What do you think?
Rate this book
Cards of Grief
Jane Yolen’s award-winning story about an alien civilization forever changed by the incursion of human social scientists and a mysterious ancient prophecy
The year is 2132 when members of the Anthropologist’s Guild set down on the planet Henderson’s IV, or L’Lal’lor as it is known to the native population. Charged with the nonintrusive study of alien cultures, the crew discovers a society containing no love or laughter. It is, instead, centered around death—a world of aristocratic and common folk in which grieving is an art and the cornerstone of life. But the alien civilization stands on the brink of astonishing change, heralded by the discovery of Linni, the Gray Wanderer, a young woman from the countryside whose arrival has been foretold for centuries. And for Anthropologist First Class Aaron Spenser, L’Lal’lor is a place of destructive temptations, seducing him with its mysterious, sad beauty, and leading him into an unthinkable criminal act.
Told from the shifting viewpoints of characters both alien and human, and through records of local lore and transcripts of court martial proceedings, Cards of Grief is a thoughtful, lyrical, and spellbinding tale of first contact. It is a true masterwork of world building from Jane Yolen, a premier crafter of speculative fiction and fantasy.
The year is 2132 when members of the Anthropologist’s Guild set down on the planet Henderson’s IV, or L’Lal’lor as it is known to the native population. Charged with the nonintrusive study of alien cultures, the crew discovers a society containing no love or laughter. It is, instead, centered around death—a world of aristocratic and common folk in which grieving is an art and the cornerstone of life. But the alien civilization stands on the brink of astonishing change, heralded by the discovery of Linni, the Gray Wanderer, a young woman from the countryside whose arrival has been foretold for centuries. And for Anthropologist First Class Aaron Spenser, L’Lal’lor is a place of destructive temptations, seducing him with its mysterious, sad beauty, and leading him into an unthinkable criminal act.
Told from the shifting viewpoints of characters both alien and human, and through records of local lore and transcripts of court martial proceedings, Cards of Grief is a thoughtful, lyrical, and spellbinding tale of first contact. It is a true masterwork of world building from Jane Yolen, a premier crafter of speculative fiction and fantasy.
193 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 1984
70 people are currently reading
929 people want to read
About the author
Jane Yolen
987 books3,242 followersJane Yolen is a novelist, poet, fantasist, journalist, songwriter, storyteller, folklorist, and children’s book author who has written more than three hundred books. Her accolades include the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Awards, the Kerlan Award, two Christopher Awards, and six honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Born and raised in New York City, the mother of three and the grandmother of six, Yolen lives in Massachusetts and St. Andrews, Scotland.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
March 20, 2020
Very lyrical
4.5 stars. I have long admired Yolen’s poetry and children’s books. I’ve read at least one fantasy novel she wrote. She has a beautiful easy and lyrical wring style. There are several quite universal “truths” that I highlighted in my kindle version of this book. I found this to be a lovely saga, but because we do not stay with any one character very long it’s hard to be truly moved by it, though. Hence the rounding down rather than up.
4.5 stars. I have long admired Yolen’s poetry and children’s books. I’ve read at least one fantasy novel she wrote. She has a beautiful easy and lyrical wring style. There are several quite universal “truths” that I highlighted in my kindle version of this book. I found this to be a lovely saga, but because we do not stay with any one character very long it’s hard to be truly moved by it, though. Hence the rounding down rather than up.
March 11, 2020
A tough one to rate and review, the 4 stars is generally because I finished and was happy I read it and satisfied with the ending.
There were issues....The first part is overly poetical and made it hard for me to get into the story, the ending take home theme that I got out of it was well done and impactful. I think some of the elements that Yolen put in the story were distracting, particularly how she dealt with sex. It was too emotional and brutal for me and did not really fit the story I wanted to read or the story she was building with all of the other parts.
But endings are (almost) everything for me and this one was good. Thanks to Kaa and Cheryl for the buddy read.
There were issues....The first part is overly poetical and made it hard for me to get into the story, the ending take home theme that I got out of it was well done and impactful. I think some of the elements that Yolen put in the story were distracting, particularly how she dealt with sex. It was too emotional and brutal for me and did not really fit the story I wanted to read or the story she was building with all of the other parts.
But endings are (almost) everything for me and this one was good. Thanks to Kaa and Cheryl for the buddy read.
August 1, 2014
Haunting and lyrical, Cards of Grief is a unique book, unlike any I've read before.
Told out of order in as a series of recordings and interviews, the story of first contact between the planet Henderson's IV and the Anthropologist's Guild is recounted. The people on Henderson's IV base their society around grieving, and the author creates a well-developed, interesting and alien culture. The inhabitants have a very different way of looking at life and death and as one of the anthropologists is drawn deeper into their world, the reader is drawn into their fascinating culture as well.
It's one of the few books I've read that I wish was longer. The story completely works as is, but it is a short book. I would have liked more with these characters and further development of their relationships. The prose is beautiful and musical, and the book has a melancholy tone, which matches its exploration of grief. I will admit, the story is odd in places, but it's one of those instances where I read it at the perfect time in my life and it really resonated with me.
The closest comparison I can draw is The Left Hand of Darkness. For fans of that novel, and people who enjoy thoughtful sci-fi/fantasy with unique cultures, this is a must-read.
