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listen_learn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
3.75
Too much violence, too much in each culture that I find abhorrent, for me to truly enjoy this book. I'm not sure I would have finished it if wasn't for my bookclub. However, the plot was superb and the attention to detail extremely impressive.
Also the fact that some characters truly had hearr in the face of such pain touched me.
Also the fact that some characters truly had hearr in the face of such pain touched me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Religious bigotry, Death, Murder, Death of parent, Slavery, and Xenophobia
the_gay_at_home_mom's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-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? No
4.5
thebooklender's review against another edition
4.0
I've done it! I have now read every (published) Frances Hardinge novel, and have yet to be disappointed!
Gullstruck Island (also published as The Lost Conspiracy) is a fantasy novel set on an isolated island under colonial rule. The island is populated by numerous tribes, deadly beetles, angry volcanoes and lots of intrigue. The Lost are a group of people from all tribes and cultures who can detach their senses from their bodies and send them across the island - sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste...
The book follows Hathin, a 12 year old Lace girl whose job is to look after her vague and distracted Lost sister and whose strength lies in her invisibility. The Lace are distrusted and persecuted, especially when they are blamed for a series of deaths on the island.
I am struggling somewhat to summarise the book - as with all Hardinge novels, the fantasy world is so layered and realised, it is difficult to get it all across in a brief review. This level of detailed world-building is both a strength and a weakness of the book. It takes a long time to get going - at the start of the book, the narrative is constantly disrupted by explanations of geography, culture, magic, language, race, names, politics and history. Once the story does get going however, boy, does it get going! It is a rip-roaring adventure of murder, revenge, intrigue, humour, heartbreak, betrayal, loyalty and volcanoes. Of birds that unravel your soul, and beetles that kill you with bliss.
It was a long book (my copy has exactly 500 pages), and at first I was not exactly relishing the prospect of a tome-full of world-buildery exposition, but once into the heart of the book, the pages flew by! And as ever, Hardinge has some delicious prose. Her language and turns of phrase often have me re-reading sentences for the sheer joy of them.
Great stuff. I can't wait to see what will be next for Hardinge.
Gullstruck Island (also published as The Lost Conspiracy) is a fantasy novel set on an isolated island under colonial rule. The island is populated by numerous tribes, deadly beetles, angry volcanoes and lots of intrigue. The Lost are a group of people from all tribes and cultures who can detach their senses from their bodies and send them across the island - sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste...
The book follows Hathin, a 12 year old Lace girl whose job is to look after her vague and distracted Lost sister and whose strength lies in her invisibility. The Lace are distrusted and persecuted, especially when they are blamed for a series of deaths on the island.
I am struggling somewhat to summarise the book - as with all Hardinge novels, the fantasy world is so layered and realised, it is difficult to get it all across in a brief review. This level of detailed world-building is both a strength and a weakness of the book. It takes a long time to get going - at the start of the book, the narrative is constantly disrupted by explanations of geography, culture, magic, language, race, names, politics and history. Once the story does get going however, boy, does it get going! It is a rip-roaring adventure of murder, revenge, intrigue, humour, heartbreak, betrayal, loyalty and volcanoes. Of birds that unravel your soul, and beetles that kill you with bliss.
It was a long book (my copy has exactly 500 pages), and at first I was not exactly relishing the prospect of a tome-full of world-buildery exposition, but once into the heart of the book, the pages flew by! And as ever, Hardinge has some delicious prose. Her language and turns of phrase often have me re-reading sentences for the sheer joy of them.
Great stuff. I can't wait to see what will be next for Hardinge.
lisasibbett's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-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? Yes
3.5
twowheelsaway's review against another edition
5.0
Holy crap I can’t handle how good this book was.
I can’t begin to describe the plot in a way that will do it justice, but wow. This book surprised me so many times, both with things I never would have expected, and with things I did expect but was shocked by anyways. This book takes no prisoners.
The breakneck pace of it reminded me of “Illuminae” or the kind of books Dan Brown writes, but ultimately it’s much more human than either of those.
Also, it has perhaps my single favorite piece of foreshadowing I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading- read it, and see if you can catch it.
I can’t begin to describe the plot in a way that will do it justice, but wow. This book surprised me so many times, both with things I never would have expected, and with things I did expect but was shocked by anyways. This book takes no prisoners.
The breakneck pace of it reminded me of “Illuminae” or the kind of books Dan Brown writes, but ultimately it’s much more human than either of those.
