Green

Next book on the list is Green by Jay Lake (a Portlander!).

So, here's the problem: I'm not sure how to explain myself without giving too much away. I might need you to just trust me... or don't, whichever is fine. But I will honestly do my best.

In a nutshell, this book made me... green. As in sick, not with envy.

Here's why. Lake begins by dedicating the book to his daughter, saying this is her story, and that he made some of it up. (It's Sci Fi, so of course it isn't all true...) The story is of a girl that is bought as a child and trained to be a princess, sort of- but really, she's just a slave. She's given valuable tools, and it's interesting to watch... until it gets creepy. There are little tidbits about how she wishes she were a man, or she should have been a man, or she changes her appearance to be a man... none of which are too surprising, given that she's kidnapped and told to be a lady and everything. I was on the fence, but when she starts fooling around (yes, like that) with her CAT LADY teacher, I thought, Sorry, Mr. Lake, I'm out. Done. Over it. And you say this is your daughter's story?

Of course, I kept reading... I'm dedicated. Unfortunately, it didn't get better. The other problem is this... I felt like there were ten books in one. He could have stretched this into several books if he had tried. Around the hundred page marker, I couldn't believe that there were 250ish more pages to get through... I felt like I'd run a race with this girl. Yikes.

The redeeming qualities were the worlds, for sure. Lake brings fictional places out of nowhere, and does a good job of artistically structuring places that are engaging. Additionally, I loved the aspect of the story that had to do with this girl and her culture- how she tried to keep culture from her home, how she dealt with people trying to (literally) beat her culture out of her. I was intrigued by this part of the story... but it didn't make up for the rest.

So, there you have it. Sorry this one's a downer- if you don't want to take my word for it, or you disagree, please let me know! I'd love feedback!