Told out of order in as a series of recordings and interviews, the story of first contact between the planet Henderson's IV and the Anthropologist's Guild is recounted. The people on Henderson's IV base their society around grieving, and the author creates a well-developed, interesting and alien culture. The inhabitants have a very different way of looking at life and death and as one of the anthropologists is drawn deeper into their world, the reader is drawn into their fascinating culture as well.
It's one of the few books I've read that I wish was longer. The story completely works as is, but it is a short book. I would have liked more with these characters and further development of their relationships. The prose is beautiful and musical, and the book has a melancholy tone, which matches its exploration of grief. I will admit, the story is odd in places, but it's one of those instances where I read it at the perfect time in my life and it really resonated with me.
The closest comparison I can draw is The Left Hand of Darkness. For fans of that novel, and people who enjoy thoughtful sci-fi/fantasy with unique cultures, this is a must-read.
December 16, 2015
Outstanding science fiction novel by one of my favorite authors. While browsing the online catalog at my local library, I noticed that several of Jane Yolen's books had recently been republished in electronic form by Open Road Media , so I borrowed Cards of Grief thinking that it would be a "nice" read. I mean after all -- this science fiction novel was awarded the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award. Yeah -- I wasn't so sure about a cross-over SF/F novel. I tend to like the ones that are clearly Science Fiction or clearly Fantasy.
Wow! My expectations were greatly exceeded. First of all, I would never classify this novel as Fantasy. It's pure and simple a "first contact" science fiction novel. Well, OK. I'll stick with "pure" since the story is anything but "simple". It was amazing. Complex enough to fully engage me, but clearly and straight-forwardly told.
I could burble along for hours raving about how good I thought the book was, but you should simply pick up a copy for yourself. If it's not in your local library's catalog, it is available through the Kindle Unlimited program. Read the blurb above if you're curious about the plot. Or just trust me -- it's good.
Wow! My expectations were greatly exceeded. First of all, I would never classify this novel as Fantasy. It's pure and simple a "first contact" science fiction novel. Well, OK. I'll stick with "pure" since the story is anything but "simple". It was amazing. Complex enough to fully engage me, but clearly and straight-forwardly told.
I could burble along for hours raving about how good I thought the book was, but you should simply pick up a copy for yourself. If it's not in your local library's catalog, it is available through the Kindle Unlimited program. Read the blurb above if you're curious about the plot. Or just trust me -- it's good.
March 8, 2020
Ironically, I think my instant hatred of certain aspects of the world-building and plot delayed my realization of how little I liked the rest of the book. I finished the book thinking, well, I found many of the author's choices awful, but maybe there's an interesting message underneath. Upon reflection, however (with the recognition that perhaps I just didn't understand what she was trying to say), Cards of Grief didn't manage to offer me anything thought-provoking on the topics of grief and death. I found it a pretty generic first-contact story with some pretty icky aspects that ruined any chance for me to enjoy it.
The one thing I did really like was the writing and framing - I thought the use of non-chronological story-telling was lovely, and a great way to tell this type of story. If only the story had been better.
What I didn't like:
-the division of the people into thin, light-skinned Royals and fat, darker-skinned peasants who were most frequently described as stupid, unpleasant, and at one point were compared to monkeys. Nope. I hated this set-up from the start of the book, and the story only reinforced how gross this world-building was. (And before you ask whether the portrayal of Dr. Z balanced this out at all - sorry, no, especially when her weight was used as a punchline half the time.)
-the "Earth man falls in love with alien chick" plotline - I find this story type overdone and offputting in several ways
-the rapey-ness - most of the sex in this book felt like an obligation or imposition, which made it really unpleasant to read about. This was not helped by the occasional feeling of incestuousness.
-oh yeah, and let's add the sexual fixation on a teenage girl
-in general, I found the biology nonsensical
-I hated almost all of the characters
This book feels very much like a product of its time, and I definitely do not mean that in a positive or exculpatory way.
The one thing I did really like was the writing and framing - I thought the use of non-chronological story-telling was lovely, and a great way to tell this type of story. If only the story had been better.
What I didn't like:
-the division of the people into thin, light-skinned Royals and fat, darker-skinned peasants who were most frequently described as stupid, unpleasant, and at one point were compared to monkeys. Nope. I hated this set-up from the start of the book, and the story only reinforced how gross this world-building was. (And before you ask whether the portrayal of Dr. Z balanced this out at all - sorry, no, especially when her weight was used as a punchline half the time.)
-the "Earth man falls in love with alien chick" plotline - I find this story type overdone and offputting in several ways
-the rapey-ness - most of the sex in this book felt like an obligation or imposition, which made it really unpleasant to read about. This was not helped by the occasional feeling of incestuousness.
-oh yeah, and let's add the sexual fixation on a teenage girl
-in general, I found the biology nonsensical
-I hated almost all of the characters
This book feels very much like a product of its time, and I definitely do not mean that in a positive or exculpatory way.
May 16, 2021
I needed a moment to swallow this before reviewing.
This has so many of the aspects I love in scifi: first contact, anthropology, exchange of culture, philosophy. And other aspects of writing I’m a sucker for: courtroom interrogations, transcripts of reports, dialog only, stories within stories.
