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bluejayreads's review against another edition
4.5
The back cover on this was mediocre, and I didn't have high expectations. But it was surprisingly good. It takes the maxim "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" and rolls with it. But the communication struggles between the augmented anthropologist of a technologically-advanced people and the princess of a generally-primitive people were the most fascinating part. For being as short as it is, the world and characters are remarkably complex and the emotions are surprisingly deep and rich. The plot is fairly simple - go to this place, deal with the demon there - but it ended in a pleasantly unexpected way. I just can't get over how this book looked so unassuming on the outside and yet managed to be complex and interesting and have such solid characters and a well-developed world while still being so short. I almost wish it was longer just because I want more in this world with these characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Death, and Mental illness
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
gilnean's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Death, and Medical content
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Rape, Sexual assault, Vomit, Colonisation, War, and Classism
anna_hepworth's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Reading this was a lovely way to spend an afternoon. Warrior (Lynesse Fourth Daughter) goes to ask for help from the Sorcerer In The Tower, who is actually no such thing, but an anthropologist, left behind. And the threat, described as 'demon' for half the book, is a creeping eldritch horror that was more convincingly awful than many I've read in more explicitly horror books. And there is a strong element of body horror in the way that this presents.
This is a novella, so there isn't anything complicated in b-plot. But there doesn't need to be. The world building is lush, and complex. The exploration of how the past/future are alien to us was done really well, particularly in the chapter where two stories are told together in separate columns--this is a stylistic choice I've seen done a few times, often to juxtapose the colonial and colonised perspectives--which really highlighted the way that language can shift.
The characterisation is strong, but some what difficult to relate to. Given that one of the viewpoint characters spends a lot of time actively (and effectively) suppressing all sensation of emotion, this is probably a necessary side effect of an accurate portrayal of the inside of their mind.
This is a novella, so there isn't anything complicated in b-plot. But there doesn't need to be. The world building is lush, and complex. The exploration of how the past/future are alien to us was done really well, particularly in the chapter where two stories are told together in separate columns--this is a stylistic choice I've seen done a few times, often to juxtapose the colonial and colonised perspectives--which really highlighted the way that language can shift.
The characterisation is strong, but some what difficult to relate to. Given that one of the viewpoint characters spends a lot of time actively (and effectively) suppressing all sensation of emotion, this is probably a necessary side effect of an accurate portrayal of the inside of their mind.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Abandonment
mjwhitlock18's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
Such an interesting mix of SciFi and Fantasy. Nyr is a clinically depressed cultural anthropologist living in and studying a world colonized long ago by people from earth. Because he has more advanced science and tech, the people from the world think he’s a sorcerer, and due to a failure of translation, he can’t explain to them that his science isn’t magic. A childishly naive, youngest sister/warrior princess comes to him to beg for his magic help fighting off a “demon” plague that is taking over part of her mother’s kingdom. This novella is quick, witty, genre-bending, and explores some good themes around communication, solitude, and the bravery in the face of hopelessness.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, and Mental illness
Moderate: Animal death, Death, and Suicidal thoughts
saltycoffee's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Suicidal thoughts
thoughtsontomes's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I would have never read this if it hadn't been for the Hugo Awards Nominees project I am doing and I'm so glad I did. This hit so many tropes I love. This was a scifi/fantasy fusion, which shows how much the two genres are linked. It has some inter-dimensional stuff going on. AND it has nature based body horror mixed with tech. I loved the way this was done and I look forward to reading more from this author now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Gore
Moderate: Animal death and Suicidal thoughts
ninjamuse's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Mental illness
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, and Suicide attempt
izzya's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Sexual assault
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Lynesse braves her mother’s wrath to beg help from the sorcerer in his tower to fight demons invading the land. Nyr awakens after 200 years asleep to discover that his one big adventure is now history, and he must decide whether to help once more, or to retreat into his anthropologist’s detachment.
The worldbuilding blew me away. There’s a well-described communication gap between the main characters. It’s beautifully executed, and is such a wonderful way to portray artificially-assisted translation in real time. This means that for everything that’s happening, the two main characters have unique vocabulary for describing the scene and different understandings of what’s relevant. It generates depth and meaning in the narrative through something that sci-fi often handwaves away.
The narration is asymmetric, Nyr narrates in first person but Lynesse narrates in third person. This could mean anything from slightly favoring Nyr’s version of events to indicating that whatever Lynesse is speaking doesn’t translate into first person the way Nyr’s thoughts do. Nyr deals with technologically-assisted disassociation, meant to help him cope with stress in the moment and then exacting a heavy toll later. Narratively, this works to show the level of technological entanglement Nyr has on a moment-to-moment basis, distancing himself from the locals even while he’s helping them.
This is excellent, a story which uses the genre entanglement of sci-fi and fantasy to its utmost, creating something that couldn’t happen with either alone.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Emotional abuse, Infertility, Blood, and Vomit
fenny_42's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- 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
I read this to get a taste of Tchaikovsky’s writing style before I jumped into Children of Time. Turns out that he’s an incredible writer. I finished this in two sittings. Can’t wait to read more by him!
I enjoyed the representation of depression and the speculative tech that treats it. Loved the linguistic aspects of a far future human trying to converse with basically a primitive human. Getting both POVs was a real treat.
Although the resolution left me with a lot of questions, it was still satisfying.
I enjoyed the representation of depression and the speculative tech that treats it. Loved the linguistic aspects of a far future human trying to converse with basically a primitive human. Getting both POVs was a real treat.
Although the resolution left me with a lot of questions, it was still satisfying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Mental illness
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
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