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cnidariar3x's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
A bit too brief in worldbuilding, but rich in ideas and philosophy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Death, War, and Colonisation
foreverinastory's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-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
4.0
Thank you to the publisher for a copy in exchange for a review and promotion. All opinions are my own.
This was so fascinating. I kind of want to move to Hron right now. Also I definitely want more societies like that!
A Country of Ghosts follows journalist Dimos Horacki. He is from Borolia, but is sent to the front lines of the colonial expansion to write about a famous war hero. When Dimos finally makes it to the front, the things he sees disgusts him. When he's sent on a suicide scout mission, he's taken by the Free Company of the Heather. With the Free Company all Dimos has ever known is challenged and he must decide what he is willing to fight for.
I really enjoyed this book and I definitely have not read anything like this before. I've read tons of dystopians and utopias that are actually dystopias. The way the towns and villages of Hron work was so fascinating and I really would like to know more. Dimos grew on me as a character. It was hard to empathize with him when he was so stuck in his own ways. But I enjoyed his curious nature and how he did keep an open mind.
There are queer characters, BIPOC characters and disabled characters on page in this. I loved that the world of Hron wasn't limited by racism, homophobia and the like. One thing that did bother me was that Dimos assumes gender of almost everyone he meets. I feel like in a true utopia, nonbinary people would be everywhere and gender would never be assumed based on expression.
This book really explores the bleakness and violence of colonialism and imperialist conquest. There were times that I felt like all things would be lost because of how thirsty capitalism and colonialism are. The ending did feel realistic, but I also want more. I want to know what happens next!
Rep: white gay male MC, cast of various queer characters and BIPOC characters. No ethnicity/race specified but described as having brown skin. Female side character who uses a wheelchair. Male side chair with one leg.
CWs: Alcohol consumption, blood, colonisation, death, death of parent, genocide, grief, gun violence, injury/injury detail, kidnapping, medical content, murder, violence, war, xenophobia. Moderate: homophobia/homomisia, general queerphobia/queermisia, vomit, tobacco/nicotine addiction, fire/fire injury, abandonment, racial slurs (s-word).
This was so fascinating. I kind of want to move to Hron right now. Also I definitely want more societies like that!
A Country of Ghosts follows journalist Dimos Horacki. He is from Borolia, but is sent to the front lines of the colonial expansion to write about a famous war hero. When Dimos finally makes it to the front, the things he sees disgusts him. When he's sent on a suicide scout mission, he's taken by the Free Company of the Heather. With the Free Company all Dimos has ever known is challenged and he must decide what he is willing to fight for.
I really enjoyed this book and I definitely have not read anything like this before. I've read tons of dystopians and utopias that are actually dystopias. The way the towns and villages of Hron work was so fascinating and I really would like to know more. Dimos grew on me as a character. It was hard to empathize with him when he was so stuck in his own ways. But I enjoyed his curious nature and how he did keep an open mind.
There are queer characters, BIPOC characters and disabled characters on page in this. I loved that the world of Hron wasn't limited by racism, homophobia and the like. One thing that did bother me was that Dimos assumes gender of almost everyone he meets. I feel like in a true utopia, nonbinary people would be everywhere and gender would never be assumed based on expression.
This book really explores the bleakness and violence of colonialism and imperialist conquest. There were times that I felt like all things would be lost because of how thirsty capitalism and colonialism are. The ending did feel realistic, but I also want more. I want to know what happens next!
Rep: white gay male MC, cast of various queer characters and BIPOC characters. No ethnicity/race specified but described as having brown skin. Female side character who uses a wheelchair. Male side chair with one leg.
CWs: Alcohol consumption, blood, colonisation, death, death of parent, genocide, grief, gun violence, injury/injury detail, kidnapping, medical content, murder, violence, war, xenophobia. Moderate: homophobia/homomisia, general queerphobia/queermisia, vomit, tobacco/nicotine addiction, fire/fire injury, abandonment, racial slurs (s-word).
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Blood, Death of parent, Genocide, Grief, Alcohol, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Violence, Colonisation, Death, Murder, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, Abandonment, Addiction, Homophobia, and Racial slurs
caseythereader's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Thanks to AK Press for the free advance copy of this book.
- A COUNTRY OF GHOSTS is a novella that explores a battle to escape imperialism and build an anarchist society out of what already exists.
- One of the best things about this book was the way Horacki would ask a question about the way something was done in Hron (for example, what if no one wants to pick crops) and the people would look at him like that was such a ridiculous question, and their explanation of their non-capitalist system was perfectly logical and efficacious. It's really perspective-shifting in a gentle way.
- In the author's note, Killjoy writes about how she specifically chose to write about building a utopia inside the bones of an existing society rather than in the blank slate of a new nation, since that's how it would have to go in our current reality. There's a lot to chew on in what at first glance seems like just historical fiction.
- A COUNTRY OF GHOSTS is a novella that explores a battle to escape imperialism and build an anarchist society out of what already exists.
- One of the best things about this book was the way Horacki would ask a question about the way something was done in Hron (for example, what if no one wants to pick crops) and the people would look at him like that was such a ridiculous question, and their explanation of their non-capitalist system was perfectly logical and efficacious. It's really perspective-shifting in a gentle way.
- In the author's note, Killjoy writes about how she specifically chose to write about building a utopia inside the bones of an existing society rather than in the blank slate of a new nation, since that's how it would have to go in our current reality. There's a lot to chew on in what at first glance seems like just historical fiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Torture, Violence, and War
Minor: Homophobia
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