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A review by accidentallyinspace
Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
First up: excellent world building, fascinating and evocative imagery of a seabound city after the death of the world. Miller is great with the little details here and there (the color of the geothermal heat pipes, the human element of ramshackle noodle stands popping up everywhere) that makes the place feel real, gritty and raw.
However, the actual characters and plot developments I cannot wrap my head around. It often feels like characters make decisions that go against their interests or character simply to move the plot along, or they experience tragic loss and death and start joking around 10 minutes later. It honestly feels as if maybe 15% of the scenes / time in this story have been cut away, with the remainder stitched together, so that things just hitch and jump from one development to the next leaving you with this profound sense of vertigo and confusion.
The worst of these (spoiler):Ankit goes to Go to sell out Barron, someone she likes and respects, in order to maybe get back at Podlove. She is headed off by Go's second in command, Dao, who is characterized earlier as being level headed and good with people. Dao explains that Ankit can't just waltz in and see Go, given the current danger to her, which is very reasonable, and asks her to tell him what she wants. Instead of doing this very reasonable thing, Ankit, a very reasonable person, sprints away, causing a pointless chase scene, which he wins. He pins her and begins asking who sent her, assuming very reasonably that she's a particularly shitty assassin. Masaaraq, who has been sheltering in Go's ship, shows up and murders him.
Later, they dump his body unceremoniously in front of Go, toss off some shit about him trying to kill Ankit without any explanation, and then almost immediately ask for Go's help rescuing their mother. Which Go agrees to. Nothing in this sequence makes sense from any of these characters, other than Dao.
So... Yeah. Enjoy the world, struggle through the plot.
However, the actual characters and plot developments I cannot wrap my head around. It often feels like characters make decisions that go against their interests or character simply to move the plot along, or they experience tragic loss and death and start joking around 10 minutes later. It honestly feels as if maybe 15% of the scenes / time in this story have been cut away, with the remainder stitched together, so that things just hitch and jump from one development to the next leaving you with this profound sense of vertigo and confusion.
The worst of these (spoiler):
Later, they dump his body unceremoniously in front of Go, toss off some shit about him trying to kill Ankit without any explanation, and then almost immediately ask for Go's help rescuing their mother. Which Go agrees to. Nothing in this sequence makes sense from any of these characters, other than Dao.
So... Yeah. Enjoy the world, struggle through the plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder