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A review by marinamelanidis
Locklands by Robert Jackson Bennett
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
well, fuck.
when I began this book, I didn’t think I’d like it. it was going in a direction I wasn’t sure about, I missed characters that had left the story, and felt detached with the way the magic technology this book is grounded in became more and more complex. I had to push myself through much of the first half.
and then, suddenly, as threads that were woven throughout the book (and the entire series) came together, one by one, I felt myself become more and more emotional about the direction the story was moving in. The things this book has to say, more so than the other two in the series, about humanity’s relationship with technology and culture and sacrifice and community, really resonated with me. or at least, it made me think.
the simplicity and honesty of Sancia and Berenice’s love story made me shed real tears - I’ve loved them throughout the entire series, especially Sancia. but the other characters, especially those featured more heavily in this book, snuck up on me. as these characters were forced to make devastating choice after choice, I realized that I cared deeply about all of them, or at least empathized with them, despite some of them literally living though things impossible to imagine. it is a testament to the strength of this writing and craft of storytelling, to make me emphasize deeply with a four thousand year old villainous god, or a four thousand year old gold key. and isn’t that what good fantasy is all about? thinking deeply about community and society while also connecting with characters, despite what they may look like (or if they’re human at all)?
the ending was sad and devastating and joyous and optimistic, and ultimately, inevitable, all at once. it hit me like a freight train. and I’ll be thinking about it for a while.
when I began this book, I didn’t think I’d like it. it was going in a direction I wasn’t sure about, I missed characters that had left the story, and felt detached with the way the magic technology this book is grounded in became more and more complex. I had to push myself through much of the first half.
and then, suddenly, as threads that were woven throughout the book (and the entire series) came together, one by one, I felt myself become more and more emotional about the direction the story was moving in. The things this book has to say, more so than the other two in the series, about humanity’s relationship with technology and culture and sacrifice and community, really resonated with me. or at least, it made me think.
the simplicity and honesty of Sancia and Berenice’s love story made me shed real tears - I’ve loved them throughout the entire series, especially Sancia. but the other characters, especially those featured more heavily in this book, snuck up on me. as these characters were forced to make devastating choice after choice, I realized that I cared deeply about all of them, or at least empathized with them, despite some of them literally living though things impossible to imagine. it is a testament to the strength of this writing and craft of storytelling, to make me emphasize deeply with a four thousand year old villainous god, or a four thousand year old gold key. and isn’t that what good fantasy is all about? thinking deeply about community and society while also connecting with characters, despite what they may look like (or if they’re human at all)?
the ending was sad and devastating and joyous and optimistic, and ultimately, inevitable, all at once. it hit me like a freight train. and I’ll be thinking about it for a while.