daxxh
10/12/2013
Women of Genre Fiction – Book 3
God's War by Kameron Hurley
Finally! I chose a book that is not a romance novel in disguise.
God's War is good, solid military science ficition. Set on the planet Umayma, a world at war, it is a dark, gritty action novel. The world is unique – the parts the reader is introduced to are primarily desert and tropical coastal areas heavily influence by Islamic culture. Insects are used as technology and are manipulated by "magicians." Other genetically mutated people are capable of shape shifting. The different nations of the planet all have different cultures which subtly emulate the prejudices of today – stereotypical gender roles, homosexuality, race, people who are different in some unique way (shape shifters). Nyx, the leader of the mercenary team and the main character, at first glance, is not a likable person. She appears to be a strong woman, alienated from family for her tough attitude and tendency toward violence. But, as the story progresses, she becomes more complex, a warrior who has seen too much death and lost many close to her. The other characters all have their own issues: Rhys, devout in his religion and exiled by his family for refusing to fight in the war; Taite, a gay man from a province where homosexuality is not acceptable; Inaya, Taite's sister, pregnant with a mixed-race child and unwilling to accept her identity as a shape shifter; Khos, a heterosexual shape shifter from a nation where homosexuality is the norm; Anneke, a take as it comes kind of person with loyalty to whomever is boss at the time.
The plot centers around the team hunting for an off-worlder who has disappeared and who may hold the key to ending the war. But all is not as it seems. Politics of the queen and the politics of the off-worlder are not quite what everyone expects to find. The use of bugs as technology was very interesting as they are used to power vehicles, as light sources, as weapons, etc. There are no lengthy explanations of the politics or the technology. The reader must piece toghether the information to form a coherent picture.
This debut book was an excellent read and highly recommended. As the first book in a trilogy, I look forward to reading the other two.