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A review by fourtriplezed
Daughter of Bad Times by Rohan Wilson
Thematically covering subjects that are of concern now, refugees, global warming and corruption at a governmental level mixed with crony capitalism. It is also very multicultural with events told in a world 50 odd years into the future. This should have been made for a good read at a minimum but I have been very disappointed.
The story is told in the first person alternately by the two main protagonists, female Rin and male Yamaan. I found myself thinking that the story Rin told, that of a mid-twenties orphan rising to the heights in a corrupt multinational to the point she could bring the entire company to its knees, all a bit farfetched. Because of her feeling angry that her stepmother had lied to her about her birth mother and then adding to that the stepmother pathetically losing the plot over Rin having sex with the house boy, Yamaan, it was hard to take seriously. Sci Fi can pull off all kind of sleight of hand by the writer, but it does have to have some semblance of realism. Rin, was a character far too immature for my liking; with that, I could never imagine one so young being given such free rein in a multinational corporation that had its corrupt tentacles in the use of refugee facilities as prison camps worldwide to make exorbitant profit at the expanse of the helpless. Its ideas were very good, but characters and plot were too shallow.
I did laugh though that the Premier of Tasmania at this time in the future is one James Abetz, Tasmanian, and some mainland Australia readers, will get a chuckle out of that.
Author Rohan Wilson first two very good novels were about colonial era Van Diemen's Land and were highly acclaimed by both critics and the public. So when it was announced that he was spreading his wings with a sci fi novel I was looking forward to it. I loved his first 2 novels, they both verged on outstanding. This one failed for this reader.
The story is told in the first person alternately by the two main protagonists, female Rin and male Yamaan. I found myself thinking that the story Rin told, that of a mid-twenties orphan rising to the heights in a corrupt multinational to the point she could bring the entire company to its knees, all a bit farfetched. Because of her feeling angry that her stepmother had lied to her about her birth mother and then adding to that the stepmother pathetically losing the plot over Rin having sex with the house boy, Yamaan, it was hard to take seriously. Sci Fi can pull off all kind of sleight of hand by the writer, but it does have to have some semblance of realism. Rin, was a character far too immature for my liking; with that, I could never imagine one so young being given such free rein in a multinational corporation that had its corrupt tentacles in the use of refugee facilities as prison camps worldwide to make exorbitant profit at the expanse of the helpless. Its ideas were very good, but characters and plot were too shallow.
I did laugh though that the Premier of Tasmania at this time in the future is one James Abetz, Tasmanian, and some mainland Australia readers, will get a chuckle out of that.
Author Rohan Wilson first two very good novels were about colonial era Van Diemen's Land and were highly acclaimed by both critics and the public. So when it was announced that he was spreading his wings with a sci fi novel I was looking forward to it. I loved his first 2 novels, they both verged on outstanding. This one failed for this reader.