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A review by alina_leonova
The Cords That Bind: A Liminal Tale in the Finding Humanity Series by Branwen OShea, Branwen OShea
4.0
The events in this short story take place right after 'The Calling'. You should definitely read 'The Calling' first since this won't make much sense otherwise. If you haven't read it yet, go check it out and come back later! :)
I loved 'The Calling', so it was a pleasure to revisit the familiar setting and characters. This story is told from Eka's point of view. He was an interesting and somewhat mysterious character in the first book, but he didn't get his own POV there, so it was nice to get to know him better. Unsurprisingly, he turned out likeable and real.
In 'The Cords That Bind', the star beings from Eka's village investigate his deep connection to Rana and his attempt to star beam to her rescue before crowning that has almost killed him. They try to teach him to resist the instinct to do that again since the next time is very likely to be fatal. They quickly discover that this dangerous and uncontrollable behavior is connected to another event from the past that was briefly mentioned in the first book. Their investigation leads them to an unexpected and chilling discovery.
I enjoyed 'The Cords That Bind', but it ended on a cliffhanger. I think it's setting the stage for the next book, and the big mystery will be solved there, but the short story itself didn't feel like it had enough of a resolution of its own to me.
Nevertheless, I think it's worth reading if you enjoyed 'The Calling' and are going to read the next book in the series. It's nice to have something to read while we wait for it!
This review was first published on my website about sci-fi by women, trans and enby authors where you'll find more reviews, author interviews, lists, short stories and more.
I loved 'The Calling', so it was a pleasure to revisit the familiar setting and characters. This story is told from Eka's point of view. He was an interesting and somewhat mysterious character in the first book, but he didn't get his own POV there, so it was nice to get to know him better. Unsurprisingly, he turned out likeable and real.
In 'The Cords That Bind', the star beings from Eka's village investigate his deep connection to Rana and his attempt to star beam to her rescue before crowning that has almost killed him. They try to teach him to resist the instinct to do that again since the next time is very likely to be fatal. They quickly discover that this dangerous and uncontrollable behavior is connected to another event from the past that was briefly mentioned in the first book. Their investigation leads them to an unexpected and chilling discovery.
I enjoyed 'The Cords That Bind', but it ended on a cliffhanger. I think it's setting the stage for the next book, and the big mystery will be solved there, but the short story itself didn't feel like it had enough of a resolution of its own to me.
Nevertheless, I think it's worth reading if you enjoyed 'The Calling' and are going to read the next book in the series. It's nice to have something to read while we wait for it!
This review was first published on my website about sci-fi by women, trans and enby authors where you'll find more reviews, author interviews, lists, short stories and more.