I was really excited for this book because it sounded so unique and I will say that the themes of living under theI’m somewhere between a 3 and a 3.5.
I was really excited for this book because it sounded so unique and I will say that the themes of living under the oppression of patriarchy, bodily autonomy, ambiguity about motherhood, greed of capitalism and more were very interesting to contemplate - but don’t make a coherent story make. There is a lot of infodumping throughout the book, which took me out of the story. And the execution of the plot is also pretty confusing and while I understood some of what was happening, I can’t say the same for the rest. I also didn’t see the whole mashing up of cyberpunk dystopia with folklore coming, but it made for a very interesting conclusion.
Overall, I think this book was much more ambitious than what ultimately ended up on paper, which is why it just couldn’t keep my interest all through. The audiobook was narrated well but I didn’t listen to it completely because I just rushed through the second half of the book to get it over with. ...more
More of a 3.5 actually but I’ll round up just for that ending.
I’ve been very excited to get to this book because I found the author’s The City InsideMore of a 3.5 actually but I’ll round up just for that ending.
I’ve been very excited to get to this book because I found the author’s The City Inside to be very interesting and prophetic, and wanted to see how this novel would turn out. I had expected this too would have an audiobook I could checkout but unfortunately there isn’t, so it took me a while to finally get to it.
And what spectacular world building this has. the city of Shantiport that the author has created is so complex and full of history, culture, problems, floods, very advanced bots of all kinds, kaiju fights, and full of surveillance all the time. There are also rulers, oligarchs and gang lords, but we never know who is working together and who is opposed to each other, only that it’s the people and even bots who suffer. The story here is peppered with some new thing to discover in every page and that’s the major thing that kept me going. But it’s the pacing that prevented me from really enjoying it as well the POV it’s told from. The first half is very slow and we have no clue where this story is gonna go and it’s hard to keep oneself invested to continue, but it does pick up a bit in the second half and gives some glimpses of why it might be called a loose retelling of Aladdin.
It’s told from the perspective of a story bot Moku, so the narration overall feels very detached. We never get to understand the inner voices of our main characters, Lina and Bador - especially Lina because she keeps her thoughts very close to her chest; whereas Bador talks a lot about what he wants and feels, but somehow is concealing his sorrows behind his bluster. They are still very interesting to read about, with their sibling bond coming through perfectly well in their easy banter or when they want to be angry with the other but can’t stop helping each other anyways. The side characters Antim, Tanai, Juiful and Zohra are also written well though it’s the same issue that we never get to really know anyone well enough.
The story is also full of monologues and conversations about trying to revive the city of Shantiport, the problems created by greedy people in power and how it might be hard to dismantle the systems which are responsible for the poor plight of the people, but it’s still necessary if changes have to be made for the better. There are also discussions about the feelings of bots and higher level intelligences, their rights to autonomy and not being in the control of humans, and whether or not it is right to unleash an alien intelligence try to solve the systemic issues plaguing the world. All of these made for some thought provoking moments but also felt repetitive at times.
Overall, I’m still unsure and confused about this whole book. I absolutely loved this weird futuristic world the author has created but can’t tell you anything about it in detail. The plot also takes it time to develop and goes to places you’ll never see coming. The characters are quite interesting but I wish I could take a peek at their innermost thoughts. So, I don’t know if I should recommend this to anyone specifically, but maybe you’ll like it if you enjoy the weird and wondrous. ...more
The first thought that comes to mind after finishing this novella is that the ending felt too abrupt and I wanted more information. We really don’t geThe first thought that comes to mind after finishing this novella is that the ending felt too abrupt and I wanted more information. We really don’t get any resolution about the main premise of the story and that left me dissatisfied. Otherwise, the story itself told through the eyes of an old woman Laverne, from her journal entries, was very intriguing. Her fear, panic attacks, paranoia, the idea that she might forget itself - all of her emotions are captured perfectly by the author. There are a couple of twists too which I didn’t see coming and immediately thrilled me.
Ultimately though, without the important mystery of the story being solved, I just found it incomplete. I wish it was a novel so we could have gotten to know Laverne and Zoe better and also get more world building, or I can hope that maybe the author will write a sequel novella and give me the catharsis I want. ...more
I was intrigued by the premise and wanted to know what this was all about. But after finishing this, I’m not at all sure what to say about it. It’s noI was intrigued by the premise and wanted to know what this was all about. But after finishing this, I’m not at all sure what to say about it. It’s not exactly bad writing because even when I wasn’t totally engaged, I kept listening to the audiobook. The author is also probably commenting on the perils of corporate culture where all us employees keep working like mindless creatures, gaining no satisfaction from work, but also not finding the time to do anything more pleasurable or satisfying. But the way this story is told - both in the flashbacks or in the present after a zombie like pandemic - it’s very slice of life and boring and with not much connecting threads, and I was just left wondering what was the point of it all. Or maybe it’s the brilliance of the author because she is satirizing our banal existence through this story. Ultimately I think it just wasn’t for me, but I still wanna checkout the author’s upcoming book Bliss Montage. ...more
It almost feels like after a horrible reading slump and being frustrated that I’m not keeping up with any of my reading plans all through this pregnanIt almost feels like after a horrible reading slump and being frustrated that I’m not keeping up with any of my reading plans all through this pregnancy, I’m finally feeling the FOMO in these last weeks before my due date and trying to catch up as much as I can. This time it was the turn of the very beautiful looking The Ten Percent Thief by Lavanya Lakshminarayan, which got an international release early this year after being debuted previously in South Asia with a different title. I was expecting quite a bit from this book but turns out, it’s even better and I finished the book in just 2 days, to my utter surprise and delight.
