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A review by yak_attak
A Stranger in Olondria by Sofia Samatar
4.0
What a beautiful, beautiful, dull book. Samatar's debut is a vivid exploration of a city, culture, wanderlust, and of course like these things always are, storytelling. Our main character begins as a young son of a noble on an island, journeys to the big city, gets into trouble over his head - you get the picture. The story isn't novel (we'll get to that), but the writing, oh man. It sucks to be as disengaged as I was, becasue Sofia Samatar can write so well. The sights of the city, the smells of the market, the sounds of the birds, and the colors of the foliage leap off the page in vivid detail. Samatar writes in a flowing, poetic style that never ceases to give you the sensation of being there, of experience, of context - poignant given the power that books hold in this story, and their ability to keep people alive (literally) after death.
The story though is an epic travelogue in a LeGuinian style (Earthsea and Left Hand of Darkness very much come to mind in many ways), but without the drive that keeps things moving and fresh. We get beautiful scene after captivating scene, but just sorta float along with the main character, inept and unable to do anything. Some of the plotting being a little bizarre (Why the main character would help certain people while not helping others is.... puzzling) doesn't help. By the end, when what Samatar is trying to accomplish comes into focus, it's quite powerful, and lovely, but it's also a message I feel like I've read and enjoyed more elsewhere - unfortunate given how well this book puts you into its world.
I'd like to try her other story, and would certainly recommend it to anyone who's a fan of great language.
The story though is an epic travelogue in a LeGuinian style (Earthsea and Left Hand of Darkness very much come to mind in many ways), but without the drive that keeps things moving and fresh. We get beautiful scene after captivating scene, but just sorta float along with the main character, inept and unable to do anything. Some of the plotting being a little bizarre (Why the main character would help certain people while not helping others is.... puzzling) doesn't help. By the end, when what Samatar is trying to accomplish comes into focus, it's quite powerful, and lovely, but it's also a message I feel like I've read and enjoyed more elsewhere - unfortunate given how well this book puts you into its world.
I'd like to try her other story, and would certainly recommend it to anyone who's a fan of great language.