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attolis's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, and Transphobia
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
ford_defect's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I really enjoyed this book because I saw myself in Silence since their struggles were ones I could relate to, being a trans man myself. However, I really didn’t like the narrator’s choice of ending. Maybe it was supposed to feel disappointing since the narrator is some man who wouldn’t understand. But it left a bad taste in my mouth which is why I can’t give it a higher rating.
4.25/5
4.25/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Rape, and Transphobia
Moderate: Sexual content and Homophobia
mal_eficent's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Myers is a very clever writer, and his grand, non-linear writing style really suits the mythic, story within a story narrative he builds. It absolutely fits the theme and events of his books and compliments the messages he's working to get across...But it's not my favourite thing to read.
Does it feel chivalric and Romantic? Yes. Does it also make me feel like I'm reading short poems from Tumblr? Yes. Thankfully, for me, in The Story of Silence that style slowly gives way to a more straight forward narrative after about 100 pages. The cleverness of reading stories woven into each other, from different perspectives and giving different messages, was just losing its lustre when we started seeing things entirely from Silence's past perspective.
I enjoy character focussed books that work to show you how the setting functions, and this delivered all of that more. There's knight training, medieval courts, dragon slaying, tournaments, and a child just trying to find their place in it all. Importantly for people who don't like detail driven settings there's no getting bogged down in details. You won't find yourself rereading descriptions of characters doing the same activities over and over, no training montages that repeat teaching the same motion or anything like that. There's also a nice balance to Silence's story being driven by just having to exist in the setting and specific plot events.
Other reviews talk about the gender representation better than I can, but I will say that it was reminiscent of classic fantasy 'grow into who you are' story arcs that are absolutely my wheel house.
If you've read Myers' newer book, Symmetry of Stars, and wanted something with the same clever plot and pacing but in a less literary style, try this one instead. I loved this way more than I was expecting to upon starting and it's managed to work its way off my unhaul pile back into my shelves.
Does it feel chivalric and Romantic? Yes. Does it also make me feel like I'm reading short poems from Tumblr? Yes. Thankfully, for me, in The Story of Silence that style slowly gives way to a more straight forward narrative after about 100 pages. The cleverness of reading stories woven into each other, from different perspectives and giving different messages, was just losing its lustre when we started seeing things entirely from Silence's past perspective.
I enjoy character focussed books that work to show you how the setting functions, and this delivered all of that more. There's knight training, medieval courts, dragon slaying, tournaments, and a child just trying to find their place in it all. Importantly for people who don't like detail driven settings there's no getting bogged down in details. You won't find yourself rereading descriptions of characters doing the same activities over and over, no training montages that repeat teaching the same motion or anything like that. There's also a nice balance to Silence's story being driven by just having to exist in the setting and specific plot events.
Other reviews talk about the gender representation better than I can, but I will say that it was reminiscent of classic fantasy 'grow into who you are' story arcs that are absolutely my wheel house.
If you've read Myers' newer book, Symmetry of Stars, and wanted something with the same clever plot and pacing but in a less literary style, try this one instead. I loved this way more than I was expecting to upon starting and it's managed to work its way off my unhaul pile back into my shelves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Transphobia, War, Violence, and Outing
Moderate: Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Sexual assault
noodletheriddle's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death of parent
Moderate: Misogyny and Animal death
Minor: Sexual assault and Rape
dnlrbchd's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Violence, and War
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Classism, Death, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Minor: Pregnancy
miles's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Outing, Transphobia, Violence, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Blood, Death, and Death of parent
ninegladiolus's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“We are not one thing. We are multitudes.”
The Story of Silence by Alex Myers is a standalone historical fantasy novel that re-imagines a 13th century French poem called “Silence”. In both texts, a child named Silence is born as a girl and then raised as a boy in order to inherit their father’s lands. Though this novel’s pacing can be described as slow and quiet, it’s a tale that draws you in as it unfolds and lingers with you after it concludes.
By and large, The Story of Silence reads like a character study/chivalric romance mashup. There’s a great deal of introspection and reflection mixed in with the plot points of the novel. Even though Silence undergoes so many trials and tribulations, they are a character you really want to root for through it all, and what kept me turning the pages was their spirit and heart. While there are sections that flag a bit and drag down the pacing, they are few and far between.
It’s important to note this novel remains faithful in spirit to the work that inspired it in several ways. First, there’s a great deal of misogyny in particular, which checks out for Arthurian myth; it’s challenged in the text to some degree, but not as much as I’d have hoped. Second, for my fellow trans and/or nonbinary readers who may be interested in checking this out, there are a lot of frank discussions of gender dysphoria, particularly in relation to being AFAB; if this isn’t something you’re in the mental space to handle, I’d recommend giving it a pass.