This is a mosaic novel, a bit reminiscent of the profound How High We Go in the Dark, though this one takes place in a much more near future technocratic dystopia, within a much shorter time frame. Set in erstwhile Bangalore but now called Apex City, run by the Bell Corp where all citizens are rated on the bell curve, this book through the eyes of both the privileged and oppressed characters, gives us a glimpse into what this world controlled by a mega corp, optimized by algorithms, and driven by themes of productivity and conformity, has turned into.
While we get various POVs, each of different age groups and professions, we see their lives closely and what motivates them to keep going - how some of them have to work extra hard to conform and ensure that they don’t fall down on the curve, how they are ready to completely transform themselves to achieve this outcome, how utterly dependent every single aspect of life is on technology and how some of the Analogs are ready to fight back. Even though there are through lines between the stories, we don’t always meet the characters again but even in the short time we spend with them, it’s very easy to feel for them. But the beauty of this book is in how realistic and plausible the author makes this future feel - already we see ourselves living out social lives at the whims of algorithms everyday and it’s no surprise that the world envisioned in this book feels like a logical conclusion. I was captivated by the writing and the while it’s not necessarily a singular plot focused, it still moves at a fast pace building towards a thrilling end.
To be honest, I feel like I’ve not done justice to the book in this haphazard review of mine. But what can I say. I don’t have the right words in me at the moment. Just know that this book is very impressive, the futuristic world the author creates very familiar and scary and prescient, and a uniquely structured tale that is easy to read as well as hard to put down. I can’t wait to see what the author writes next. ...more
This is my first experience of the author’s writing and I was a bit skeptical right from the beginning. It’s an interesting dystopian world and I loveThis is my first experience of the author’s writing and I was a bit skeptical right from the beginning. It’s an interesting dystopian world and I loved the way the past is mentioned - how the world changed, how people survived, what rich people did. This story is also about the difference between generations - a mom’s desire for things to remain the same and her daughter to be close by, a daughter wanting to be on her own, think about life outside of their bubble and just wanting something more - this leads to conflicts and words flung at each other but it’s obvious that the love is ever present. But it also doesn’t feel like anything happened and the writing style just wasn’t for me. The ending was also pretty abrupt and it left me with many questions. Overall, I think this is for readers who prefer more literary speculative fiction than us SFF genre readers. ...more
Seems pretty simple and unnecessary by the time we end the story, but while reading it was quite interesting. It’s slightly dated but that’s not surprSeems pretty simple and unnecessary by the time we end the story, but while reading it was quite interesting. It’s slightly dated but that’s not surprising considering it was published during the 1920s and the misogynistic descriptions of women are quite awful. If I’m to understand correctly, the author is using satire to criticize the government authorities who use absolutely nonsense metrics to decide who is a good citizen and who isn’t, who deserves respect and dignity and who doesn’t. Very fascinating premise about the importance of life and humanity. ...more
The whole naming conventions in this book and the dystopian ultra capitalistic system were definitely not the strong parts, but I surely enjoyed all tThe whole naming conventions in this book and the dystopian ultra capitalistic system were definitely not the strong parts, but I surely enjoyed all the story in the past, especially in the coconut plantation and then Rao’s development of his business. It may have all the trappings of sci-fi but where the writing shines is in the human story - the exploration of the emotions and relationships. I may not have been fully satiated with it but I definitely enjoyed the writing and look forward to what the author publishes next. ...more
This is another of those arcs of mine which got put on the back burner because I couldn’t focus and could only manageIt’s probably more of a high 3.5.
This is another of those arcs of mine which got put on the back burner because I couldn’t focus and could only manage to get to it now coz I got my hands on the audiobook, which was very helpful and I finished listening the whole thing in less than 4 days. But now trying to review it isn’t an easy task.
I’m unsure how to categorize this one in ways I understand. It has many characters who have varying motivations and values and methods of dealing with issues, but we also only get one POV which doesn’t lend itself to too much character development. There is exploring of relationships - motherhood and in general, child rearing playing a very important part of this book - and we see how new bonds are made between people of various species with varied interests, and how this affects the overall fate of the people and the planet/habitat.
But it’s also not a completely plot focused novel. It’s a very simple plot point if we think about it - aliens are here who think earth will not survive and want to take all of humanity onto their space habitats (maybe by force) and it’s the turn of various communities on earth who have been working tirelessly to reverse the effects of climate change, to convince them otherwise. How this happens is the plot. But the way the author goes about it involves contemplation, arguments, discussions, consensus building and not any big action set pieces that we would expect from these kind of futuristic novels.
Ultimately what remains in our memory after finishing the book is all the concepts that are explored here. There are watershed communities that have been formed around large sustaining rivers who have worked incessantly to bring more ecological balance and reverse the drastic effects of climate change. The technology they use combined with their negotiation methods and how they build consensus to solve methods feels like something to aspire to if we ever want to actually solve problems which are plaguing our world today. We also see corporations and how they’ve created their own world within the world, but I don’t think we got a clearly sense of how their hierarchy and structure works. Their way of treating everything like a game wasn’t something I understood entirely, but I did understand the resentments some of the people living in those lands had against the watersheds. The watersheds ofcourse have their own grievances with the corporations which destroyed the world for their greed. But the author also does an interesting job of giving us mostly clear cut notions of who is ultimately responsible for how close the earth came to collapse, but also the fact that playing a blame game decades later doesn’t help anyone and it’s more necessary to work together.