It’s in ways a classic scifi, partly because the focus is not technology but the human experience of meeting - and eventual consequences of humans interacting - with a culture they do not understand, even if they arrogantly think they do. Partly because this soft scifi seamlessly blends with fantasy elements like we know them best from Le Guin or Vonda McIntyre.
I must admit to being very moved by many themes in this. The things that were off putting to begin with actually came to make sense, the more you understood. I was reminded of the TNG episode where a man seeks asylum on the Enterprise to avoid his people’s death by the ritualistic euthanasia tradition of his planet, pushed by Lwaxana Troi, who has fallen in love with him and does not understand why he has to die. He eventually changes his mind and accepts the way of his people which he believes is the right way, and more importantly, she choses to go with him and support him, even if it’s painful to her.
Not to say that that’s the plot or the point of this book at all, it just came to mind, thematically.
So did Elfquest, by the way, I couldn’t help thinking of the ruling race in this novel, the Royals, as the High Ones, the original pure elves, who lives in the Blue Mountain away from all other elf peoples.
It’s, perhaps not surprising, taking the title into account, a very somber and haunting story, but it is, for all its focus on death, also strangely kind and hopeful.
This has so many of the aspects I love in scifi: first contact, anthropology, exchange of culture, philosophy. And other aspects of writing I’m a sucker for: courtroom interrogations, transcripts of reports, dialog only, stories within stories.
It’s in ways a classic scifi, partly because the focus is not technology but the human experience of meeting - and eventual consequences of humans interacting - with a culture they do not understand, even if they arrogantly think they do. Partly because this soft scifi seamlessly blends with fantasy elements like we know them best from Le Guin or Vonda McIntyre.
I must admit to being very moved by many themes in this. The things that were off putting to begin with actually came to make sense, the more you understood. I was reminded of the TNG episode where a man seeks asylum on the Enterprise to avoid his people’s death by the ritualistic euthanasia tradition of his planet, pushed by Lwaxana Troi, who has fallen in love with him and does not understand why he has to die. He eventually changes his mind and accepts the way of his people which he believes is the right way, and more importantly, she choses to go with him and support him, even if it’s painful to her.
Not to say that that’s the plot or the point of this book at all, it just came to mind, thematically.
So did Elfquest, by the way, I couldn’t help thinking of the ruling race in this novel, the Royals, as the High Ones, the original pure elves, who lives in the Blue Mountain away from all other elf peoples.
It’s, perhaps not surprising, taking the title into account, a very somber and haunting story, but it is, for all its focus on death, also strangely kind and hopeful.
July 30, 2019
3.5 stars
This first contact story is told in single recordings that do not follow a chronological but a textual order. The narration structure is quite successful and takes different point of views in account. I loved how some of those recordings worked as short stories in themselves (no wonder: as I read in the afterword of the author the novel started as short stories). This story setup didn't allow for deeper insight into the characters, but made for a great mosaic overview over world and society.
I was so immersed in this story that I read it nearly in one go. The ending could have been a bit more on the wow-side for my taste, that's why it isn't full 4 stars - but overall this book is a precious little jewel about a society that does not suppresses grief, but celebrates it in a rather poetic way and the dangers of first contact.
An extra applaus for the depiction of an overweight woman in a positive and competent way. That's a welcome rare.
This first contact story is told in single recordings that do not follow a chronological but a textual order. The narration structure is quite successful and takes different point of views in account. I loved how some of those recordings worked as short stories in themselves (no wonder: as I read in the afterword of the author the novel started as short stories). This story setup didn't allow for deeper insight into the characters, but made for a great mosaic overview over world and society.
I was so immersed in this story that I read it nearly in one go. The ending could have been a bit more on the wow-side for my taste, that's why it isn't full 4 stars - but overall this book is a precious little jewel about a society that does not suppresses grief, but celebrates it in a rather poetic way and the dangers of first contact.
An extra applaus for the depiction of an overweight woman in a positive and competent way. That's a welcome rare.
January 22, 2017
I was in the mood for anthropological sci-fi and this delivered, with sparse but evocative depictions of a society whose values and morals are just far enough from ours to be disquieting. The short and fragmented nature of the book means individual characters don't get much opportunity to show depth, but neither do they quite vanish into the archtypes that the Cards designate for them. (The Cards themselves are one element I wish had gotten greater (or no) attention, as they show up toward the end as rather an afterthought. A friend mentioned this book was originally two separate stories, one about the Cards and one, well, with everything else; I believe it.) I particularly appreciate the handling of LGBT issues within the alien society--and the ways in which the humans' preconceptions blind them to at least one alien character's motivations.
I do wonder why Yolen describes this in the afterword as her only sci-fi novel, since I would definitely consider the Pit Dragon series sci-fi (and the first volume predates the publication of this by two years). But perhaps publication order doesn't reflect writing order, and she didn't bother to revise the afterword for publication.
I do wonder why Yolen describes this in the afterword as her only sci-fi novel, since I would definitely consider the Pit Dragon series sci-fi (and the first volume predates the publication of this by two years). But perhaps publication order doesn't reflect writing order, and she didn't bother to revise the afterword for publication.
September 8, 2016
I have had this book on my Kindle for years. I bought it because it was on sale a long time ago and it sounded really good, but then other books caught my attention more than this one. The only reason I picked up this book at this point was because a colleague in my department suggested we participate in a informal book club. The idea behind the book club is the read things that we wouldn't normally read--trying to stretch ourselves in our reading habits. So, I got to choose the first book, and my colleague asked for something science fiction. I figured that this book would be a good first choice.
