I have been reading novels and comic books for about the same number of decades, and I’ve enjoyed both throughout my reading journey. But I prefer my I have been reading novels and comic books for about the same number of decades, and I’ve enjoyed both throughout my reading journey. But I prefer my novels to read and feel like novels, not comic books, and this novel felt far too much like a comic book in the end.
There are a ton of enjoyable and inventive aspects in this book: Clark’s joy at creating a steampunk version of Cairo that blends magic with early industrial tech is refreshingly infectious. He pokes at and interrogates classism and colonialism and racism in satisfying ways. And he provides ample, empowered space to the women in his tale. But the plot and its many action sequences motor along with both too much shorthand and too little depth, which is what made it feel like a multi-issue comic book arc in the end.
I’m still an admirer of Clark, having enjoyed — but not fallen in love with — his previously-published novellas — and I’m hopeful that he will find ways to infuse his future writing with more emotional depth. As with his other works, the 3-star rating I’m giving this novel isn’t really a grumpy one; there’s too much goodwill and generosity of spirit on display here.
Merged review:
I have been reading novels and comic books for about the same number of decades, and I’ve enjoyed both throughout my reading journey. But I prefer my novels to read and feel like novels, not comic books, and this novel felt far too much like a comic book in the end.
There are a ton of enjoyable and inventive aspects in this book: Clark’s joy at creating a steampunk version of Cairo that blends magic with early industrial tech is refreshingly infectious. He pokes at and interrogates classism and colonialism and racism in satisfying ways. And he provides ample, empowered space to the women in his tale. But the plot and its many action sequences motor along with both too much shorthand and too little depth, which is what made it feel like a multi-issue comic book arc in the end.
I’m still an admirer of Clark, having enjoyed — but not fallen in love with — his previously-published novellas — and I’m hopeful that he will find ways to infuse his future writing with more emotional depth. As with his other works, the 3-star rating I’m giving this novel isn’t really a grumpy one; there’s too much goodwill and generosity of spirit on display here....more
As with pretty much every anthology, there were a couple of clunkers contained in these pages, but there were also some excellent, innovative, and traAs with pretty much every anthology, there were a couple of clunkers contained in these pages, but there were also some excellent, innovative, and transcendent stories, and overall, I was very happy to encounter the works of so many new and interesting writers from around the world. ...more
This book came to my attention because it has been nominated for the inaugural Ursula K. Le Guin Prize. It certainly shares a connection to one of my This book came to my attention because it has been nominated for the inaugural Ursula K. Le Guin Prize. It certainly shares a connection to one of my favorite Le Guin stories — “Buffalo Gals, Won’t You Come Out Tonight” — by populating its pages with magical, mythical characters who are both animals and people. However, Little Badger doesn’t come close to infusing her novel with the depths of wisdom, ideas, and emotional richness that Le Guin was so skilled at doing.
I was impressed by Little Badger’s warmly crafted characters, her affectionate approach to creating believably loving friendships, and by her regard for the importance of families keeping stories alive across generations. I wished that all of that goodwill could have wound up being supported by a tighter story, one whose structure allowed for tension and catharsis and earned outcomes.
This is another example for me of a novel that’s written by a writer with really good, noble, and generous-of-heart intentions but that falls far short of working as the kind of compelling story it could have been. ...more
I felt very much the same way about this book as I did about Ted Chiang’s first collection: that I’d spent valuable, meaningful time engaging with a pI felt very much the same way about this book as I did about Ted Chiang’s first collection: that I’d spent valuable, meaningful time engaging with a profoundly intelligent, deeply curious, extremely disciplined thinker. I admire the confidence and skill and courage he brings to his craft, and I was thoroughly captivated and fascinated by every story contained here. I just wish he was able to bring his considerable gifts more fully to bear in the creation of characters who feel as alive and complex as they could; while the ideas in his stories are quite richly fleshed out, I wanted my heart to be as engaged as my head was.
Still, I love the fact that Ted Chiang remains committed to short-form storytelling, and I will continue to seek out his wonderfully thought-provoking work. ...more
I have great admiration for Scarborough’s ability to distill her very personal, raw, chaotic, and troubling experiences of being an Army nurse during I have great admiration for Scarborough’s ability to distill her very personal, raw, chaotic, and troubling experiences of being an Army nurse during the Vietnam war into this novel. The result is disturbing, fascinating, messy, and appropriately ambiguous.
It took me a long time to read it only because I hit a sort of mental wall in late 2020/early 2021, finding it difficult to read books at all, let alone books that traveled difficult ground such as this one. But I’m glad to have made it back through that period to be able to take in this journey. ...more
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