This idea of consensus building is greatly put to the test when our main protagonist and her family have to argue their case in front of the aliens for wanting to stay on earth, confident that the work they’ve put into is helping restore balance to the planet and more can be done with the help of the Ringer’s high tech. The author illustrates the importance of trying to understand each other view points, the necessity of negotiating with even those people who’ve tried to harm you, and how understanding each other’s motivations and goals and helping each other in bettering everyone is the only way to resolve conflict without violence.
Ultimately, I felt it was an admirable attempt at creating a hopeful story of building families and communities which will all work together to avert disasters. Its nicely aided by an eccentric cast of characters - both humans and aliens and their respective delightful children - and lots of intense negotiations and conversations. But while I hope that humanity is capable of being this community oriented, the cynic in me thinks it’s unrealistically hopeful and that optimism of it all just made me sad, coz it felt impossible. However, I’m very eager to see what more interesting concepts the author comes up with next in her books. ...more
From the first time I read the premise of this book, I knew I had to read it. I went as far as preordering the aCW: pandemic, child euthanasia, cancer
From the first time I read the premise of this book, I knew I had to read it. I went as far as preordering the audiobook which is something I rarely do. It took me a couple weeks after the release to get to it but I am happy all my anticipation wasn’t in vain.
This is not a spoiler because it’s mentioned in the blurb but this is a book about the aftermath of a pandemic - not something novel like Covid-19 but an ancient one that gets released into our world when the ice starts melting in Siberia. The symptoms of this disease were very different from the one we are experiencing, so I think that’s why I was able to disassociate myself from our reality and enjoy this one purely as a near future sci-fi novel. And it was so fascinating. This is a collection of stories of different people - what each person is going through in the months and years after the pandemic, how their lives and surroundings have changed, what has become important and what has been relegated as trivial in this new world, how communities and philosophies have evolved, and how everyone is coping while trying to survive as well as while making very difficult decisions.
What was surprising was how the author connected each of these stories with some small reference or just a word and it was a marvelous feeling when I could connect the threads from the beginning to the end. And that revelation in the final chapter is a perfect capstone to this unique and fascinating world. Because of the pandemic as the major catalyst of this book, it’s understandable that death is a major theme across the board. We see every single character as well as communities and countries dealing with death in different ways, developing new ways to honor the people who have gone and creating some new funerary rituals along the way. And as with any disaster, capitalism is always ready to commercialize even this somber point of humanity. But what really surprised as well as awed me was that despite there being so much death in the book, the author manages to infuse the stories with so much love, family and hope - so, even when you are feeling the immense grief the characters are experiencing, you are also rooting for them to survive and appreciating their efforts to move on and do better.
I had thought this book would take me a while to finish because of its subject matter but I finished it in day. I have to credit the excellent cast of narrators who brought each of the characters to life and let me experience their grief and loss and hope through their narrations. And I know the premise of this book can be a deterrent during our current times, but I would still recommend it because it’s a sober and poignant look at the possibilities of humanity’s survival in a climate/pandemic ravaged world and more importantly a call to all of us to preserve the only way of life we know. ...more
I think it’s been a long while since I’ve read a proper dystopian novel, so this one took me some time to finish. Not that it Probably more of a 3.5.
I think it’s been a long while since I’ve read a proper dystopian novel, so this one took me some time to finish. Not that it wasn’t interesting, but I couldn’t find the pacing engaging enough. But I really did find the themes of climate change as well as the whole idea of future generations trying to piece together details about their ancestors’ technologies very fascinating. There is also a lot of translation, researching and archiving that goes on here and that was cool, because these are some fields which are very underrated despite being important and it’s quite rare that we find characters with these occupations in fiction. The plot was also interesting but what left the most impression on me was the question it leaves in our mind throughout - are we as humanity capable enough to learn from our mistakes, not let capitalist greed drive our decisions, and do something substantial to prevent our planet from further destruction. It’s definitely a very timely novel in this aspect, and I think anyone who enjoys the dystopian/ cli-fi sub genre would surely enjoy this one. ...more
I’ve had a couple of instances this year where I read literary fiction despite knowing I don’t like the genre, probably because I thought this could bI’ve had a couple of instances this year where I read literary fiction despite knowing I don’t like the genre, probably because I thought this could be the one. This collection was as usual not something I had heard of at all. I had just finished reading the book How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith which me rethink a lot about plantations in general and the history of Monticello in particular. So when I saw this title while browsing netgalley, it immediately drew my attention and I wanted to give it a try.
The writing in this collection is wonderful and very effective at tugging our heartstrings or shocking us with the ideas explored. I can’t say I understood them all but they were all definitely unique. It was not at all surprising that race and racism forms a major thread through all the stories but what leaves a deeper impression is the strength of family - blood or found. I also listened to the audiobook in parts and I loved the idea of each story having its own narrator, with each bringing their own style to the storytelling. It definitely enhanced the experience.
