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A review by stephenmeansme
Revenant Gun by Yoon Ha Lee
3.0
Though better than the feast of inconsequence that was RAVEN STRATAGEM, the finale of the Machineries of Empire falls far short of NINEFOX GAMBIT. I can't tell if I'm more or less disappointed. After all, it's not unheard of for sf/f series to drop in quality, sometimes precipitously, with each new entry, but GAMBIT was pretty obviously setting up for a sequel, which was delivered in short order. We got stuck in an anime "gaiden" episode for almost the whole book of RAVEN STRATAGEM: I mean it, at the end of the series almost nothing that happens in that book matters very much. With the final book, we see a bit more return to form, but messy.
For example, most of the non-Jedao-centric chapters seem extraneous. Ultimately this is a Cheris-Jedao-Kujen story about stopping cycles of abuse, and Brezan, Inesser, and any other characters don't contribute much to it at all. Often they don't even serve the same function as the POV from Scattered Needles in GAMBIT. At least with STRATAGEM, where the point was indirect narration of what Cheris-Jedao is up to, I could see the logic. Here it didn't seem to come to much.
More grating were the retcons, which I don't really know the point of. This is not about the "mathematics" of threshold winnowers, which so triggered a different review, but the further explanation of why Brezan has an almost-our-world trans man experience in a sfnal universe where genetic tweaking, computerized brain implants, and body modification (to the point of normalized non-binary "alt" people) are so common: apparently the Kel are just puritanical about sex reassignment specifically, for some reason. (Wouldn't dysphoria screw up calendrical effects?)
It would be much too mean to say that the only thing separating REVENANT GUN from Lee's YA book THE DRAGON PEARL is the random fairly explicit (and questionably-consensual!) sex scenes, especially because I ended up liking this one well enough. But the three less-good books of Lee's that I've read seem to suffer from the same problem, where characters make weird decisions seemingly just so the plot can resolve. New!Jedao In fact none of the actual, explicit sex in the Machineries of Empire trilogy seems good, despite all the normalization of so many different gender and sexual identities. (By contrast, Inesser, for example, has "wives" but she only "wakes up next to" one of them. Oddly chaste.)
The consistent bright spot is the servitor subplot, though even there I think it was underserved. That goes to maybe the more general critique: Lee should have restrained the subplots and gone "long" rather than "wide."
Overall, 2.5 stars rounded up because I think it was better overall than REVENANT GUN. But the continuation of this series has been a mediocre disappointment. Stick with NINEFOX GAMBIT and don't feel any pressing desire to complete anything after that.
For example, most of the non-Jedao-centric chapters seem extraneous. Ultimately this is a Cheris-Jedao-Kujen story about stopping cycles of abuse, and Brezan, Inesser, and any other characters don't contribute much to it at all. Often they don't even serve the same function as the POV from Scattered Needles in GAMBIT. At least with STRATAGEM, where the point was indirect narration of what Cheris-Jedao is up to, I could see the logic. Here it didn't seem to come to much.
More grating were the retcons, which I don't really know the point of. This is not about the "mathematics" of threshold winnowers, which so triggered a different review, but the further explanation of why Brezan has an almost-our-world trans man experience in a sfnal universe where genetic tweaking, computerized brain implants, and body modification (to the point of normalized non-binary "alt" people) are so common: apparently the Kel are just puritanical about sex reassignment specifically, for some reason. (Wouldn't dysphoria screw up calendrical effects?)
Spoiler
There's also the blatant retcon that the "moth" ships are basically cyborged Mothras? And that a lot of Hexarchate technology has biological components? This seems unnecessary; I don't see what part of the story is enhanced by it; it makes the Kel look like gigantic hypocritical fools when they freak out about how the Hafn build their ships; it doesn't even much impact new!Jedao's story. It's conveyed in an almost "as you already know..." style, whereas at least Cheris's secrets are supposedly classified.Spoiler
Separately, the Hafn just faff off back to their home territory during the timeskip because apparently that's less interesting?It would be much too mean to say that the only thing separating REVENANT GUN from Lee's YA book THE DRAGON PEARL is the random fairly explicit (and questionably-consensual!) sex scenes, especially because I ended up liking this one well enough. But the three less-good books of Lee's that I've read seem to suffer from the same problem, where characters make weird decisions seemingly just so the plot can resolve. New!Jedao
Spoiler
comes back with only part of his memories (the others having been eaten by Cheris in a scene more emotionally affecting than anything in the other two books), and at what's sort of implied to be an emotional age of seventeen? The characterization isn't very tight about it, especially when the rough sex starts and it ends up being possibly mutually non-con? Oof.The consistent bright spot is the servitor subplot, though even there I think it was underserved
Spoiler
perhaps by being split with the moth subplotOverall, 2.5 stars rounded up because I think it was better overall than REVENANT GUN. But the continuation of this series has been a mediocre disappointment. Stick with NINEFOX GAMBIT and don't feel any pressing desire to complete anything after that.