At its heart, this is a fish out of water story (well, among
other things). Corrie Welling is police. Willing and able to knock heads in
order to serve the law, and, perhaps more importantly, to serve justice. She
has a streak of duty a mile wide, a quick mind, and an ever so slightly quicker
mouth, with a penchant for exotic insults. Corrie is young, and maybe a little
idealistic, but her ideals are those that recognise the flaws in the world and
want to make it a better one. She’s willing to stand up for her friends, and…well,
anyone else she thinks isn’t getting a fair shake, actually. Corrie Welling is
an engaging protagonist, one we can empathise and sympathise with, one with
whom we can happily walk into the unknown.
Which is just as well, because Corrie Welling is having a
very bad day. She’s been knocked on the head, and thrown into the belly of a
ship travelling to who knows where, with a cargo of children, and nothing that
suggests they’ll come to a good end. Surprisingly, things can actually get worse
from there. But Corrie has the resilience to weather it, and the mental and
physical strength to refuse to back down from those looking to cause harm, and
instead get right up in their faces. In a genre which can all too often Chosen
Ones chasing their McGuffins, Corrie’s solid refusal to let Bad People do Bad
Things is refreshing. She’s not here to save the world, but to find a place in
it, to find something of herself. To learn and understand, and build communities.
And, admittedly, occasionally to bust heads and yell at people. Corrie is a
regular working woman, who just wants to go home already, and is very much
tired of everyone else’s crap. That crap might involve deep magic, weird
celestial events, indentured servitude, religious fanaticism, or (occasionally)
coffee. But the weary attitude of an everywoman who is trying to make their way
in the world and get things done is a tonic, an opportunity to see that
heroines are made, not born. Corrie can change the world by doing the right
thing, and she does that while standing square in a working class heritage of
family, duty, service and friendship – and while doing that she shines.
Anyway. Yes. Corrie is a fantastic protagonist. She comes
off the page at you with her energy, ferocity and kindness. And the places she
goes, which, well, I shan’t spoil, have that life and crackle to them, that sense
of depth and history that gives them context and reality. As Corrie wanders the
strange and unknown, I was right beside her, as curious, as intrigued, as
delighted and terrified as her. The Maradaine saga is known for its great
worldbuilding, and if that’s your thing, you won’t be disappointed here.
The same is true of the story, which I really must not
spoil. But it really did grab me and not let go. I picked the book up and didn’t
put it down for hours, immersed in Corries’s world, in her story, and yes, I
really couldn’t stop turning pages. This is compulsive reading right here, that
you’ll pick up and not put down, and then lament when you’re finished that
there isn’t any more. I, for one, am here for more adventures like this, speaking to the dangers of
fanaticism and selfishness , filled with the strength of community and
friendship and trust, exploring what it means to be human with big questions behind
a page turner of a tale.
So yes. Anyway. This
is a fun book, a great story, and one you should go and pick up right away –
give it a try!
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