So if you are a fan of literary fiction or short story collections, you should check this out. And if you only wanna read one story, it has to be the titular one because it’s quite unforgettable.
I am frankly surprised at the premise of this story. It’s both horrifying in its idea but also a bit sad because it ultimately tries to answer the ONE question - what is it exactly that Black people have to do to be respected for their humanity and their achievements without devolving into racist diatribe or in the extreme, getting killed by cops for no fault of theirs.
Virginia is Not Your Home
Not my kind of story. It’s too realistic and hard hitting to read stories of women stuck in their lives as housewives and feeling like they haven’t achieved anything and don’t belong anywhere, and I just don’t have the appetite for them anymore.
Something Sweet on our Tongues
CW: assault
I had a hard time understanding where this story was going and especially that ending was kinda horrible.
Buying a House Ahead of the Apocalypse
This felt very prescient with all the preparations the narrator makes seeming very realistic. I especially was hurt by the despair that she was feeling having been unable to do enough for her daughter to be able to own a home.
The King of Xandria
CW: mention of child soldiers
This was heartbreaking. An immigrant father trying to piece his life together after his wife’s brutal death and ensuring his children are able to make a better life for themselves in the new country. But he also feels helpless because he can’t be the same sole breadwinner of his home in America and even more unmoored when he realizes that his children are growing up, able to make their own decisions and don’t always need him. It’s a tough situation for a father already dealing with grief and the author captures his anguish very well.
My Monticello
CW: racial violence
This eponymous story is basically a novella which covers almost 80% of this collection in page count, and I have to agree that it’s the most impactful. Tracing the story of a young Black woman descendant of Sally Hemmings during a near future America ravaged by effects of climate change, we see how the lack of resources has led to more racial violence, with white people terrorizing and killing Black people. In this backdrop, Naisha is a brave young lady who manages to drive away from her town with a group of neighbors, escaping the violence, taking refuge in the Monticello plantation. It brings up lot of questions in her about her identity and history and her relationship to the place, particularly at a time when her people are being hunted again. But ultimately this is a story of her and the rest of the group coming together despite their differences to struggle and survive and help each other during the direst circumstances. They never lose heart and are ready to fight back for the little home they have been able to carve on the hill in Monticello. Very well written and evocative story which leaves us thinking, and maybe even a bit scared. ...more
This was probably not my kind of book. I can’t be sure I understood everything except that one has to love and forgive oneself before trying to overcoThis was probably not my kind of book. I can’t be sure I understood everything except that one has to love and forgive oneself before trying to overcome life’s other obstacles. ...more
This satire on capitalism, tech companies and the way our lives are so dependent on algorithms set in a future where all of these thingProbably a 3.5.
This satire on capitalism, tech companies and the way our lives are so dependent on algorithms set in a future where all of these things have been taken to an extreme is quite hilarious. The way language is used, or how we live in our own confirmation bias bubbles or even electoral politics - the author makes a lot of fun about all of them but we can also clearly see the parallels to our current reality and that uncanniness was a bit scary too. It’s also very easy to read despite being a translation.
However, there are many conversations in the story that felt like info dumps which kinda bored me. And despite this being a story about an ordinary inconsequential man taking on a mega corporation, I couldn’t see where it was going. And that ending kinda stumped me - I’m not sure if I’m dissatisfied because I shouldn’t have expected anything else or maybe I just wanted it to be different from real life.
Overall, I can say that pick this book up if you want something entertaining but don’t expect it to be very profound or radical in any way....more
After really enjoying Ken Liu’s previous short story anthology a lot, there was no way I was letting this ARC go and I juAverage Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️.9
After really enjoying Ken Liu’s previous short story anthology a lot, there was no way I was letting this ARC go and I jumped at the opportunity to be able to review it. This is another collection of fascinating stories by the author, most of them sci-fi/dystopian but a couple of them are fantasy as well. There are also multiple stories which are interconnected but told in no particular order, so it was fun trying to find the connections between them.
One theme that I found very dominant in this collection is that of climate change, how we are at a precipice and have to do something substantial from right now if we want to save our planet; but also that as the situation gets worse, all the problems we currently have with wealth inequality and refugees and developed countries exploiting resources disproportionately will only get more exacerbated. This also means that many of the stories in this collection are tragic and depressing, so I would definitely recommend reading them when you are in the right mood and also maybe not binge read the whole thing at once. I would definitely recommend it though, because the concepts are very interesting and the writing for the most part is excellent.
