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A review by adelaidemetzger_robotprophet
City of Pearl by Karen Traviss
4.0
Yes, this is Karen Traviss’ first original novel. Yes, you should read it if you’ve enjoyed her work before. And, yes, there is Karen-drama galore!
As usual, Traviss has an extreme connection with her characters and plays off of our emotions to tell the story. I know I shouldn’t have expectations for books because it throws off what the author may have been trying to get across, but I went into this expecting some kind of Karen-drama moment to satisfy my girly, emotional side. I got what I asked for, but the kind of feelings Traviss stirs in you are not simple blues and reds. I didn’t feel simply “angry,” or simply “sad,” (that’s not a mistake, I don’t think I’ve felt “happy” when reading her realistic work). I found myself reacting with--what I can only describe as--a soft storm of sad, angry, disturbed, taught, and thunderous tension with every serious plot turn.
The writer part of me loved this (the more drama the better)! As a reader, I felt as helpless as the unfortunate characters, but you didn’t really expect butterflies and flowers on this hostile-looking alien planet, did you? Traviss does a wonderful job here making you feel for Aras, the primary alien character, who crosses paths with Shan Chail, the primary human character. I wish I had read this earlier in the summer instead of at the beginning of a college semester so I could actually pay attention to all the wonderful themes this book and its characters had to offer, but there was so much philosophy that I missed because I was distracted with real life.
Traviss is amazing. I want to say first off that she’s not just a writer who loves science fiction. This girl has credibility up the wazoo and it’s seen in her writing as she’s served in the Royal Navy and Territorial Army. In fact, I don’t think I’ve seen a Traviss book that isn’t involved with some kind of military plot device. This more technical style of writing may be difficult for some people, but if you can overlook the army talk, this is truly a great piece of literature.
As usual, Traviss has an extreme connection with her characters and plays off of our emotions to tell the story. I know I shouldn’t have expectations for books because it throws off what the author may have been trying to get across, but I went into this expecting some kind of Karen-drama moment to satisfy my girly, emotional side. I got what I asked for, but the kind of feelings Traviss stirs in you are not simple blues and reds. I didn’t feel simply “angry,” or simply “sad,” (that’s not a mistake, I don’t think I’ve felt “happy” when reading her realistic work). I found myself reacting with--what I can only describe as--a soft storm of sad, angry, disturbed, taught, and thunderous tension with every serious plot turn.
The writer part of me loved this (the more drama the better)! As a reader, I felt as helpless as the unfortunate characters, but you didn’t really expect butterflies and flowers on this hostile-looking alien planet, did you? Traviss does a wonderful job here making you feel for Aras, the primary alien character, who crosses paths with Shan Chail, the primary human character. I wish I had read this earlier in the summer instead of at the beginning of a college semester so I could actually pay attention to all the wonderful themes this book and its characters had to offer, but there was so much philosophy that I missed because I was distracted with real life.
Traviss is amazing. I want to say first off that she’s not just a writer who loves science fiction. This girl has credibility up the wazoo and it’s seen in her writing as she’s served in the Royal Navy and Territorial Army. In fact, I don’t think I’ve seen a Traviss book that isn’t involved with some kind of military plot device. This more technical style of writing may be difficult for some people, but if you can overlook the army talk, this is truly a great piece of literature.