Cards of Grief is a very interesting novel. Yolen, at the end of the book, states that this is the only science fiction novel she's ever written, but it isn't even really science fiction. This is more of a fantasy novel with some sci-fi elements. Cards of Grief is about an alien civilization that is under observation by humans. The humans live in a space station or ship that circles the planet and they travel down to the surface on occasion. But that part of the plot is muted and the least interesting part of this novel. The alien civilization, their culture and practices, are what keeps you reading Cards of Grief. It is interesting because while these aliens appear human in many respects, they are very different from our own culture. The main difference is how their entire civilization revolves around the emotion of grief. We might say that our culture focuses on love or anger, but their's focuses on grief. They spend much of their lives grieving their dead loved ones, preparing to grieve for dying loved ones, and hoping that people will grieve when they die. It is interesting how this has shaped their entire civilization.
The writing style is probably the most interesting part of Cards of Grief. It is not presented in chronological order, we don't see the action through the eyes of one or two characters, nor do we have traditional dialogue throughout the story. This novel is told through the notes of the humans that orbit the planet--through the transcripts of their interactions with the denizens of this planet. There are recorded stories, monologues, and transcribed interviews; these are what flesh out the world and this story. It certainly is a very interesting structure. I wouldn't say that I was ever lost while reading Cards of Grief, but it made for a very slow burn of a read. Plot points are unwrapped slowly rather than the break-neck pacing that most modern stories adopt. Everything is told in past tense too. The action of what characters are talking about happened in the past and they are recounting it to another. In the beginning it made me question whether these characters were reliable as narrators, but in the end, I don't think I ever came across something that didn't jive with what another character said. I don't think this story would have been as effective if it were presented in another manner. Yolen understands what she is doing and creates a style that really flavors the book as a whole. The style makes this novel and is what makes the plot and characters interesting.
Yolen is a fine writer; perhaps not the poetic, imagery heavy prose I usually gravitate towards, but Yolen does a good job. I enjoyed this novel for what it was. I am happy that it wasn't longer--I don't think she could have sustained much more in this plot. It was slightly higher than average book for me. I rated it a 7/10 on my own scale, but here I would rate it a 3.5.
Cards of Grief is a very interesting novel. Yolen, at the end of the book, states that this is the only science fiction novel she's ever written, but it isn't even really science fiction. This is more of a fantasy novel with some sci-fi elements. Cards of Grief is about an alien civilization that is under observation by humans. The humans live in a space station or ship that circles the planet and they travel down to the surface on occasion. But that part of the plot is muted and the least interesting part of this novel. The alien civilization, their culture and practices, are what keeps you reading Cards of Grief. It is interesting because while these aliens appear human in many respects, they are very different from our own culture. The main difference is how their entire civilization revolves around the emotion of grief. We might say that our culture focuses on love or anger, but their's focuses on grief. They spend much of their lives grieving their dead loved ones, preparing to grieve for dying loved ones, and hoping that people will grieve when they die. It is interesting how this has shaped their entire civilization.
The writing style is probably the most interesting part of Cards of Grief. It is not presented in chronological order, we don't see the action through the eyes of one or two characters, nor do we have traditional dialogue throughout the story. This novel is told through the notes of the humans that orbit the planet--through the transcripts of their interactions with the denizens of this planet. There are recorded stories, monologues, and transcribed interviews; these are what flesh out the world and this story. It certainly is a very interesting structure. I wouldn't say that I was ever lost while reading Cards of Grief, but it made for a very slow burn of a read. Plot points are unwrapped slowly rather than the break-neck pacing that most modern stories adopt. Everything is told in past tense too. The action of what characters are talking about happened in the past and they are recounting it to another. In the beginning it made me question whether these characters were reliable as narrators, but in the end, I don't think I ever came across something that didn't jive with what another character said. I don't think this story would have been as effective if it were presented in another manner. Yolen understands what she is doing and creates a style that really flavors the book as a whole. The style makes this novel and is what makes the plot and characters interesting.
Yolen is a fine writer; perhaps not the poetic, imagery heavy prose I usually gravitate towards, but Yolen does a good job. I enjoyed this novel for what it was. I am happy that it wasn't longer--I don't think she could have sustained much more in this plot. It was slightly higher than average book for me. I rated it a 7/10 on my own scale, but here I would rate it a 3.5.
July 6, 2009
A Jane Yolen that reads like an Ursula K. LeGuin, how curious! Of course, it doesn't actually read like an Ursula LeGuin, it merely resembles her greatly in form; the book is presented in the form of a series of documents, recordings, and debriefings, concerning the contact of anthropologists (xenologists?) with the people on the planet L'Lal'loria. The book explores their "grief-centred culture [which is:] as much art as religion," and Lina-Lania, chief griever to the Queen.
I'm just going to get this right out there; this was a slow, haunting book to read, and after I was finished it annoyed me to hell. The book seems to believe it was about grief, but I would disagree: the culture did not actually focus on grief as such, (that is, the loss to the living) but rather memorialized and celebrated the dead, for whom the only proper attitude could be mourning.
(I'm not sure I'm making this distinction well, and I hope no one reading this is recently bereaved, but grief is really a selfish emotion, it seems to me, in much the same way that love can be. When we grieve, it's about what we have lost. I don't mean to say grief is bad, it's just that it's about one's own hurts, and a culture actually organized around grief seems to me monumentally narcissistic and maladaptive.)
Despite that they weren't really making "grief" into an art-form, it made me want to clobber them. The only thing they could really look forward to was their deaths, when they would have their bid at real immortality, if their griever was skilled enough.
The rest of the book is your bog standard "Our two cultures were destined to meet in tragedy" story, which, don't get me wrong, takes skill to carry off, but I'm not quite sure if there's anything deeper underneath it. LeGuin is an anthropologist, her books are always about societies; I'm not quite sure what this book is about, if anything.
Filed under enjoyable to read, frustrating to contemplate. Karen Aich, you won't like it for stylistic reasons.
I'm just going to get this right out there; this was a slow, haunting book to read, and after I was finished it annoyed me to hell. The book seems to believe it was about grief, but I would disagree: the culture did not actually focus on grief as such, (that is, the loss to the living) but rather memorialized and celebrated the dead, for whom the only proper attitude could be mourning.
(I'm not sure I'm making this distinction well, and I hope no one reading this is recently bereaved, but grief is really a selfish emotion, it seems to me, in much the same way that love can be. When we grieve, it's about what we have lost. I don't mean to say grief is bad, it's just that it's about one's own hurts, and a culture actually organized around grief seems to me monumentally narcissistic and maladaptive.)
Despite that they weren't really making "grief" into an art-form, it made me want to clobber them. The only thing they could really look forward to was their deaths, when they would have their bid at real immortality, if their griever was skilled enough.
The rest of the book is your bog standard "Our two cultures were destined to meet in tragedy" story, which, don't get me wrong, takes skill to carry off, but I'm not quite sure if there's anything deeper underneath it. LeGuin is an anthropologist, her books are always about societies; I'm not quite sure what this book is about, if anything.
Filed under enjoyable to read, frustrating to contemplate. Karen Aich, you won't like it for stylistic reasons.
November 26, 2018
Firstly, the 'Cards' of the title do not appear until the very end of the story which is set on a planet where the whole culture is centred around the idea of "grief" but really mourning, as in commemorating the dead. The culture is matriarchial due to the peculiar biology of the race, or rather the two races who can interbreed, wherein the men are only fertile for about five years maximum in early adulthood. They are ruled by a Queen from the Royal race who turn out to have some odd biological properties, but the Queen is aging and has produced only sons.
A young woman who is taller than those around her and is therefore probably a child who is half Royal - the young men are sent out for a year when first mature to 'sow' their seed as widely as possible to try to produce more Royals - has a gift for creating poems-songs (the arts are very closely associated) for the dead or 'grieven' as they are called and is recognised as such by Prince B'oremos who is nearing the end of his wandering year.
The girl, called Linna-Lania, from the line of Lania, but hereafter called the Grey Wanderer because of the character in her early poem - or just Grey by the Royals - is brought to court and becomes the Queen's Own Griever after accelerated training. One sinister, to our viewpoint, development of the grieving cult is that people routinely take 'the Cup' - a painless poison - when either they are terminally ill and suffering, or else just because they have disappointed others in some way. For example there is a throw away remark at one point about a servant who is responsible for a curtain not hanging right who will probably have to choose between dismissal (which might lead to a life of penury in this culture) or suicide via the Cup. Similarly, Grey's own innocence leads her to make a remark which has fatal repercussions for a family member.
Into this rather static and possibly stagnating society comes a human mission who at first study the population via hidden recording machines but who eventually intervene directly to initiate first contact. This we're told leads to the trivialising of the grief cult by the end of the story - yet there were already signs that the whole thing was a rote observance in the sections where Grey is discovered. There is a more immediate and personal impact on Grey herself however.
The story is told in a disjointed fashion via transcripts of the recordings made by the humans and therefore darts about in the history further complicated by the fact that for some reason, unexplained unless I missed it, shipboard time passes far more slowly than on the planet so that five years goes by there while 50 planetary years go by. I found this a bit distancing, and it was difficult to really engage with the characters. I also found the set up of the two races, so fundamentally different physically yet able to interbreed - and also to do so with humans - a bit difficult to accept and couldn't imagine any evolutionary pressure which would have resulted in males being fertile for only five years, given the far less onerous burden of fertility on men than women. So although superficially the book is science fiction, it comes across as being rather more of a fantasy - though in my opinion even fantasy should have internal consistency and believability. Therefore for me the story rates a 2-star rating but because of the quality of the writing, I have raised this to 3 stars overall.
This is a strange book. It is filled with interesting ideas but it always feels distant and disconnected, not because of the "recordings" format, but because of something else missing. I never felt drawn to any of the characters.
A young woman who is taller than those around her and is therefore probably a child who is half Royal - the young men are sent out for a year when first mature to 'sow' their seed as widely as possible to try to produce more Royals - has a gift for creating poems-songs (the arts are very closely associated) for the dead or 'grieven' as they are called and is recognised as such by Prince B'oremos who is nearing the end of his wandering year.