Ghost Days
Spanning multiple planets and timelines, this was a nice story about memories and heritage, and how we all carry the legacy of our previous generations within us and why it’s important to preserve their knowledge.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Maxwell’s Demon
Told through a POV of a Japanese American young woman who is sent to Japan as a spy during WWII, this one has a bit of supernatural elements but mostly it’s about the futility of war and how it twists everyone’s morality.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
The Reborn
I really don’t think I have much to say about this story. It was interesting to read and a bit tragic too, but don’t think I can explain it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thoughts and Prayers
CW: mass shooting, online trolling and harassment
As soon as I saw the title of this story, I could guess what it’s about. It’s about the effects of grief on family members of victims, how each person tries to cope in their own ways and how that might drive them apart. There is also some interesting discussion on activism, politicizing grief and the incessant trolling that comes along with it - I’m still not sure if I agree with all the points made but it’s a lot to think about.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Byzantine Empathy
Against a backdrop of a technologically advanced (but current) world with heavy emphasis on VR and cryptocurrencies, this story is all about empathy vs rationality, how do we decide who needs help, and how even being immersed in the pain of others might invoke cynicism in people instead of empathy because we have lost our trust in geopolitics. I can’t really explain the elaborate discussions that happen in this story but it’s very thought provoking and I think everyone should give it a read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Gods Will Not Be Chained
With the concept of digital immortality, this story tries to explore what would happen if corporations tried to digitize the brains of their dead genius employees for profit and these highly technological brains decided to takeover. A very terrifying tale but definitely thought provoking.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Staying Behind
This is almost like a continuation of the previous one, but years later when the technically dead/digitally conscious have taken over (an event called Singularity) and the rest of the living world is just scraping for survival. This was way too depressing and scary to read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Real Artists
Another tale of high technological advancement, this time in the making of movies. I really don’t want to spoil this one at all because I thought the concept was amazing, thought provoking and almost felt like it’s a possible future for us and wouldn’t that be too sad.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Gods Will Not Be Slain
This is a direct continuation of the story “The gods will not be chained” and it’s such a scary and plausible story, what can happen if digital sentiences decide that they want to burn down humanity and plunge it into war, how fragile geopolitics is and how everyone is literally on the brink of war while sitting on a mass pile of nuclear weapons. Really brings some of what’s happening in our current world into perspective.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Altogether Elsewhere, Vast Herds of Reindeer
Years after Singularity where only digital beings seem to be existent on our planet, this is the story of how relationships develop even among them, and also how different a three dimensional earth might seem like to a digital being who has never been a human before. Fascinating story.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Gods Have Not Died in Vain
This story a sequel of “The gods will not be slain” is more about how the idea of singularity came to be, how the incessant wars and scarcity of resources may have led people to decide that giving up the body to live digitally might be the only way to survive. There are a lot of interesting points made in the story that leave us with more questions about life.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Memories of My Mother
This was a very very short story about a mother’s love for her child and to what lengths she will go to get the little time to spend with her daughter. It could have been more emotional but I wasn’t feeling it.
⭐️⭐️.5
Dispatches from the Cradle: The Hermit—Forty-Eight Hours in the Sea of Massachusetts
In a world centuries after climate change has destroyed most of it, where successful countries have managed to migrate to other planets but the poorer people try to survive in ever harsh environments on the ravaged earth - this story is almost like a scary mirror of what our future might be if we don’t start taking decisive action from now on.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Grey Rabbit, Crimson Mare, Coal Leopard
Set in a dystopian fantasy world, this was a tale about how power and greed corrupts, leading to the protectors becoming predators themselves - which in turn means that those who are poor or considered prey must rise up in arms and protect themselves. This was a fascinating read and one that I felt could make a bigger story.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Chase Beyond the Storms - An excerpt from The Veiled Throne, The Dandelion Dynasty, book three
Not reviewing this excerpt because I haven’t read this series yet.
The Hidden Girl
Set in a fantasy world inspired by 8th century China, this is a story of a young female assassin who’s been trained to kill but starts questioning if her loyalty to her Teacher must supersede her own morality. A lovely read but what made it special were the action sequences which reminded me a lot of the movie Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Seven Birthdays
Another story interconnected to the previous ones related to Singularity, this is about one woman’s mission to find a solution to humanity’s problems, but ultimately just be able to spend more time with her mother. I can’t say I understood much of the story in the second half.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Message
A story about legacy, how even dead civilizations leave messages for anyone who might come eons later; also a tale of a father finally getting to know his daughter - this story was beautiful and emotional but also tragic.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cutting
I’m not sure I can explain exactly what this story was about - but it was something about looking through the unnecessary stuff and finding the truth underneath.
CW: multiple mass casualty events including a virus caused pandemic; on page panic attack representation.
I remember discovering the author’s name durCW: multiple mass casualty events including a virus caused pandemic; on page panic attack representation.
I remember discovering the author’s name during the Baltimore book festival but I never got to attend the panel that she was in. However, I did find out about this debut novel of hers and seeing such high praise for it immediately put it on my radar. I probably would have waited for a bit longer to read it because I’m an expert at procrastination, but when this was nominated for the Nebula awards, I decided to read it before the winners are announced. And while this was such a unique reading experience for me, I’m still wondering if this was the right time. And that’s why this review might go into spoiler territory, so please bear with me.
The setting of this novel feels like a typical dystopia - a Before and an After with a series of mass casualty events in the middle, and the advent of more governmental control and restrictions on the people in the aftermath. But the timing of this book couldn’t have been more uncanny. In addition to major terrorist attacks on large gatherings, one of the other big mass casualty event in the book is a virus based pox like pandemic that kills a lot of people, leading to massive social isolation among the people due to fear/paranoia and a total ban on gatherings by the government - and what a time to be reading something like this when I’ve been extremely fearful myself for the past few weeks due to the coronavirus outbreak and hardly stepping out of the house. The way the author describes the fear that grips people’s minds (as well as the government’s) and how it affects their relationships with others, the advancements in technology allowing people to remain in their homes and never have to interact with anyone outside of online spaces, how much corporations and governments play on this fear to keep their control and maintain the status quo - it all feels extremely realistic and something you would think might even happen to us and that scared me a lot.
