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A review by dreamgalaxies
Empress of Forever by Max Gladstone
3.0
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Content warnings are, as always, at the bottom.
2.5 stars. I wish I liked this better! I'm always looking for good space operas, especially ones that a) deal with the moral implications of colonization and/or b) deals with the Other without resorting to stereotypes/Whole Planet Culture. I did really appreciate the inclusivity of the cast, but unfortunately found the characters rather flat. I did like Zanj's character arc, though. I prefer the Craft Sequence, but I do see something going on here that recurs throughout Gladstone's work. He's sort of...remote. Lots of brilliant world-building that hinges on creative use of philosophy, mathematics, and beyond, but it's all highly abstract. While this worked for me in the Craft Sequence, I found it sort of locked me out of the character arcs here. I think there's just so much going on here that it was harder to latch on.
CW: mild (lesbian) sexual content, profanity.
Content warnings are, as always, at the bottom.
2.5 stars. I wish I liked this better! I'm always looking for good space operas, especially ones that a) deal with the moral implications of colonization and/or b) deals with the Other without resorting to stereotypes/Whole Planet Culture. I did really appreciate the inclusivity of the cast, but unfortunately found the characters rather flat. I did like Zanj's character arc, though. I prefer the Craft Sequence, but I do see something going on here that recurs throughout Gladstone's work. He's sort of...remote. Lots of brilliant world-building that hinges on creative use of philosophy, mathematics, and beyond, but it's all highly abstract. While this worked for me in the Craft Sequence, I found it sort of locked me out of the character arcs here. I think there's just so much going on here that it was harder to latch on.
CW: mild (lesbian) sexual content, profanity.