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A review by mgerboc
Guns of the Dawn by Adrian Tchaikovsky
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Oh my oh my. I've never read anything by Tchaikovsky but I'm about to add everything he's written to my too-long list.
Guns of the Dawn was one of the most unique, well written, addicting books I've ever read. A weird mix of Jane Austen, historical fiction, fantasy, and taut military thriller, I planned on reading this over a week but I got it done in three days - it was that much of a page turner.
Characters - Emily Marshwic is one of the most nuanced and best developed characters I've ever read. Her evolution from minor nobility lady of leisure to drafted low-level soldier sent to the terrifying front of a war nobody actually understands was perfectly done. Some of the characters, especially in the military, are sort of archetypical, but the surrounding is so different and they are developed enough that it works REALLY well. The relationships between these characters are a highlight of the book. How Emily gets to know and grow along with Tubal, Mallen, Brocky, and Scavian was credible and realistic as well as delightful. Even the annoying leadership aren't pure evil, and their flaws are mostly human and often have serious and deadly consequences. One of the best characters in the book is Mr. Northway, one of the most honestly cynical but ultimately relatable characters I've read. And what's particularly interesting about him is that you really learn about half of his characters from letters he writes to Emily while she's away at war.
The atmosphere, especially the wartime setting, was perfect. The description of jungle/swamp warfare, where everything is foggy and slippery and confusing, and wins and losses don't actually mean much, reminded me descriptions of GIs in Vietnam, and the terror that those soldiers lived with every day. I could feel the heat and the bugs and claustrophobia and fear along with the characters, but it never once felt exploitative or over the top. Additionally, and something that sets this apart from a lot of fantasy and something I really love - this takes place at the birth of an industrial revolution, so there are guns and gunpowder, but there are also real-life inventions that happen along the way which turn the tides of the war on different occasions. Very cool touch.
Lastly, and this gets a bit spoiler-y so stop reading now if you don't want anything given away....
I LOVED that Lascanne loses the war, and that the protagonist ends up on the losing side. You root for her, you cheer her bravery, her heroics in the insane battlefields of the swamp, you feel for her losses, her fear, but Tchaikovsky does an AMAZING job of hinting at the fact that the enemy's motives may be different than what the propaganda states. And when you find out what actually happened (or what probably happened, because that's one of the themes - in war, you never really know), from the enemy no less (in the character of Dr. Lam - one of the best "enemies" I've ever read), it's like you've known it all along. But what are you supposed to do? Stop fighting? After all the death and carnage? I love the compassion and desperation of Dr. Lam when he implores Emily to surrender when he knows he's going to win. I love that Emily agrees to surrender and doesn't make the cliche last stand, going down in a blaze of glory. I love that there is another hundred pages after the end of the war to explore what occupation looks like, the effects of wartime depopulation and food/supply shortages that go on for generations after a large scale armed conflict. And I love Emily's final act (I won't write that because it's BIG TIME spoilers). The book stuck the landing better than anything I could have predicted.
Guns of the Dawn was one of the most unique, well written, addicting books I've ever read. A weird mix of Jane Austen, historical fiction, fantasy, and taut military thriller, I planned on reading this over a week but I got it done in three days - it was that much of a page turner.
Characters - Emily Marshwic is one of the most nuanced and best developed characters I've ever read. Her evolution from minor nobility lady of leisure to drafted low-level soldier sent to the terrifying front of a war nobody actually understands was perfectly done. Some of the characters, especially in the military, are sort of archetypical, but the surrounding is so different and they are developed enough that it works REALLY well. The relationships between these characters are a highlight of the book. How Emily gets to know and grow along with Tubal, Mallen, Brocky, and Scavian was credible and realistic as well as delightful. Even the annoying leadership aren't pure evil, and their flaws are mostly human and often have serious and deadly consequences. One of the best characters in the book is Mr. Northway, one of the most honestly cynical but ultimately relatable characters I've read. And what's particularly interesting about him is that you really learn about half of his characters from letters he writes to Emily while she's away at war.
The atmosphere, especially the wartime setting, was perfect. The description of jungle/swamp warfare, where everything is foggy and slippery and confusing, and wins and losses don't actually mean much, reminded me descriptions of GIs in Vietnam, and the terror that those soldiers lived with every day. I could feel the heat and the bugs and claustrophobia and fear along with the characters, but it never once felt exploitative or over the top. Additionally, and something that sets this apart from a lot of fantasy and something I really love - this takes place at the birth of an industrial revolution, so there are guns and gunpowder, but there are also real-life inventions that happen along the way which turn the tides of the war on different occasions. Very cool touch.
Lastly, and this gets a bit spoiler-y so stop reading now if you don't want anything given away....