An Unkindness of Ghosts

349 pages

Langue : English

Publié 8 août 2017

ISBN :
978-1-61775-588-0
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5 étoiles (1 critique)

"Aster has little to offer folks in the way of rebuttal when they call her ogre and freak. She's used to the names; she only wishes there was more truth to them. If she were truly a monster, she'd be powerful enough to tear down the walls around her until nothing remains of her world. Aster lives in the lowdeck slums of the HSS Matilda, a space vessel organized much like the antebellum South. For generations, Matilda has ferried the last of humanity to a mythical Promised Land. On its way, the ship's leaders have imposed harsh moral restrictions and deep indignities on dark-skinned sharecroppers like Aster. Embroiled in a grudge with a brutal overseer, Aster learns there may be a way to improve her lot--if she's willing to sow the seeds of civil war"--Page 4 of cover.

4 editions

fantastical yet realistic

5 étoiles

the back of the book compares the /Matilda/ to the antebellum southern US, in space, but that's far from being an adequate comparison. instead it seems to me an honest portrayal of a possible future—certainly unlikely or impossible in many respects, but in all important ways uncomfortably truthful.

it's not a cheerful story, but it never drags because of this; it is persistently lively. it doesn't inspire despair: there's always a core of resilience even when hope is scarce.

I look forward to reading more of their work.