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sue_reilly 's review for:
The Ardent Swarm
by Yamen Manai
This short book is an allegory for the aftermath of the Tunisian Revolution in 2011. The writing is good, and interestingly the primary metaphor is the likening of invasive murder hornets to the hyper-religious terrorists recruiting people, killing people, and causing chaos in the country. I think ultimately the metaphor has some weaknesses but I really liked the way that the author arrived at it and wrote Sidi, the protagonist. There is one moment that makes it ALL WORTH IT.
I was a little confused by the glorification of Japan, I think it was just used as a simple contrast because overall Japan does make policy to help society though again let's not examine this too closely or we'll see the gaping holes!
Overall enjoyable and an interesting perspective. It's on KU and it's short. :)
Spoiler
Sidi lobs a 3-foot diameter nest of murder hornets at some religious extremists who are murdering people on the road and filming it, it's pretty badass moment for our humble protagonist who then slips on his beekeeping helmet and walks away with his donkey.I was a little confused by the glorification of Japan, I think it was just used as a simple contrast because overall Japan does make policy to help society though again let's not examine this too closely or we'll see the gaping holes!
Overall enjoyable and an interesting perspective. It's on KU and it's short. :)