The girl, called Linna-Lania, from the line of Lania, but hereafter called the Grey Wanderer because of the character in her early poem - or just Grey by the Royals - is brought to court and becomes the Queen's Own Griever after accelerated training. One sinister, to our viewpoint, development of the grieving cult is that people routinely take 'the Cup' - a painless poison - when either they are terminally ill and suffering, or else just because they have disappointed others in some way. For example there is a throw away remark at one point about a servant who is responsible for a curtain not hanging right who will probably have to choose between dismissal (which might lead to a life of penury in this culture) or suicide via the Cup. Similarly, Grey's own innocence leads her to make a remark which has fatal repercussions for a family member.
Into this rather static and possibly stagnating society comes a human mission who at first study the population via hidden recording machines but who eventually intervene directly to initiate first contact. This we're told leads to the trivialising of the grief cult by the end of the story - yet there were already signs that the whole thing was a rote observance in the sections where Grey is discovered. There is a more immediate and personal impact on Grey herself however.
The story is told in a disjointed fashion via transcripts of the recordings made by the humans and therefore darts about in the history further complicated by the fact that for some reason, unexplained unless I missed it, shipboard time passes far more slowly than on the planet so that five years goes by there while 50 planetary years go by. I found this a bit distancing, and it was difficult to really engage with the characters. I also found the set up of the two races, so fundamentally different physically yet able to interbreed - and also to do so with humans - a bit difficult to accept and couldn't imagine any evolutionary pressure which would have resulted in males being fertile for only five years, given the far less onerous burden of fertility on men than women. So although superficially the book is science fiction, it comes across as being rather more of a fantasy - though in my opinion even fantasy should have internal consistency and believability. Therefore for me the story rates a 2-star rating but because of the quality of the writing, I have raised this to 3 stars overall.
This is a strange book. It is filled with interesting ideas but it always feels distant and disconnected, not because of the "recordings" format, but because of something else missing. I never felt drawn to any of the characters.
December 21, 2018
I loved this and it only makes me wish Yolen wrote more for adults and teens. I miss her books. This is science fiction, but it reads like fantasy. Gray’s culture is centered around grief and she is being studied by anthropologists in a heartbreaking first contact situation.
I owned a copy of the paperback and lost it in a flood seven years ago. I read on this on Kindle.
I owned a copy of the paperback and lost it in a flood seven years ago. I read on this on Kindle.
August 12, 2017
This book brought me to tears by the end- primarily because of the subject, the end of life and the loss of loved ones, and also because most of the main characters had so little joy in their lives. But despite the subject it was not depressing, it was beautiful.
March 8, 2020
sffbc buddy read march 2020
Reading as ebook from okc library.
Almost halfway. The exploration of ritualized grief is interesting. The examination of racism/ classism and what-we-would-call pedophilia bother me. But these humanoids have developed a culture that works for them well enough, it seems. At least the book (at least so far) qualifies as "post-scarcity" and "SF w/no bad guys!" (For all our attempts to have enlightened social structures, we still starve, torture, and kill one another....)
...............................
Done. Imo it got better and better. It's much richer than all that. So much to unpack. The beliefs of the characters, and their prejudices, are their own, not Yolen's. There are complex reasons for each facet of the world-building; it's all crafted with care.
Hard to read until the end, I absolutely agree. But then I read of the last two cards and I have even more to think about. This could be worth a reread.
End note in e-book is brief. Mentions, for one thing, that Dr. Z is a real person, a friend. Includes a timeline which gives ages of characters... a big help in keeping track.
Ok, I highlighted a few things:
"Imagine not being able to distinguish art from artifice" muses our favorite (?) prince.
Not until halfway through do we learn that not only do the 'natives' not laugh, but neither do they (though there were clues earlier).
An older person, given a fresh reason to live, is "like a gourd with a new candle inside. For a while all you see is the light; you do not notice, until it is too late, that the gourd has rotted from the inside out."
Reading as ebook from okc library.
Almost halfway. The exploration of ritualized grief is interesting. The examination of racism/ classism and what-we-would-call pedophilia bother me. But these humanoids have developed a culture that works for them well enough, it seems. At least the book (at least so far) qualifies as "post-scarcity" and "SF w/no bad guys!" (For all our attempts to have enlightened social structures, we still starve, torture, and kill one another....)
...............................
Done. Imo it got better and better. It's much richer than all that. So much to unpack. The beliefs of the characters, and their prejudices, are their own, not Yolen's. There are complex reasons for each facet of the world-building; it's all crafted with care.
Hard to read until the end, I absolutely agree. But then I read of the last two cards and I have even more to think about. This could be worth a reread.
End note in e-book is brief. Mentions, for one thing, that Dr. Z is a real person, a friend. Includes a timeline which gives ages of characters... a big help in keeping track.
Ok, I highlighted a few things:
"Imagine not being able to distinguish art from artifice" muses our favorite (?) prince.
Not until halfway through do we learn that not only do the 'natives' not laugh, but neither do they (though there were clues earlier).
An older person, given a fresh reason to live, is "like a gourd with a new candle inside. For a while all you see is the light; you do not notice, until it is too late, that the gourd has rotted from the inside out."
