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incrediblemelk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It took me a while to read because I had it on my phone as an ebook, and would read it when I was out of the house, so I never really settled into bingeing it. But it's not really a bingeable book – it's too conceptually rich for that.
It's an alternate history novel inspired by the Buddhist Eightfold Path. I found it in some list of #AlternateHistory novels and I was intrigued by the premise: "what if the Black Death completely wiped out Europe, leaving the rest of the world to dominate?"
And it seems to me that Buddhism attempts to reconcile the 'cyclical' versus 'teleological' understanding of the past: that humankind desires the same things and makes the same mistakes over and over, yet it's also possible to learn from these mistakes and to move through history on a morally progressive trajectory
Walking down the street one night after reading this book over dinner, I was seized by the thought of how huge and marvellous the world is: so much to learn and understand about nature, all the peoples, their works. I felt very small as I realised I will never understand even a tiny bit of the world, much less become a future role model for anyone.
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexism, War, Religious bigotry, Slavery, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Child death, Classism, Islamophobia, Medical content, Police brutality, Racism, and Colonisation
lanid's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, War, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Islamophobia, Racism, Confinement, Misogyny, Pandemic/Epidemic, Religious bigotry, and Violence
unsuccessfulbookclub's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Colonisation, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Racism, Religious bigotry, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, Vomit, War, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Suicidal thoughts
commander_zander's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: War and Islamophobia
Moderate: Racism, Confinement, Slavery, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, Drug use, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Medical trauma
Also various types of harm appear in the context of historical eunuch communities