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A review by gaykittens
Atlas Alone by Emma Newman
2.0
Unfortunately, Atlas Alone isn't as good as its predecessors. If I could pick one word to describe the book, it would be "ham-fisted." The religious fundamentalist Americans were entertaining when they were side characters, but now that they're central to the plot, Newman didn't bother to flesh them out at all. Really, the whole book seems to be a colonialist pot calling its kettle offspring black: timely criticism of America (though only through its hyperbolic religious inclinations) abounds, but apparently Norope, the series' equivalent of the EU, is...fine? That's a laugh. It makes me wonder how much the author is aware of "institutionalized racism and sexism" in Europe, complete with religious persecution. Perhaps it doesn't matter to her, as the only religiously oppressed individuals in Atlas Alone are white atheists.
Continuing the "ham-fisted" theme, you've got a blonde, blue-eyed white protagonist frequently criticizing white people, often with convenient qualifiers to exclude herself. No criticism of racism or sexism ever goes deep, and
Also, as much as I hate to say it, as far as criticizing corny games goes (and the book goes there, multiple times), the twist at the end comes straight out of corny game territory.
It's unfortunate, too, because you have a fundamentally interesting, complicated character with trauma -- just like the first book! For whatever reason, the character's thoughts and opinions about power felt like more of a mouthpiece for the author than a whole, rounded person. I think the author's imagination partially failed her in attempting this traumatized former corporate slave's inner life. I adored when we saw Dee's faulty thinking and coping mechanisms - that was realistic and good! so good! - yet her shallow asides about power didn't work, and they happened frequently enough to, again, feel "ham-fisted."
Otherwise, it's an easy read that mostly gets by on the interesting world crafted in the first three books. In the acknowledgements, there's a small section that suggests this book was written while doing things for the release of another book; perhaps that's why this one fell flat.
Spoiler
There's even a small section where the American Christian fundamentalists assert that darn it, they would've converted all of Europe if democracy hadn't fallen! Because, as we all know, modern American fundies in the real world are targeting white European atheists right now...not Roma, not Africans, not Asians... For someone who worked hard to inject basic Social Justice 101 observations into the book, Newman has a penchant for reimaging who the victims of injustice are.Continuing the "ham-fisted" theme, you've got a blonde, blue-eyed white protagonist frequently criticizing white people, often with convenient qualifiers to exclude herself. No criticism of racism or sexism ever goes deep, and
Spoiler
the book culminates in Dee shooting a dark-skinned masculine woman, the head of the ship, without the book even acknowledging her as an individual character, as she's part of an amorphous "big bad." This unacknowledgement is arguably part of Dee's own framing of the situation, as it's a first-person novel, but did the author intend for this racial dynamic? I doubt it.Also, as much as I hate to say it, as far as criticizing corny games goes (and the book goes there, multiple times), the twist at the end comes straight out of corny game territory.
Spoiler
If you played Bioshock like literally everyone else did, you've got an idea of where the plot heads. It was groundbreaking then, but it's done to death now.It's unfortunate, too, because you have a fundamentally interesting, complicated character with trauma -- just like the first book! For whatever reason, the character's thoughts and opinions about power felt like more of a mouthpiece for the author than a whole, rounded person. I think the author's imagination partially failed her in attempting this traumatized former corporate slave's inner life. I adored when we saw Dee's faulty thinking and coping mechanisms - that was realistic and good! so good! - yet her shallow asides about power didn't work, and they happened frequently enough to, again, feel "ham-fisted."
Otherwise, it's an easy read that mostly gets by on the interesting world crafted in the first three books. In the acknowledgements, there's a small section that suggests this book was written while doing things for the release of another book; perhaps that's why this one fell flat.