The Half Life of Valery K

Natasha Pulley does it again! Another splendid book that is impossible to put down. Even if you have no interest at all in the genre or subject matter—and I doubt that's the case, everyone should care—do yourself a favor and read this book. (It even has an octopus in it, what more can you ask?)

3.5

A former nuclear scientist, imprisoned in a Siberian gulag, is transferred to a mysterious city where unknown levels of radiation are currently bombarding the unaware populace. It's not the most uplifting of scenarios, but Pulley tackles a dour topic with verve and a light touch.

The science-heavy narrative is very accessible and compelling and I was sucked into the “all is not as it seems” story. Valery, our main character, peels back the layers and layers of the mystery surrounding City 40 to reveal the conspiracy at its core. Once that's done, though, the narrative loses momentum, especially with the frequent flashbacks threaded throughout the book. This, plus a too tidy ending, kept this novel from reaching higher heights, but it was a compelling read nonetheless.

Whether or not this qualifies as speculative fiction is debatable, as it hews closer to historical fiction than anything in the SFF realm, but the lines of genre demarcation are often blurry, and who really cares? This is a solid book and I think SFF fans and non-SFF fans would like it all the same.

See this book's true fractional star score and more reviews at The Speculative Shelf.

i love love love pulley's way of developing the relationships between her main characters, which happens quietly, without grandeur and dramatics, but with a heart-achy truth to it. even after reading only two of her books it's clear there's a style to it, but she pulls it off. and valery is a wonderfully compelling character. honest and real and kind and so dedicated to reducing suffering despite all he's been put through. you just want to hug him through all of it (carefully).

the issue i take, which is something i also noticed in the kingdoms, is the sudden... disappearance of women from the narrative. Spoilerin this book in particular i don't think i can really make a good case for why anna and the kids had to be left behind. we did not get to spend nearly enough time with valery and shenkov afterwards to process the meaning of that decision and the impact it must have had on shenkov, and because of that it feels just a little bit too easy to whisk the woman away. i appreciate pulley's dedication to giving her queer characters a somewhat safe and happy ending. i just don't think that has to be nor should it be at the cost of the women.