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missroseroseI picked this up because the Kindle version was on sale. I had started following Ms. Hogarth's blog and was interested to see what her work was like, though as ever, I was slightly afraid that this intelligent, articulate person whose work I would like to support would turn out to be a mediocre writer.
I shouldn't have worried.
This is a rare jewel of a book, the sort of worldbuilding so unusual and storytelling so cerebral that one can instantly see why it had to be self-published. A completely alien species - not "cat aliens", not "space elves", but a strange mixture of humanoid, feline, and equine that even now I have a little trouble visualizing - born in three genders and occasionally crossing from one to the other at first or second puberty. A culture based around the buying and selling of contracts between clans - breeding contracts, service contracts - and one's prestige is inextricably tied up with one's contracted clan. A biology where females are the only gender to bear children - and eventually lose their sentience due to the stress of it.
Where do our cherished human values fit in to this world? Is there any way for self-determination and equality and freedom to coexist with the harsh realities of environment and biology? Can the social structures change to accommodate such ideals - and is it just possible that a freer environment might mitigate some of the biological problems? Or is that merely the wishful thinking of an iconoclast and the hapless exile who has come to love her?
The story, such as it is, exists mostly to ponder these questions. However, unlike certain philosophical-treatises-posing-as-novels (Life of Pi comes to mind), the characters are fully-developed even as they serve as advocates for their respective positions. And if the plot is a bit thin at times, I was fascinated enough by the worldbuilding and the philosophical discussions to be interested throughout, nonetheless. (I was also thoroughly entertained at seeing many romantic tropes subverted through a trigendered lens.)
I'm especially impressed by the bravery of the ending. It's not necessarily the direction I would have gone with the story, but it works within the narrative and it finishes on a note of moral ambiguity mixed with hopefulness that is very in keeping with the rest of the tale.
Definitely not a book for everyone, but for those interested in gender and social issues, or those who bemoan the same-y nature of the fantasy rack at the bookstore, I recommend it highly. A
I shouldn't have worried.
This is a rare jewel of a book, the sort of worldbuilding so unusual and storytelling so cerebral that one can instantly see why it had to be self-published. A completely alien species - not "cat aliens", not "space elves", but a strange mixture of humanoid, feline, and equine that even now I have a little trouble visualizing - born in three genders and occasionally crossing from one to the other at first or second puberty. A culture based around the buying and selling of contracts between clans - breeding contracts, service contracts - and one's prestige is inextricably tied up with one's contracted clan. A biology where females are the only gender to bear children - and eventually lose their sentience due to the stress of it.
Where do our cherished human values fit in to this world? Is there any way for self-determination and equality and freedom to coexist with the harsh realities of environment and biology? Can the social structures change to accommodate such ideals - and is it just possible that a freer environment might mitigate some of the biological problems? Or is that merely the wishful thinking of an iconoclast and the hapless exile who has come to love her?
The story, such as it is, exists mostly to ponder these questions. However, unlike certain philosophical-treatises-posing-as-novels (Life of Pi comes to mind), the characters are fully-developed even as they serve as advocates for their respective positions. And if the plot is a bit thin at times, I was fascinated enough by the worldbuilding and the philosophical discussions to be interested throughout, nonetheless. (I was also thoroughly entertained at seeing many romantic tropes subverted through a trigendered lens.)
I'm especially impressed by the bravery of the ending. It's not necessarily the direction I would have gone with the story, but it works within the narrative and it finishes on a note of moral ambiguity mixed with hopefulness that is very in keeping with the rest of the tale.
Definitely not a book for everyone, but for those interested in gender and social issues, or those who bemoan the same-y nature of the fantasy rack at the bookstore, I recommend it highly. A
