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A review by melcanread
The Red Scholar's Wake by Aliette de Bodard
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Okay, I'm going to need you to hear me out on this one. The plot is a little peculiar but keep an open mind.
The Red Scholar's Wake follows Xích Si, a bot maker who is captured by the space pirate fleet of the Red Banner and finds herself aboard the sentient ship, the Rice Fish. A heavily Vietnamese-influenced, sapphic, sci-fi, rebellious love story between a ship and human... I told you to keep an open mind.
I didn't realise when I read this, but it's part of an entire world built in a series of books written by Aliette de Bodard, but you can read The Red Scholar's Wake as a standalone, if you so wish. You don't necessarily need context, but it will definitely help you understand the world you've been thrust into. Which, honestly, was my only criticism of this book. The first few pages I realised I had no idea what I was reading, and I was worried I'd missed something. Turns out, I had, and it was entirely my own fault.
If someone has the audacity to tell you that there are no good sapphic books, point them to this one, because Madame de Bodard begs to fucking differ!! This book has everything I could have ever wanted, a matriarchal society, majority female characters, strong leads, character flaws, character arcs, heart-jerking problems in a somewhat tolerant society, the issues of an overbearing government, honestly the list goes on.
This book had major props for just how "female" it was. If you've been around me for a while, you'll know that anything that is overly masculine makes me want to set the book on fire and run to the T.A.T.u All The Things She Said music video for comfort. But setting that aside, this book had actual substance for once. I don't usually pick up sci-fi books, mostly because of how male-dominated the space is and how basic other sci-fi stories can be, but the Red Scholar's Wake was anything but basic, and just so beautiful; and quite frankly, it made me love science fiction novels again.
What I loved about it was how Xích Si and the Rice Fish had this complicated relationship where they both married for convenience but ended up falling madly in love. It was heartbreaking when they were separated, and any miscommunication took place, but led to an ultimately satisfying ending. Plus, the Vietnamese-inspired aesthetics just enriched the story and the characters. Not only did it add for a beautiful aesthetic, but it also made the book feel artsy, as though I was actually reading indie artwork, which is something a book hasn't made me feel thus far.
I'm worried about saying more for fear of spoiling it, but honestly I loved this book so much, and I truly hope you do too.
The Red Scholar's Wake follows Xích Si, a bot maker who is captured by the space pirate fleet of the Red Banner and finds herself aboard the sentient ship, the Rice Fish. A heavily Vietnamese-influenced, sapphic, sci-fi, rebellious love story between a ship and human... I told you to keep an open mind.
I didn't realise when I read this, but it's part of an entire world built in a series of books written by Aliette de Bodard, but you can read The Red Scholar's Wake as a standalone, if you so wish. You don't necessarily need context, but it will definitely help you understand the world you've been thrust into. Which, honestly, was my only criticism of this book. The first few pages I realised I had no idea what I was reading, and I was worried I'd missed something. Turns out, I had, and it was entirely my own fault.
If someone has the audacity to tell you that there are no good sapphic books, point them to this one, because Madame de Bodard begs to fucking differ!! This book has everything I could have ever wanted, a matriarchal society, majority female characters, strong leads, character flaws, character arcs, heart-jerking problems in a somewhat tolerant society, the issues of an overbearing government, honestly the list goes on.
This book had major props for just how "female" it was. If you've been around me for a while, you'll know that anything that is overly masculine makes me want to set the book on fire and run to the T.A.T.u All The Things She Said music video for comfort. But setting that aside, this book had actual substance for once. I don't usually pick up sci-fi books, mostly because of how male-dominated the space is and how basic other sci-fi stories can be, but the Red Scholar's Wake was anything but basic, and just so beautiful; and quite frankly, it made me love science fiction novels again.
What I loved about it was how Xích Si and the Rice Fish had this complicated relationship where they both married for convenience but ended up falling madly in love. It was heartbreaking when they were separated, and any miscommunication took place, but led to an ultimately satisfying ending. Plus, the Vietnamese-inspired aesthetics just enriched the story and the characters. Not only did it add for a beautiful aesthetic, but it also made the book feel artsy, as though I was actually reading indie artwork, which is something a book hasn't made me feel thus far.
I'm worried about saying more for fear of spoiling it, but honestly I loved this book so much, and I truly hope you do too.