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evanbernstein's review
2.0
This story had stock characters and a story that was skimmable. The characters said things as mottos "the battle is won before it begins" and, wouldn't you know, they raise an army that wins against all odds because it won before it begun. All in 5 pages. Eh.
I liked the idea of two authors telling a story in the same world, but Paolo Bacigalupi is a much better author and chose a much better story for a short story than this one.
I liked the idea of two authors telling a story in the same world, but Paolo Bacigalupi is a much better author and chose a much better story for a short story than this one.
hobbes543's review
4.0
A quick fun read in an interesting setting. Hope to see more from this author in this world.
jrt5166's review
3.0
An odd little book. Buckell was attempting to tell a pretty big story in novella form, so naturally it all felt a bit underdeveloped and rushed.
itiselizabeth's review
3.0
A short read but an interesting one. The setting is established effectively and the main character's motivations are relatable. It's a bit oddly paced and doesn't really conclude, it feels more like a set up to a much longer novel.
wealhtheow's review
3.0
After Tana's father and husband are killed and her children taken by raiders, she goes on a one-woman mission to regain the remnants of her family. Her courage and will inspire others, and soon she comes to the attention of an army commander. He tells her that they have to wait the raiders out, but Tana is impatient. She raises an army of women, armed with peasant weapons (and the occasional arquebus), and they march on the raiders' city.
I really wish this had been twice as long, because there's so much material here that I wish could have been expanded upon, or presented with more subtlety. Even in a bare-bones style like this, it's a good, engaging story, especially with Buckell's trademark of excellent action scenes.
My one quibble with this book is actually with the illustration. The original inspiration for this book was Maureen McHugh's mention of the lack of middle-aged female protagonists, and Buckell spends a good number of pages emphasizing that she's older and has more than her fair share of scars and muscle. She spends the entire book chopping soldiers apart with her axe. And yet. All of the illustrations portray a woman with slender, unmarked twigs for arms and an unlined face. Art fail.
I really wish this had been twice as long, because there's so much material here that I wish could have been expanded upon, or presented with more subtlety. Even in a bare-bones style like this, it's a good, engaging story, especially with Buckell's trademark of excellent action scenes.
My one quibble with this book is actually with the illustration. The original inspiration for this book was Maureen McHugh's mention of the lack of middle-aged female protagonists, and Buckell spends a good number of pages emphasizing that she's older and has more than her fair share of scars and muscle. She spends the entire book chopping soldiers apart with her axe. And yet. All of the illustrations portray a woman with slender, unmarked twigs for arms and an unlined face. Art fail.
kristi_asleep_dreaming's review
3.0
Wanted to like this more than I did. Loved the world-concept, the idea of it... but there seemed to be too much story for the space he gave it?
corar's review
5.0
This novella takes place in a world where the use of magic has had dire consequences. Whenever someone uses magic, a deadly, unstoppable, invincible plant called the bramble feeds off the magic and begins to grow. Not only is bramble taking over the world, but it is also deadly. The plants are covered with sticky filaments that contain a deadly venom that is absorbed into the skin when touched. The poison quickly results in a coma that often leads to death. Since there is no way to stop the bramble once it takes hold, magic has been outlawed with the penalty of death, but still the bramble spreads as people secretly do little magics for what they consider very good reasons (such as healing a dying child). A nearby city has a culture that has never used magic since it is against their religious beliefs. When the bramble starts to grown in their city, they decide that it is their moral duty to wipe out those that use magic and force them to covert to their religion.
Tana lives with her father, husband, and two young children. Her father is one of of the villages executioners, but he is suffering from a debilitating illness that has him confined to a bed. Her husband is a drunk that spends most of his time passed out in the front yard. When the bell summoning her father to an execution rings, she has no choice but to answer it herself since the family depends on the additional income from executions to survive. However, before she can return home, raiders from the neighboring city attack and slaughter everyone that they find, except the children who they kidnap since they are young enough to convert to their religion. Faced with the destruction of her home and her family, Tana sets off on a journey to try to find her children.
I really liked this book. It has a strong female protagonist who finds herself becoming a legend, much to her dismay. Along the way, she empowers other women she meets and they use society's tendency to discount women to achieve their goals. Although she becomes the leader of a movement, her motivation was never to change the world, rather it was to save her children and prevent anyone else from suffering the way she had suffered. I liked that, although the culture of the neighboring city was violent and merciless, the reader is made to understand that their motivation is one of saving the world, even if you abhor their methods. Although this is a fantasy world, reading it had me pondering a lot of issues going on in our world today. I definitely recommend this short book.
Tana lives with her father, husband, and two young children. Her father is one of of the villages executioners, but he is suffering from a debilitating illness that has him confined to a bed. Her husband is a drunk that spends most of his time passed out in the front yard. When the bell summoning her father to an execution rings, she has no choice but to answer it herself since the family depends on the additional income from executions to survive. However, before she can return home, raiders from the neighboring city attack and slaughter everyone that they find, except the children who they kidnap since they are young enough to convert to their religion. Faced with the destruction of her home and her family, Tana sets off on a journey to try to find her children.
I really liked this book. It has a strong female protagonist who finds herself becoming a legend, much to her dismay. Along the way, she empowers other women she meets and they use society's tendency to discount women to achieve their goals. Although she becomes the leader of a movement, her motivation was never to change the world, rather it was to save her children and prevent anyone else from suffering the way she had suffered. I liked that, although the culture of the neighboring city was violent and merciless, the reader is made to understand that their motivation is one of saving the world, even if you abhor their methods. Although this is a fantasy world, reading it had me pondering a lot of issues going on in our world today. I definitely recommend this short book.
therewithal's review
3.0
There were some cool ideas in this, but the story itself was a bit disappointingly thin. I wanted more depth and worldbuilding.
spautz's review
2.0
The first half was a pretty decent story -- nothing spectacular, but not bad either. There were some unbelievable and unrealistic moments, but overall the protagonist and her story were interesting and the story flowed well enough.
The second half gradually decayed into a preachy, predictable, cliche-sexist mess, however. All interest and intrigue in the story evaporated, leaving only a repetitive and too-convenient series of events -- and a tremendous amount of eye-rolling.
Short enough to read in one sitting, but not worth it.
The second half gradually decayed into a preachy, predictable, cliche-sexist mess, however. All interest and intrigue in the story evaporated, leaving only a repetitive and too-convenient series of events -- and a tremendous amount of eye-rolling.
Short enough to read in one sitting, but not worth it.
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