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Warchild #1
Warchild
The merchant ship Mukudori encompasses the whole of eight-year-old Jos's world, until a notorious pirate destroys the ship, slaughters the adults, and enslaves the children. Thus begins a desperate odyssey of terror and escape that takes Jos beyond known space to the homeworld of the strits, Earth's alien enemies. To survive, the boy must become a living weapon and a master spy. But no training will protect Jos in a war where every hope might be a deadly lie, and every friendship might hide a lethal betrayal. And all the while he will face the most grueling trial of his lifebecoming his own man.
451 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 2002
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4444 people want to read
About the author
Karin Lowachee
62 books357 followersKarin was born in South America, grew up in Canada, and worked in the Arctic. Her novels have been translated into French, Hebrew, and Japanese, and her short stories have been published in numerous anthologies and magazines, some of which were edited by John Joseph Adams, Nalo Hopkinson, Nisi Shawl and Ann VanderMeer. When she isn't writing, she serves at the whim of a black cat.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 239 reviews
October 28, 2011
Wow, so I was determined to read a few Sci-Fi books after NYCC because a bunch of guys came to the signing and said how much they love following my suggestions here, but I've been "getting girly" lately. (True fact, last 5 books or so have had oily chests on them. Oops).
Anyway, I had heard about this book as a more Young Adult oriented book, which I supposed it COULD be, but given the depth of exploration of an abused child, it is much more than that, even MORE adult in my opinion, just as a heads up.
Also in my opinion, it's the best book I've read in A LONG TIME. The ability to humanize a Sci-Fi universe is extremely challenging, most Sci-fi seems to lean on world building and grand polical statements more than character, so this was an unbelievably refreshing story that introduced me to new worlds but made me CARE about the characters like a good drama.
It's is first and foremost a character study, of a child, an ABUSED child, in a war-torn universe. I was drawn in so much to the psychology of the book, it felt so authentic and real. I enjoyed it immensely and am annoyed that the two other books are not available on e-book because I have to order physical copies, which I don't do anymore. THATS how much I enjoyed it!
If you liked the Hunger Games or Ender's Game, you will like this book I think.
Anyway, I had heard about this book as a more Young Adult oriented book, which I supposed it COULD be, but given the depth of exploration of an abused child, it is much more than that, even MORE adult in my opinion, just as a heads up.
Also in my opinion, it's the best book I've read in A LONG TIME. The ability to humanize a Sci-Fi universe is extremely challenging, most Sci-fi seems to lean on world building and grand polical statements more than character, so this was an unbelievably refreshing story that introduced me to new worlds but made me CARE about the characters like a good drama.
It's is first and foremost a character study, of a child, an ABUSED child, in a war-torn universe. I was drawn in so much to the psychology of the book, it felt so authentic and real. I enjoyed it immensely and am annoyed that the two other books are not available on e-book because I have to order physical copies, which I don't do anymore. THATS how much I enjoyed it!
If you liked the Hunger Games or Ender's Game, you will like this book I think.
December 29, 2022
Whew, this book! I have had this on my tbr for a while, but I'm not often in the mood for military sci-fi, so there it sat. But today I was, and holy crap. Dark, visceral, intense, and absolutely heartbreaking. I tore through it in a single day.
A character-driven military sci-fi with a lot of intrigue and betrayals and loyalties tested, and a main character (and supporting characters) that I really loved. The prose is clean and sharp and very much my style. The tension is pitch perfect, and I truly had no idea how it would end, but the twists were all very satisfying, including the ending.
But this book, written in 2002, needs a few content warnings. The book is very much about war and the kind of men who wage war and/or profit from it around the margins, so their actions and attitudes match that - not nice people. There is child sexual abuse, although nothing explicit on the page (and which I personally do not conflate with queer content), some homophobic posturing from marines, and a lot of violence, see: war.
A character-driven military sci-fi with a lot of intrigue and betrayals and loyalties tested, and a main character (and supporting characters) that I really loved. The prose is clean and sharp and very much my style. The tension is pitch perfect, and I truly had no idea how it would end, but the twists were all very satisfying, including the ending.
But this book, written in 2002, needs a few content warnings. The book is very much about war and the kind of men who wage war and/or profit from it around the margins, so their actions and attitudes match that - not nice people. There is child sexual abuse, although nothing explicit on the page (and which I personally do not conflate with queer content), some homophobic posturing from marines, and a lot of violence, see: war.
September 26, 2019
This book read very unpolished to me. I thought the first section in second person was excellent--visceral, taut, uncomfortable and, mercifully, not very long. After that though it dragged on quite a bit with disjointed scenes, illogical actions told to us in laundry-list format and just an immense amount of traumatic scenes involving men and children.
CONTENT WARNING:
Outside of the first section, I can't say much really worked for me. Here are a few specifics:
-The writing. It felt about the level of sophistication I'd expect from a RPG gamer writing a rambling backstory of their poor, poor character. Lazy cliches, overdone tropes, repetitions and summaries of things that went on rather than any realistic time spent in the heads of our "protagonists" made it hard for me to glom onto the story. I tried to forgive a lot of this because I don't know if the author is a native English speaker, but there were so many typos, misused words and so on that an editor should have caught that I couldn't look past it.
-The characters. It's all trauma porn. Everyone is torqued, everyone is a potential rapist, especially all the men who like other men. I was pretty uncomfortable with the implications about gay people. I didn't get to know anything redeeming about anyone, including the main character, who is supposed to be sympathetic I think because his life is so hard, but it came across more as being around the sort of hurt person who grows up to hurt people. As I was reading it, I thought this kid is either gonna end up a mass murderer or a suicide case. I guess he ended up in a genocidal military, so I wasn't wrong!
-The plot. Stilted and nonsensical. That's not how spying, military, ships, or martial arts work. Also, "spar" the noun is a support beam type structure. If you're talking about the thing you're participating in when you spar someone, that is a sparring match.
-The cultures. There was a lot of cringe-y stuff about gay people, as I've said. The military culture didn't add up for me, and the striv culture felt like...Japanese stereotypes piled on top of each other. The way abuse victims were treated also was pretty unconscionable.
A shame, the opening made me think we were going to be handling a lot of sensitive issues delicately and realistically, but it kind of all fell apart rapidly and painfully.
CONTENT WARNING:
Outside of the first section, I can't say much really worked for me. Here are a few specifics:
-The writing. It felt about the level of sophistication I'd expect from a RPG gamer writing a rambling backstory of their poor, poor character. Lazy cliches, overdone tropes, repetitions and summaries of things that went on rather than any realistic time spent in the heads of our "protagonists" made it hard for me to glom onto the story. I tried to forgive a lot of this because I don't know if the author is a native English speaker, but there were so many typos, misused words and so on that an editor should have caught that I couldn't look past it.
-The characters. It's all trauma porn. Everyone is torqued, everyone is a potential rapist, especially all the men who like other men. I was pretty uncomfortable with the implications about gay people. I didn't get to know anything redeeming about anyone, including the main character, who is supposed to be sympathetic I think because his life is so hard, but it came across more as being around the sort of hurt person who grows up to hurt people. As I was reading it, I thought this kid is either gonna end up a mass murderer or a suicide case. I guess he ended up in a genocidal military, so I wasn't wrong!
-The plot. Stilted and nonsensical. That's not how spying, military, ships, or martial arts work. Also, "spar" the noun is a support beam type structure. If you're talking about the thing you're participating in when you spar someone, that is a sparring match.
-The cultures. There was a lot of cringe-y stuff about gay people, as I've said. The military culture didn't add up for me, and the striv culture felt like...Japanese stereotypes piled on top of each other. The way abuse victims were treated also was pretty unconscionable.
A shame, the opening made me think we were going to be handling a lot of sensitive issues delicately and realistically, but it kind of all fell apart rapidly and painfully.
November 17, 2023
I left pieces of these people in my wake.
But it wasn’t me. It was just a body moving. And they were just bodies without names.
We moved fast, but I saw it all slow. One minute was forever breathing in, and the next minute infinity exhaled. Details of red accumulated in my memory like spent pulse packs.
A challenging read, but a worthwhile one.
Tim Powers calls this a “harrowing tale of easy treacheries and difficult loyalties”. As apt a description as any.
On a bigger scale, this is the story of war between Humans and an alien species. On an intimate scale, it is the story of a boy orphaned at the age of eight and how he is either abused, indoctrinated, manipulated or maneuvered in some way or other by various factions in the war for different purposes.
Joslyn Musey is a child of many “worlds”: The Merchant Ship Mukudori (where he was born and raised), the Pirate Ship Genghis Khan (where he is held captive by the pirate Falcone), the alien planet Aaian-na (where he is trained as a Ka'redan assassin priest), the EarthHub battleship Macedon (where he is trained as a “Jet”, the equivalent of a Space Marine). The big question, at the end of the day, is whether he can become a catalyst for peace? And so doing, find his place in the world?
There are layers here, and not everything is spelt out, but there is clearly a lot of abuse going on, both physically and emotionally. One of the main themes of the story pertains to war orphans and their eventual fate. The war itself is complicated by different factions, such as the pirates and the alien sympathisers, and it is occasionally difficult to see the forest for the trees when you are wondering who to root for (ho ho).
At the heart of the story is the protagonist’s relationship with his Ka'redan mentor, and how it shapes his worldview. The hook of Warchild is the emotional gamut it puts the protagonist (and the reader) through, and how it affects interpersonal relationships in the longer term. Basically: if you are a child and a war orphan, how would you react in these scenarios? There is a juxtaposition between the treatment received at the hands of the pirates and the hands of the symps, for example. In the end it is all moot, with just about everyone selling him down the river. My favourite sequence would have to be the bit on the Macedon, this is the bit where the books start showing its true colours (i.e. “nothing is as it seems in any case, and you better get your head straight or it will get blown off”).
As for the protagonist, obviously you can’t help but feel sorry for him (and root for him), but he is occasionally annoying, harping on his obsessions and basically being a sulky teen (the book basically spans his adolescent years, so it is hardly surprising).
Nevertheless, Warchild is very well written and provides ample food for thought. Action scenes aren’t all that abundant (considering that this is shelved as Military Science Fiction by some readers), but when they do occur, they are deftly handled.
In the end I thought it was reminiscent of the character driven Science Fiction written by the likes of C.J. Cherryh or C.S. Friedman.
An easy 4, at the end of the day, but I can't see myself reading the sequels.
But it wasn’t me. It was just a body moving. And they were just bodies without names.
We moved fast, but I saw it all slow. One minute was forever breathing in, and the next minute infinity exhaled. Details of red accumulated in my memory like spent pulse packs.
A challenging read, but a worthwhile one.
Tim Powers calls this a “harrowing tale of easy treacheries and difficult loyalties”. As apt a description as any.
On a bigger scale, this is the story of war between Humans and an alien species. On an intimate scale, it is the story of a boy orphaned at the age of eight and how he is either abused, indoctrinated, manipulated or maneuvered in some way or other by various factions in the war for different purposes.
Joslyn Musey is a child of many “worlds”: The Merchant Ship Mukudori (where he was born and raised), the Pirate Ship Genghis Khan (where he is held captive by the pirate Falcone), the alien planet Aaian-na (where he is trained as a Ka'redan assassin priest), the EarthHub battleship Macedon (where he is trained as a “Jet”, the equivalent of a Space Marine). The big question, at the end of the day, is whether he can become a catalyst for peace? And so doing, find his place in the world?
There are layers here, and not everything is spelt out, but there is clearly a lot of abuse going on, both physically and emotionally. One of the main themes of the story pertains to war orphans and their eventual fate. The war itself is complicated by different factions, such as the pirates and the alien sympathisers, and it is occasionally difficult to see the forest for the trees when you are wondering who to root for (ho ho).
At the heart of the story is the protagonist’s relationship with his Ka'redan mentor, and how it shapes his worldview. The hook of Warchild is the emotional gamut it puts the protagonist (and the reader) through, and how it affects interpersonal relationships in the longer term. Basically: if you are a child and a war orphan, how would you react in these scenarios? There is a juxtaposition between the treatment received at the hands of the pirates and the hands of the symps, for example. In the end it is all moot, with just about everyone selling him down the river. My favourite sequence would have to be the bit on the Macedon, this is the bit where the books start showing its true colours (i.e. “nothing is as it seems in any case, and you better get your head straight or it will get blown off”).
As for the protagonist, obviously you can’t help but feel sorry for him (and root for him), but he is occasionally annoying, harping on his obsessions and basically being a sulky teen (the book basically spans his adolescent years, so it is hardly surprising).
Nevertheless, Warchild is very well written and provides ample food for thought. Action scenes aren’t all that abundant (considering that this is shelved as Military Science Fiction by some readers), but when they do occur, they are deftly handled.
In the end I thought it was reminiscent of the character driven Science Fiction written by the likes of C.J. Cherryh or C.S. Friedman.
An easy 4, at the end of the day, but I can't see myself reading the sequels.
September 4, 2019
So this scratched an itch I didn't know I had, for military sci-fi that I actually find readable. I enjoyed a lot of the world-building, especially the political landscape that provides the context for the war. The plot wasn't especially original, but that was fine and not necessarily what I needed from the book. However, despite a strong, engrossing start, the pace dragged significantly in the second and third parts, which was more of a problem for me than the plot, but it did pick up again at the end.
This is very heavily a book about trauma and abuse. Jos has dealt with a lot of terrible shit in his life, and as a result he is an angry, isolated child and then teenager. He learned early in life not to trust anyone, a lesson that was repeated in various harsh ways pretty much whenever he started to have any opportunity to heal. He's not a protagonist I like very much as a person, but he is one I feel for. I often dislike first person narration, but Jos's voice was one of the strengths of the book for me.
There are some pretty major flaws to the book as well, though. I disliked Evan's narrative a lot and found some elements of the book's overall tone very uncomfortable, although I had trouble putting my finger on exactly what at first. I realized after I'd finished the book and read some reviews from friends that while there was quite a bit of homoerotic tension, most of the actual sexual interactions between men were abusive and/or manipulative. Add in some of the power dynamics happening, and the book did very poorly for me in terms of queer content and characters.
