Book Reviews: Docile, Szpara; Sisters of the Vast Black, Rather; Manfried vol 1&2, Major
I am seventeen chronological years behind in posting book reviews but, like, whatever.
Title: Docile
Author: K.M. Szpara
Published: Tor, 2020
Rating: 2 of 5
Page Count: 485
Total Page Count: 320,235
Text Number: 1124
Read Because: personal enjoyment, borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: To pay off his family's inherited debt, a man sells himself into a lifetime of servitude—but refuses the drug that other Dociles use to keep them, well, docile. I would call this Captive Prince: capitalist dystopia version, but others have pointed out that slavefic is just an established fanfic trope, which is true. It's not fic I read, but when polished into novel form I enjoy the interplay of taboo, BDSM, ethics, and character growth. Here, the glittering degeneracy of trillionaire society contrasts intimate moments and internal views (despite the bland first person voices); short chapters and erotic elements give it a lighting pace.
But the issues it tackles, of coerced consent and capitalism as the new indentured servitude, are effectively stylistic trappings. It takes place in a post-prejudicial society, and certainly the bounty of queer characters and sex scenes is a delight. But it's incredible to attempt a conversation about newfangled slavery in near-future capitalist-dystopia America without once mentioning America's history of slavery, and the failure to do so is highly indicative. Avoiding race creates a void in the worldbuilding and in the commentary on real-world late capitalism. It's a provocative concept (and tagline!), but empty.
(I'm also not enamored of the way the narrative frames power exchange as the immoral (but sexy) BDSM dynamic, where other BDSM acts and general submissive tendencies are framed as healthy—but this is largely a result of the way these elements line up with abuse and recovery, and frankly it's a less glaring & less important issue.)
Title: Sisters of the Vast Black
Author: Lina Rather
Published: Tor, 2019
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 175
Total Page Count: 320,480
Text Number: 1126
Read Because: reviewed by![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
mrissa, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: Bless a super-tropey premise which is fully engaged but not campy in execution: nuns in space, traveling on a giant gastropod-ship. They're a diverse group with unique motives and relationships with faith, and the ship is massive and alive and a generally delightful concept. Given such disparate elements, the plot comes together too neatly; the resolution has a preachy tone that adds to that scripted feel. But I appreciate the bittersweet vibe of the ending: the-powers-that-be can't be stopped in day, but the struggle—against those powers; with faith, and with self—has value nonetheless. It complements the character study, and I wish the plot were content with that; but even if this gets too ambitious, it's a strong effort, particularly for a debut.
Title: Manfried the Man (Manfried the Man Book 1)
Author: Caitlin Major
Illustrator: Kelly Bastow
Published: Quirk Books, 2018
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 225
Total Page Count: 320,705
Text Number: 1127
Read Because: recommended bystarshipfox, paperback borrowed from the Wilsonville Public Library
Review:
Imagine that: a giant anthropomorphic cat with a miniature pet man is just as sweet and silly and wildly bonkers as expected—often in concert. The nonsexualized nudity is endearing, but the men still feel like a happy commune of leather bears. The blithe refusal to worldbuild "why giant cats" or "but where do the men come from?" is charming, but raises unsettling questions like "if the men use tools, what's their comparative intelligence and its ramifications?"
So, is it good? I have no earthly clue. The plot doesn't stray far from predictable crazy cat lady tropes & a cheap ending, and I'm not happy with the suggestion that, while letting your cat outside is bad, a cat outside grows confident, strong, and sociable as opposed to dead, injured, or diseased—but whatever, this isn't meant to be read literally. Is it enjoyable? yes, insofar as it absolutely fulfills its premise. The gimmick of role reversal successfully reframes cat-things, providing a fresh view of both the silliness of life with cats and the domestic comfort of companion animals.
Title: Manfried Saves the Day (Manfried the Man Book 2)
Author: Caitlin Major
Illustrator: Kelly Bastow
Published: Quirk Books, 2019
Rating: 2 of 5
Page Count: 225
Total Page Count: 323,940
Text Number: 1139
Read Because: recommended bystarshipfox, paperback borrowed from the Wilsonville Public Library
Review: The writing here is just ... not very good. Silly montages and a cartoony antagonist clash with a grinding depiction of over-work which, tellingly, lacks meaningful resolution. But it bothers me more that the men feel less like cats. Sometimes they feel like dogs, which is fine; sometimes they lean into the uncanny valley element of "miniature pet men" (wearing clothes! using tools! understanding language well enough for pep talks and verbal instructions, I guess...?). This could be delightful if it were smarter, more self-aware, or just more humorous (contrast the way Beastars nods at or even centralizes its bizarre/fridge horror worldbuilding elements)—but it's not, and so it's weird without payoff. That's a lot of criticism to throw at a silly comic with a uniquely strange and delightful premise, and much of the pleasure is still present: there's still pet men, the cognitive dissonance is playful and inviting, the art is gently rounded. But this isn't as successful as the first volume.
Title: Docile
Author: K.M. Szpara
Published: Tor, 2020
Rating: 2 of 5
Page Count: 485
Total Page Count: 320,235
Text Number: 1124
Read Because: personal enjoyment, borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: To pay off his family's inherited debt, a man sells himself into a lifetime of servitude—but refuses the drug that other Dociles use to keep them, well, docile. I would call this Captive Prince: capitalist dystopia version, but others have pointed out that slavefic is just an established fanfic trope, which is true. It's not fic I read, but when polished into novel form I enjoy the interplay of taboo, BDSM, ethics, and character growth. Here, the glittering degeneracy of trillionaire society contrasts intimate moments and internal views (despite the bland first person voices); short chapters and erotic elements give it a lighting pace.
But the issues it tackles, of coerced consent and capitalism as the new indentured servitude, are effectively stylistic trappings. It takes place in a post-prejudicial society, and certainly the bounty of queer characters and sex scenes is a delight. But it's incredible to attempt a conversation about newfangled slavery in near-future capitalist-dystopia America without once mentioning America's history of slavery, and the failure to do so is highly indicative. Avoiding race creates a void in the worldbuilding and in the commentary on real-world late capitalism. It's a provocative concept (and tagline!), but empty.
(I'm also not enamored of the way the narrative frames power exchange as the immoral (but sexy) BDSM dynamic, where other BDSM acts and general submissive tendencies are framed as healthy—but this is largely a result of the way these elements line up with abuse and recovery, and frankly it's a less glaring & less important issue.)
Title: Sisters of the Vast Black
Author: Lina Rather
Published: Tor, 2019
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 175
Total Page Count: 320,480
Text Number: 1126
Read Because: reviewed by
mrissa, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County LibraryReview: Bless a super-tropey premise which is fully engaged but not campy in execution: nuns in space, traveling on a giant gastropod-ship. They're a diverse group with unique motives and relationships with faith, and the ship is massive and alive and a generally delightful concept. Given such disparate elements, the plot comes together too neatly; the resolution has a preachy tone that adds to that scripted feel. But I appreciate the bittersweet vibe of the ending: the-powers-that-be can't be stopped in day, but the struggle—against those powers; with faith, and with self—has value nonetheless. It complements the character study, and I wish the plot were content with that; but even if this gets too ambitious, it's a strong effort, particularly for a debut.
Title: Manfried the Man (Manfried the Man Book 1)
Author: Caitlin Major
Illustrator: Kelly Bastow
Published: Quirk Books, 2018
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 225
Total Page Count: 320,705
Text Number: 1127
Read Because: recommended by
starshipfox, paperback borrowed from the Wilsonville Public LibraryReview:
Imagine that: a giant anthropomorphic cat with a miniature pet man is just as sweet and silly and wildly bonkers as expected—often in concert. The nonsexualized nudity is endearing, but the men still feel like a happy commune of leather bears. The blithe refusal to worldbuild "why giant cats" or "but where do the men come from?" is charming, but raises unsettling questions like "if the men use tools, what's their comparative intelligence and its ramifications?"
So, is it good? I have no earthly clue. The plot doesn't stray far from predictable crazy cat lady tropes & a cheap ending, and I'm not happy with the suggestion that, while letting your cat outside is bad, a cat outside grows confident, strong, and sociable as opposed to dead, injured, or diseased—but whatever, this isn't meant to be read literally. Is it enjoyable? yes, insofar as it absolutely fulfills its premise. The gimmick of role reversal successfully reframes cat-things, providing a fresh view of both the silliness of life with cats and the domestic comfort of companion animals.
Title: Manfried Saves the Day (Manfried the Man Book 2)
Author: Caitlin Major
Illustrator: Kelly Bastow
Published: Quirk Books, 2019
Rating: 2 of 5
Page Count: 225
Total Page Count: 323,940
Text Number: 1139
Read Because: recommended by
starshipfox, paperback borrowed from the Wilsonville Public LibraryReview: The writing here is just ... not very good. Silly montages and a cartoony antagonist clash with a grinding depiction of over-work which, tellingly, lacks meaningful resolution. But it bothers me more that the men feel less like cats. Sometimes they feel like dogs, which is fine; sometimes they lean into the uncanny valley element of "miniature pet men" (wearing clothes! using tools! understanding language well enough for pep talks and verbal instructions, I guess...?). This could be delightful if it were smarter, more self-aware, or just more humorous (contrast the way Beastars nods at or even centralizes its bizarre/fridge horror worldbuilding elements)—but it's not, and so it's weird without payoff. That's a lot of criticism to throw at a silly comic with a uniquely strange and delightful premise, and much of the pleasure is still present: there's still pet men, the cognitive dissonance is playful and inviting, the art is gently rounded. But this isn't as successful as the first volume.