garden

Disclaimer: I initially received this book for free in exchange for reviewing it once it would be published. But that was many years ago, and an early draft, so when the book was finally published I wasn't confident it hadn't changed in editing. So I bought the official version and this review will be based on that.

If you like fantastical science, strong female leads, wormfingers, political intrigue, and/or witty comebacks, it's safe to assume you'll enjoy this book. Well, as long as you also like books that have you thinking “There's no way this situation could get any wors—oh... How in the world are they getting out of this one?” While not as bleak as media such as Attack on Titan or Game of Thrones, the world of The Risen Kingdoms is still not a happy fantasy land. Being important doesn't keep people safe, and being smart doesn't mean you're safe from evil plots. Even the main characters' dashing personalities and wits still aren't enough to keep them ahead of the many nefarious plots and betrayals waiting for them at every corner. Unlike the aforementioned stories however, this book is less about “surviving” than “persevering”, which is an important distinction in tone.

While fantasy may not be my favourite form of speculative fiction, I do appreciate steampunk aesthetics and science-focused details, both of which this novel has in abundance. But calling this novel steampunk would be a disservice to the fact that it's actually aetherpunk, and we all know that aether is a better form of steam. :) My main gripe with fantasy as a whole is that there are some very common tropes that it seems unable to escape, especially in regards to the basically-interchangeable settings (generic Medieval England anyone?). While An Alchemy is still very obviously fantasy, and full of fantasy tropes, it at least avoids most of the annoyingly common ones. The steampunk aspect necessitates a setting that's more Victorian than medieval, and the Kingdoms are culturally distinct (in fact, I would say that having passing familiarity with French and Spanish language is useful, though not necessary).

The magic systems are unique, but every fantasy novel requires as much. More kingdoms and systems of magic are hinted at, but I think it was a good idea to focus on only two, since the story doesn't info-dump its explanations. At times the novel can seem a bit literary or self-indulgent, but I typically assume that means the author is having fun writing, which is fine even if it takes me out of the story a tiny bit. I generally prefer flawed characters, and though the characters are flawed they're perhaps a bit too competent for my tastes. However, they stay far enough away from being Mary Sue's that it's not an issue; and as I stated earlier, being competent is just barely good enough to survive.

Looking forward to the sequels, and I'm glad they were all mostly finished before this novel was released, so that we don't have to wait a decade between each book.

A classic and enjoyable alien invasion story.... sans the alien invasion. This story is all about the personal, social effects of a truly bizarre and nonhuman first contact. The influence on the also-enjoyable Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer is exceedingly obvious.

A very quick read, but not one that affected me much after putting the book down. The authors' info at the end was rather bland, but it was interesting hearing the circumstances around the novel's publishing.

A must-read for anyone who enjoys a good story focused on the subjective nature of reality, which I certainly do. The only reason I'm rating it as “liked it” instead of “really liked it” is the second half doesn't quite pull its weight (not that the conclusion was completely dissatisfying or anything) and my ratings heavily favor a strong ending.

Regarding the context of the ideas that are played with in this book, I immediately thought of Steins;Gate, though the tone and underlying plot machinations completely diverge from that one point of commonality. But both share the circumstance of a single person given power they do not want, struggling with memories no one else remembers as they do their best to make things right despite the world (or the subconscious) apparently skewing itself towards chaos.

This book was peculiar in that I started out not particularly interested in it, then quickly came to enjoy it, then lost some interest again near the end, then came back to a happy medium by the conclusion (and afterword).

If you do not enjoy hard, technical sci-fi, throw this book as far away from you as you are able. Don't even try it unless your love of political intrigue is more than enough to alleviate your inevitable boredom. As the afterword makes clear, this is simply a book about exploring reality-based near-future science through the lens of science-fiction. For a reasonably realistic but far more fictional sci-fi, I would recommend The Expanse series instead.

I would also recommend playing Kerbal Space Program as a primer on orbital mechanics, rocket propulsion, and the sheer magnitude of difficulty of both (just to appreciate the science behind it).

A good book, but not necessarily an enjoyable read. It feels like it plods along quite slowly to the ending that it's constantly hinting at, resulting in a feeling of “just get there already” instead of the perhaps desired “I can't wait until we get there”. Everything about this is a journey, and luckily the end of the journey–while hard to get through–is powerful and not without hope despite the overarching themes.

A story about stories, from the point of view of a storyteller.

Of course, it's really just one main story, but the lore of the world is interwoven throughout in a more-or-less seamless manner. However, I'll admit I misinterpreted the tone of the book because of the opening “story”, and was rather confused when I realized this fantasy tale does not shy away from dark and uncomfortable territory.

As someone who's not necessarily a fan of the “folk tale” style employed by the insert stories, I often found myself waiting for the main plot lines to return, though some were alright.

This is cosmic horror, yes, but a fresh take on it rather than a rehashing of Lovecraft (not that I have anything against works that build upon popular lore). I'd give this book 3 stars, but the writing style and subversion of typical Weird Horror expectations bumps it up half a star, which then gets rounded up.

Where other Weird Horror is woven with existential dread and things unknowable, The Fisherman is pervaded by the underlying horror of loss.

This felt like the literary equivalent of being unceremoniously boarded onto a not-quite-whitewater raft with a reliable guide whose presence you trust despite repeated declarations that you shouldn't trust anything that he says. Then, before you know it, you're hurtling downstream, taking in the scenery and truly enjoying yourself even though you don't have a clue where you're going, but watching time and again as every detail and circumstance flows perfectly into the next. But even as things start to go wrong and your snarky co-passengers begin bailing overboard en masse, everything is as it should be.

I find that you can apply this to the plot, the structure, and the meta-narrative without issue. I've never read Vonnegut before, and I'm sad it's taken so long.