This is very heavily a book about trauma and abuse. Jos has dealt with a lot of terrible shit in his life, and as a result he is an angry, isolated child and then teenager. He learned early in life not to trust anyone, a lesson that was repeated in various harsh ways pretty much whenever he started to have any opportunity to heal. He's not a protagonist I like very much as a person, but he is one I feel for. I often dislike first person narration, but Jos's voice was one of the strengths of the book for me.
There are some pretty major flaws to the book as well, though. I disliked Evan's narrative a lot and found some elements of the book's overall tone very uncomfortable, although I had trouble putting my finger on exactly what at first. I realized after I'd finished the book and read some reviews from friends that while there was quite a bit of homoerotic tension, most of the actual sexual interactions between men were abusive and/or manipulative. Add in some of the power dynamics happening, and the book did very poorly for me in terms of queer content and characters.
September 28, 2019
Some good, some bad. I liked the conflicting loyalties but the writing was choppy. The attempts at instrospective, poetical gestures were a bit too much. The end was a bit too pat and didn't really flow from prior actions/decisions. 2.5 stars rounded up because the world and conflict were good.
February 28, 2011
The book starts with the hero, eight year old Jos, huddled in a hiding place on the space ship he and his parents call home, listening to a battle rage outside. It proceeds through his capture by the pirate captain, his escape, his rescue by a man sympathetic to the alien race that Earth Hub is trying to eradicate, and his eventual growth into manhood. This is a character driven story that takes place in a future universe that is well developed and real -- my favorite kind of read.
It starts in the second person, creating some needed emotional distance from the terror stricken boy, but morphs into first person fairly quickly. I'm not even sure when it happened.
Lowachee creates such emotional reality with so few words and without the graphic violence of so many books, that I found my heart gripped with the emotions Jos was experiencing - his loneliness, the frozen emptiness of abandonment, the avoidance of the real traumas of murder, dismemberment, rape and child abuse.
The alien planet where Jos learns his skills in fighting, computer hacking (or Burn Diving as they call it) is a place of beauty and peace modeled on the oriental. The giant space ships are felt and imagined. The torn loyalties between Earth and the aliens are wrenching. The connection between Jos and Niko, his rescuer, is real and moving and we sense Jos' need to be loved and valued.
I didn't want it to end. I'm glad there are two more books.
It starts in the second person, creating some needed emotional distance from the terror stricken boy, but morphs into first person fairly quickly. I'm not even sure when it happened.
Lowachee creates such emotional reality with so few words and without the graphic violence of so many books, that I found my heart gripped with the emotions Jos was experiencing - his loneliness, the frozen emptiness of abandonment, the avoidance of the real traumas of murder, dismemberment, rape and child abuse.
The alien planet where Jos learns his skills in fighting, computer hacking (or Burn Diving as they call it) is a place of beauty and peace modeled on the oriental. The giant space ships are felt and imagined. The torn loyalties between Earth and the aliens are wrenching. The connection between Jos and Niko, his rescuer, is real and moving and we sense Jos' need to be loved and valued.
I didn't want it to end. I'm glad there are two more books.
June 7, 2012
Warchild, Burndive, Cagebird
Interesting series. I got these because I'd seen them highly reviewed somewhere; of course, now I don't remember where.
In many ways, they're basic military SF - I'd recommend them, with some reservations, to fans of Lois McMaster Bujold, maybe CJ Cherryh.
Each one has a different young man as the protagonist, but they follow one timeline, and link to each other, with many shared characters.All of them are very homosensual. All the young men are super-cute, and there is much tousling of hair. (Is the author's hair an erogenous zone? It's really non-stop.) At times I was like, "Um, am I reading yaoi here?" At other times... well, it gets disturbing. That's where my reservations arise. I wouldn't normally 'warn' any reader off a book for content, but if you are sensitive about child abuse, I would not recommend the second two in this series, and especially not the third, due to explicit scenes of rape and abuse. It doesn't just discuss it, but while condemning the perpetrators, it's still oddly mixed with the eroticism.
The first one is the best of the bunch. Not necessarily BECAUSE, but it is much more restrained and understated. You know bad things happened to the protagonist, but he is in denial, and refuses to talk about them. This actually makes the trauma very real and believable. With the second and third, I almost felt like the author was just trying to see how far she could push it...
The first book, Warchild, sets up the world: Humanity has become spacefaring, and discovered a moon full of valuable resources. Unfortunately, it was already colonized by an alien scientific mission. Humans try to take over, and a war starts. Some humans sympathize with the alien cause, and go over to their side. Meanwhile, vicious starfaring pirates take advantage of the social instability, and prey on whoever and whatever they can get their hands on. One of the worst of the pirates is Falcone, a former space Marine captain with an obsession with raising young boys to be his proteges... and treating them in ways that leave them horribly damaged, in the process. The main character here, the adorable Jos Musey, is orphaned by an attack by Falcone on his family's merchant ship, and taken by Falcone, who has plans for him. However, Jos takes advantage of the chaos of an alien attack to escape... and finds himself in the hands of sympathizers, who train him in alien martial arts. Next, he's sent undercover to infiltrate the marines...
