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A review by songwind
Empress of Forever by Max Gladstone
5.0
Safe to say I loved this.
It's big, it's complex, and it's imaginative. Despite being notionally science fiction there's no "hard sci-fi" to it. Despite the cavalier way in which the book treats the laws of physics, it's never suggested that these things are magic.
It's an epic quest, and like the best epic quests it combines periods of action and daring-do with quieter times of introspection, growth and humanity. It's something of a travelogue, as Viv and her companions drift from place to place, looking for allies, weapons and/or safety.
In the other Gladstone works I've read, he has shined the most in characterization, and mythbuilding. This book is no different. All of the main characters are well fleshed out. They also grow and change throughout the story in important ways. The setting is full of ideas, and full of larger than life events and characters. In particular, the fuzzy boundary between 4D space and the hyperspaces of cloud is a fertile ground for mythic characters and impossibilities.
Much like the Craft Sequence, this book straddles a lot of genres. That may make it difficult for some people to approach. In particular, I have seen it described as a "feminist Guardians of the Galaxy." It is not that. This is not a two hour thrill ride, easy-to-understand adventure. Those elements are in there, but there's also 2001, Dune and Hyperion in there.
In fact, there are elements and moments that specifically made me think of those other works. Not in a coarsely derivative sense, but rather it's clear that the text and imagery was informed by them.
It's big, it's complex, and it's imaginative. Despite being notionally science fiction there's no "hard sci-fi" to it. Despite the cavalier way in which the book treats the laws of physics, it's never suggested that these things are magic.
It's an epic quest, and like the best epic quests it combines periods of action and daring-do with quieter times of introspection, growth and humanity. It's something of a travelogue, as Viv and her companions drift from place to place, looking for allies, weapons and/or safety.
In the other Gladstone works I've read, he has shined the most in characterization, and mythbuilding. This book is no different. All of the main characters are well fleshed out. They also grow and change throughout the story in important ways. The setting is full of ideas, and full of larger than life events and characters. In particular, the fuzzy boundary between 4D space and the hyperspaces of cloud is a fertile ground for mythic characters and impossibilities.
Much like the Craft Sequence, this book straddles a lot of genres. That may make it difficult for some people to approach. In particular, I have seen it described as a "feminist Guardians of the Galaxy." It is not that. This is not a two hour thrill ride, easy-to-understand adventure. Those elements are in there, but there's also 2001, Dune and Hyperion in there.
In fact, there are elements and moments that specifically made me think of those other works. Not in a coarsely derivative sense, but rather it's clear that the text and imagery was informed by them.