My review:
I was reminded of these stories by Bellona’s rec site
And glad to be so. These are *not* warm and fluffy stories about cute slaves and implausibly kindly owners. The slaves are brutalised and broken, and used by their masters to break others of their kind. Long service is rewarded by death, and the only comfort to be found is in the rare solace of a fellow slave’s arms. Joran was born to privilege, but as the child of a slave who his father never got around to freeing, he finds out the hard way what his real position in this society is to be. It’s a cruel and traumatising process bringing him to heel, and makes for a difficult read.
That’s not because the writing is flawed – far from it. It’s powerful, rich and incredibly moving – even the fate of people you at first dislike, can make you weep – but there are no easy answers here, no soft options, and the final resolution, if such you can call it, is hopeful and hopeless at the same time. Brave, imaginative, and challenging writing, which rises above the genre and the expectations of the set up. A real masterpiece, but not for the faint of heart. Take the warnings very seriously.