What I love most about this book, in addition to the prose and story itself, is the reminder that gender outside the binary has existed for far longer than most people give it credit for today. The questions of Nature and Nurture, the ideas of gender presentation/expression versus gender identity, and the idea of many folks falling somewhere between/outside the binary—all of this was contained and expanded on from the original poem. Myers depicted Silence’s struggle with their identity with love and care, and I hope trans and cis readers alike take knowledge or resonance away from this novel if they choose to read it.
I recommend this book wholeheartedly to anyone who would enjoy a low-magic Arthurian retelling and is interested in a main character in that setting who is transgender and falls outside the notion of the gender binary. If you’re an audiobook person, I doubly recommend listening to it if you can—while reading the novel, I couldn’t help but think the prose would shine even more if it were spoken aloud.
Thank you to Harper Voyager and Edelweiss for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Story of Silence by Alex Myers is a standalone historical fantasy novel that re-imagines a 13th century French poem called “Silence”. In both texts, a child named Silence is born as a girl and then raised as a boy in order to inherit their father’s lands. Though this novel’s pacing can be described as slow and quiet, it’s a tale that draws you in as it unfolds and lingers with you after it concludes.
By and large, The Story of Silence reads like a character study/chivalric romance mashup. There’s a great deal of introspection and reflection mixed in with the plot points of the novel. Even though Silence undergoes so many trials and tribulations, they are a character you really want to root for through it all, and what kept me turning the pages was their spirit and heart. While there are sections that flag a bit and drag down the pacing, they are few and far between.
It’s important to note this novel remains faithful in spirit to the work that inspired it in several ways. First, there’s a great deal of misogyny in particular, which checks out for Arthurian myth; it’s challenged in the text to some degree, but not as much as I’d have hoped. Second, for my fellow trans and/or nonbinary readers who may be interested in checking this out, there are a lot of frank discussions of gender dysphoria, particularly in relation to being AFAB; if this isn’t something you’re in the mental space to handle, I’d recommend giving it a pass.
What I love most about this book, in addition to the prose and story itself, is the reminder that gender outside the binary has existed for far longer than most people give it credit for today. The questions of Nature and Nurture, the ideas of gender presentation/expression versus gender identity, and the idea of many folks falling somewhere between/outside the binary—all of this was contained and expanded on from the original poem. Myers depicted Silence’s struggle with their identity with love and care, and I hope trans and cis readers alike take knowledge or resonance away from this novel if they choose to read it.
I recommend this book wholeheartedly to anyone who would enjoy a low-magic Arthurian retelling and is interested in a main character in that setting who is transgender and falls outside the notion of the gender binary. If you’re an audiobook person, I doubly recommend listening to it if you can—while reading the novel, I couldn’t help but think the prose would shine even more if it were spoken aloud.
Thank you to Harper Voyager and Edelweiss for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Misogyny, Violence, Death, and Sexism
Moderate: Transphobia and Blood
ceallaighsbooks's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
“‘Will you tell me of your birth?’ They tilted their head and looked at me as a bird might, with one bright eye.
‘Have you the whole night?’
‘I have nothing in the world but this night.’”
TITLE—The Story of Silence
AUTHOR—Alex Myers
PUBLISHED—2020
GENRE—literary/fantasy retelling
SETTING—a mythological, medieval England / Europe
MAIN THEMES/SUBJECTS—gender; trans identity; Nature vs Nurture; animacy of Nature; Arthurian lore; English folk and faery customs and beliefs
WRITING STYLE—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
CHARACTERS—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
PLOT—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
BONUS ELEMENT/S—The clear reverence shown the natural world and the belief in the personhood and sanctity of the entire natural world (animals, plants, rivers etc.)
PHILOSOPHY—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️—“You can speak your mind with courage only if you are an honest man.”
“A woman and a man. A man as much a woman. Proof that we are all a little both, a little neither. Proof that rules hold us less tightly than we imagine! Nature speaks to us all in our own individual riddles. Haw!’”
This was an awesome retelling of a medieval French poem featuring Arthurian tropes and characters. It was a thoughtful and emotional look at not just the trans experience but the exploration of gender and identity in general. By using the dialogue between Nature and Nurture, present in the original poem, but greatly fleshed out in Myers retelling, Myers recreates not only the courtly, “morality” feel of a traditional medieval tale, but a story whose relevance is particularly apt for our current time.
Last thought: ALL I wanted though was for [redacted] to not [redacted] after [redacted]. 😭 I NEVER get what I want. 😭😭😭
“If I tell it right, it will be a story that sings on, speaking to self after self, telling the tale of what it means to be and become.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
TW // bullying, violence, sexism, misogyny, misgendering
Further Reading—
- Silence, trans. by Sarah Roche-Mahdi
- The Last Unicorn, by Peter Beagle
- The Wolf in the Whale, by Jordanna Max Brodsky
- The Last Kingdom, by Bernard Cornwell
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death and Death of parent
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