A review by yrioona
We Who Are about To... by Joanna Russ

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Starts as a wickedly, bitterly, funny and tragic and unsettling swipe at the "crash landing on an alien planet" trope and develops into something more complex and intimate and artful. It is dense and maybe a bit overwrought, and sometimes I found the stream-of-consciousness style confusing, but she is incredible at voice and characterization, and there are some great (mostly very dark) one-liners in the first half. This feels a bit like a two-act play or a very talky, cerebral, movie. Beautifully bleak and idiosyncratic and character-driven and worth the effort to get through even for its imperfections and welcome and unwelcome weirdnesses.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings