Rhiannon
A unique end-of-the-world setting in 80s East Bloc Romania as the world literally disappears out from underneath the feet (and wheels) of citizens, and a black void begins to claim survivors stranded on islands floating in the abyss. And there’s some provocative and appealing philosophical debates about gender and class roles mixed in.
I was really curious to see how such a peculiar physical premise could play out in this kind of a story (I’m always doing the “but what about… this and that and how would that work” questioning of plot. So, I was pleasantly surprised that the author addressed my own questions and doubts in a way that made sense to the plot but also addressed those metaphysical questions in my own head.
“…𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒇𝒖𝒍.”
As the main characters, Rosi, Sorin and Gigi are spurred on in their logging truck by phantom radio signals, they navigate this eerie and terrifying new world (or, non-world) encountering survivors, unseen entities trying to drag them into the void, and creatures that look like humans infiltrating their space.
“𝑨𝒏𝒚 𝒔𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒏𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒚,” 𝑺𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒏 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏, “𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒖𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒄. 𝑪𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆’𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒅 𝒍𝒂𝒘.”
“𝑰’𝒎 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒇 𝒘𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒏𝒐 𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆, 𝒘𝒉𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒕 𝒔𝒐 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒘?”
Overall, I really enjoyed the plot and the characters’ development was strong and engaging. I look forward to a (hopeful?) sequel to this and exploring this author’s other works!
My thanks to Netgalley and Flame Tree Press for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
Originally posted at www.instagram.com.
A unique end-of-the-world setting in 80s East Bloc Romania as the world literally disappears out from underneath the feet (and wheels) of citizens, and a black void begins to claim survivors stranded on islands floating in the abyss. And there’s some provocative and appealing philosophical debates about gender and class roles mixed in.
I was really curious to see how such a peculiar physical premise could play out in this kind of a story (I’m always doing the “but what about… this and that and how would that work” questioning of plot. So, I was pleasantly surprised that the author addressed my own questions and doubts in a way that made sense to the plot but also addressed those metaphysical questions in my own head.
“…𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒇𝒖𝒍.”
As the main characters, Rosi, Sorin and Gigi are spurred on in their logging truck by phantom radio signals, they navigate this eerie and terrifying new world (or, non-world) encountering survivors, unseen entities trying to drag them into the void, and creatures that look like humans infiltrating their space.
“𝑨𝒏𝒚 𝒔𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒏𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒚,” 𝑺𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒏 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏, “𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒖𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒄. 𝑪𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆’𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒅 𝒍𝒂𝒘.”
“𝑰’𝒎 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒇 𝒘𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒏𝒐 𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆, 𝒘𝒉𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒕 𝒔𝒐 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒘?”
Overall, I really enjoyed the plot and the characters’ development was strong and engaging. I look forward to a (hopeful?) sequel to this and exploring this author’s other works!
My thanks to Netgalley and Flame Tree Press for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
Originally posted at www.instagram.com.