Some Desperate Glory
Ratings114
Average rating4
Emily Tesh’s Some Desperate Glory is a profound exploration of vengeance, indoctrination, and the struggle to break free from control. Set in a future where Earth has been destroyed, the novel follows Kyr, a young woman raised on Gaea Station, a militant outpost obsessed with retribution against the majoda, the alien alliance they blame for the planet's annihilation. Trained since birth to believe in the righteousness of her cause, Kyr never questions her purpose—until she is forced to confront the truth about what her people have become.
At its core, Some Desperate Glory examines the cost of revenge, the difficulty of unlearning deeply ingrained beliefs and the dangers of a society built on manipulation and control. Gaea Station’s rigid hierarchy and blind loyalty turn its people into both victims and perpetrators, with every horror excused as necessity and every cruelty reframed as duty. Those in power seek to mold their people into unquestioning followers, using hate and war as tools to enforce obedience. Its leaders don’t just demand loyalty—they manufacture it, teaching their people to hate so they will never turn their anger inward. Kyr embodies this system—single-minded, self-righteous, and unwilling to see beyond what she has been taught. Her journey is not just one of rebellion but of dismantling the conditioning that has shaped her worldview.
Central to this unraveling is the majoda, long painted as inhuman oppressors. Their existence challenges everything Kyr has been led to believe: if the enemy is not a monster, then what was she fighting for? And if revenge is not the answer, what is left?
Tesh’s storytelling is both intimate and expansive, blending thrilling plot twists with deep emotional reckoning. Kyr is not an easy protagonist—harsh, judgmental, and steeped in ideology—but her transformation is gripping. The novel does not offer easy absolution. Change is painful, messy, and filled with resistance, as real growth always is.
Ultimately, Some Desperate Glory asks whether breaking free—not just from a cycle of violence and the past, but from the systems that sustain it—is possible. Forgiveness is hard, and escaping a cycle requires more than just recognizing the problem—it demands courage, self-reflection, and the willingness to build something new instead of destroying what exists. A haunting, thought-provoking novel, it forces both its characters and readers to confront the consequences of blind obedience, the cost of revenge, and the possibility of choosing a different path—one that redefines survival not as endurance, but as something worth living for.
This book shattered me and immediately earned a place among my favorites. It felt deeply personal—so many of the questions it raises are ones I’ve grappled with for a long time, without finding clear answers. The novel’s emotional depth, unflinching exploration of difficult themes, and gripping character journey made it impossible to put down—and even harder to forget.
Emily Tesh’s Some Desperate Glory is a profound exploration of vengeance, indoctrination, and the struggle to break free from control. Set in a future where Earth has been destroyed, the novel follows Kyr, a young woman raised on Gaea Station, a militant outpost obsessed with retribution against the majoda, the alien alliance they blame for the planet's annihilation. Trained since birth to believe in the righteousness of her cause, Kyr never questions her purpose—until she is forced to confront the truth about what her people have become.
At its core, Some Desperate Glory examines the cost of revenge, the difficulty of unlearning deeply ingrained beliefs and the dangers of a society built on manipulation and control. Gaea Station’s rigid hierarchy and blind loyalty turn its people into both victims and perpetrators, with every horror excused as necessity and every cruelty reframed as duty. Those in power seek to mold their people into unquestioning followers, using hate and war as tools to enforce obedience. Its leaders don’t just demand loyalty—they manufacture it, teaching their people to hate so they will never turn their anger inward. Kyr embodies this system—single-minded, self-righteous, and unwilling to see beyond what she has been taught. Her journey is not just one of rebellion but of dismantling the conditioning that has shaped her worldview.
Central to this unraveling is the majoda, long painted as inhuman oppressors. Their existence challenges everything Kyr has been led to believe: if the enemy is not a monster, then what was she fighting for? And if revenge is not the answer, what is left?
Tesh’s storytelling is both intimate and expansive, blending thrilling plot twists with deep emotional reckoning. Kyr is not an easy protagonist—harsh, judgmental, and steeped in ideology—but her transformation is gripping. The novel does not offer easy absolution. Change is painful, messy, and filled with resistance, as real growth always is.
Ultimately, Some Desperate Glory asks whether breaking free—not just from a cycle of violence and the past, but from the systems that sustain it—is possible. Forgiveness is hard, and escaping a cycle requires more than just recognizing the problem—it demands courage, self-reflection, and the willingness to build something new instead of destroying what exists. A haunting, thought-provoking novel, it forces both its characters and readers to confront the consequences of blind obedience, the cost of revenge, and the possibility of choosing a different path—one that redefines survival not as endurance, but as something worth living for.
This book shattered me and immediately earned a place among my favorites. It felt deeply personal—so many of the questions it raises are ones I’ve grappled with for a long time, without finding clear answers. The novel’s emotional depth, unflinching exploration of difficult themes, and gripping character journey made it impossible to put down—and even harder to forget.
This was a hands-down spectacular read. It had a unique protagonist, a very propelling plot, a clever and cool world, and it was just non-stop engaging. This is definitely going to be a top read of 2024 for me.
Besides it being an exciting Space Opera-style adventure, it also did what all great sci-fi does and really forced us to reflect on ourselves and our society. To what extent are you who you choose to be, and to what extent are you the product of the world that made you? That's probably the central question explored in this, but it's also much more than that.
I heard in the Sword and Laser book club that many people found the main character hard to put up with, mostly because she is a very difficult character to like. Personally though, I love investigating villains and "bad people" because so often there's more to them than just their bad ideas or detestable attitude, and this story really explores that very idea in a powerful way.
I would actually recommend this book to anyone who's not immediately turned off by the idea of futuristic stories, including young people. It's exciting, provocative, gripping, and just an amazing story. But it also sneeks in examinations of governmental systems of military populism and the way propoganda can infect communities, from people willing to go all in, to conscientious objectors, and the surprising commonalities beneath them all. I think it speaks volumes that the author was a Greek scholar who largely modelled the society on Sparta. Somehow though, it seems to relate incredibly well to the state of governments today as well.
This was a hands-down spectacular read. It had a unique protagonist, a very propelling plot, a clever and cool world, and it was just non-stop engaging. This is definitely going to be a top read of 2024 for me.
Besides it being an exciting Space Opera-style adventure, it also did what all great sci-fi does and really forced us to reflect on ourselves and our society. To what extent are you who you choose to be, and to what extent are you the product of the world that made you? That's probably the central question explored in this, but it's also much more than that.
I heard in the Sword and Laser book club that many people found the main character hard to put up with, mostly because she is a very difficult character to like. Personally though, I love investigating villains and "bad people" because so often there's more to them than just their bad ideas or detestable attitude, and this story really explores that very idea in a powerful way.
I would actually recommend this book to anyone who's not immediately turned off by the idea of futuristic stories, including young people. It's exciting, provocative, gripping, and just an amazing story. But it also sneeks in examinations of governmental systems of military populism and the way propoganda can infect communities, from people willing to go all in, to conscientious objectors, and the surprising commonalities beneath them all. I think it speaks volumes that the author was a Greek scholar who largely modelled the society on Sparta. Somehow though, it seems to relate incredibly well to the state of governments today as well.