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whatmeworry's review
4.0
This review was first published on scifiandscary.com - I received a free review copy from the publisher
I think ‘The Maiden Voyage and Other Departures’ might be the most original book I’ve read this year. I’m certainly struggling to think of one that is infused with such bravely original ideas. Those ideas aren’t just included within the stories in this collection, the whole structure McHugh has chosen is fresh and different. Rather than just being a collection of short stories, the book is a series of tales set in the same unique universe with subtle and not so subtle ties between them. As a result, McHugh has created something that’s halfway between a novel and a short story collection. The book is rich and satisfying as a result.
The alternative universe of ‘The Maiden Voyage and Other Departures’ grabbed and intrigued me from the first page. It’s unusual, original and beguilingly crazy, an early twentieth century world where humans and bizarre human/insect hybrids that can pass as human co-exist. The world is recognisable in many respects, with historical events and figures like the sinking of the Titanic and the Wright brothers. But it’s also a world where the predominant material is jellyglass, a wonder substance made from pollen. A world where pollen poachers compete with hives populated with apisthropes (bee/human hyrbirds) and run like corporations by their ruthless queens.
I’ve said before that I think that much great sci fi takes a simple “what if” question and then runs with it. Sci fi should be brave enough to start with a crazy idea and then take it as fact, exploring the scientific, social and emotional aspects of it. That’s exactly what McHugh does here. She gets fully into the economic and socio-political questions that her hypothesis raises. If the most desired material in the world was naturally produced by human-like creatures, how would they be treated? She also explores, in a couple of memorable scenes, what apisthrope and human/apisthrope sex might be like.
All of these fascinating ideas are relayed through a series of stories, that are exciting, amusing and sometimes horrifying. The stories often have connections to each other, either through events or characters. This really helps build the sense that they are set in a consistent universe. Despite the bizarre nature of the core concept, this makes the stories believable. The fact that they are populated with memorable and credible characters helps enormously.
McHugh has written an extremely enjoyable and imaginative book. She packs the stories with enough action, intrigue and romance to satisfy anyone. At times, in fact, the book reads like a wonderful pulp adventure tale from the 1930s. Beneath that fun veneer there’s a brain and a heart and that lifts this collection above a lot of things I’ve read lately.
I think ‘The Maiden Voyage and Other Departures’ might be the most original book I’ve read this year. I’m certainly struggling to think of one that is infused with such bravely original ideas. Those ideas aren’t just included within the stories in this collection, the whole structure McHugh has chosen is fresh and different. Rather than just being a collection of short stories, the book is a series of tales set in the same unique universe with subtle and not so subtle ties between them. As a result, McHugh has created something that’s halfway between a novel and a short story collection. The book is rich and satisfying as a result.
The alternative universe of ‘The Maiden Voyage and Other Departures’ grabbed and intrigued me from the first page. It’s unusual, original and beguilingly crazy, an early twentieth century world where humans and bizarre human/insect hybrids that can pass as human co-exist. The world is recognisable in many respects, with historical events and figures like the sinking of the Titanic and the Wright brothers. But it’s also a world where the predominant material is jellyglass, a wonder substance made from pollen. A world where pollen poachers compete with hives populated with apisthropes (bee/human hyrbirds) and run like corporations by their ruthless queens.
I’ve said before that I think that much great sci fi takes a simple “what if” question and then runs with it. Sci fi should be brave enough to start with a crazy idea and then take it as fact, exploring the scientific, social and emotional aspects of it. That’s exactly what McHugh does here. She gets fully into the economic and socio-political questions that her hypothesis raises. If the most desired material in the world was naturally produced by human-like creatures, how would they be treated? She also explores, in a couple of memorable scenes, what apisthrope and human/apisthrope sex might be like.
All of these fascinating ideas are relayed through a series of stories, that are exciting, amusing and sometimes horrifying. The stories often have connections to each other, either through events or characters. This really helps build the sense that they are set in a consistent universe. Despite the bizarre nature of the core concept, this makes the stories believable. The fact that they are populated with memorable and credible characters helps enormously.
McHugh has written an extremely enjoyable and imaginative book. She packs the stories with enough action, intrigue and romance to satisfy anyone. At times, in fact, the book reads like a wonderful pulp adventure tale from the 1930s. Beneath that fun veneer there’s a brain and a heart and that lifts this collection above a lot of things I’ve read lately.
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