I’m not in the habit of seeking out reviews, but when your publishers sends you a link accompanied by smiley faces and exclamation marks, then it’s impossible not to click through and give it a good read — which seems only fair, in this instance, since the review itself (and the insightful reviewer, Haralambi Markov) has certainly given Lament for the Afterlife a good read!
There are so many positives in this review — and even the critiques are framed in a considered, thoughtful and perfectly fair way — that it’s hard to single out the best bits! But here are a few highlights:
Lament for the Afterlife is beautiful, unpleasant, grotesque and outlandish in all the best possible ways and a galvanizing debut from an author who has proved herself time and time again in the short fiction arena.
Not to mention:
Poetic and foul-mouthed, Lament for the Afterlife takes no chances and jumps off the deep end into waters unknown for the better. This mosaic novel takes all the heartache mothered by the strife of war and paints an arresting and unflinching portrait.
And the discussion of various roles war fiction has played in fantasy — which includes pointing out that Lament exposes readers “to war’s true ugliness as experienced by those uprooted and broken individuals living a warped, grotesque life following armed conflict and surviving as best they can” — is so very satisfying.
Obviously, it’s really great just to see Lament being read and reviewed, but of course I can’t help but feel glad (and grateful) to see responses like this one! Go here to read it in full.
Lisa L. Hannett 