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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
adventurous
mysterious
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
Space popes dead. Now who done it???
I absolutely cannot resist a book that surrounds itself in the imagery of seraphim, but when one takes human form with an inky void pompadour containing the glimmer of stars within itself, all I can say is YO BITCH IM IN.
I absolutely cannot resist a book that surrounds itself in the imagery of seraphim, but when one takes human form with an inky void pompadour containing the glimmer of stars within itself, all I can say is YO BITCH IM IN.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
mysterious
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:
Complicated
Great mystery novella mixed with biblically accurate and terrifying angels, the fun things they can do with your memories (which becomes relevant) and interreligious maneuvering. Pick this up this fall.
This was a story about how religion functions when gods are real, and also about broken people trying to figure out what comes next, and how to use their past without being used by it. It's got some fascinating world building, and I cared about the characters, but it ultimately was not my cup of tea.
This one really pushed out the oddness. Set in a future which mashes up future-yet-obsolete technology, and told by a robot with artificial intelligence (Scribe IV), with a brutal near-medieval and religiously strict society, this one is basically a locked room mystery reimagined into a science fantasy. We have creepy Bene Gesserit-like religious disciplinarians emerging from the sea to deliver sentence and punishment on a lonely outpost (the Bastion), fallen angels in the form of god-like aliens, not to mention god-like deities and Lovecraftian cosmic horror.
Along the way, Wise manages to examine the importance of self and identity, of artificial intelligence and the importance of religion in daily life. It should not be too much of a surprise to find that such matters are also deeply rooted in childhood trauma for some of the characters. Genders are deliberately diverse and gleefully woke, playing with gender in that the characters use gender terms such as xe and xer to describe the divine Angel in their daily speech. It’s an interesting touch which adds another element to this story. Similarly, the same-sex relationship is well done, without being explicit.
The other element I liked was the character of Scribe IV, who in telling the story is quite wonderful – erudite, self-effacing, actually rather human-like, to the point where he/it is perhaps the most human-like of all of the main characters encountered. It’s an endearing quality.
In summary, Out of the Drowning Deep is a science fantasy story that can be enjoyed for its ramping up of the weird. For that reason, it is worth reading, with a plot and characters that shows a writer with their imagination working overtime. The result is an appreciatively different story that I think will be remembered after finishing its 175 pages.
Along the way, Wise manages to examine the importance of self and identity, of artificial intelligence and the importance of religion in daily life. It should not be too much of a surprise to find that such matters are also deeply rooted in childhood trauma for some of the characters. Genders are deliberately diverse and gleefully woke, playing with gender in that the characters use gender terms such as xe and xer to describe the divine Angel in their daily speech. It’s an interesting touch which adds another element to this story. Similarly, the same-sex relationship is well done, without being explicit.
The other element I liked was the character of Scribe IV, who in telling the story is quite wonderful – erudite, self-effacing, actually rather human-like, to the point where he/it is perhaps the most human-like of all of the main characters encountered. It’s an endearing quality.
In summary, Out of the Drowning Deep is a science fantasy story that can be enjoyed for its ramping up of the weird. For that reason, it is worth reading, with a plot and characters that shows a writer with their imagination working overtime. The result is an appreciatively different story that I think will be remembered after finishing its 175 pages.