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A review by enbyglitch
Revenant Gun by Yoon Ha Lee
5.0
A fittingly brilliant and climactic finale for an excellent trilogy. As with any great literature, the series tackles real-world issues through its prose. In this case, I think grave lessons can be learned regarding individual and societal power/control and its abuses.
This novel in particular portrayed a little too much sex (and discussion thereof) for my taste, but it wasn't enough of an issue to lower its rating.
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[Second Reading/review]
Haha I forgot about that criticism about the sex. Having read a LOT more in the last two years, I can see that the author is using at least some of those scenes to demonstrate more of the fundamental manipulation and control at work in this world and specifically by the series' main antagonist. It is disturbing, but lends more depth to the moral storytelling IMO.
I meant to look this up, but I'm fascinated by how similar some of the servitors here are to Murderbot in their own series. Which inspired which? Love both either way!
I think this has to be one of my absolute favorite series. Some reasons:
- Incredibly, unapologetically queer
- Unique and endlessly fascinating scifi worldbuilding
- Characters moving with morals and agency (or exact reasons why they lack agency)
- Questioning horrific norms and overthrowing the stable regime
- Villains with real, emotional motives
One wish I do have is just to see more of Yoon Ha Lee's incredible creativity throughout. It seems like we saw most of the cool exotic effects in book 1, cool Hafn stuff in book 2, and cool moth stuff in book 3 with little development in other directions.
Until my inevitable next read!
This novel in particular portrayed a little too much sex (and discussion thereof) for my taste, but it wasn't enough of an issue to lower its rating.
---
[Second Reading/review]
Haha I forgot about that criticism about the sex. Having read a LOT more in the last two years, I can see that the author is using at least some of those scenes to demonstrate more of the fundamental manipulation and control at work in this world and specifically by the series' main antagonist. It is disturbing, but lends more depth to the moral storytelling IMO.
I meant to look this up, but I'm fascinated by how similar some of the servitors here are to Murderbot in their own series. Which inspired which? Love both either way!
I think this has to be one of my absolute favorite series. Some reasons:
- Incredibly, unapologetically queer
- Unique and endlessly fascinating scifi worldbuilding
- Characters moving with morals and agency (or exact reasons why they lack agency)
- Questioning horrific norms and overthrowing the stable regime
- Villains with real, emotional motives
One wish I do have is just to see more of Yoon Ha Lee's incredible creativity throughout. It seems like we saw most of the cool exotic effects in book 1, cool Hafn stuff in book 2, and cool moth stuff in book 3 with little development in other directions.
Until my inevitable next read!