These are are kind of 'familiar' scenarios, but the book does a great job of portraying emotional manipulation and conflicting loyalties.
Burndive is the second book. (And kind of oddly titled - a 'Burndive' is virtual reality hacking, and there is very little of it in the book... less than in the first book.) The protagonist here is, of course, cute. He's the son of the most famous Marine captain, and a bit of a celebrity. He's also a spoiled brat, and not really nearly as compelling a character as that of Jos. Ryan (the spoiled celeb), has a bit of a drug problem, but his bigger problem is assassination attempts... his father's attempts to make peace with the aliens haven't gone over well in some circles, and some people are more than willing to kill him to get to his dad. The dad takes him aboard his ship - both for safety, and as a bit of a boot camp program to whip him into shape and get him to grow up a bit. Space action ensues... and we learn more about Falcone, the captain, Azarcon, and why he hates pirates more than aliens.
In the third, Cagebird, we get to see thing from the point of view of the 'bad guys.' The protagonist here is Yuri - yet another of Falcone's proteges. This one hasn't run away or escaped... he's become a captain under Falcone's command. However, he's far from not-messed-up - he's full of emotional conflict, and has a tendency to cut himself. Of course, he's also a bad-ass that will just as soon kill you as... The narrative switches from showing how Yuri got to where he is, with training (mostly to be a prostitute) under Falcone, to the present, where military and political negotiations involving pirates, symps, aliens, marines, and the human HubCentral government are ongoing.
These three books are all there are to the series; but it doesn't really feel quite done. The second two concentrate on Falcone's story arc - and really neglect the part of the story that has to do with Niko (the Warboy) and the alien/human conflict. There's definitely room for another book here.
Interesting series. I got these because I'd seen them highly reviewed somewhere; of course, now I don't remember where.
In many ways, they're basic military SF - I'd recommend them, with some reservations, to fans of Lois McMaster Bujold, maybe CJ Cherryh.
Each one has a different young man as the protagonist, but they follow one timeline, and link to each other, with many shared characters.All of them are very homosensual. All the young men are super-cute, and there is much tousling of hair. (Is the author's hair an erogenous zone? It's really non-stop.) At times I was like, "Um, am I reading yaoi here?" At other times... well, it gets disturbing. That's where my reservations arise. I wouldn't normally 'warn' any reader off a book for content, but if you are sensitive about child abuse, I would not recommend the second two in this series, and especially not the third, due to explicit scenes of rape and abuse. It doesn't just discuss it, but while condemning the perpetrators, it's still oddly mixed with the eroticism.
The first one is the best of the bunch. Not necessarily BECAUSE, but it is much more restrained and understated. You know bad things happened to the protagonist, but he is in denial, and refuses to talk about them. This actually makes the trauma very real and believable. With the second and third, I almost felt like the author was just trying to see how far she could push it...
The first book, Warchild, sets up the world: Humanity has become spacefaring, and discovered a moon full of valuable resources. Unfortunately, it was already colonized by an alien scientific mission. Humans try to take over, and a war starts. Some humans sympathize with the alien cause, and go over to their side. Meanwhile, vicious starfaring pirates take advantage of the social instability, and prey on whoever and whatever they can get their hands on. One of the worst of the pirates is Falcone, a former space Marine captain with an obsession with raising young boys to be his proteges... and treating them in ways that leave them horribly damaged, in the process. The main character here, the adorable Jos Musey, is orphaned by an attack by Falcone on his family's merchant ship, and taken by Falcone, who has plans for him. However, Jos takes advantage of the chaos of an alien attack to escape... and finds himself in the hands of sympathizers, who train him in alien martial arts. Next, he's sent undercover to infiltrate the marines...
These are are kind of 'familiar' scenarios, but the book does a great job of portraying emotional manipulation and conflicting loyalties.
Burndive is the second book. (And kind of oddly titled - a 'Burndive' is virtual reality hacking, and there is very little of it in the book... less than in the first book.) The protagonist here is, of course, cute. He's the son of the most famous Marine captain, and a bit of a celebrity. He's also a spoiled brat, and not really nearly as compelling a character as that of Jos. Ryan (the spoiled celeb), has a bit of a drug problem, but his bigger problem is assassination attempts... his father's attempts to make peace with the aliens haven't gone over well in some circles, and some people are more than willing to kill him to get to his dad. The dad takes him aboard his ship - both for safety, and as a bit of a boot camp program to whip him into shape and get him to grow up a bit. Space action ensues... and we learn more about Falcone, the captain, Azarcon, and why he hates pirates more than aliens.
