A review by bel017
The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells

adventurous dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
I read this because I love Murderbot (by the same author). The two series are very different - the protagonist has different existential issues, it's a full-length fantasy not a sci-fi novella, I found it much more violent, and there's some romance. I'm glad there's more in the series because there's so much world building that it feels like it would be a waste to have just one book set in that world. I found the world far more foreign and less of an allegory for our world than Murderbot's world. But the stories share having a capable lead who protects others but who doesn't feel like they belong, and isn't sure they want to. 

I skipped over every single battle. I don't like violence, and the outcome is a given so it just felt pointlessly gratuitous. Unlike the sex scene which is more implied than explicit. I think it says bad things about society that in the media horrifically violent scenes are considered more appropriate than sex scenes between consenting partners. After getting through all the world building in this book I'll read the next in the series, but sadly it did not fill the Murderbot-shaped gaping hole in my reading-life.
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