Also, it has perhaps my single favorite piece of foreshadowing I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading- read it, and see if you can catch it.
jmitschke's review against another edition
5.0
The world-building is absolutely stellar and the plot (though it took a little while to get off the ground for me...) had so many amazing twists and developments that I had literal goosebumps at the climax of the story.
Gah, so good!!!
Gah, so good!!!
addadeli's review
Not sure if I was listening to this book at the wrong points in time or if the book just wasn't clicking. The latest development could turn the book around but I moved on to another for the time being.
brandypainter's review against another edition
5.0
Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
Last week was the week for reading books I hadn't read yet by my favorite authors. Frances Hardinge is definitely one of my favorites. While I don't always love each individual book, I always appreciate them for the works of art they are. The Lost Conspiracy (Gullstruck Island-UK) is one of those books that swept me away on a tide of beautiful imagery and left me clinging to each page ready to know what happened next.
The Lost Conspiracy is a book that does so much right it is hard to no where to begin. The setting is beautifully treacherous, an island with jungles, volcanoes, dangerous aquatic animals, and cut off from any other part of the world. Harginge brings the island to life in vivid colors, sounds, and feelings. As Hathin and Arilou journey throughout, the reader goes with them and experiences it with them.
Hathin is an amazing heroine. Her entire existence is based on serving her sister. It is what her entire life has always been for. She is Arilou's quiet unobtrusive shadow. People barely even realize she is there most of the time, which works out well for her because it allows her to observe and then manipulate the situation to go where she needs it to go. This life has developed her mind into a strategic, sharp instrument for getting what her sister and her people need. These skills serve her well as her world is blown apart by a conspiracy, and it is up to her to save her sister, herself, and all the Lace people of the island. There is a strong cast of supporting characters that surround Hathin from beginning to end, changing and multiplying as the story goes on. Each of these are intriguing in their own right and fully realized (I don't think Hardinge knows how to write characters any other way), but this story is Hathin's story. She deserves all the credit and glory due her for every hardship and triumph.
The plot is complicated and twisty involving centuries of myth, misunderstanding, and miscommunication. Hardinge has created a razor sharp look at colonialism and its affects with this story. The Lace are one group of the island's indigenous people. It has been a couple hundred years since the settlers came and while they intermarried with many of the other tribes, the Lace remained separate. This is mostly due to an unfortunate incident that involved kidnapping and sacrificing settlers to the volcanoes. Through the history of the island and the current politics tearing it apart, Hardinge depicts perfectly how a clash of cultures, a misunderstanding of tradition, and the easy way prejudices can be used to ignite hate, fear, and violence can cause a ripple affect that is felt and used for generations. I like that while there is clearly a villain, there is also a lot of horror that occurs because ordinary people allow themselves to be manipulated, carried away by a mob mentality, or simply don't stand up and do what's right. I like the shades of gray in that, something else Hardinge is typically good at depicting.
Some favorite quotes that show Hardinge's command of language and her themes:
There was a shout of laughter at the idea of the little Lace girl kidnapping the burly towner and taking him away to sacrifice. It was a joke, but centuries of distrust and fear lay behind it.
Soon somebody would say something that was sharper and harder, but it would still be a joke. And then there would be remark like a punch in the gut but made as a joke. And then they would detain her if she tried to leave and body would stop them because it was all only a joke...
And so ended the conference of the invisible, in the cavern of blood and secrets, on the night of the mist.
"You see," Therrot added in what was probably meant to be a comforting tone, "revenge doesn't need to be face-to-face. Maybe you're not made for sticking a knife in someone...but would you feel the same way about planting a little fistful of leaves and roots?"
Hathin tried to imagine herself using her sickle to dig root space for a sly, slow killer. The idea did feel different, but she was not at all sure it felt better.
My one complaint is that it is a little long. Hardinge's books often are yet usually I can't think what would be cut out. Here I did feel there was a lot of detail in the middl portion that could have been pared down or combined to make the pacing better. This is one small detractor for me in a book that is full of amazing elements. Hardinge is a fantastic storyteller and if you haven't read this or her other books, you definitely need to pick one up.
Last week was the week for reading books I hadn't read yet by my favorite authors. Frances Hardinge is definitely one of my favorites. While I don't always love each individual book, I always appreciate them for the works of art they are. The Lost Conspiracy (Gullstruck Island-UK) is one of those books that swept me away on a tide of beautiful imagery and left me clinging to each page ready to know what happened next.