In the third, Cagebird, we get to see thing from the point of view of the 'bad guys.' The protagonist here is Yuri - yet another of Falcone's proteges. This one hasn't run away or escaped... he's become a captain under Falcone's command. However, he's far from not-messed-up - he's full of emotional conflict, and has a tendency to cut himself. Of course, he's also a bad-ass that will just as soon kill you as... The narrative switches from showing how Yuri got to where he is, with training (mostly to be a prostitute) under Falcone, to the present, where military and political negotiations involving pirates, symps, aliens, marines, and the human HubCentral government are ongoing.
These three books are all there are to the series; but it doesn't really feel quite done. The second two concentrate on Falcone's story arc - and really neglect the part of the story that has to do with Niko (the Warboy) and the alien/human conflict. There's definitely room for another book here.
August 27, 2015
This novel is my second favorite read in 2015, brilliant plot development, careful and detailed world building without info-dumps, meaningful and deeply emotionally charged characters set off an exciting SciFi.
This is a first novel I have read by Karin Lowachee and it won't be the last. I like her style. It's so easy it seems effortless. The words seemed to flow of the pages and wrapped themselves around me like magic, transporting me right at the side of a wounded young boy trying desperately to find a small place in the universe to call his own. This story emphasizes the true meaning of wealth. Some riches that only can be found in a family circle. A safe-heaven witch gives you the absolute right to be yourself no matter what. The only judgement that would come to you is in a form of criticism that is made to create, and not destroy. To help you transform into a happier, better self.
Jos proudly showed the few small gems that he had in his heart early on. The safety and the security of his parents' arms. A loving mother's smile, a devoted father's support. Then he lost it all. He lost far more than he was even aware at the time, and only had happy memories to light his way in dark cold space. He was an orphan, a beautiful orphan in the clutches of evil people. He was told he will be a tool to use for someone else's gain. He ran. He got cut down and fell bleeding into his enemy's hands...
This is where the storytelling gets to shine the best of all in my eyes. Who do we hate? Who do we fight against in our lives? Do we truly hate because that is what our heart tells us? Do we really fight because we want to? Or are we told from an early age what fear should look like, how hate should taste or what demons lurk under our beds?
We have all been there, we have all been guided by other's hand and directed to other's goals in our life. It's human nature in the end, and it is unavoidable. A tormented man turns into a wise one not because he fights, but because he sees both sides of the coin. He walked more than a mile in different shoes, had loved love and hate at the same time. You are not told any of this, you experienced it on your skin while your mind looked in trough a young boy's eyes.
Something other that I truly liked is the subtle approach to sexuality in the novel. On a few instances where there were moments that were sexually charged they had a homoerotic feeling but in a subtle, genuine way. These elements carried a disturbing undertone at the time, not because of a sexual focus on same sex but because of the age of the characters that were involved. Later throughout the novel you could pick up on some more similar situations where the approach to same sex partners was not even mentioned as something out of the ordinary. Old Roman and Greek civilizations accepted and celebrated human sexuality in all of it's glory and same sex partners were accepted, even expected in certain lives like those of professional soldiers. Greeks thought a man would fight with more passion, to protect that which he loves. They were right. In the novel the name of the deep spacer Macedon the author used can be taken a nod to the great Alexander and his life, both private and as a brilliant strategist and a military general.
By not applying current buzz or social standard to her characters the author gave more realism to her story. She didn't push sexuality on her reader, swinging it like a weapon or a target. It was a part of her story as it is a part of human psyche.
I really have give credit, where credit's due and say that I am impressed with the story and it's execution. It won an award, and in my opinion rightfully so. As a favour to all of us that love brilliant space stories, she shouldn't stay far away from her pen at any time. Looking forward to the rest.
This is a first novel I have read by Karin Lowachee and it won't be the last. I like her style. It's so easy it seems effortless. The words seemed to flow of the pages and wrapped themselves around me like magic, transporting me right at the side of a wounded young boy trying desperately to find a small place in the universe to call his own. This story emphasizes the true meaning of wealth. Some riches that only can be found in a family circle. A safe-heaven witch gives you the absolute right to be yourself no matter what. The only judgement that would come to you is in a form of criticism that is made to create, and not destroy. To help you transform into a happier, better self.
Jos proudly showed the few small gems that he had in his heart early on. The safety and the security of his parents' arms. A loving mother's smile, a devoted father's support. Then he lost it all. He lost far more than he was even aware at the time, and only had happy memories to light his way in dark cold space. He was an orphan, a beautiful orphan in the clutches of evil people. He was told he will be a tool to use for someone else's gain. He ran. He got cut down and fell bleeding into his enemy's hands...
This is where the storytelling gets to shine the best of all in my eyes. Who do we hate? Who do we fight against in our lives? Do we truly hate because that is what our heart tells us? Do we really fight because we want to? Or are we told from an early age what fear should look like, how hate should taste or what demons lurk under our beds?
We have all been there, we have all been guided by other's hand and directed to other's goals in our life. It's human nature in the end, and it is unavoidable. A tormented man turns into a wise one not because he fights, but because he sees both sides of the coin. He walked more than a mile in different shoes, had loved love and hate at the same time. You are not told any of this, you experienced it on your skin while your mind looked in trough a young boy's eyes.
Something other that I truly liked is the subtle approach to sexuality in the novel. On a few instances where there were moments that were sexually charged they had a homoerotic feeling but in a subtle, genuine way. These elements carried a disturbing undertone at the time, not because of a sexual focus on same sex but because of the age of the characters that were involved. Later throughout the novel you could pick up on some more similar situations where the approach to same sex partners was not even mentioned as something out of the ordinary. Old Roman and Greek civilizations accepted and celebrated human sexuality in all of it's glory and same sex partners were accepted, even expected in certain lives like those of professional soldiers. Greeks thought a man would fight with more passion, to protect that which he loves. They were right. In the novel the name of the deep spacer Macedon the author used can be taken a nod to the great Alexander and his life, both private and as a brilliant strategist and a military general.
By not applying current buzz or social standard to her characters the author gave more realism to her story. She didn't push sexuality on her reader, swinging it like a weapon or a target. It was a part of her story as it is a part of human psyche.
I really have give credit, where credit's due and say that I am impressed with the story and it's execution. It won an award, and in my opinion rightfully so. As a favour to all of us that love brilliant space stories, she shouldn't stay far away from her pen at any time. Looking forward to the rest.
March 18, 2011
Very 'eh. It feels like mediocre fanfic, lots of turgid homosexual hints and situations (but no sex), lots of melodrama, men being stoic and all but emotionless or just being manipulatively emotional. Fighting but not very interesting, more smoke and loud noises than than combat.
The worst part was the aliens, apparently they are japanese.
Seriously pass on this unless you are WAY bored.
The worst part was the aliens, apparently they are japanese.
Seriously pass on this unless you are WAY bored.
May 14, 2016
Oh gosh, reading this book is pure indulgence - which is a strange thing to say, since it is such a brutal book with what it does to its characters, both physically and emotionally, but ...
Also yes, the main character is a kid, but this is not YA. Mind you, I would have loved this book with fourteen of fifteen even more than I do love it now as I would not have seen its worldbuilding problems. But I've also been the kind of kid to watch R-rated movies. (Also wtf the romance shelfing? This is as far from romance as one can get. But yes to queer characters!)
Anyway, there are plotholes, but I will gladly read a book with much bigger plotholes if it has Cairo Azarcon in it (as if kindness was something you gave without expectations). And the photos over Erret Dorr's bed, which totally broke my heart.
(It took me a week to make my way through the first part - that was intense. I gulped the rest of the book down in a few frenzied sittings, carrying it with me in case I had some 5 minutes on the metro.)
Also yes, the main character is a kid, but this is not YA. Mind you, I would have loved this book with fourteen of fifteen even more than I do love it now as I would not have seen its worldbuilding problems. But I've also been the kind of kid to watch R-rated movies. (Also wtf the romance shelfing? This is as far from romance as one can get. But yes to queer characters!)
Anyway, there are plotholes, but I will gladly read a book with much bigger plotholes if it has Cairo Azarcon in it (as if kindness was something you gave without expectations). And the photos over Erret Dorr's bed, which totally broke my heart.
(It took me a week to make my way through the first part - that was intense. I gulped the rest of the book down in a few frenzied sittings, carrying it with me in case I had some 5 minutes on the metro.)
Read
February 23, 2010I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I thought it was going to be one of those easy, cliche filled books. Normally, I would be upset about being so wrong. I sat down with this book and didn't get up again until I had finished. Very good.
Currently reading
June 29, 2016So far, so intense... o.O
January 16, 2025
“Where is your life now, Jos-na? On Mukudori, with Falcone, or here? How many times have you divided yourself? When are you going to collect your pieces?”
4.5 stars. Good god this book put me through the WRINGER. In a good way? Mostly? I don't know. I'm in a bit of a daze. One thing I'll say right off the bat is that I haven't devoured a book so quickly in ages, not without the aid of an audiobook. These days, it's so hard for me to get time to actually sit down and read, and often when I do, I find my mind wandering. Not with this book. I MADE time to read it, and wild horses couldn't tear my eyes away from the screen. I read through most of this 400+ page book in one day, which just isn't something I say a lot these days.