That’s not to say this was a difficult book to read because it’s actually not. The writing style is very easy and accessible, but I don’t think it’s the binge reading kind. This is a book that needs to be read slowly and savored. It’s a slow paced, slice of life kind of storytelling where we follow the characters on their daily lives and journeys of finding those connections which make them feel. And the connecting thread here is music. I didn’t know that the author is a singer/songwriter but that is very evident in the way music is such an integral part of the story - this book is essentially a love letter to the art of singing and performing, the connection that forms between an artist and their audience especially during a live performance and how that magic can never be recreated otherwise, it’s about how much humans crave that connection maybe even subconsciously and how such experiences just make them richer, and how even a simple act of solidarity between artist and listener can be a form of resistance.
I don’t want to give away too much (I’ve already done that a lot above) by talking about the characters in detail but we follow Luce and Rosemary and it was a joy to read about such amazing women. I related most to Rosemary who’s been mostly isolated her whole life but when she gets the opportunity to go out into the world, she has to brave her fears and panic and take a chance at forming those connections. And I love that she found it in music and the way she tried to change the world in her own little ways was amazing. On the other hand, Luce is who I would aspire to be - bold and badass, resilient and strong - she knows that her power is in her music and despite it being illegal, she uses every possible avenue available to her to put herself out there and perform and give opportunity to other artists to do the same. There are many other smaller characters whom Rosemary and Luce meet on their journeys and how they all support each other and collaborate forms the crux of this novel.
To conclude, this is a very unique take on a dystopian novel and if you don’t mind slice of life style storytelling, you should totally check it out. If you are a huge music/ rock bands fan, then I think you’ll appreciate this book even more than I did. Ultimately, this is a beautiful story about human connection and how powerful it is when we all stand in solidarity with each other; and I can definitely see why it’s a Nebula contender. Just pick it up and savor the experience like when you listen to a mesmerizing musical performance. ...more
CW: depictions of sexual assault and child abuse, domestic violence, references to suicide, and depictions of eating disorders and substance abuse. FoCW: depictions of sexual assault and child abuse, domestic violence, references to suicide, and depictions of eating disorders and substance abuse. For more detailed information, please see the author’s website: http://victorialeewrites.com.
As soon as I finished The Fever King, I knew I had to read this sequel because that was a great ending. Even though I’ve gotten used to waiting an year for every sequel, I won’t deny that binging a series is always more fun. And this one was both fun and intense af, and I really wasn’t expecting it.
I thought I knew where the author was going to take this story but wow was I wrong. They managed to surprise me at every turn, both with an interesting plot that kept me engaged and with the sheer brutality of everything. The world is expanded upon a little, and we get to know more about life outside Carolinia, but I kept wanting more - not that it in anyway lessened my enjoyment of the story itself. We also get two POVs this time, so it was finally good to be in Dara’s head. There are also many instances in the story where the author makes us question if there are any good sides in this conflict, forcing us to realize that war and conflict is usually much more messy and even people with good intentions end up having to do destructive things. However, it was their decision to end the story in the way they did that really surprised me but upon reflection, I think it was just the right choice.
But it was the depiction of abuse and domestic violence, the perpetrators and the survivors that was most impactful about this book. I don’t think I can talk more about it and do justice, but the author’s note about how this book is for survivors who have been gaslighted incessantly into believing that somehow it’s their fault, and that there’s a right and wrong way for “victims” to act, really felt right. We get to read about different kinds of survivors, how they cope and behave and just try to get through one day after another - and it’s a lesson to us all to not judge anyone in real life for doing the best they can.
Noam... I really don’t know what to say about him. He is still brave and strong but he is also stubborn in a way that prevents him from realizing how much of a deep shit he is in. But being in an abusive environment, trying to play both sides, figuring out constantly what is true and what is manipulated takes a lot of toll on him and I frankly kept waiting for the book to be over so that he could get some reprieve. He suffers a lot throughout the book and it just pained me that he was going on a path that he might come back from.
Dara on the other hand is the clear headed one this time around, constrained by other factors but more or less in control of his thoughts and actions. Distance has given him a new perspective on the kind of abuse he has suffered and how he was a destructive path using his addiction and eating disorder as coping mechanism, but he is trying to be better now and I admired him.
Noam and Dara’s relationship is very fraught in this book - Dara pleading Noam to open his eyes and see the truth about his abusive situation, while Noam insisting that he had everything under control. Even when they couldn’t see eye to eye, it was obvious that they were agonizing over each other’s safety, and it really pained me to see them be so painfully in love but unable to truly articulate their feelings. This is a couple who’ve been through immense suffering and all I wanted was for them to finally be able to escape it all.
We also get to meet some new and old characters and I enjoyed all of them, though my slight complaint from book one remains that we don’t get to know most of them that well. It’s Lehrer instead who gets more time, both on the page as well as in the characters’ heads and I think the author’s depiction of this highly intelligent, charismatic, powerful and manipulative abuser was just perfect and maybe a cautionary tale to all of us that unfortunately many such people exist in real life.
In the end, all I have to say is that I’m very impressed sans affected by this story. It’s a dark and brutal but ultimately hopeful story of survival, fighting back and reclaiming your life. If you enjoyed The Fever King, I promise this will impress you even more. And if you haven’t read this series but enjoy YA sci-fi stories about young people fighting back against systems of oppression, charismatic villains as well as the demons in their heads, this is the perfect choice for you. This book really is for survivors and I hope, just like the author, that someone out there feels seen and understood within these pages. ...more
CW: mention of past suicide, drug use, pedophilia, abuse
I bought this book immediately upon its release but never got around Definitely more of a 4.5.