August 31, 2011
I keep meaning to read more of Jane Yolen, so when I found this little volumn at Half Price Books I snatched it up. It's relatively short but rather engrossing. Very reminiscent of Ursula LeGuin's anthropological space opera novels, Yolen brings her own very interesting perspective and style to the first contact story. The story centers on the first human studies and interactions with a humanoid culture that is centered around grief (although not death); I found it very interesting in deliberate contrast with our death- and grief-averse culture. The aliens' society is also rigidly classist and matriarchal, but more open-minded about sex (between opposite and same genders) in some ways--I don't want to spoil the story, so I won't be more concrete with the details of how they differ from us. The plot is very carefully constructed using verbal accounts transcribed from "recordings," using the (unreliable) first person narrator to great and poignant effect.
January 17, 2011
I've read this book several times, enjoying to poetry of the writing, the uniqueness of charactor, the wonderful alien culture. But it wasn't until this last reading that I fully followed the story. This time, I read the chapters in the order listed in the timeline and fully followed the storyline. Then I read it again from beginning to end. Jane Yolen is often considered a children's or young adult author. The simplicity of style is deceptive.The themes in this story of love, betrayal, death and change are beyond the comprehension of some adults I know.
July 3, 2016
3 stars
I loved this book when I read it years ago. I didn't love it so much now. While it's an interesting book, I thought the world building was slim, and was frustrated that we only heard briefly from Gray's POV. Still, it's a quick read, so if you can borrow from your local library, it's worth a check out
I loved this book when I read it years ago. I didn't love it so much now. While it's an interesting book, I thought the world building was slim, and was frustrated that we only heard briefly from Gray's POV. Still, it's a quick read, so if you can borrow from your local library, it's worth a check out
September 16, 2013
This is a strange book. It is filled with interesting ideas but it always feels distant and disconnected, not because of the "recordings" format, but because of something else missing. I never felt drawn to any of the characters.
August 16, 2019
More beautiful and sadder than I remembered. I’ve learned more of grief since I last read this, long ago.
May 28, 2019
This was short and fun to read. Anthropologists from Earth visit a small civilization on an Earth-like planet where the people are ruled by a Queen from an ethnic group called Royals; six other ethnic groups make up a very striated society in which everyone but the Royals is a peasant, basically. Grieving is their art form, and death is often handled as a choice — although maybe not the choice of the person who is to die. Among the anthropologists we have a young man and his mentor, a much older woman known as Dr. Z. Among the Grievers, we have a temporarily virile young princeling and the Queen's Own Griever, who is a young woman with a hauntingly beautiful voice. And the Queen, whose word is always the Truth.
I didn't feel the whole grieving thing came off as well as the reproductive habits of the Royals in their somewhat desperate quest to perpetuate themselves, and the relationship of the Queen to her princes was interesting too. The ritual phrases and the ideas about truth and memory appealed to me too. The world isn't as richly detailed as worlds by some other authors (in addition to anything by Ursula K. Le Guin, Embassytown by China Miéville comes to mind), but it's consistent, and it sucked me in. The cards don't appear until the end, and they seemed a pretty weak element to me.
I didn't feel the whole grieving thing came off as well as the reproductive habits of the Royals in their somewhat desperate quest to perpetuate themselves, and the relationship of the Queen to her princes was interesting too. The ritual phrases and the ideas about truth and memory appealed to me too. The world isn't as richly detailed as worlds by some other authors (in addition to anything by Ursula K. Le Guin, Embassytown by China Miéville comes to mind), but it's consistent, and it sucked me in. The cards don't appear until the end, and they seemed a pretty weak element to me.
November 27, 2023
An unusual premise that I appreciated. I haven't read much Jane Yolen but I am inclined to change that now.
February 19, 2018
I'm at a loss for words after finishing this piece. I don't think I could find the words to describe the book either, even if I gave myself a week to think it through. It was such a special journey, one I enjoyed the entire way through although I was not sure what to expect at first.
It certainly contains a lot more poetic feeling than science fiction in some sense, but it's not the dry and perhaps rather presumptuous type of poetry that at least I have encountered countless of times during my life. I'm not a big fan of poetry in general, actually, due to these encounters in the past.
What made me speechless? The book provides several perspectives on grief, many known to us but perhaps not as well considered as others. Yet there was something about the execution that made me keep turning pages like crazy, that made me ponder on the differences between the two cultures, and that left me a little... sombre. Perhaps that is not the right word, though.
Definitely worth a read.
It certainly contains a lot more poetic feeling than science fiction in some sense, but it's not the dry and perhaps rather presumptuous type of poetry that at least I have encountered countless of times during my life. I'm not a big fan of poetry in general, actually, due to these encounters in the past.
What made me speechless? The book provides several perspectives on grief, many known to us but perhaps not as well considered as others. Yet there was something about the execution that made me keep turning pages like crazy, that made me ponder on the differences between the two cultures, and that left me a little... sombre. Perhaps that is not the right word, though.
Definitely worth a read.
February 4, 2018
Jane Yolen's first novel for adults. Probably not her most polished work, but definitely an interesting concept.
August 18, 2013
This book is beautiful, sad, and strange.
I didn't even know Jane Yolen had written any novels for adults until I found this the other day. It reminds me a lot of some of Le Guin's works, like Always Coming Home -- and how could that ever be a bad thing?
Cards of Grief is a very short SF novel about first contact told via recordings and interviews, of a matriarchal planet that has essentially perfected grief. And nothing else. Their lives revolve around grief. Naturally, one of the anthropologists falls in love with one of the grievers. If you think you know how this is going to go, you're probably wrong. Due to the style, which is both lush and ritualistic (due to the prose styles, and the fact that a large portion of the book is grief poetry rituals) and oddly disjointed (due to the transcript format), the book for me kind of whiplashes between Very Close and Very Very Distant. I have to assume that this was on purpose, but it means that reading it isn't entirely pleasant. But then, I don't think it's supposed to be.
It wasn't at all what I was expecting, but the characters are very compelling, and on the whole it was an interesting read. If you happen across it, I recommend it.
I didn't even know Jane Yolen had written any novels for adults until I found this the other day. It reminds me a lot of some of Le Guin's works, like Always Coming Home -- and how could that ever be a bad thing?
Cards of Grief is a very short SF novel about first contact told via recordings and interviews, of a matriarchal planet that has essentially perfected grief. And nothing else. Their lives revolve around grief. Naturally, one of the anthropologists falls in love with one of the grievers. If you think you know how this is going to go, you're probably wrong. Due to the style, which is both lush and ritualistic (due to the prose styles, and the fact that a large portion of the book is grief poetry rituals) and oddly disjointed (due to the transcript format), the book for me kind of whiplashes between Very Close and Very Very Distant. I have to assume that this was on purpose, but it means that reading it isn't entirely pleasant. But then, I don't think it's supposed to be.
It wasn't at all what I was expecting, but the characters are very compelling, and on the whole it was an interesting read. If you happen across it, I recommend it.
January 26, 2021
I loved this book. It was an easy five stars and I'd have given it six stars if I could. But I can see why it has received low ratings from some reviewers as it's written in a way that will put off some readers.
The book is written as a series of interviews between natives of the planet Henderson's IV (L’Lal’lor, the Planet of the Grievers, in the native tongue) and a team of anthropologists sent to study them. The interviews tell us the story of the poet/griever Lina-Lania and the anthropologist Aaron, but it's done in an oblique way that will frustrate many people. There isn't really a plot, or at least there is only the most basic of plots, and Yolen is interested more in painting pictures of the protagonists and the society on L’Lal’lor. I thought this worked very well and I found it enthralling, but the more action oriented reader will find it dull.
The book is written as a series of interviews between natives of the planet Henderson's IV (L’Lal’lor, the Planet of the Grievers, in the native tongue) and a team of anthropologists sent to study them. The interviews tell us the story of the poet/griever Lina-Lania and the anthropologist Aaron, but it's done in an oblique way that will frustrate many people. There isn't really a plot, or at least there is only the most basic of plots, and Yolen is interested more in painting pictures of the protagonists and the society on L’Lal’lor. I thought this worked very well and I found it enthralling, but the more action oriented reader will find it dull.
June 1, 2015
Jane Yolen writes a wonderful adult scifi. Is there anything she can’t do?
Through recordings and interviews, this is the story of humans first contact with a planet whose culture revolves around grieving. The study was unfortunately tainted by anthropologist Aaron Spenser, who is under review for Culture Contact Contamination and has gone native.
Through revealing Spenser’s mistakes, the novel must first explain the backstory — beginning as prince B’oremos discovers prodigy griever Lina-Lania and brings her to court to serve the Queen.
A fully immersive novel in which Yolen has created a fascinating new system of politics, grief, relationships, and sexuality. Beautifully written and genuinely fantastic.
Through recordings and interviews, this is the story of humans first contact with a planet whose culture revolves around grieving. The study was unfortunately tainted by anthropologist Aaron Spenser, who is under review for Culture Contact Contamination and has gone native.
Through revealing Spenser’s mistakes, the novel must first explain the backstory — beginning as prince B’oremos discovers prodigy griever Lina-Lania and brings her to court to serve the Queen.
A fully immersive novel in which Yolen has created a fascinating new system of politics, grief, relationships, and sexuality. Beautifully written and genuinely fantastic.
May 27, 2010
A most original fantasy by an author of the status of Ursula LeGuin and Patricia McKillip. The book explores sexuality, culture, and minds unlike ours. It's a grief driven culture with no passion or laughter. Grief for the L'Lal'lorians is a way of remembering. There is no war, no infanticide, little murder except when ordered by the ruler, and no theft. Cards of Grief is a most interesting read that is haunting, almost dirge-like in its simplicity as gathers momentum towards tragedy. I liked it very much.
April 20, 2015
A beautiful and poetic book. I think Jane Yolen is a wonderful writer. The idea of a culture that centered on grieving was fascinating but I didn't think the intersection with technological humans and such a society was worked out very well. I just don't think the characters acted in character. The "military" seemed a bit too forgiving of the "interference" be the protagonist and the "griever" seemed to be less rounded than I would have expected. The "betrayals" were just a bit too contrived as well. But it was very readable and I did enjoy it..
September 8, 2013
This is a book about how first contact changes both the people who are contacted by anthropologists and the anthropologists themselves. The brief book is written in unusual style, and a lot of information is conveyed in this brief novel. I really enjoyed this book, and it shows the range of an author whose only other book I'm familiar with is "How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight" which I read to my daughter when she was small.
July 19, 2007
So far this is a really interesting sci fi. It's based around people from future Earth studding a culture that instead of focusing on materials or sex focuses on grieving because they don't believe in an afterlife. The only way a person will be remembered is by the elaborate rituals in place and the songs people write and sing.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews