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A review by saoki
The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard
4.0
I love Aliette de Bodard's style and voice, her complex characters, the amount of work she puts in her settings and the seemingly-effortless-but-obviously-thought way the details show up in her writing, painting incredible pictures.
It is, however, a very complex book, with many plots and as many stories as main characters. There is a classic heroic journey in there (even if it has an unusual ending), some political intrigue, a redemption arc (which is interrupted), a mystery and possibly two coming of age stories. The stories mingle and interact, since the main character in one is secondary in another, but every action and reaction counts. It is a rich tapestry, but one that possibly required a longer wordcount (I wonder how many chapters the author trimmed away while editing). And then there is the matter of the ending, which I shall not spoil, but might not be everyone's cup of tea.
In short, it's a great story, but one that does not acts the way an experienced reader expects a story to act. If you're wondering why this matters at all, just take a look at all the 3 star reviews. That "something wrong" they can't place? That's their inner editor wishing the book just acted normal and followed a single story.
As the first book in a series, The House of Shattered Wings is solid, because we get the promise that things will be revealed. As a stand alone story, however, it is unsatisfying. Quite like a very small portion of a wonderful, complex dish: it leaves you hungry.
It is, however, a very complex book, with many plots and as many stories as main characters. There is a classic heroic journey in there (even if it has an unusual ending), some political intrigue, a redemption arc (which is interrupted), a mystery and possibly two coming of age stories. The stories mingle and interact, since the main character in one is secondary in another, but every action and reaction counts. It is a rich tapestry, but one that possibly required a longer wordcount (I wonder how many chapters the author trimmed away while editing). And then there is the matter of the ending, which I shall not spoil, but might not be everyone's cup of tea.
In short, it's a great story, but one that does not acts the way an experienced reader expects a story to act. If you're wondering why this matters at all, just take a look at all the 3 star reviews. That "something wrong" they can't place? That's their inner editor wishing the book just acted normal and followed a single story.
As the first book in a series, The House of Shattered Wings is solid, because we get the promise that things will be revealed. As a stand alone story, however, it is unsatisfying. Quite like a very small portion of a wonderful, complex dish: it leaves you hungry.