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A review by rahellarad
A Stranger to Command by Sherwood Smith
5.0
Yes, yes, yes! Perfect, perfect, perfect. Sherwood Smith, you’ve done it again. We’re going two for two on books that feel like Sherwood Smith looked directly into my brain while I was asleep and plucked out my ideal book, fully formed. Another smashing success of fantasy world building, characterisation, perfect wit and humour, and insane attention to detail that had my ADHD brain absolutely pinging. It’s like she knows that I am absolutely feral for the fantasy genre but written in this specific style and world type, especially when the book isn’t trying to pass off rampant misogyny as just ‘part of the genre’ - an author who respects women, is in turn respected by me.
I have to start with Smith’s style of writing in the third person, which ordinarily wouldn’t be anything to crow about, but the way she does it where the viewpoint switches seamlessly between characters is just magical. Each switch is done without needing to give the new character an entire dedicated chapter, and never has them outstay their usefulness as the speaker, so we never had to slog through any trivialities that came from not having enough to say. Not once did I feel that the viewpoint of a character other than Shevraeth was unnecessary, and that’s a skill, because I love to bitch and moan about pointless view changes. Everyone’s characterisations and interactions were also spectacular, I have absolutely no faults for character or personality - even the characters I loved to hate were well rounded and had complex reasoning behind their actions, instead of just being written off as "they’re nasty and that’s that".
When I say there was attention to detail, I mean it. Smith’s world building is immaculate, and gives insights into not only how Remalnan and Marloven languages are taught, but also how their vowel sounds sit in the mouth, how street signs in Marloven Hess are positioned and designed, and how the horses in one region differ from another in both physical proportions, colour, and manner. I was living for it. I felt like I could smell the sage of Fenis’ hair, feel the blackweave of the senior’s belts, or hear the sound of the heeled, square-toed Marloven riding boot on the cobbles outside the barracks. It was absolutely insane to be reading but feel completely transported, and went so far towards really shoehorning me as a reader directly into the world. It was wonderful. Even the region-specific slang was beautifully woven into the story at a pace where the reader feels its’ newness at the same time as Shevraeth does, and learns to accept and parse it alongside him.
Yet again, I could talk about the content of and my opinions on this book for hours, but I will spare you all and leave it at this: 5 stars, and nobody will be able to stop me from coming back for more.
I have to start with Smith’s style of writing in the third person, which ordinarily wouldn’t be anything to crow about, but the way she does it where the viewpoint switches seamlessly between characters is just magical. Each switch is done without needing to give the new character an entire dedicated chapter, and never has them outstay their usefulness as the speaker, so we never had to slog through any trivialities that came from not having enough to say. Not once did I feel that the viewpoint of a character other than Shevraeth was unnecessary, and that’s a skill, because I love to bitch and moan about pointless view changes. Everyone’s characterisations and interactions were also spectacular, I have absolutely no faults for character or personality - even the characters I loved to hate were well rounded and had complex reasoning behind their actions, instead of just being written off as "they’re nasty and that’s that".
When I say there was attention to detail, I mean it. Smith’s world building is immaculate, and gives insights into not only how Remalnan and Marloven languages are taught, but also how their vowel sounds sit in the mouth, how street signs in Marloven Hess are positioned and designed, and how the horses in one region differ from another in both physical proportions, colour, and manner. I was living for it. I felt like I could smell the sage of Fenis’ hair, feel the blackweave of the senior’s belts, or hear the sound of the heeled, square-toed Marloven riding boot on the cobbles outside the barracks. It was absolutely insane to be reading but feel completely transported, and went so far towards really shoehorning me as a reader directly into the world. It was wonderful. Even the region-specific slang was beautifully woven into the story at a pace where the reader feels its’ newness at the same time as Shevraeth does, and learns to accept and parse it alongside him.
Yet again, I could talk about the content of and my opinions on this book for hours, but I will spare you all and leave it at this: 5 stars, and nobody will be able to stop me from coming back for more.