Reviews

The Necessity of Stars by E. Catherine Tobler

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s_a_g_e's review against another edition

4.0

A good, compact little story that stays away from most alien tropes, especially by having the main protagonist be an old woman. I liked it. Wish it had maybe one more chapter.

roadtripreader's review

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dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

It's Lush, it's trippy, a bit cosmic with a touch of Fae. - Oh yeah it's like a horrorshow about ageing and yet it's something bordering on beautiful.

Is it dimentia or maybe Alzheimers? Is it just the memory loss that comes with being that age? Is it an alien? Is it Eldritch? Is it a chemical in the garden that makes hallucintation come at you in a hazy way and makes you forget yesterday but remember the long lost past vividly?

I was engaged right through to the end.

Plot/Storyline/Themes:
I must admit I was a bit weary in the first few chapters. The UN namedropping didn't have the intended effect or maybe that was exactly the effect the writer wanted? It felt to UNy which would be great 10-15 years ago when the body was reverred, relevant and perceived as a galvanizing entity. Now it's a glorified FiFa except the bribes and money exchanges aren't as brazen or public but under the table and hsrder to untangle. I almost shut the book.

Two Sentences, A Scene or less - Characters:
The main character is 65 years old and lives at the edge of a drowning world. The sea levels have risen and she may or may not be losing her mind regarding her magnificent, thriving riotous, beautiful garden.

Sometimes I felt like the author was using the fear of ageing and confirming aching bones and loss of motivation as a horror tool

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Scene: :
☆Breone's first memory
☆A grandma and an alien sitting down for a nice spot of tea and cucumber sandwiches

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Quotes:
🖤 “All worlds changed; our task was to change with them, not argue with an entire planet. Humanity was too small, too insignificant, to cause the changes we were seeing” (Breone Hemmerli on the rising sea levels)
🖤 “Memory is a form of fiction—a story that keeps the days threaded together in proper order” (And so I wonder about Breone)
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Concepts :
■ Irisland
■Tura
■ Ecosystems thriving instead of dying
■Eleanor of Aquitaine
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