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nelswadycki 's review for:
God's War
by Kameron Hurley
I wish Goodreads allowed half stars because I don't really feel like this is a 4 star book, but when I think about what I liked about it, it definitely outweighs the things that I didn't like.
The exceedingly sparse exposition could have been expanded to actually explain things like how the bug tech works so that when characters interact with it, we actually know what is going on and what the risks and benefits are.
That difficulty is taken over by the fact that the characters actions are some of the most realistic and consistent I've read (in a while at least). And by the end, we really get to see their motivations, something I like that Hurley held back on just outright stating (as she could have done with the technical aspects).
While the main characters' motivations become clear, provoking a surprisingly emotional reaction from me, the motivations of everyone else in the become are still murky at the end. I have no real idea what they were actually fighting about and what the off-worlders' plan really was. Maybe I'm just dense, but I'm still confused.
That spoilery con was countered by Hurley's incredible writing. It's tight when it needs to be and longer and lyrical in places where it should be. I read an interview where she talked about how long she's been writing and how she is proud of her ability to put together really nice sentences and it shows. It was fun and easy to read and that's what pushes it up to four stars for me instead of rounding down to only three.
The exceedingly sparse exposition could have been expanded to actually explain things like how the bug tech works so that when characters interact with it, we actually know what is going on and what the risks and benefits are.
That difficulty is taken over by the fact that the characters actions are some of the most realistic and consistent I've read (in a while at least). And by the end, we really get to see their motivations, something I like that Hurley held back on just outright stating (as she could have done with the technical aspects).
Spoiler
While the main characters' motivations become clear, provoking a surprisingly emotional reaction from me, the motivations of everyone else in the become are still murky at the end. I have no real idea what they were actually fighting about and what the off-worlders' plan really was. Maybe I'm just dense, but I'm still confused.
That spoilery con was countered by Hurley's incredible writing. It's tight when it needs to be and longer and lyrical in places where it should be. I read an interview where she talked about how long she's been writing and how she is proud of her ability to put together really nice sentences and it shows. It was fun and easy to read and that's what pushes it up to four stars for me instead of rounding down to only three.