skygiants | (no subject)

In the month or two since I last read the Steerswoman books, I had almost forgotten how good they were. I mean, I knew! But then I started reading The Lost Steersman and I knew all over again.

So The Lost Steersman begins with a story arc I both enjoy and identify with: Rowan has to settle into a town for a while to put the archives in order (the archives being in order is explicitly a key component for saving the world! *___*) which also requires socializing with the locals. Small talk, for Rowan, is like pulling teeth. The locals think she is weird and unfriendly -- and I love when one of the villagers calls her out on the fact that she pretty much thinks they're boring and not worth her time, and they can tell. It's a completely different kind of culture clash than the one in the previous book -- one I don't usually see tackled -- and as with all culture clashes in these books, it's handled very well, and also inspires in me a passionate identification with Rowan while at the same time recognizing the places she messes up. I would rather be alphabetizing than networking any day! I FEEL YOU, ROWAN.

So this is going on, and there's an old friend of Rowan's hanging around and acting weird, and some mysterious demon creatures keep attacking the town . . .

. . . and then EVERYTHING GOES OFF THE RAILS and if you're reading under this cut you should already know what I'm talking about.

So I spent a lot of the last hundred pages thinking essentially the equivalent of "oh Rowan you beautiful naive sophisticated newborn baby," in a way that made me sad for my own cynicism. Rowan thinks that once people know about the sentience of the demons, everyone will care! I love her for thinking that. I . . . do not. The situation on the planet inherently sets up a "them or me" kind of mentality, and the demons are so alien, and so historically feared among the Outskirters, that I cannot see this ending well. AT ALL. FOR ANYONE. I loved the construction of the demons and their completely alien mode of communication and the bare, faint glimmers of understanding, and I can't think it will in any way be enough.

Other deep, deep thoughts:

a. JANUS IS A DICK
b. ZENNA IS PRETTY AWESOME
c. I really hope the ~mystery of Mira~ will be solved in the next book (right now I'm guessing she did just what the townspeople accused Rowan of doing, and replaced the real Mira? But I would not be surprised if it turned out more complicated than that)
d. how much did I love Bel popping up all "heeeeeeere I come to save the daaaaaaay!" SO MUCH.

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I was highly disappointed when I read The Language of Power and found that... Sephy? Selphy? ... whatever his name is wasn't in it. Apart from Rowan, and maybe Bel, I find his arc the most interesting so far.

I was also highly disappointed to find that the intended sequels beyond Language of Power have not thus far been published.

I found his arc super interesting also! But I would have said before I read this one that I would be sad to read most of a book without Bel, and I loved this book as much as I loved the ones with all Bel all the time, so at this point I'm willing to roll with whatever Rosemary Kirstein gives me.

Fair enough. I do continue to hope that he comes back in the next one, though.

Favorite line, bar none: the "last time Rowan planned a party" part.

I WOULD ATTEND ROWAN'S PARTIES