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A review by wasted
The Arm Of The Stone by Victoria Strauss
3.0
"To invent or not invent, that is the question" - altered William Shakespeare idiom
The premise of The Arm of the Stone is incredibly intriguing with its binary approach to controlling human ingenuity. In short, if humans invent, they make profound achievements yet sow the seeds of their own destruction. Alternatively, if humans don't invent, they survive albeit with a much lower standard of living. This is a short-term versus long-term contradiction that forces us to question one of the basics of human nature.
A grand story is built around this paradox but merely scratches the surface of what this means to our species. Unfortunately, the dreary length of the book is not justified with its overly-descriptive passages about castle room furnishings and the latest wizard fashion styles. Although somewhat engaging, the time investment was personally disappointing for two reasons. For one, is the primary antagonist seriously the main character's college bully? Two, more importantly, the author failed to include a single example of how Zosterians treat Violators that have committed the unholy act of invention; compared to centuries old public persecution by standard Guardians of the Arm.
To further reflect on what readers aren't rewarded after finishing The Arm of the Stone, it is important to understand that human inventiveness is as fundamental to our existence as breeding. To deny it is unnatural, which serves as a satisfying constant thread of tension throughout the novel. In the example of breeding, generating offspring is a primary aspect of Earth biology that simply must be... because, what is the alternative? The only vague science fiction answer that comes to mind would be a different universe that hosts a unique astrobiological trait of immortality. If only.
Indeed, humans are relatively weak fleshly sacks of water that only dominated pre-historical food chains by banding together and inventing weapons. In the current over-saturated technological society of the 21st century, it is romantic to want to revert back to an agrarian society lit only by fire. Yet, non-industrial lifestyles were generally devoid of comfort that most modern water sacks couldn't fathom.
Humans don't think generationally by considering the long-term consequences of their actions beyond perhaps their great-grandchildren. We simply expect future generations to be intuitive enough to adapt, invent and survive within the world we've created for them. This framework has worked for thousands of years but that time is swiftly coming to an end, and we shall soon invent our own final punishment quickly enough. If only we had the Arm of the Stone to instill the discipline required for us to save us from ourselves.
The premise of The Arm of the Stone is incredibly intriguing with its binary approach to controlling human ingenuity. In short, if humans invent, they make profound achievements yet sow the seeds of their own destruction. Alternatively, if humans don't invent, they survive albeit with a much lower standard of living. This is a short-term versus long-term contradiction that forces us to question one of the basics of human nature.
A grand story is built around this paradox but merely scratches the surface of what this means to our species. Unfortunately, the dreary length of the book is not justified with its overly-descriptive passages about castle room furnishings and the latest wizard fashion styles. Although somewhat engaging, the time investment was personally disappointing for two reasons. For one, is the primary antagonist seriously the main character's college bully? Two, more importantly, the author failed to include a single example of how Zosterians treat Violators that have committed the unholy act of invention; compared to centuries old public persecution by standard Guardians of the Arm.
To further reflect on what readers aren't rewarded after finishing The Arm of the Stone, it is important to understand that human inventiveness is as fundamental to our existence as breeding. To deny it is unnatural, which serves as a satisfying constant thread of tension throughout the novel. In the example of breeding, generating offspring is a primary aspect of Earth biology that simply must be... because, what is the alternative? The only vague science fiction answer that comes to mind would be a different universe that hosts a unique astrobiological trait of immortality. If only.
Indeed, humans are relatively weak fleshly sacks of water that only dominated pre-historical food chains by banding together and inventing weapons. In the current over-saturated technological society of the 21st century, it is romantic to want to revert back to an agrarian society lit only by fire. Yet, non-industrial lifestyles were generally devoid of comfort that most modern water sacks couldn't fathom.
Humans don't think generationally by considering the long-term consequences of their actions beyond perhaps their great-grandchildren. We simply expect future generations to be intuitive enough to adapt, invent and survive within the world we've created for them. This framework has worked for thousands of years but that time is swiftly coming to an end, and we shall soon invent our own final punishment quickly enough. If only we had the Arm of the Stone to instill the discipline required for us to save us from ourselves.