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A review by shilohskye
Heretic by Rukis
5.0
You might like this book if you're interested in:
1) An extremely interesting protagonist with an impressive 1st-person character voice
2) Themes of family/found family, oppression against women and gay men, and how messed up a noble class can be
3) Extremely interesting worldbuilding inspired by historical fiction
4) A furry fic that more than stands up to the quality and complexity of popular books outside the fandom
First person books are a hard thing to get right. I've found that good ones can be especially hard to come by because they either tend to lack the character voice necessary to separate protagonist from author, or they don't create an interesting enough voice for the reader to want to engage with. Rukis does not have that problem in the slightest. Heretic features one of the most interesting protagonists struggling through one of the most interesting worlds in furry fiction. This book is a triumph of character development and an essential read for fans of anthro lit.
Luther is a brash and angry character driven by pure frustration at the injustices that plague him for his sexuality. He faces a problem that most characters in Rukis's Red Lantern universe seem to have: being unable to live the life they want to live. The poor guy just wants to sail the seas and love another man, but the world is cruel and punishes him mercilessly for it, thrusting him into a life he didn't choose. That theme is very well executed throughout most of the novel. It makes the character about as sympathetic as possible and instantly draws the reader to him. With the addition of a wonderfully-written voice, Luther is definitely a character worth reading about.
And yet, Luther isn't the only standout character in the book. He soon meets Delilah, who needs his help to avoid certain consequences of a grave injustice that has been dealt to her. Delilah is in many ways just as complicated as Luther, experiencing classist and sexist struggles that keep her from living the life she wants to live as well. The mutual support that Luther and Delilah show each other through this shared struggle is incredible. It is a wildly interesting and complex relationship that I can't gush about more, made even more genuine by its basis in historical precedent, where gay men and women would live together and sometimes marry to cover for one another's identities.
Characters aside, this is also just an excellent story. If you've read the graphic novel Red Lantern, you know the kind of person the main character, Luther, one day becomes. That knowledge does make the story a bit more intriguing, as naturally you want to know how he went from the aggressive and frustrated prisoner we see at the beginning of the book to the badass captain we see in Red Lantern. However, it is very much not required to have read Red Lantern to enjoy this book. The story is quite standalone all the way through, so don't let it's connection to other material drive you away from such an incredible read. Heck, it's even arguable that this book should be read before Red Lantern.
The storybeats hit like a truck in this thing. The drama Luther experiences in his life feels real and believable rather than contrived or over the top, which is again helped by the story's inspiration from historical fiction. This guy has one of the most eventful lives of ups and downs imaginable, yet it never feels improbable, which is a hard thing to avoid especially with brash characters doing first person narration.
I do have one issue with this book. The messaging at the end might be a bit problematic, depending on how you look at it. I'm comforted by the fact that this book is not the end of Luther's story, but I still find the conclusions he comes to and preaches to the reader a bit disturbing. I certainly don't think this was intended by the author, of course, as family and conformity is a very complex topic in the queer community. You'll have to read to find out what I'm talking about about and see if you agree.
Regardless of my unease about the ending (which I hope will make you more intrigued to read the book rather than driven away), I'd slot this book in as one of the quintessential furry fiction reads. It absolutely rocks. If you're looking for some furry fiction with more complexity, this is a fantastic place to start.
1) An extremely interesting protagonist with an impressive 1st-person character voice
2) Themes of family/found family, oppression against women and gay men, and how messed up a noble class can be
3) Extremely interesting worldbuilding inspired by historical fiction
4) A furry fic that more than stands up to the quality and complexity of popular books outside the fandom
First person books are a hard thing to get right. I've found that good ones can be especially hard to come by because they either tend to lack the character voice necessary to separate protagonist from author, or they don't create an interesting enough voice for the reader to want to engage with. Rukis does not have that problem in the slightest. Heretic features one of the most interesting protagonists struggling through one of the most interesting worlds in furry fiction. This book is a triumph of character development and an essential read for fans of anthro lit.
Luther is a brash and angry character driven by pure frustration at the injustices that plague him for his sexuality. He faces a problem that most characters in Rukis's Red Lantern universe seem to have: being unable to live the life they want to live. The poor guy just wants to sail the seas and love another man, but the world is cruel and punishes him mercilessly for it, thrusting him into a life he didn't choose. That theme is very well executed throughout most of the novel. It makes the character about as sympathetic as possible and instantly draws the reader to him. With the addition of a wonderfully-written voice, Luther is definitely a character worth reading about.
And yet, Luther isn't the only standout character in the book. He soon meets Delilah, who needs his help to avoid certain consequences of a grave injustice that has been dealt to her. Delilah is in many ways just as complicated as Luther, experiencing classist and sexist struggles that keep her from living the life she wants to live as well. The mutual support that Luther and Delilah show each other through this shared struggle is incredible. It is a wildly interesting and complex relationship that I can't gush about more, made even more genuine by its basis in historical precedent, where gay men and women would live together and sometimes marry to cover for one another's identities.
Characters aside, this is also just an excellent story. If you've read the graphic novel Red Lantern, you know the kind of person the main character, Luther, one day becomes. That knowledge does make the story a bit more intriguing, as naturally you want to know how he went from the aggressive and frustrated prisoner we see at the beginning of the book to the badass captain we see in Red Lantern. However, it is very much not required to have read Red Lantern to enjoy this book. The story is quite standalone all the way through, so don't let it's connection to other material drive you away from such an incredible read. Heck, it's even arguable that this book should be read before Red Lantern.
The storybeats hit like a truck in this thing. The drama Luther experiences in his life feels real and believable rather than contrived or over the top, which is again helped by the story's inspiration from historical fiction. This guy has one of the most eventful lives of ups and downs imaginable, yet it never feels improbable, which is a hard thing to avoid especially with brash characters doing first person narration.
I do have one issue with this book. The messaging at the end might be a bit problematic, depending on how you look at it. I'm comforted by the fact that this book is not the end of Luther's story, but I still find the conclusions he comes to and preaches to the reader a bit disturbing. I certainly don't think this was intended by the author, of course, as family and conformity is a very complex topic in the queer community. You'll have to read to find out what I'm talking about about and see if you agree.
Regardless of my unease about the ending (which I hope will make you more intrigued to read the book rather than driven away), I'd slot this book in as one of the quintessential furry fiction reads. It absolutely rocks. If you're looking for some furry fiction with more complexity, this is a fantastic place to start.