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A review by mary_soon_lee
In the Vanishers' Palace by Aliette de Bodard
3.0
This short book lies somewhere in the borderland between fantasy and science fiction. The prose is often beautiful, the alien technology is strange and unsettling, the magic strange and appealing, and I liked the Vietnamese elements. Spoilers ahead. Overall I'd rank this as 2.5 stars, but I'm rounding it up to 3 stars because it is written with skill and passion, even though it is not my cup of tea. (For the record, the previous book I read by de Bodard, "The Tea Master and the Detective," was, appropriately and exactly, my cup of tea.)
On a much more minor note, I stumbled twice at the beginning of this book. In the opening paragraph, I thought Oanh was the point of view character, and it took me a couple of tries to sort that out. Then I mistook Yên for a young child, perhaps ten years old, and it took me longer to realize she was an adult.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
Spoiler
On the plus side, I very much liked how neither Vu Côn, nor Yên, nor the author condemned Thông and Lien on account of their Vanisher heritage. On the down side, the attraction between the main character and her captor made me uncomfortable. To me, it read as though Yên was quickly attracted to Vu Côn even though the captor/captive relationship was coercive if not abusive. In order to give my reasons in more articulate fashion, I'd need to re-read this, but, since the experience wasn't a happy one for me, I don't want to do so.On a much more minor note, I stumbled twice at the beginning of this book. In the opening paragraph, I thought Oanh was the point of view character, and it took me a couple of tries to sort that out. Then I mistook Yên for a young child, perhaps ten years old, and it took me longer to realize she was an adult.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).