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A review by jukaschar
Kea's Flight by John C. Ricker, Erika Hammerschmidt
3.0
Kea's Flight is not an easy book to review. While there are some things that I really like about the book (for example autism representation in both author and characters), there are also things that I really didn't like.
I'm autistic myself, so it is extremely enjoyable to come across autistic characters in speculative fiction. I do think that the authors are doing a great job at presenting their main and secondary characters and writing a story and a world where being autistic, neurodivergent and/or disabled really makes a difference in how you will live your life. I think it's even important to shine a dystopian light on these topics, to metaphorically emphasize real world problems.
Why then do I only give three stars to Kea's Flight?
1. Kinda technical issues: I did not much like the pace. From hectic to extremely slow, everything was to be found and to me this just wasn't ideal. Even though I'm aware of Erika Hammerschmidt's stance on editing I think the book would have profited a lot if someone professional had given their thoughts on how to structure and pace the plot.
2. The ending is a lot too utopian for me and feels like a major mistake. I think this created a totally unnecessary black-and-white overlay to the whole book. From my experience I also think that the majority of autistic people
3. Major personal, totally subjective issue in relation to Kea's special interest:
4. I agree very much with Ada Hoffmann's review where she points out that it's a major flaw of Kea's Flight that only 'stereotypically shiny Aspies' are represented fairly. Go read her review and explore her Autistic Book Party reviews, they're great!
I'm autistic myself, so it is extremely enjoyable to come across autistic characters in speculative fiction. I do think that the authors are doing a great job at presenting their main and secondary characters and writing a story and a world where being autistic, neurodivergent and/or disabled really makes a difference in how you will live your life. I think it's even important to shine a dystopian light on these topics, to metaphorically emphasize real world problems.
Why then do I only give three stars to Kea's Flight?
1. Kinda technical issues: I did not much like the pace. From hectic to extremely slow, everything was to be found and to me this just wasn't ideal. Even though I'm aware of Erika Hammerschmidt's stance on editing I think the book would have profited a lot if someone professional had given their thoughts on how to structure and pace the plot.
2. The ending is a lot too utopian for me and feels like a major mistake. I think this created a totally unnecessary black-and-white overlay to the whole book. From my experience I also think that the majority of autistic people
Spoiler
would not enjoy being involved in governing processes, because of anxiety and self-criticism issues that are really typical for many autists. That's a minor detail though and something I could've overlooked easily.3. Major personal, totally subjective issue in relation to Kea's special interest:
Spoiler
as a linguist and person deeply interested in languages I was at first happy to find that the main character of the book is interested in languages, too. But my joy didn't last long as Kea's interest in languages is neither researched well nor executed well in my opinion. And that's just upsetting. I do know it's a very personal, eventually minor detail, but to me it matters a lot.4. I agree very much with Ada Hoffmann's review where she points out that it's a major flaw of Kea's Flight that only 'stereotypically shiny Aspies' are represented fairly. Go read her review and explore her Autistic Book Party reviews, they're great!