The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells

[lea_hazel]

Last night I finished The Cloud Roads, which I had intended to read for I don't know how long. Capped it off by downloading the preview for the second book of the trilogy, The Serpent Sea. I was reminded of it recently -- I had thought it was from a Writing Excuses cast with Martha Wells, but apparently they never had her on and I was confusing an episode about writing inhuman characters with the one where they recced the book. Probably because Ellen Kushner is another fantasy author I probably should have read years ago.

I enjoyed the book tremendously. The protagonist is male, which is usually a thing that would tamp down my interest. Because of the xenofic aspect, though (his species has about five biological sexes), there are aspects of his arcs which are.... Put it this way: you know how some people use slash fic as a way of examining vulnerability in detachment from femininity, to make it less personal? That. I am definitely working on a full review, but I was hoping someone in my circle had read it. Book's been out long enough that someone must have written on the subject, but I think I must be using the wrong search terms.

Comments

[princessofgeeks]

I loved all the books in the series, and my teenager loved them all too. More is apparently on the way, hurray. The books of novellas and shorts and very good too.

[alias_sqbr]

I tried the start of the free sample but didn't like it, and gave up at the point his secret gets revealed.

The treatment of the intellectually disabled gate keeper bothered me, and the dynamic with the dude and his two tentmates felt very "grumpy gnc women are fine but biddable pretty women are stupid and worthless". Since I'd already been wondering about such subtext in the previous book of hers I'd read ("The Wheel of the Infinite", which I otherwise really liked) I decided to give up, though with the possibility of trying again some time.

Does ableism/anti traditional-femininity-by-our-standards show up in the rest of the book or did the start just happen to hit two buttons for me close together?

[alias_sqbr]

Also! Skygiants has reviewed the whole series, and liked it much more than I did.

[lea_hazel]

The thing with the gate keeper bothered me a lot but for some reason I was able to skate past it. I need to think and read more closely to answer the disability question. I feel like there are aspects of the books that have a disability subtext but I can't tell yet whether it's intentional or just me projecting. My critical reading on the subject is not well-honed yet.

There is a scene in the sequel where he smugly pats himself on the back for being attracted to a demurely-dressed woman instead of a scantily-clad dancer. That really bothered me. Otherwise he mostly serves the role of a "feisty princess" and from that POV it's actually quite an interesting treatment.

[alias_sqbr]

Hmm, ok, thanks! Might give it another go some time then :)