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octavia_cade's review
4.0
I don't want to think of this as Journey to the Centre of the Earth with a Squid, but I do. It's a comparison that's only mildly accurate. Casp and their cephalopod sidekick are squeezing a living out of cargo runs, when the scientist daughter of an extremely rich man hires them and their vessel to explore a network of underground tunnels. It's essentially a cave system, going deeper into the earth, and of course they discover new and exciting things, because that's what happens in exploration adventures. There's a reason it's a popular genre!
Anyway, I really enjoyed the world building and the characterisation. Being raised on Star Trek has left clear imprints though, because with this established world of interplanetary travel and multiple species living and working together, the diversity factor has a clear and positive impact - except that Casp, our protagonist, is non-binary and this is somehow seen as exclusionary and causing family problems in a universe defined by different identities. Science fiction has always been metaphor, and I suppose it's a comment on the longevity and hypocrisy of prejudice, because there's something very dispiriting about a community that's able to accept any number of alien species but no divergence from gender norms in their own. It's an interesting perspective, watching these two facets of the society rub up against each other. By far my favourite part of the book, however, was the world building at the end. I don't want to spoil or give things away, but in the explanation for the title of the book Buchanan hits that sci-fi sense-of-wonder button hard. I actually got chills, which was delightful.
Anyway, I really enjoyed the world building and the characterisation. Being raised on Star Trek has left clear imprints though, because with this established world of interplanetary travel and multiple species living and working together, the diversity factor has a clear and positive impact - except that Casp, our protagonist, is non-binary and this is somehow seen as exclusionary and causing family problems in a universe defined by different identities. Science fiction has always been metaphor, and I suppose it's a comment on the longevity and hypocrisy of prejudice, because there's something very dispiriting about a community that's able to accept any number of alien species but no divergence from gender norms in their own. It's an interesting perspective, watching these two facets of the society rub up against each other. By far my favourite part of the book, however, was the world building at the end. I don't want to spoil or give things away, but in the explanation for the title of the book Buchanan hits that sci-fi sense-of-wonder button hard. I actually got chills, which was delightful.
bluebec's review
4.0
Beautifully written with an engaging world, one I wasn't ready to leave when the story finished.
I want to know more about the characters, the universe and what went before. I'm really looking forward to more of Buchanan's writing.
I want to know more about the characters, the universe and what went before. I'm really looking forward to more of Buchanan's writing.
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