CW: mention of past suicide, drug use, pedophilia, abuse
I bought this book immediately upon its release but never got around to reading it, though I never had any concrete reason not to. It was probably the hype or the fact that it was sci-fi that made me a bit skeptical but I don’t think I ever doubted that I wouldn’t like it. But now that the release date of its sequel is near, and I’m trying to reduce my huge owned tbr by atleast a bit, I decided it was time to pick it up and it completely blew my mind.
I have to mention that my interest in the book went up by many notches when I listened to a couple of panels attended by the author Victoria Lee at the Baltimore book festival. I was left very impressed by their conviction to create worlds which are queer normative, where marginalized people get to be full fledged characters with the color of their skin or sexual/gender orientation is only one part of their identity and where they get to do all the things that usually white cis het characters get to do in science fiction. And the author very well succeeds at that endeavor in this story.
Immigration and refugee crisis form the crux of this story - how countries which are built upon the principles of equal rights can forget their roots due to corruption, fear and manipulation; the Carolinia First ideology in the book was too real and scary to contemplate because we see it playing out in front of our eyes everyday; how the inhumane treatment of refugees results in catastrophes and countries end up blaming it back on them, resulting in a vicious cycle that only leads to more abuse and even deaths of refugees. The author also showcases the affects of long term abuse in a very visceral manner, which just made me feel more helpless.
I had been trying to read a couple of adult fantasy books but was finding myself not at all able to follow their style of writing, so when I finally decided to pick this up and had reached 30% of the book before I even realized it, I understood why I love YA SFF so much (and also that’s it’s ok to not want to read outside my comfort zone). The writing is easy to follow, the pacing is a bit on the slower side, and while I knew what the endgame was supposed to be, I couldn’t truly understand the big picture. There is a layer of mystery and uncertainty throughout, we are never sure who to trust or who might be the villain, which country is the big bad - and I think the author did an amazing job keeping that suspense till almost the end. The world building is not very expansive but we are able to glean what is necessary for the story from historical documents interspersed between chapters and other small infodumps. We also don’t really get to know all the possible magical abilities and the consequences of using it too much, but I really enjoyed the abilities of the main character. And wow that ending. I found the book very interesting but it was the tension filled last few chapters and that absolutely heartbreaking ending that has made this a favorite.
Noam is a survivor - a child of undocumented immigrants who knows what living in poverty means, he lives through his mother’s suicide and his father’s complete catatonic state and ultimately surviving alone during a virus outbreak. Even being accepted into the government’s elite magical training and being the powerful defense minister’s protégée is not enough to make him forget his roots or the anger he feels towards the government which is directly responsible for the inhumane plight of the refugees. His determination to fight for their rights and use all his new found abilities to take down the establishment from the inside is very admirable. But he is also sixteen, naive and an idealist, justifying to himself that sometimes bad things have to be done for the greater good. He is such a complex character with flaws and we get to know all sides of him, making us want to root for him whole heartedly while also hoping that he doesn’t go down too dark a path. It’s really been a while since I’ve read such a character and I tip off my hat to the author for writing him.
I really have no words to describe Dara except maybe a tortured soul. He moves in the world with a carefree mask on his face, only showing his true vulnerable side in little moments, struggling to tell anyone about all the secrets he is protecting, all the while also trying to work on his amazing magical abilities. We never get to read his POV but as a reader we can tell that he is suffering and just want to hold and comfort him somehow.
Noam and Dara’s relationship is not something that develops steadily through communication like in other books. It’s depicted in small moments of tenderness, affection, anger, helplessness and everything in between and it was so beautiful to read. Whatever the flaws in each of their characters, they are selfless in their love and I can’t reiterate enough that the ending broke my heart.
Lehrer is a fascinating character who I still can’t describe properly without giving away the plot. Just trust me when I say that nothing is at it seems and it was both enjoyable and uncomfortable to read about such a person. There are a few others with magical abilities in the story and while I enjoyed the scenes that Noam or Dara shared with them, no one really left a big impression on me. I really hope we get more fleshed out side characters in the future.
To conclude, I already had expectations going into this book but it really surpassed them. If you enjoy character focused YA sci-fi stories with a diverse cast, with a post apocalyptic world that also feels close to our own political reality, a story where you don’t know who to trust - then this book is perfect for you. I’m completely devastated after that end but I also have hope, and because I’m too impatient to wait, I’m going to pick up my arc of the sequel right this moment. ...more
I think it was a few months ago that I first saw the cover for this book, which while it looked interesting with an equally intriguing title - it was I think it was a few months ago that I first saw the cover for this book, which while it looked interesting with an equally intriguing title - it was the blurb talking about “queer librarian spies on horseback in future American Southwest” that sealed the deal that I had to read this one. I never expected to get the ARC but I did request on a whim, so imagine my surprise when I got approved for it. And I just had the urge to read it immediately and it was so much fun.
It’s kinda difficult to describe much about the book without giving a lot away because it’s less than 200 pages. It has a very Wild West feel to it, with lots of traveling on horseback in the deserts of Arizona but I actually haven’t read any westerns, so I mostly got the vibe based on whatever movies I’ve watched. The world building is also kept very vague and we mostly get to know nothing about why this America seems to be divided, just that there seems to be a lot of dissemination of propaganda and conservatism on one side. Nevertheless, the plot is extremely fast paced and it was an adventure ride that didn’t let up for even a moment. It was hella fun with a lot of banter and cheeky dialogue, a couple of great action sequences and lots of female bonding.
The characters are definitely the X factor in this book. Esther is a little naive, who wants to become a librarian because she thinks she doesn’t deserve a good life as she is queer and just wants to do some good things in life before gets her bad ending. But she is extremely resourceful and observant and brave, and it was nice to see her discover through the course of the story that there are others like her and she is allowed to find happiness and purpose. Bet and Leda are a badass power couple and though we get few interactions with them, they were awesome. Cle is a great companion and right from the beginning, watching their developing dynamic with Esther was delightful and I thought the author captured the attraction between them very well. Amity was a total mystery for the most part but she also gave Esther some much needed advice, so I really couldn’t fault her slightly devious machinations.
To conclude, all I want to say is I had fun reading this book. If you like reading adventurous westerns and some lovely queer representation, then this charming little novella is perfect for you. It’ll delight you and make you think and also fill you with hope, just like it’s very hopeful ending (or beginning), full of promise of more adventures to come. ...more
The Handmaid’s Tale was never a classic in my head because I had never heard about it, until probably a little while beforI think it’s more of a 3.5.
The Handmaid’s Tale was never a classic in my head because I had never heard about it, until probably a little while before the announcement of the Hulu series. Even then, I was only compelled to read both that book and 1984 because of their drastically increased sales following the 2016 elections and I wanted to know what the fuss was all about. And I ended up with quite a lot of mixed feelings, the major one of them being dread. But I was never in awe of it in its entirety, only parts of it. So, when I decided to read The Testaments, I had no expectations of being blown away; mostly just a curiosity to know what might have happened next. And for all intents and purposes, this book answers that question very well.
My most significant memory of the reading experience of HT was feeling absolutely horrible and terrified if this was a dystopia that might not be entirely implausible in our future. And that’s why the book still lingers in my mind - the author managed to create such a brilliant world that it evokes such deep emotions in us and obviously some of the things happening around in our world also reinforce the feeling that Gilead might not just be a fictional future. That’s where I think this book misses the mark a bit, because we already are familiar with the world and there’s lot less new to be horrified about. But we do get a brief glimpse of the lives of refugees, the underground operations in Canada and how they try to save women from Gilead and how most of the other countries ignore the atrocities of this regime due to the fear of war. We also get to know more about the inner workings of the Aunts, how they came to be in those positions and how the whole system of Gilead is propped up on a bed of secrets, lies and deceit. I liked these additions to the world but I just didn’t think a lot was added to what we already know.
The writing was the main issue I had with HT - I found it very difficult to follow and maybe it was due to how detached Offred was as a narrator, I felt similarly towards the narrative. Thankfully, this one ended up being much more straightforward and easy to read. There are also multiple POVs, so it was nice getting to know more than one character, but I also felt we never got to know anyone too deeply. The pace is pretty consistent, but a little slow because we can’t be expecting this to be an action packed novel. I really thought the ending would be more suspenseful though, but the buildup wasn’t tense enough and it ended fairly quickly too. However, as someone who found the first book very difficult to get through and the show even more troubling (because of the tough subject, I abandoned it after a few episodes), I thought this was much lighter on the horrors and felt like a normal dystopian novel - which is pretty surprising considering it’s Man Booker Prize nominated.
As this book takes place almost 15 years after the story of Offred in HT, the two young women whom we follow here have grown up in a world where Gilead is a reality. Agnes is the child of a Commander, as such it’s the only world she knows and it’s the only faith she believes in. It’s only after she learns some secrets that she begins to question her faith, and what does she have left if not her beliefs. She was the one character I thought we get to know quite well, her motivations and feelings and her deep seated desires.
On the other hand, Daisy grows up on the other side of the border and even protests about the atrocities of Gilead alongside other Canadian citizens, but when tragedy strikes and some truths are uncovered, she decides to help the underground resistance. While I completely understood her grief and confusion about her life, I thought she acquiesced too easily to the call for action, and most of her plot after that moment felt very unrealistic. I guess I’m still confused if she was brave or just idealistic and naive.
And the surprise POV was of Aunt Lydia. I of course didn’t think I would like reading her words, but I have to say I was surprised. I completely loathed her in HT and while my aversion towards her didn’t reduce, I guess I understood why she did what she did and how she came to be that much of a formidable figure in the power hierarchy of Gilead. And while I have to admire her smarts, cunning and survival skills, I am still unsure about the motivations behind her grand plan. And I definitely would have liked to get more answers about that. But her POV is definitely very refreshing to read because this is the only time we get to read atleast a little about a powerful woman instead of the accounts of countless other oppressed women in this world.
Finally, I don’t think my review of this book is going to change the opinion of anyone who wants to read this book. But I do want to mention that if you are someone who absolutely adored HT and want a true sequel for that book, this one is not it and you may be disappointed. However, if you just want some answers about what eventually may have happened to Gilead and what led to it’s downfall, I think you’ll like this much more. Probably best not to go in with a lot of high expectations. ...more