Book Review: Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh


Book cover for Some Desperate Glory showing some floating orbs.This is a fun bit of sci-fi. A bit tropey in places, but an excellent sense of world-building and a vicious cast of double-crossers.

The protagonist is best described by one of the character's off-hand remarks about her being “The very best space fascist girl scout of them all.”

Can you feel sympathy for someone who has been manipulated into being evil? What about if given every chance to change, they turn back to their abusers? Is it OK to use sexism to your own advantage? If you had the chance to rewrite your history, would you?

The pacing is perfect - with a big reveal at exactly halfway through. It is fairly imaginative but I found it a bit too hand-wavey and, dare I say, a little generic. The prose is spectacular, though, and some of the difficult subjects are handled with appropriate sensitivity.

Verdict
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4 thoughts on “Book Review: Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh”

  1. Bill C says:

    Listened to the Audiobook over Christmas. Like the book and the characters. and yes she is “The very best space fascist girl scout of them all.”

    Reply

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