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A review by misterwisp
The Velocity of Revolution by Marshall Ryan Maresca
4.0
Weird and different! Interesting and unexpected. Worthwhile overall.
There is a good mix of action and character stuff. The book is set in a caste society that has suffered a couple waves of colonization, is currently under military occupation, and is located on a strategically significant spot in an ongoing world war. The story deals with all the issues arising from that, so there is a lot going on!
Intrigue, oppression, exploitation, changing perspectives, justice and injustice, identity, purpose, people struggling to survive...lots to dig into. Plus mushrooms that psychically link you with your revolutionary friends of course.
It all remains grounded in the character journeys though and manages not to feel heavy or depressing. It think it's because it shows that people are still fighting for a better world in spite of it all so there is a element of hope throughout.
Certain parts of the book in particular feel like a genuine attempt to grapple with what it really means to build a better society/country in the face of a history of so much foreign influence and injustice. Do you try and recreate what existed before, or go forward and make something new? Some of that feels relevant and is going to stay with me.
It's fun and easy to read. The characters feel like believable people. The psychic mushroom stuff is cool. The world building is incredibly rich and it's delivered without prolonged info dumps. Certain parts of the ending feel a little bit rushed to me but it was still a satisfying conclusion ultimately. So was the ride getting there. I liked it! The author delivers an enjoyable time with this book. Give it a try :)
(CW-There is quite a lot of sexual content, but not in the way you might expect. It's not steamy or salacious or like an erotica. In terms of functionality in the story, its more just the way characters connect with each other and comes across as commonplace. There are both sexual and romantic queer relationships, group situations, and an asexual side character. Nothing is graphically or specifically described at all. Things are alluded to and then happen off page.
Overall it feels like a pretty healthy representation of sex and sexuality. Nobody is shamed or degraded for those things. There is no violence or abuse of that type. However, if your comfort threshold for the presence of these things in your reading is low then this book might make you uncomfortable.)
There is a good mix of action and character stuff. The book is set in a caste society that has suffered a couple waves of colonization, is currently under military occupation, and is located on a strategically significant spot in an ongoing world war. The story deals with all the issues arising from that, so there is a lot going on!
Intrigue, oppression, exploitation, changing perspectives, justice and injustice, identity, purpose, people struggling to survive...lots to dig into. Plus mushrooms that psychically link you with your revolutionary friends of course.
It all remains grounded in the character journeys though and manages not to feel heavy or depressing. It think it's because it shows that people are still fighting for a better world in spite of it all so there is a element of hope throughout.
Certain parts of the book in particular feel like a genuine attempt to grapple with what it really means to build a better society/country in the face of a history of so much foreign influence and injustice. Do you try and recreate what existed before, or go forward and make something new? Some of that feels relevant and is going to stay with me.
It's fun and easy to read. The characters feel like believable people. The psychic mushroom stuff is cool. The world building is incredibly rich and it's delivered without prolonged info dumps. Certain parts of the ending feel a little bit rushed to me but it was still a satisfying conclusion ultimately. So was the ride getting there. I liked it! The author delivers an enjoyable time with this book. Give it a try :)
(CW-There is quite a lot of sexual content, but not in the way you might expect. It's not steamy or salacious or like an erotica. In terms of functionality in the story, its more just the way characters connect with each other and comes across as commonplace. There are both sexual and romantic queer relationships, group situations, and an asexual side character. Nothing is graphically or specifically described at all. Things are alluded to and then happen off page.
Overall it feels like a pretty healthy representation of sex and sexuality. Nobody is shamed or degraded for those things. There is no violence or abuse of that type. However, if your comfort threshold for the presence of these things in your reading is low then this book might make you uncomfortable.)