The Lost Conspiracy is a book that does so much right it is hard to no where to begin. The setting is beautifully treacherous, an island with jungles, volcanoes, dangerous aquatic animals, and cut off from any other part of the world. Harginge brings the island to life in vivid colors, sounds, and feelings. As Hathin and Arilou journey throughout, the reader goes with them and experiences it with them.
Hathin is an amazing heroine. Her entire existence is based on serving her sister. It is what her entire life has always been for. She is Arilou's quiet unobtrusive shadow. People barely even realize she is there most of the time, which works out well for her because it allows her to observe and then manipulate the situation to go where she needs it to go. This life has developed her mind into a strategic, sharp instrument for getting what her sister and her people need. These skills serve her well as her world is blown apart by a conspiracy, and it is up to her to save her sister, herself, and all the Lace people of the island. There is a strong cast of supporting characters that surround Hathin from beginning to end, changing and multiplying as the story goes on. Each of these are intriguing in their own right and fully realized (I don't think Hardinge knows how to write characters any other way), but this story is Hathin's story. She deserves all the credit and glory due her for every hardship and triumph.
The plot is complicated and twisty involving centuries of myth, misunderstanding, and miscommunication. Hardinge has created a razor sharp look at colonialism and its affects with this story. The Lace are one group of the island's indigenous people. It has been a couple hundred years since the settlers came and while they intermarried with many of the other tribes, the Lace remained separate. This is mostly due to an unfortunate incident that involved kidnapping and sacrificing settlers to the volcanoes. Through the history of the island and the current politics tearing it apart, Hardinge depicts perfectly how a clash of cultures, a misunderstanding of tradition, and the easy way prejudices can be used to ignite hate, fear, and violence can cause a ripple affect that is felt and used for generations. I like that while there is clearly a villain, there is also a lot of horror that occurs because ordinary people allow themselves to be manipulated, carried away by a mob mentality, or simply don't stand up and do what's right. I like the shades of gray in that, something else Hardinge is typically good at depicting.
Some favorite quotes that show Hardinge's command of language and her themes:
There was a shout of laughter at the idea of the little Lace girl kidnapping the burly towner and taking him away to sacrifice. It was a joke, but centuries of distrust and fear lay behind it.
Soon somebody would say something that was sharper and harder, but it would still be a joke. And then there would be remark like a punch in the gut but made as a joke. And then they would detain her if she tried to leave and body would stop them because it was all only a joke...
And so ended the conference of the invisible, in the cavern of blood and secrets, on the night of the mist.
"You see," Therrot added in what was probably meant to be a comforting tone, "revenge doesn't need to be face-to-face. Maybe you're not made for sticking a knife in someone...but would you feel the same way about planting a little fistful of leaves and roots?"
Hathin tried to imagine herself using her sickle to dig root space for a sly, slow killer. The idea did feel different, but she was not at all sure it felt better.
My one complaint is that it is a little long. Hardinge's books often are yet usually I can't think what would be cut out. Here I did feel there was a lot of detail in the middl portion that could have been pared down or combined to make the pacing better. This is one small detractor for me in a book that is full of amazing elements. Hardinge is a fantastic storyteller and if you haven't read this or her other books, you definitely need to pick one up.
kathrinpassig's review against another edition
Es fing ganz gut an, aber so nach der Hälfte der 500 Seiten musste ich das alte Zitat von Julian Barnes über Magischen Realismus nachlesen gehen: "Nein, dieses Nebeneinander von billigem Leben und teuren Prinzipien, von Religion und Banditentum, von überraschender Ehre und willkürlicher Grausamkeit; nein, dieser Daiquiri-Vogel, der seine Eier auf den Flügeln ausbrütet; nein, dieser Fredonna-Baum, dessen Wurzeln an den äußersten Spitzen seiner Zweige wachsen und vermöge dessen Fasern der Bucklige die hochmütige Frau des Hazienda-Besitzers auf telepathischem Wege schwängern kann; nein, dieses Opernhaus, das nun vom Dschungel überwuchert ist." Ein Ende der Handlung war auch nicht in Sicht, es wirkte so, als würde es noch unendlich lang so weitergehen, die Protagonistin lernt ein weiteres Volk auf der kleinen Insel kennen, das seine Eier auf den Flügeln ausbrütet, und dann noch eins und noch eins und noch eins. Nicht zu Ende gelesen.