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A review by bloodstarvedbeast
Metal from Heaven by August Clarke
5.0
It's been quite a bit since I've read a book published in this decade whose prose is more complex than plain English and it's such a breath of fresh air. The writing is almost Romantic (as in the literary time period) in style, the novel maintains a limited first person POV throughout the book with occassional reminders the narrator is (re)telling this to a certain someone, thus dipping into second person on occasion. And what writing it us.
The style of the writing is almost dream like, as if told through the dissociative state of being sun poisoned. It makes sense, Marney our protagonist and POV is "lustertouched" or has been exposed to the highly magical, highly poisonous ichorite mineral while in the womb. Or in otherwords, has been exposed to fetal teratoxins. Her mother had no choice; her family was poor and they were foundry workers. For all the hallucinations, pain, acute ichorite poisoning when near the metal, and other psychotic effects, Marney can manipulate things made of ichorite. Which is how she lands in the Fingerbluffs; the rest, history. The author trusts the reader to pick up details, infer from relationships and scenes and circumstances to think about the writing and the themes: the work is as deeply anticapitalist as it is queer and tragic. As something that is becoming increasingly more difficult to find, I have to tip my hat to Clarke.
I could say more, but I believe I've said my piece. This is a much needed literary installment in what has colloquially been referred to as the "Lesbian Space Atrocities" subgenre. It is loud, reckless, sometimes comtemplative, sometimes brash, all radical and most importantly unique.
4.5/5 docking .5 cause in the last third there was a bit too much of exposition in some places. Highly recommend for readers of the Traitor Baru Comorant and the Locked Tomb.
The style of the writing is almost dream like, as if told through the dissociative state of being sun poisoned. It makes sense, Marney our protagonist and POV is "lustertouched" or has been exposed to the highly magical, highly poisonous ichorite mineral while in the womb. Or in otherwords, has been exposed to fetal teratoxins. Her mother had no choice; her family was poor and they were foundry workers. For all the hallucinations, pain, acute ichorite poisoning when near the metal, and other psychotic effects, Marney can manipulate things made of ichorite. Which is how she lands in the Fingerbluffs; the rest, history. The author trusts the reader to pick up details, infer from relationships and scenes and circumstances to think about the writing and the themes: the work is as deeply anticapitalist as it is queer and tragic. As something that is becoming increasingly more difficult to find, I have to tip my hat to Clarke.
I could say more, but I believe I've said my piece. This is a much needed literary installment in what has colloquially been referred to as the "Lesbian Space Atrocities" subgenre. It is loud, reckless, sometimes comtemplative, sometimes brash, all radical and most importantly unique.
4.5/5 docking .5 cause in the last third there was a bit too much of exposition in some places. Highly recommend for readers of the Traitor Baru Comorant and the Locked Tomb.