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erinys's review against another edition
4.0
I continue to enjoy this series, which takes on the Cthulhu Mythos from the point of view of a woman from Innsmouth and her friends/family.
It's fair to say that I'm on the monster's side in a lot of horror, but especially with Innsmouth type stories.
It's fair to say that I'm on the monster's side in a lot of horror, but especially with Innsmouth type stories.
colossal's review against another edition
4.0
The first book in this series, [b:Winter Tide|29939089|Winter Tide (The Innsmouth Legacy, #1)|Ruthanna Emrys|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1463670456s/29939089.jpg|47306624], introduced a Lovecraftian mythos Earth with a found family where the monsters are just other sorts of people.
Aphra Marsh and her confluence are seeking other humans with connections to the Deep Ones so that they can repopulate Innsmouth before the whole town is swallowed up by developers. On coming to New York they have some success, but also become involved with the FBI again because of increasing activity from the Outer Ones, the meigo. The Outer Ones are in danger of stepping in to manipulate the politics of the Cold War, with potentially disastrous consequences.
These books are wonderful, particularly in their inclusiveness and commentary on moving on from the disasters of the past. They take these themes far beyond things that we struggle with now like race, gender and sexuality into species, reality and horrific elements. The author has a genius for demonstrating that even things like the Mi-go brain canisters actually have an upside while still preserving the visceral horror of the concept. Aphra's love for the Elders of her people never conceals that they're horrific looking fish/frog people with needle sharp teeth. Even ghouls get a sympathetic treatment here.
I will say that this book is very slow and features a lot of talking between large groups of people. This can feel a little clumsy, as when a character who hasn't been part of a conversation for several pages suddenly interrupts with a comment. You're left wondering at times who else is in the room other than the people dominating the conversation and the person who just interjected. The first book was a bit like this too, but this book increases the cast and exacerbates the problem. Still, they're interesting conversations, and the primary way that we see characterization, as there isn't really a lot of other action. To give an explicit example, the final conflict is resolved by.
One final note is that the book ends in a really interesting place. The series could end here and be quite reasonably wrapped up, but I'm really excited by what Innsmouth will look like a few years after this book ends.
Aphra Marsh and her confluence are seeking other humans with connections to the Deep Ones so that they can repopulate Innsmouth before the whole town is swallowed up by developers. On coming to New York they have some success, but also become involved with the FBI again because of increasing activity from the Outer Ones, the meigo. The Outer Ones are in danger of stepping in to manipulate the politics of the Cold War, with potentially disastrous consequences.
These books are wonderful, particularly in their inclusiveness and commentary on moving on from the disasters of the past. They take these themes far beyond things that we struggle with now like race, gender and sexuality into species, reality and horrific elements. The author has a genius for demonstrating that even things like the Mi-go brain canisters actually have an upside while still preserving the visceral horror of the concept. Aphra's love for the Elders of her people never conceals that they're horrific looking fish/frog people with needle sharp teeth. Even ghouls get a sympathetic treatment here.
I will say that this book is very slow and features a lot of talking between large groups of people. This can feel a little clumsy, as when a character who hasn't been part of a conversation for several pages suddenly interrupts with a comment. You're left wondering at times who else is in the room other than the people dominating the conversation and the person who just interjected. The first book was a bit like this too, but this book increases the cast and exacerbates the problem. Still, they're interesting conversations, and the primary way that we see characterization, as there isn't really a lot of other action. To give an explicit example, the final conflict is resolved by
Spoiler
basically a sit-in by one of the groups of the Outer OnesOne final note is that the book ends in a really interesting place. The series could end here and be quite reasonably wrapped up, but I'm really excited by what Innsmouth will look like a few years after this book ends.
heron61's review against another edition
5.0
I just finished this sequel to Emrys' brilliant novel Winter Tide, and loved this one just as much. I loved it both for the same wonderful characters and also for placing them both in 1949 New York City, and also for their interactions with the deeply alien Mi Go, who were both believably alien and also fascinatingly (but not entirely) comprehensible. As I had hope, this novel added depth and richness to Emrys' vision of the Cthulhu Mythos, with the introduction of Mi Go, ghouls, and other types of creatures, which also remaining grounded in the social and political reality of the years just after World War II. Just as much as Winter Tide, it is a novel about community, found family, attempting to find humane solutions to complex problems, and of contact with both wonders and terrors.
soless's review against another edition
5.0
The Innsmouth Legacy series is absolutely everything I want from a book series: thoughtful, beautiful, full of (updated) Cthulhian mystery that actively undoes the horribleness of Lovecraft while retaining all the amazing bits. Ruthanna Emrys took a genre that was edging on stale and breathed new life into it and I am here for where ever she wants to take us.
drakelaw's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
zionacook's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
besha's review against another edition
3.0
Too many characters, too few voices, and if I wanted to listen to a poly family processing I’d still live in in a queer co-op. The Litany of Earth was my favorite story of 2014, and I still find Emrys’s writing beautiful, but it turns out I can only listen to Aphra for so long.
abookishtype's review against another edition
3.0
Deep Roots, the second novel in Ruthanna Emrys’s Innsmouth Legacy series, builds on the strange world her protagonists discovered and fought in Winter Tide. This entry in the series shows Aphra Marsh’s confluence—her magically bonded family members and friends—taking on new enemies and learning more about the creatures they didn’t know were already living on earth...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.
lene_kretzsch's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Sooo tedious. It took every bit of will power I had to finish this.