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A review by ethantw00
the half-drowned by Trynne Delaney
4.0
4.5 Stars
This is absolutely perfect for Jeff VanderMeer fans (I found it through his recommendation) and those of Rivers Solomon, as well.
Delaney packs a lot in this novella, and practically all of it is quietly compelling. There were moments were I felt adrift, but patience is a buoy that serves this story well, as revelations do come.
The world-building in this is also done really well. It’s sparse in a way but gave enough to allow me to really color this world’s story. It’s a world ravaged by the climate crisis and feels all too pertinent now.
Also, I just think the polyphony works pretty well, with only a few moments where I needed to reorient which character the narrator was referring to.
I will say though there are definitely some typos in this thing, but hopefully if this does well, it can get a reprint with those fixed.
I definitely want to see more from Delaney. I’d even love to see more from this world they’ve crafted.
This is absolutely perfect for Jeff VanderMeer fans (I found it through his recommendation) and those of Rivers Solomon, as well.
Delaney packs a lot in this novella, and practically all of it is quietly compelling. There were moments were I felt adrift, but patience is a buoy that serves this story well, as revelations do come.
The world-building in this is also done really well. It’s sparse in a way but gave enough to allow me to really color this world’s story. It’s a world ravaged by the climate crisis and feels all too pertinent now.
Also, I just think the polyphony works pretty well, with only a few moments where I needed to reorient which character the narrator was referring to.
I will say though there are definitely some typos in this thing, but hopefully if this does well, it can get a reprint with those fixed.
I definitely want to see more from Delaney. I’d even love to see more from this world they’ve crafted.