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A review by twistfate
Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City by K.J. Parker
4.0
So, kinda hovering on the fence between 3 and 4 stars -- 4, because I really did have fun reading it and it was great, unreliable narrator fun to piece out what's REALLY happening. Entertaining, if you aren't here for thoughtful characters and more for like... a passionate narrative about engineering structures. It's a quick read.
3 stars because.. well. I get it's all about having an unreliable narrator, but the ending seemed like a cop out to explaining SEVERAL things, and Orhan, the narrator, is living in a sexist/racist world as a minority and his casual world sexism does sometimes come through, as a product of the in-lore world. But.. like.. did that really have to be necessary?
Also. The ending again. HMPH. That sure was an ending, which I would have been fine with if it had an adequate epilogue, but it didn't. idk. I do like getting attached to characters but a lot of them where accessories to the main character to tell his story, and. well. the author just cant handwave all the novel's weaknesses on the Unreliable Narrator. That's, like, cheating. Cheating. Much like what the main character does.
hence, i grudgingly give this 4 stars.
3 stars because.. well. I get it's all about having an unreliable narrator, but the ending seemed like a cop out to explaining SEVERAL things, and Orhan, the narrator, is living in a sexist/racist world as a minority and his casual world sexism does sometimes come through, as a product of the in-lore world. But.. like.. did that really have to be necessary?
Also. The ending again. HMPH. That sure was an ending, which I would have been fine with if it had an adequate epilogue, but it didn't. idk. I do like getting attached to characters but a lot of them where accessories to the main character to tell his story, and. well. the author just cant handwave all the novel's weaknesses on the Unreliable Narrator. That's, like, cheating. Cheating. Much like what the main character does.
hence, i grudgingly give this 4 stars.