Emily TeshReseñas

I. Loved. This. Book. Kyr is a really compelling protagonist, even though she starts out wrong about a lot of things. (In a way, she reminds me of Adora at the beginning of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.) She's competent and dedicated and has a lot to learn about people and the world outside what she was taught from childhood. I loved watching her grapple with what to do when reality didn't match her worldview.

And then the Wisdom lets Kyr go back and change things, and OMG! That was a huge twist that changed everything, and gave another angle on how we're shaped by our environment and what might have been. And the ending was perfect, just perfect, seeing how Kyr has grown and changed and a chance at a different future for everyone. Yes!

In a world with a military bent, where you're a soldier until you're not. Where you're bred to avenge the destruction of earth. We meet Valkyre or Kyr. She's finished her schooling and now is waiting for her assignment. Her brother is sent to certain death and she's sent to breed. She decides to take things into her own hands and she ends up learning more about what she believed to be true and how messed up things can be.
There were a few times where I was kinda lost in the story but persistence paid off when things revealed themselves.½

My initial response to this novel when it came out was that it was another "hero's journey" story in the form of a military procedural, two types of novel which I have developed some skepticism towards over the years, so my inclination was to give it a pass. This is with the caveat that I thought I might give it a chance if it made the "short list" for the various main awards.

So, guess what, when the Hugo short list was released it turns out that between the list, and my own nominations, this was the only novel of the combined set that I hadn't read. Oh well, time for a trip to the library!

The level on which this novel most impresses me is that of thematic seriousness as, whatever else Ms. Tesh does with her page count, she does a fine job of hammering the conventions of a lot of standard stories of warfare between galactic empires, between the futility of preemptive strikes, the narcissism of victimhood, the cultist mentality of self-proclaimed military elites, and the dead-end of pawning off decision on supposed superior intelligences.

One also has to like how Ms. Tesh puts her main character through their paces, as Kyr goes through the process of getting wisdom, and there's a lot of processing to go through; such was the depth of their indoctrination.

Less good is that this is still a "hero's journey" (or is that anti-hero) and it also turns into something of a time-war story, another less-than-favorite trope of mine. I'm also still questioning a little whether this story is more than the sum of its parts. Let's put it this way; having finally read this novel I still wouldn't have swapped it out any of the other five books I nominated from last year.

However, what I might like best about this work is that it has echoes of classic Iain Banks about it, and that is certainly a good thing. Going forward, I will be looking at new work from this author as an opportunity, not a chore.½

I needed something cozy and this gave me that and more.

I do really like when I can encounter books this way, when I can let them work upon me with no expectations or weight at all. As I say around here a lot, part of the appeal of sf is that the world itself is a mystery, and the less you know going in, the better the mystery is!

So I am going to undermine the book by telling you what it's like, but hey, if that's a problem for you, you shouldn't be reading reviews on LibraryThing. Another thing I enjoy about sf is articulating subgenre; Some Desperate Glory clearly comes out of the same space/movement as Ancillary Justice, Machineries of Empire, and A Memory Called Empire. Like those works, it's in the space opera zone to some extent, and it's about what makes empire equally appealing and horrifying...* although, not quite. While those other works are about a society's outward projection of power, Some Desperate Glory is more about a society's inward projection of power—facsism. How does a society exert power over its own members, shape them into the people they need to be? How does it cause us to shape ourselves, how do we become complicit in this? Our viewpoint character is a fascist who has totally bought into the rhetoric of her own people, but we can see what she cannot, the ways in which this has rendered her shortsighted and awful. This is a little frustrating at first, because it's so obvious that she's in the wrong, but kind of fascinating, too; I think Tesh did a good job inhabiting Valkyr's headspace.

Every now and again something really significant would happen in a very understated way, and this was my biggest actual problem with the book. I would end up missing something really quite important and have to go back! I don't know if these parts were done that way on purpose, or if it's just an unfortunate writing tic, but I found it frustrating. Maybe if I was reading in a less distracted environment, but I am the parent of two children five and under as well as a professor who squeezed the book in small chunks during final week so there's no much I can do about that!

Other than that, I really enjoyed the book. I was getting "this is pretty good vibes" for most of it, but then in ch. 27 (specifically, on p. 357 in my 2023 Orbit paperback) the characters make a ridiculously audacious choice that genuinely made me laugh out loud from the sheer pleasure of it. From then on, I was in love. Like those books I listed above, Some Desperate Glory is about doing the right thing in the face of a society determined to prevent it. What makes this sequence work so well is how far Kyr and the other characters end up going to make this happen, how they learn what matters is not just saving themselves from fascism, but others as well. Lots of great payoffs in the last hundred pages, making ultimately a very satisfying novel about the difficult lengths one has to go to in order to make oneself into the person one ought to have been.

There's more to talk about, harrowing stuff about gender and queerness especially. But I'll leave that for people better equipped to do so.

* The Traitor Baru Cormorant doesn't take place in space, but otherwise it overlaps with these as well; if you like all these space novels, you'll probably like Traitor as well.

The last outpost of earth tries to keep their species alive. Eventually they discover they are not the only earthlings and are in fact the slaves of an evil man. Too many convenient "time slips" allows the characters to have do-overs.½

3.5 Stars

Atmospheric, a bit dark, capitalizing on the folklore of the wood and why some superstitions should be held in wary careful respect to ward off those ugly things that go bump in the night.

There’s a bit of mystery here as the wood cyclically takes on a life of its own. Bridging magic and legends and curses, this starts with Tobias who’s tethered to the forest for unclear reasons except he simply knows he’s a protector. When his new inquisitive “landlord” starts to show up on a regular basis, a very slow burn connection commences. Tobias knows Henry’s just the sort of light that would attract the darkness to take Henry for its own.

So yes, danger lurks, hungrily seeking its next victim, and this is all about sacrifice, renewal, and redemption. If this sounds interesting to you, it’s currently on KU!

wow. 4 and a half stars. everyone needs to read this one. it builds with all the momentum and the gumption of the very best of space opera adventures, so you can read it just for the frantic pace. at the same time, remarkably, it's very much in the spirit and with the mastery of Le Guin's greatest books of social science fiction, while at the same time remaining very much its own thing. it's also a ruthless dissection of military cultures and what they're built for, demonstrated by way more show than tell. oh, and don't be put off by the unlovable narrator Kyr as you begin to read, because she's got a major explosive arc to run from beginning to end, and we've all got to start somewhere.½

Set two years after Silver in the Wood, this novella sees Henry Silver grapple with the implications of his newfound immortality and with his estrangement from Tobias Finch. I liked this, though not as much of the first book. I didn't think that Silver's characterisation quite meshed with what had previously been established of him and the conflict between him and Tobias wasn't dealt with deftly enough. Also, for a novel about Green Men: not enough woods. Enjoyable, but I don't think it will linger in my memory.

A beautifully written novella! I don’t know what I was expecting when I began this novella but it made me very happy! I read this in one sitting and can’t wait for the sequel.

A duology I’ll re-shelve knowing I’m gonna revisit them someday.

Charmed the shit outta me

Wow what a beautiful story! I hope there will be a whole series with these characters, it's a dream come to life for Green Man enthusiasts.

I enjoyed the continuation of the world that Tesh created more than I did the story, this time around. The something that has led to a coldness between the main characters is left unspecified for far too long. I found myself wondering, "Did I forget something important from the prior book?" That said, if I find that the story haunts my wondering thoughts (and it might), I'll probably come back and revise my rating to 4 stars.

This slim volume was just the sort of nature-oriented fantasy story I wanted when I started it. I'm glad Tesh didn't try to stretch it out to make a longer book. The story would have suffered greatly. I hope more people relish this as I did.
I have pre-ordered the sequel using bookshop.org

4.5 stars.

There was so much to love about this story. The feeling of the wood is so visceral and earthy. Tobias is the perfect blend of contented caretaker and lonely soul, and Henry Silver is a tender and kind lummox. They blend together with the dark history of the wood, especially with the bittersweet ending, in a way that really hits my sweet spot.
I only wish there had been a little more space for their relationship to grow, a little more of the wood's mythology to creep into the story. Just a little bit more about Tobias' adventures after he left the wood would have really made it sing.

Kyr is a happy fascist, proud to be the best girl in her cohort. But when that doesn’t bring her the combat assignment she expects, she disobeys—she knows she has more to give the fight against the aliens who destroyed almost all of humanity. Very rapidly, she learns about the other abuses that shape her existence. She’s a reflexive homophobe—sex without reproduction is unhelpful to the human cause—though she’s willing to work with her brother’s gay friend. Her attitudes change over the course of the book, including for spoiler reasons, but the spoilers are possible because, while Kyr likes being strong and powerful, she also wants to do good—and as her definition of good changes, her concerns widen. Tesh upends the game several times during the book, which helps speedrun Kyr through her development, and I ended up having a good time.

I loved the idea of this and the story reads easily, but in the end I felt it lacked a certain depth, as if the characters kept not only each other but also the reader at a distance. Too much thought (although beautifully expressed), not enough feeling. I still read part 2 in the same sitting though.

Queer as Folklore

Truly wonderful, heartfelt, strange, confronting. This duology is a beautiful thing. My review for the separate Novella's below:

Silver in the Wood

This is one for the randomly picking something in the Audible Included library and it turning out to be utterly phenemonal.

I'm flabbergasted with just how glorious this Novella's in tone and vibe are. It's like going on a beautiful spring walk in the British countryside, actually connecting with the trees and local folklore without having to deal with the posh Conservative or insular locals (I'm a Britbonger myself, so I think this is OK to say), experiencing all seasons and emotions in a day (which feels rather British).

Imagine if A24's Men was actually about positive masculinity and wonderfully adorable gay vibes, as well as the dangerous creature of myth.

I just feel so gloriously sated, especially with reading A Psalm for the Wild-Built in the last 36 hours. So much so that, while I am absolutely gagging to read the next book in this duology, I am so enamoured with coming across these books that I'm going to save it as a treat for the next time I need a pick me up or have a bad experience with a book.

Bloody marvellous!


***

Drowned Country

More strange and somewhat adorable sylvan fun from Silver and Toby.

I was truly blown away by Silver in the Wood with its wonder and emotional depth, so I felt a little disappointed with the first half of this novella. There are wonderful ideas and subversions of fantasy and folklore tropes, but it seems there was a little something missing. This emotional depth I had been missing really came back strongly with the second half, which I enjoyed a lot more. It wraps up the duoloy wonderfully.

If you liked Silver in the Wood, then you should absolutely read this, and if you haven't read that book GO DO IT RIGHT NOW!

Queer as Folklore

This is one for the randomly picking something in the Audible Included library and it turning out to be utterly phenemonal.

I'm flabbergasted with just how glorious this Novella's in tone and vibe are. It's like going on a beautiful spring walk in the British countryside, actually connecting with the trees and local folklore without having to deal with the posh Conservative or insular locals (I'm a Britbonger myself, so I think this is OK to say), experiencing all seasons and emotions in a day (which feels rather British).

Imagine if A24's Men was actually about positive masculinity and wonderfully adorable gay vibes, as well as the dangerous creature of myth.

I just feel so gloriously sated, especially with reading A Psalm for the Wild-Built in the last 36 hours. So much so that, while I am absolutely gagging to read the next book in this duology, I am so enamoured with coming across these books that I'm going to save it as a treat for the next time I need a pick me up or have a bad experience with a book.

Bloody marvellous!

More strange and somewhat adorable sylvan fun from Silver and Toby.

I was truly blown away by Silver in the Wood with its wonder and emotional depth, so I felt a little disappointed with the first half of this novella. There are wonderful ideas and subversions of fantasy and folklore tropes, but it seems there was a little something missing. This emotional depth I had been missing really came back strongly with the second half, which I enjoyed a lot more. It wraps up the duoloy wonderfully.

If you liked Silver in the Wood, then you should absolutely read this, and if you haven't read that book GO DO IT RIGHT NOW!

This was NICE. All the atmosphere of old school mythic fiction, with all the sweetness of a G-rated dark!Tom Bombadil slashfic.

The writing is lovely and sophisticated, and there are some refreshing new takes on familiar European fantasy tropes. To be honest I thought it was going to be a slight story, but actually there's enough going on with the characters that it may warrant a reread at some point.

I'm sure I could say more, but I think I'll wait for the forthcoming sequel...

Set in a 19th(?)-century England, Silver in the Wood is a lovely, gentle novella which is part a queer romantic take on the Green Man of folklore, part a love letter to ancient woodlands. Emily Tesh's prose is understated and lovely, and I appreciated the deft way in which she showed us Tobias' gradual re-engagement with other people and with his humanity. Will definitely look out for the sequel.