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macloo's review against another edition
1.0
I did not finish this because I never felt a connection with any of the characters or the story as a whole. I was pretty excited to read it after I'd read a short description (which was not wrong), but I read 30 percent of it (according to Kindle) and I still didn't give a hoot about anyone in it. I also felt like the "steampunk" designation is a stretch — there were some steam-powered bicycles in the first quarter of the book, and then an airship comes in, but mostly there's no technology at all, just a collection of varied people who either (a) are the original inhabitants of Leopold's Belgian Congo, or (b) came there from America or England to establish Liberia. It wasn't the absence of technology that put me off — it was that the plot never jelled into anything that made me desire to continue reading.
eherndon's review against another edition
4.0
I loved so many things about this. The exploration of a post colonial alternate history was really fascinating. The steampunk elements also gave it a fun twist.
However, telling the story through the perspective of so many characters was not ideal for me. It was hard to keep the thread of a narrative when every chapter was from a different character who may be in a completely different part of the world. There were a lot of time jumps as well.
However, telling the story through the perspective of so many characters was not ideal for me. It was hard to keep the thread of a narrative when every chapter was from a different character who may be in a completely different part of the world. There were a lot of time jumps as well.
geekmom's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
A book club read for me. I liked many things about this novel and I’m glad I read it. The scope of this work made it difficult to feel invested in most of the characters, even though they all felt fully realized and believable. And it also meant that it was easy to put down and I rarely felt a sense of tension about the story. And yet there’s a lot to appreciate here: Shawl has clearly done a lot of research and has thoughtfully explored the legacy of colonialism in many quite nuanced ways. The world is rich with detail and magic, and the steampunk elements add an interesting twist (although I often had trouble picturing some of the devices).
I’ll definitely look for more work by this author!
I’ll definitely look for more work by this author!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, Violence, and War
kerri_strikes_back's review against another edition
3.0
gave this a 6/10. it's an interesting story, I remember reading it. Might have been a book club pick? It's a bit long and meandering but unique
renstability's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
the_only_leslie's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book. I wanted to give it 5 stars, but it didn't introduce the fantasy / magical part of itself until way to late in the book, it threw me off.
Short chapters, each with a different person being treated as a main character. This usually throws me off, but this time it was wonderful. Highly suggest this book.
Short chapters, each with a different person being treated as a main character. This usually throws me off, but this time it was wonderful. Highly suggest this book.
welgan's review against another edition
The war theme was a bit too much... And I had a hard time getting back into the book because I wasn't super invested in the characters.
But I think it was interesting. May give it another shot later !
But I think it was interesting. May give it another shot later !
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, War, and Injury/Injury detail
ofliterarynature's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
neeuqdrazil's review against another edition
4.0
I think I enjoyed this? It took a while to get into it, and the constant switching of POV made it hard to really get comfortable with any of the characters.
But the story was fascinating, and it read 'true' - as another reviewer said, after reading it, you expect to see this story in the history books.
But the story was fascinating, and it read 'true' - as another reviewer said, after reading it, you expect to see this story in the history books.
apanneton's review against another edition
Une histoire réimaginée du Congo belge, où le roi Léopold & ses exactions sont vaincues de peine & de misère par une coalition de locaux, de Britanniques idéalistes & d'Afro-Américains missionnaires. Les colonisateurs changent de visage mais gardent les mêmes vieux réflexes, sur un fond de machinerie à vapeur & d'intrigues politiques. Si la prémisse est quasiment magique, l'exécution est parfois maladroite: on traverse le roman en passant d'une vignette à une autre, d'un personnage à un autre, et les longs mois qui séparent l'action de chaque chapitre rendent l'histoire difficile à suivre. Les avancées technologiques, méticuleusement décrites, boursouflent l'intrigue; les personnages en ressortent un peu aplatis. Un livre plein de nuances & d'idées qui auraient mieux respirer si Shawl n'avait pas autant essayé de tout expliquer, je pense.