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adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
I wouldn’t call myself an aficionado of the science fiction genre, but I have enough of a grasp that I have some expectations. Ashing-Giwa’s The Splinter in the Sky is a welcome standalone novel, in the sense that the genre is always in need of more marginalized voices, especially ones drawing attention to topics such as the consequences of colonialism (a prevalent theme in the genre yet rarely critiqued). That being said, I found that this commentary was far too heavy-handed, to the point that by the time I was a quarter into the novel (not even halfway), I found myself thinking, I get it, can we please get to something new now?
On another note, I always felt that standalone sci-fi novels are especially tricky to write, particularly because of the incredible care that must go into good worldbuilding. This is the author’s one chance to craft a convincing world that won’t be expanded any further, so the stakes are a bit high on this front. Unfortunately, I felt that there was a lot left to be desired in this novel. There were a number of ideas and elements introduced throughout that I found fascinating, but many of them came and went in a blink of an eye, leaving the reader very little time to actually appreciate the universe Ashing-Giwa created.
Relatedly, one would think this must mean the plot was especially interesting to make up for the worldbuilding. While there was political intrigue (and a bit complex, too), I didn’t think it came together as well as it could have, which was in part because of the worldbuilding that was somewhat hastily put together, it seems. The plot was fairly predictable, the characters and their relationships lacked complexity (and, in the protagonist’s case, flaws), and I felt there were one too many deus ex machina moments.
One positive thing I will say about The Splinter in the Sky is that it is a very approachable and straightforward science fiction novel. I know the genre can be daunting for some readers, but Ashing-Giwa’s writing style is an accessible one—even with its flaws—and it could make for a good jumping point into denser novels.
Ultimately, I think this novel could have afforded to have been longer (or even turned into a duology or something) to really flesh out the universe and characters. The pieces were there, but they didn’t come together as well as the author may have thought.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Violence, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, Classism
Moderate: Police brutality, War
Minor: Drug use, Suicide
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Colonisation
Moderate: Gore, Slavery, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use, Suicide, Alcohol
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was excited for this book, but it was just not good. It is written in an extremely bland style where everyone's motivations and emotions are just laid out for you in a list, character relationships feel stilted and weird, and the whole thing reads very immature to me. I was genuinely shocked at the reveal that the main character is 25. The plots within plots are not interesting (I kept forgetting she was even working for the other group until someone else brought it up), and every character is exactly who they appear to be upon first meeting so none of the court intrigue is all that intriguing. A lot of plots feel like they get dropped as soon as they might complicate anything for anyone important.
The descriptions of living under occupation are visceral and feel "real" but the understanding of how empire works and what it needs to sustain itself is just not there. The way the Imperator as an institution is characterized and the description of how this empire supposedly runs are insulting to the reader.
The descriptions of living under occupation are visceral and feel "real" but the understanding of how empire works and what it needs to sustain itself is just not there. The way the Imperator as an institution is characterized and the description of how this empire supposedly runs are insulting to the reader.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Police brutality, Colonisation
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Violence, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Cultural appropriation, Sexual harassment
Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Medical content, War, Injury/Injury detail
The depictions of colonialism, racism and classism are great, but the plotting is so clumsy, there isn’t enough world-building, and the main character isn’t fleshed out enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, Classism
Moderate: Death, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief
Minor: Suicide, Murder, Sexual harassment
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thanks to Saga Press for the free copy of this book.
- THE SPLINTER IN THE SKY is a standalone sci-fi novel heavy on both political maneuvering and heart.
- This book felt sort of like if you took the linguistics out of A MEMORY CALLED EMPIRE and added the critique of colonization of BABEL.
- Oddly enough, for a standalone novel I felt like it could have been either a bit shorter or expanded into a duology. The main plot takes awhile to kick into gear, and then a ton of action is packed into the second half of the book.
- THE SPLINTER IN THE SKY is a standalone sci-fi novel heavy on both political maneuvering and heart.
- This book felt sort of like if you took the linguistics out of A MEMORY CALLED EMPIRE and added the critique of colonization of BABEL.
- Oddly enough, for a standalone novel I felt like it could have been either a bit shorter or expanded into a duology. The main plot takes awhile to kick into gear, and then a ton of action is packed into the second half of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: War
Minor: Suicide