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A review by taaya
The High Country by John Jackson Miller
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Oh boy, that was a hard read. It took AGES - the last 100 pages took me five hours of constant reading, and they're the quickest part to read in the book. (Usually 100 pages would take an hour or two.)
Okay, on to the story. While the characters started off as themselves they didn't have any chance to behave in their normal ways for most of the book. Pike was neither the Dad nor the huge teddy bear nor the witty charmer - not even the struggling victim of knowing his own future. And Una hinted at her people, but we didn't see any of her actual resourcefulness. And while Hemmer started off as the lovable grump, he also lost his character trait later on. (Spock and Uhura remained truer to their on-screen personalities, but also felt a little off from time to time.)
And then... Where was the FUN? The found family vibes? Hell, even in the second gorn episode (1x9) and even in "Hegemony", the darkest episodes in SNW so far, we got lots of fun and Pike lightening the mood, and characters just being one big family and here... Nothing. But that's the heart of SNW.
Instead the book splits up our beloved crew and all of them have to struggle on their own.
And Pike having been drawn to a Luddite lifestyle? Just because we've seen him cook and ride a horse in the show? (He did watch SciFi even when he was struggling!) This felt off. (And yes, I know, Anson Mount does pottery, builds furniture from scratch,... But Pike and Mount are two different people.)
So, no. Even though the book got better in the last 100 pages and earned itself another star in my book, this was far from what I hoped we'd get as an SNW book. This could've worked with Archer, where the crew doesn't feel really close to one another. But with SNW, where the charm lies in having the crew interact? This book ain't it.
Okay, on to the story. While the characters started off as themselves they didn't have any chance to behave in their normal ways for most of the book. Pike was neither the Dad nor the huge teddy bear nor the witty charmer - not even the struggling victim of knowing his own future. And Una hinted at her people, but we didn't see any of her actual resourcefulness. And while Hemmer started off as the lovable grump, he also lost his character trait later on. (Spock and Uhura remained truer to their on-screen personalities, but also felt a little off from time to time.)
And then... Where was the FUN? The found family vibes? Hell, even in the second gorn episode (1x9) and even in "Hegemony", the darkest episodes in SNW so far, we got lots of fun and Pike lightening the mood, and characters just being one big family and here... Nothing. But that's the heart of SNW.
Instead the book splits up our beloved crew and all of them have to struggle on their own.
And Pike having been drawn to a Luddite lifestyle? Just because we've seen him cook and ride a horse in the show? (He did watch SciFi even when he was struggling!) This felt off. (And yes, I know, Anson Mount does pottery, builds furniture from scratch,... But Pike and Mount are two different people.)
So, no. Even though the book got better in the last 100 pages and earned itself another star in my book, this was far from what I hoped we'd get as an SNW book. This could've worked with Archer, where the crew doesn't feel really close to one another. But with SNW, where the charm lies in having the crew interact? This book ain't it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Slavery, Violence, and War