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A review by helljay
All the Windwracked Stars by Elizabeth Bear
3.0
I'm a great fan of Elizabeth Bear's writing style and imagination, so I dived eagerly into this. Apparently it's one of her earlier works, heavily revised for publication, and the first book in The 'Edda of Burdens' series. It's a curious blend of post-apocalyptic science fiction and Norse mythology with bits of high fantasy, steampunk and animal anthropomorphism thrown in, and it all works together suprisingly well. It's also great to read about a well-imagined world that borrows heavily from Norse rather than over-used Celtic mythology.
It begins with Ragnarök. The world survives the Last Day, as do the waelcyrge Muire, the valraven Kasimir, and the betrayer, Mingan the Grey Wolf. Fast forward a few thousand years and the world is once again facing another (this time self-inflicted) apocalypse. Guilt over her cowardice at Ragnarök makes Muire try to redeem herself and prevent the second apocalypse, and in doing so she encounters her old enemy the Grey Wolf, who wants to finish the dying world so a new can be born, and some other key figures from the past. That's a very simplistic description of the storyline and doesn't really do it justice. It's a complex and audacious novel with a lot of ideas and elements in it. It says much for her craftmanship that Bear succeeds in keeping her flood of ideas under control and pulling them all together for a satisying conclusion.
The characters are flawed but for the most part fascinating. I didn't care much for Cathoair the prize-fighting prostitute and never really engaged with Mingan, but Muire herself, with her burdens of guilt and sorrow is a very believable and sympathetic character. I found myself actually caring a great deal about her. I also really liked the cat-woman Selene, who is a admirably fresh and unique take on the typical animal/human hybrid theme.
It's not a happy book. It's difficult and very bleak in places. But I found if I gave it time and my full attention it's an extremely rewarding read. Bear is a highly imaginative and creative writer and her language is beautiful and lyric. She's not afraid to experiment or make her readers think and work things out for themselves. I'm already looking out for the other two books in the series.
It begins with Ragnarök. The world survives the Last Day, as do the waelcyrge Muire, the valraven Kasimir, and the betrayer, Mingan the Grey Wolf. Fast forward a few thousand years and the world is once again facing another (this time self-inflicted) apocalypse. Guilt over her cowardice at Ragnarök makes Muire try to redeem herself and prevent the second apocalypse, and in doing so she encounters her old enemy the Grey Wolf, who wants to finish the dying world so a new can be born, and some other key figures from the past. That's a very simplistic description of the storyline and doesn't really do it justice. It's a complex and audacious novel with a lot of ideas and elements in it. It says much for her craftmanship that Bear succeeds in keeping her flood of ideas under control and pulling them all together for a satisying conclusion.
The characters are flawed but for the most part fascinating. I didn't care much for Cathoair the prize-fighting prostitute and never really engaged with Mingan, but Muire herself, with her burdens of guilt and sorrow is a very believable and sympathetic character. I found myself actually caring a great deal about her. I also really liked the cat-woman Selene, who is a admirably fresh and unique take on the typical animal/human hybrid theme.
It's not a happy book. It's difficult and very bleak in places. But I found if I gave it time and my full attention it's an extremely rewarding read. Bear is a highly imaginative and creative writer and her language is beautiful and lyric. She's not afraid to experiment or make her readers think and work things out for themselves. I'm already looking out for the other two books in the series.