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A review by crowyhead
Temperance by Cathy Malkasian
3.0
What a weird and oddly beautiful book! This is one of those odd, absorbing books that leaves one a little confused. It feels somewhat allegorical, but perhaps it's more fable-like? There's a certain dream logic that leaves the reader grasping a bit, trying to determine what exactly has happened.
The basic plot is that a powerful tyrant known only as Pa convinces a large number of people that The Enemy is coming for them. In fear for their lives, several thousand people have sealed themselves into a stone ship known as BlessedBowl. But Pa went missing before it was sealed, leaving the survivors to create a society built on a lie.
I can't say I liked this entirely, but I also can't say I didn't. I found it fascinating but I also longed for some kind of author's notes about where the idea came from, or perhaps a scholarly afterword to interpret it for me...
The basic plot is that a powerful tyrant known only as Pa convinces a large number of people that The Enemy is coming for them. In fear for their lives, several thousand people have sealed themselves into a stone ship known as BlessedBowl. But Pa went missing before it was sealed, leaving the survivors to create a society built on a lie.
I can't say I liked this entirely, but I also can't say I didn't. I found it fascinating but I also longed for some kind of author's notes about where the idea came from, or perhaps a scholarly afterword to interpret it for me...