationships with others, the importance of culture in our lives, and the appropriate use of power.
I enjoyed the complexity of the characters and the fact that the story depicted nuanced behavior and motivations. Characters that could have been left as one-dimensional archetypes were well developed and their motivations were scrutinized. Scenes of tragedy were deeply moving. I also enjoyed the author’s description of nature and the ways that the characters employed natural metaphors in their speech.
This is listed as Book #1 in Goodreads. I was unaware that the story continued when I purchased this book and generally avoid series, but I enjoyed Barsk well enough that I may continue with this one.