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A review by ladyofways
Elsewhere by Will Shetterly
2.0
Eh. This book is very bland, and the parts that stand out are the most objectionable ones. Ron is a traumatized young teenager who mouths off constantly and is mostly just a jerk. We're supposed to find it lovable or relatable, I think, since everyone likes him regardless? The other characters are pretty flat, and largely only described insomuch as Ron finds them attractive (or not). The plot is just... messy. A lot of Ron wandering around being upset about whatever, then a *lot* of crazy happens towards the end and it felt weird and rushed. I either disliked (Mooner) or just didn't care (Lena) about the side characters. I didn't understand the weird punishment (?) of having him get turned into a Wolfman . By the end, I understood why certain things/characters existed, but they felt either contrived (Ms. Wu, Florida) or just not interesting enough to justify their inclusion.
The major issue I had with the book is how appallingly 90s it is in terms of its attempted "progressive" messaging. Mickey didn't bother me so much; although she was transparent disability rep, it was a decent job - making a point of how she gets through life with no arms, using her feet or various tools, but (with a couple exceptions) it's not sappy. Florida was fine, although I'm also tired of "mute kid learns to talk at a Significant Moment to Make Things Better for the MC" plots. Goldy was... fine. I couldn't tell if he was intended to be gay, since it's only obliquely referenced; I honestly hope not since he treads on the "metrosexual" edge. The really awful one was King O'Beer/the gay representation in general. It's clearly meant well, but it's just trite. Plus, having your MC be homophobic and "learn better" really isn't cool anymore. Especially since it's that really gross "I can't have a gay roommate - what if he tries to ~*~sex me~*~ cause he's ~*~a gay~*~; oh wait, someone threw a rock at him & his boyfriend and now I've Learned a Life Lesson".
I think if it had been in isolation, I'd probably give the book three stars, but it's intended to be YA (I think?) and I can't in good conscience imagine giving it to a teenager when it's so painfully outdated. I'm still curious about the rest of the Borderlands stories - maybe some of these characters are from previous stories and so make more sense? But ugh, I'm done with Ron, for real.
The major issue I had with the book is how appallingly 90s it is in terms of its attempted "progressive" messaging. Mickey didn't bother me so much; although she was transparent disability rep, it was a decent job - making a point of how she gets through life with no arms, using her feet or various tools, but (with a couple exceptions) it's not sappy. Florida was fine, although I'm also tired of "mute kid learns to talk at a Significant Moment to Make Things Better for the MC" plots. Goldy was... fine. I couldn't tell if he was intended to be gay, since it's only obliquely referenced; I honestly hope not since he treads on the "metrosexual" edge. The really awful one was King O'Beer/the gay representation in general. It's clearly meant well, but it's just trite. Plus, having your MC be homophobic and "learn better" really isn't cool anymore. Especially since it's that really gross "I can't have a gay roommate - what if he tries to ~*~sex me~*~ cause he's ~*~a gay~*~; oh wait, someone threw a rock at him & his boyfriend and now I've Learned a Life Lesson".
I think if it had been in isolation, I'd probably give the book three stars, but it's intended to be YA (I think?) and I can't in good conscience imagine giving it to a teenager when it's so painfully outdated. I'm still curious about the rest of the Borderlands stories - maybe some of these characters are from previous stories and so make more sense? But ugh, I'm done with Ron, for real.