Amanda
Humans have created an eco-friendly utopia for themselves; all they need to sustain it is an underclass of genetically engineered animals to do all the work. Skotch, a raccoon and PI, has been hired to find a mouse who may be able to upend the entire system.
Whoever decided to market this as "Philip Marlowe meets Redwall" is only half right: the world of Green City Wars has more in common with the horrors of The Island of Doctor Moreau than with Redwall Abbey.
Tchaikovsky has, once again, created an incredibly complex world that looks at real world issues: treatment of vulnerable groups, class distinctions, exploitation of animals, ethics of scientific advancements, etc. Unfortunately the amount of exposition needed to establish the world of Green City Wars means the detective part of this scifi/noir mashup gets lost in the shuffle; the secret with the potential to radically alter society becomes little more than a MacGuffin.
The highlight of the book for me was Skotch, who is a great example of the put-upon gumshoe. I wouldn't mind if Tchaikovsky wrote a few more stories featuring him.
Received via NetGalley.
Humans have created an eco-friendly utopia for themselves; all they need to sustain it is an underclass of genetically engineered animals to do all the work. Skotch, a raccoon and PI, has been hired to find a mouse who may be able to upend the entire system.
Whoever decided to market this as "Philip Marlowe meets Redwall" is only half right: the world of Green City Wars has more in common with the horrors of The Island of Doctor Moreau than with Redwall Abbey.
Tchaikovsky has, once again, created an incredibly complex world that looks at real world issues: treatment of vulnerable groups, class distinctions, exploitation of animals, ethics of scientific advancements, etc. Unfortunately the amount of exposition needed to establish the world of Green City Wars means the detective part of this scifi/noir mashup gets lost in the shuffle; the secret with the potential to radically alter society becomes little more than a MacGuffin.
The highlight of the book for me was Skotch, who is a great example of the put-upon gumshoe. I wouldn't mind if Tchaikovsky wrote a few more stories featuring him.
Received via NetGalley.