Scan barcode
liviajelliot's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This is a quirky, fast-paced, innovative, and easy-to-read novella, with a flavour of cyberpunk and a low-sci approach. It works perfectly well as an introduction to the author's series, and it gripped me from the start.
First, many readers are sometimes deterred by the prose on sci-fi books, as they can be filled with jargon. Nevertheless, O'Duill's prose is simple and straightforward, modern and sleek, and it gets across very well. It's snappy, and it conveys that fast-paced approach from the novella—especially because a lot happens here.
Second, there are three PoVs here. The first chapter focuses on Josh who, regardless of being named afterwards, doesn't appear again in the novella. The other two PoVs are Olgo (they/them) and Suon, who start as independent lines but then merge into one story as the plot advances. The chapters are not named as the character, but they are very easy to read and "guess who narrates". There is no hopping between them—each chapter is one character only.
Now, what I want to focus on is the world and the plot, without being spoilery. This is certainly cyberpunk-flavoured, in the sense of low life & high tech; however, the author managed to blend that concept with a queernorm world, which was very refreshing to read--the author speculated not only on the tech, but also on how society would change, and overall, that produced a lived-in, elaborate setting for which is clear that there is more than meets the eye.
Because of that setting, we have characters of all types, and a setting with no apparent racial/gender discrimination. The problems and the plot happen because of something else, and the high-tech/low-life cyberpunk-ish approach takes the forefront there.
There are some interesting things in the plot, and I'm hoping they'll get explored more in the series. For example, Olgo uses an emotional stabiliser device, and it made me think of the classic "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" and its empathy boxes; it was an interesting take, and it made me think quite a bit—something I love to do with spec fiction books!
There is a small but clear subplot about Olgo's past that was teasing enough to give them complexity, but also to leave the door open for more exploration in the series. The ending is quite open. While it closes the plot of the novella, the epilogue is open enough to hint at what will come in the main series.
I'll definitely recommend it for those wanting a snappy, easy read in a queer-norm cyberpunk-ish setting!
First, many readers are sometimes deterred by the prose on sci-fi books, as they can be filled with jargon. Nevertheless, O'Duill's prose is simple and straightforward, modern and sleek, and it gets across very well. It's snappy, and it conveys that fast-paced approach from the novella—especially because a lot happens here.
Second, there are three PoVs here. The first chapter focuses on Josh who, regardless of being named afterwards, doesn't appear again in the novella. The other two PoVs are Olgo (they/them) and Suon, who start as independent lines but then merge into one story as the plot advances. The chapters are not named as the character, but they are very easy to read and "guess who narrates". There is no hopping between them—each chapter is one character only.
Now, what I want to focus on is the world and the plot, without being spoilery. This is certainly cyberpunk-flavoured, in the sense of low life & high tech; however, the author managed to blend that concept with a queernorm world, which was very refreshing to read--the author speculated not only on the tech, but also on how society would change, and overall, that produced a lived-in, elaborate setting for which is clear that there is more than meets the eye.
Because of that setting, we have characters of all types, and a setting with no apparent racial/gender discrimination. The problems and the plot happen because of something else, and the high-tech/low-life cyberpunk-ish approach takes the forefront there.
There are some interesting things in the plot, and I'm hoping they'll get explored more in the series. For example, Olgo uses an emotional stabiliser device, and it made me think of the classic "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" and its empathy boxes; it was an interesting take, and it made me think quite a bit—something I love to do with spec fiction books!
There is a small but clear subplot about Olgo's past that was teasing enough to give them complexity, but also to leave the door open for more exploration in the series. The ending is quite open. While it closes the plot of the novella, the epilogue is open enough to hint at what will come in the main series.
I'll definitely recommend it for those wanting a snappy, easy read in a queer-norm cyberpunk-ish setting!
zillanovikov's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It is a challenge for me to review a book that I love this much.
If I only liked one thing about the book—say, if I enjoyed the fast-paced adventure in the bowels of Mars, or the found family of Olgo choosing to love a brave Martian child, or the focus on making heroes from the too often-neglected stories of sweatshop workers—I could write about that thing. Or maybe I could write about the humour, the way Olgo's dry wit keeps you entertained despite their grim circumstances. Or the brilliance of the gritty worldbuilding which gives us a grim future, but one where there's still hope to improve it.
But what if it's all those things I love, and more? I can't write a review that's as long as the book itself.
I read this book half a dozen times to beta read it for Rohan, and I never once got bored. It is a very good book. And I love it.
If I only liked one thing about the book—say, if I enjoyed the fast-paced adventure in the bowels of Mars, or the found family of Olgo choosing to love a brave Martian child, or the focus on making heroes from the too often-neglected stories of sweatshop workers—I could write about that thing. Or maybe I could write about the humour, the way Olgo's dry wit keeps you entertained despite their grim circumstances. Or the brilliance of the gritty worldbuilding which gives us a grim future, but one where there's still hope to improve it.
But what if it's all those things I love, and more? I can't write a review that's as long as the book itself.
I read this book half a dozen times to beta read it for Rohan, and I never once got bored. It is a very good book. And I love it.
stromberg's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-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
5.0
This fast-moving novella both embraces and complicates classic Golden Age sci-fi tropes. Instead of a “self-reliant individualist, armed with trusty blaster and trusty spaceship, who uses pluck, grit, and ingenuity to save the galaxy all by himself,” we have a pair of protagonists who catalyse change rather than causing it.
Whether it be the smothered heart of an emotionless corporate agent, or a subterranean working class sweating under rapacious exploitation, when a system is groaning for change, sometimes all it takes is a spark—a spark of love, or of hope.
Along the way, there are fistfights and shootouts, deep-space espionage, riots and labour struggles, underground struggles for survival, and the flowering of an unlikely but deep love—all in a read so quick you might finish it in a day.
zillanovikov's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
It is a challenge for me to review a book that I love this much.
If I only liked one thing about the book—say, if I enjoyed the fast-paced adventure in the bowels of Mars, or the found family of Olgo choosing to love a brave Martian child, or the focus on making heroes from the too often-neglected stories of sweatshop workers—I could write about that thing. Or maybe I could write about the humour, the way Olgo's dry wit keeps you entertained despite their grim circumstances. Or the brilliance of the gritty worldbuilding which gives us a grim future, but one where there's still hope to improve it.
But what if it's all those things I love, and more? I can't write a review that's as long as the book itself.
I read this book half a dozen times to beta read it for Rohan, and I never once got bored. It is a very good book. And I love it.
If I only liked one thing about the book—say, if I enjoyed the fast-paced adventure in the bowels of Mars, or the found family of Olgo choosing to love a brave Martian child, or the focus on making heroes from the too often-neglected stories of sweatshop workers—I could write about that thing. Or maybe I could write about the humour, the way Olgo's dry wit keeps you entertained despite their grim circumstances. Or the brilliance of the gritty worldbuilding which gives us a grim future, but one where there's still hope to improve it.
But what if it's all those things I love, and more? I can't write a review that's as long as the book itself.
I read this book half a dozen times to beta read it for Rohan, and I never once got bored. It is a very good book. And I love it.
More...