Wrong Train, Right Time (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
wrongtrainrighttime) wrote2018-11-17 11:48 pm
wrongtrainrighttime) wrote2018-11-17 11:48 pm
Mass Effect Andromeda: Annihilation by Catherynne M. Valente
Catherynne M. Valente is an author I have much affection for, even if most of her recent output has been solidly hit or miss for me. After the let down of Space Opera, I am so, so glad to say that Mass Effect Andromeda: Annihilation is, very solidly, a hit. (Though I'll be reviewing another CMV piece that was a miss, kind of, soon.)
I will admit, I felt some trepidation approaching this novel, for the following reasons: 1) I know nothing about the Mass Effect series other than pop culture osmosis; 2) the plot synopsis sounded like a taut closed-room (ship) mystery/thriller, which is not bad, but when I think of writers who are driven by plot twists and turns, Valente is not remotely who springs to mind.
To address these in order: It seems clear to me that this was written with a fan audience in mind. The characters, all of different species, have their physical appearance sketched in rather lightly (a lot more attention was paid to culture and history). Still, there was enough detail for me, with my minimal Mass Effect knowledge, to get the gist of things. But I wonder if it would have been as easy for someone with even less than that. Then again, someone like that probably wouldn't have been draw to this book in the first place.
As to the second: I wasn't quite sure what to expect, given my reservations. But as I said at the top of the post: it was a hit. The prologue gets off to a really slow start and in retrospect feels like it's mostly fluff, but once you get past that, the plot really starts to pick up steam and the momentum doesn't stop. Looking back on the novel, I can definitely see a couple places where Valente made the plotting aspect easier on herself, but I still think she pulled it off.
The core of the ensemble cast is pretty good, but then, Valente is definitely someone who I think of as having a good grasp of character. Senna is a precious cinnamon roll and I love him. Yorrik...felt a bit gimmicky, but I still liked him, and I felt for his final scene, despite knowing how it would turn out. Ferank has a good hook, but on reflection I would have liked her to dig into her backstory a little more.
Of all the main cast, Senna probably gets the most development and backstory, but as far as I'm concerned, Anax Therion stole the show. A detective/information broker who's always watching and analyzing the people around her, who hands out her past like something precious--but it's never the same past every time. This is absolutely a biased opinion, because my favorite character type is the liar, the one who modulates their self-presentation, the one who never shows their cards.
And even at the end, we still don't know what's true. I love that.
Final accolade: I started this book over lunch. Then I moved to Starbucks to do my weekly writing thing. Instead, I just kept reading. and when my phone died i plugged it in so i could keep going. And that is how I devoured this novel in a single afternoon.
I will admit, I felt some trepidation approaching this novel, for the following reasons: 1) I know nothing about the Mass Effect series other than pop culture osmosis; 2) the plot synopsis sounded like a taut closed-room (ship) mystery/thriller, which is not bad, but when I think of writers who are driven by plot twists and turns, Valente is not remotely who springs to mind.
To address these in order: It seems clear to me that this was written with a fan audience in mind. The characters, all of different species, have their physical appearance sketched in rather lightly (a lot more attention was paid to culture and history). Still, there was enough detail for me, with my minimal Mass Effect knowledge, to get the gist of things. But I wonder if it would have been as easy for someone with even less than that. Then again, someone like that probably wouldn't have been draw to this book in the first place.
As to the second: I wasn't quite sure what to expect, given my reservations. But as I said at the top of the post: it was a hit. The prologue gets off to a really slow start and in retrospect feels like it's mostly fluff, but once you get past that, the plot really starts to pick up steam and the momentum doesn't stop. Looking back on the novel, I can definitely see a couple places where Valente made the plotting aspect easier on herself, but I still think she pulled it off.
The core of the ensemble cast is pretty good, but then, Valente is definitely someone who I think of as having a good grasp of character. Senna is a precious cinnamon roll and I love him. Yorrik...felt a bit gimmicky, but I still liked him, and I felt for his final scene, despite knowing how it would turn out. Ferank has a good hook, but on reflection I would have liked her to dig into her backstory a little more.
Of all the main cast, Senna probably gets the most development and backstory, but as far as I'm concerned, Anax Therion stole the show. A detective/information broker who's always watching and analyzing the people around her, who hands out her past like something precious--but it's never the same past every time. This is absolutely a biased opinion, because my favorite character type is the liar, the one who modulates their self-presentation, the one who never shows their cards.
And even at the end, we still don't know what's true. I love that.
Final accolade: I started this book over lunch. Then I moved to Starbucks to do my weekly writing thing. Instead, I just kept reading. and when my phone died i plugged it in so i could keep going. And that is how I devoured this novel in a single afternoon.