A review by savaging
Midnight Robber by Nalo Hopkinson

3.0

I absolutely love the worlds that Hopkinson creates in this book, the diverse afrofuturisms she weaves. But the narrative line of the main character felt uneven and dissatisfying. You know when the auxiliary characters are better and more compelling people, but have to put their lives on hold and suffer for the development of the main character? Like in an X-Men movie where Wolverine wanders into an idyllic farmstead and the kind, generous family there gets massacred by the main villain (this happens in 2 separate movies in the same franchise! Twice he's like "this kind family on an idyllic farmstead will help us out, I don't see what could go wrong."). Of course the violence is the villain's fault, but I can't help but be a little mad at the hero for constantly bringing danger to others. And I get very mad at the story creator, who keeps coming back to this trope.

But I keep thinking about the douen and rolling calf and Papa Bois and the rest of the world Hopkinson created. This might be like [b:A Door Into Ocean|121606|A Door Into Ocean|Joan Slonczewski|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1312029708l/121606._SY75_.jpg|2640708], where I'm not happy while I'm reading but I want to dwell in that world long after I've stopped.