Reviews with content warning for Colonisation - Terra Nullius

Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

Terra Nullius by Claire G. Coleman

13 reviews

vezreads's review against another edition

challenging informative mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This was really clever. I enjoyed it a lot. There is little I can say about it without spoilers but the plot is great, the imagery is really effective and it made me confront some biases I didn't know I had. It definitely felt like a debut novel, it could have used a wee bit of refining in places but that's really my only small criticism of a fantastic novel

Content Warnings

whoisajax's review

Go to review page

challenging emotional tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

FORMAT: Audible/Audio
WHY: Was a bookclub chosen book last year that I didn't get around to but wanted to.
THOUGHTS: Intense! Historical fiction with TW of racism, murder and violence.

It has some serious powerful meanings and just a reminder of how humans can treat each other.

I will be thinking about this novel for years.

RECOMMENDED: Those who are interested in historical fiction, colonisation, and just stories with powerful symbolism

Content Warnings

bookishcori's review

Go to review page

challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.75

I loved the way this story was told - colonization but make it SFF!

The writing itself was just okay; lots of repetitive phrases. I’ve read the authors’ later novels and this isn’t an issue anymore.

I still really enjoyed this.

Content Warnings

avisreadsandreads's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

dellydoos's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Simple but unexpected, Terra Nullius is a novel that presents a thought-provoking and timely commentary on Australia's colonial past and its ongoing legacy. It’s a story about Jacky, a native boy on the run from a government-sanctioned settlement, where he has been re-educated, tortured, and stripped of his identity. Now on the run, the only thing he’s looking for is home, a place whom he only knows the name of.

The first half of this book was straightforward, and if I’m being honest, a little slow. However, I think this is to the novel's strength. As a reader with little background of this book before I went in, I already had a preconceived idea about what the story would be about. And I’m glad to say my expectations were greatly subverted. Come the midway mark, right at the end of Chapter Nine, Coleman expertly delivers a subtle little twist. A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment that genuinely had me rereading three times over to check I had read the passage right. And the power of this twist–wow, it was so small, and it hardly affected the plot at all; and yet it changed everything.

I found the second half to be so much more engaging than the first half. The setting was more interesting, and the stakes were even higher. However, despite its strengths, I found the book to be lacking in some areas. The pacing was uneven, and the world-building felt underdeveloped, leaving me with questions about the broader context of the story. Additonally, with so little time spent between so many characters I was left feeling some of them were underdeveloped.

However, this book still raises important questions about identity, belonging, and power. About the horrors of colonialism, of genocide and the erasure of culture. Coleman’s ability to humanise this experience is one of the book's greatest strengths, making it a valuable contribution to the ongoing dialogue about reconciliation and reparations in Australia. This book was both sad and painful, but definitely worth reading. 3.5/5 stars.

Content Warnings