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A review by gigireadswithkiki
Terra Nullius by Claire G. Coleman
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Although the story begins by being pretty heavy handed with its critiques on colonization, as the plot progresses and the science fiction elements begin to reveal themselves, its clear that this story is not what it appears to be. A eerie disquiet permeates the story, creating an aura of suspense that seeps into the characters and setting of the book, all the way until its unsettling, open-ended conclusion. The multiple POVs, switching within the chapters, served to add further mystery to how the current landscape became divided between Natives and Settlers, showing perspectives from both sides of the invasion, drawing from real historical examples from the colonization of the Australian Indigenous populations. I won't give too much away, but the sci-fi worldbuilding in the story was quite original and immensely intriguing, drawing on the likes of H. G. Well's "War of the Worlds" and adding its own spin.
In conjunction with a compelling storyline and interesting worldbuilding, one of my favorite parts is the end, where author Claire G. Coleman inserts an author's note and Q&A that gives readers insights & further reading on the subjugation of the Aboriginal Australian peoples, prominently highlighting that the colonizing powers didn't move to make slavery illegal until the 1960s. This book has definitely piqued my interest to learn more about the struggles of the Indigenous population in Australia and I'll be adding some of those books to my reading list for sure!
The only small criticism I have is how none of the characters really have any substantiative character development, the story reading more like a slice-of-life than a sci-fi adventure that is usually associated with the genre. However! I fully acknowledge that this is most likely due to Western sci-fi stories being more saturated in the media, and that this form of storytelling, though unexpected on my part, was still enjoyable.
In conjunction with a compelling storyline and interesting worldbuilding, one of my favorite parts is the end, where author Claire G. Coleman inserts an author's note and Q&A that gives readers insights & further reading on the subjugation of the Aboriginal Australian peoples, prominently highlighting that the colonizing powers didn't move to make slavery illegal until the 1960s. This book has definitely piqued my interest to learn more about the struggles of the Indigenous population in Australia and I'll be adding some of those books to my reading list for sure!
The only small criticism I have is how none of the characters really have any substantiative character development, the story reading more like a slice-of-life than a sci-fi adventure that is usually associated with the genre. However! I fully acknowledge that this is most likely due to Western sci-fi stories being more saturated in the media, and that this form of storytelling, though unexpected on my part, was still enjoyable.