Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh
While Earth's children live, the enemy shall fear us
| Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh | |
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| Category: Science Fiction | |
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Reviewer: Olivia Tierney
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| Summary: An enthralling space opera which manages to be both unusual and familiar, Some Desperate Glory is a fantastic addition to your reading list both because of its plot and its characters. Perfect for long time sci-fi fans as well as those new to the genre. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 448 | Date: April 2023 |
| Publisher: Orbit | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-0356521831 | |
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Following the destruction of the Earth, amongst a rare number of survivors, Kyr has been raised on Gaea Station – the home of the last scraps of humanity – and trained relentlessly to avenge her people and the world that should have been hers. All her life, she has been conditioned to fall in line, to fulfil her duty and ensure that humanity perseveres.
But when Command assigns her brother a Strike mission that can only lead to certain death and instructs her to join Nursery to bear the children of the future, she decides to take humanity's revenge into her own hands. Forced into escape, alongside a savvy but seditious tech-genius and a lonely, captive alien, Kyr discovers what lies beyond the station. And that world – complicated yet wondrous – will change her in more ways than she ever thought possible.
At its heart Some Desperate Glory is a story – though explosive and entertaining – which revolves around its characters and their development. It is a coming-of-age story that centres around finding where you belong but more importantly discovering the people you belong to. Family is the overarching theme and though there are fringe aspects of romance, Some Desperate Glory gives more weight to the value of friendship. Whatever their importance, however many lines they have, no character arc is left undeveloped or ends unsatisfactorily. Due to all of this and thanks to how the narrative sings, Tesh's debut proves an surprisingly, emotive read.
There is so much to love with Some Desperate Glory. It possesses everything you want in a space opera: a diverse range of strong characters that you can't help but love; action-packed scenes that have your heart in your mouth; technology that sweeps you away into a world far removed from one you – unfortunately and fortunately – live in; stakes so high and great that you keep reading, desperate to know what happens next. Yet what makes Some Desperate Glory stand out is how common genre traits are perfectly complimented by the unusual, specifically a time-bending twist which explores parallel timelines. It is truly remarkable how the different aspects of the plot are sown together, and for this Tesh rightly deserves high praise for its brilliant construction.
On top of that, Tesh's debut novel is wonderfully easy to read. The writing is crisp and fresh, the individual characters stand out and shine, the dialogue flows seamlessly, and the descriptions are neither too much nor too little. Once you have find your feet, like any great book, it is a story that will have you reading far longer than you intended to.
The only difficulty with Some Desperate Glory is in starting. The beginning feels as if you've been pushed into the deep end. The unknown, complicated terminology can feel confusing and the difficulty in picturing the scene can drag you out of the story. But although, like many other stories in the space opera genre, Tesh's debut requires a little perseverance to begin, those that continue will reap rich rewards for once the story gets going, it flies. At times, there is slight lag in pacing and at times, you find yourself scrambling to keep up. But these incidences are fleeting, and the action picks up exactly at the moment it needs to.
Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review!
Intelligent yet easy to follow, complex yet also straightforward, Some Desperate Glory picks you up and carries you along on a journey that has much to delight in. As such it is the perfect introductory novel to space opera. Fantastically different, Tesh's debut is fantastic and fun in equal measure. One to enjoy and savour the lessons it imparts.
In terms of further reading, A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine is another exceptional debut novel that mixes space opera and political elements excellently. Alternatively, Seven Devils by Laura Lam and Elizabeth May is a refreshing feminist space opera that is thoroughly entertaining.
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