Jonas a publié une critique de The Red Scholar's Wake par Aliette de Bodard
Lesbian romance, Vietnamese space opera
4 étoiles
Aliette de Bodard has been publishing award winning fiction in her universe of Xuya for years. The Red Scholar's Wake is the first full-length novel set in that universe. It's a Vietnamese-inspired space opera about pirates under threats from within and without, but first and foremost it is a sapphic romance about two mothers (one of whom is a sentient space ship). It's entertaining, and I read it quickly. There are minor points that made me give this 4/5 stars: In the second half, the positions and agendas of the major characters would have benefitted if they were presented with more sharpness. As it were, some conversations felt slightly muddy, the conflicts lacking clarity. In a few places, the editing had overlooked minor mistakes (e.g. a repeated sentence, but a word changed, apparently without intention). And, for a first time "visitor" to the Xuya Universe (like myself, since I haven't …
Aliette de Bodard has been publishing award winning fiction in her universe of Xuya for years. The Red Scholar's Wake is the first full-length novel set in that universe. It's a Vietnamese-inspired space opera about pirates under threats from within and without, but first and foremost it is a sapphic romance about two mothers (one of whom is a sentient space ship). It's entertaining, and I read it quickly. There are minor points that made me give this 4/5 stars: In the second half, the positions and agendas of the major characters would have benefitted if they were presented with more sharpness. As it were, some conversations felt slightly muddy, the conflicts lacking clarity. In a few places, the editing had overlooked minor mistakes (e.g. a repeated sentence, but a word changed, apparently without intention). And, for a first time "visitor" to the Xuya Universe (like myself, since I haven't read the previous short fiction and novellas), some of its sci-fi trappings like the bots and the overlays lacked an introduction that would have enabled me to better visualize what I was reading. That said, I enjoyed The Red Scholar's Wake very much, and I assume for readers with a better understanding of Vietnamese culture it is probably even more fun. The setting is creative, the writing good, the story well told.
More info about the book (including ao3 tags and content notes) can be found at www.aliettedebodard.com/bibliography/novels/universe-of-xuya-romances/the-red-scholars-wake/