This is space opera sci-fi with a military bent, which doesn't sound like something I usually enjoy. So I'm glad I didn't know much about the military stuff going in. But actually, even though the overarching plot involves a war between humans on one side, and aliens and alien sympathisers on the other side, it doesn't really FEEL like military sci-fi? It's more of a very character-focused coming of age story, with our main character Jos at the helm. GOD this kid. I loved him and wanted to protect him from the first page. I wanna kill everyone who's ever hurt him, and sadly this means there are a lot of people I want to kill. The merchant carrier that Jos lives on is attacked when he's only eight years old. Kidnapped by slavers, he eventually finds himself in a midst of an intergalactic war as a spy, and having his loyalties tested in gruelling ways. This was just... really agonising, really painful, but so so so good as an exploration of war, its far reaching effects, and the mental ones close to home. So many terrible things happen to Jos, and then even when good things are happening, you're forced to wonder how sincere or genuine they are.
I was a little devastated when I realised that the next book in the series follows different characters. I mean, this doesn't have a cliff hanger ending or anything, but I just really want to spend more time with these characters. Hopefully we'll see them again in other books. The universe its interesting, and it's the people and their relationships that made this such a propulsive, unputdownable read. I love Jos so much. :(
Content warnings:
You always saved the things in your head until they were forced to come out. And sometimes it was too late, even then.
December 22, 2011
I want to say, first and foremost, that this is the best book I've read in a very long time. I've read lots of books I loved this year, but this one beats them all. If you write SF, especially SF involving outer space and other planets of any kind, you must read this book.[return][return]For a full review, which may or may not include spoilers, please click here: http://calico-reaction.livejournal.co...
September 25, 2013
Somewhere around here are all the little pieces of my shattered icy heart. _Warchild_ has completely broken me, but somehow strangely in a good way, without being depressing or distasteful: I'm contrasting it wtih Donaldson's _Chronicles of Thomas Covenant_, which was as heartbreaking, but left a stain on my soul I can still find after 30 years. _Warchild_ is - not uplifting, but *good* - there's a fundamental goodness in the writing and in Lowachee's world that triumphs over the darkness.
_Warchild_ needs all the trigger warnings: it's about abuse, abandonment, and a broad range of physical and psychological horrors inflicted on the underage. It's about trying to find one's place in the alien world of adults, extraterrestrial or otherwise, about negotiating the boundaries and meaning of belonging and intimacy, about the natures of betrayal and love. It is definitely All The Feels, and shouting out loud at plot turns very late at night, and a haunting of images and phrases.
It's also one of the most fic-able things I've ever read, a candyland of potential for darkfic slash, and I understand even 10 years on it's still a pretty popular canon for fic. I think SPN and Sherlock fans will particularly love it: there's barely the tiniest mention of het in the whole thing, and it's very much an exploration of masculinities in the Spartan vein. As one reviewer put it, "this is for you if you liked Master And Commander, but thought it wasn't gay enough or in space enough."
The trilogy is hard to come by: even old mass market paperbacks are pricey on Amazon. The spiffy trade pb is well worth it, though: this is a book that, like its young hero Jos, deserves to be a survivor.
_Warchild_ needs all the trigger warnings: it's about abuse, abandonment, and a broad range of physical and psychological horrors inflicted on the underage. It's about trying to find one's place in the alien world of adults, extraterrestrial or otherwise, about negotiating the boundaries and meaning of belonging and intimacy, about the natures of betrayal and love. It is definitely All The Feels, and shouting out loud at plot turns very late at night, and a haunting of images and phrases.
It's also one of the most fic-able things I've ever read, a candyland of potential for darkfic slash, and I understand even 10 years on it's still a pretty popular canon for fic. I think SPN and Sherlock fans will particularly love it: there's barely the tiniest mention of het in the whole thing, and it's very much an exploration of masculinities in the Spartan vein. As one reviewer put it, "this is for you if you liked Master And Commander, but thought it wasn't gay enough or in space enough."
The trilogy is hard to come by: even old mass market paperbacks are pricey on Amazon. The spiffy trade pb is well worth it, though: this is a book that, like its young hero Jos, deserves to be a survivor.
July 30, 2007
After pirates kill his family and kidnap him, young Jos is completely alone. He escapes to an alien planet, but even there he can’t escape war. He is trained to be an assassin and a spy, and then set loose upon his own people. Jos was clearly abused, and he finds it hard to trust or be physically close to people; after a few hundred pages of hearing how traumatized he still is, however, I found myself more frustrated than sympathetic.
December 18, 2020
3.5/5
https://delivreenlivres.home.blog/202...
J’avoue que je ne sais pas trop ce que j’ai pensé de ce livre.
C’était bien, oui, mais ce n’était pas vraiment ce que j’en attendais quand je l’ai ouvert. Du coup on peut dire que ça m’a un peu déstabilisé, surtout que les thèmes abordés sont durs et touchent des points sensibles.
C’est un livre qui traite des traumatismes d’un enfant maltraité qui tente de se reconstruire et de se venger alors qu’on est en plein milieu d’une guerre.
Guerre où il va devoir choisir son camp.
Et du coup je met un beau warning pour ceux que le sujet dérange vraiment.
La guerre est déclarée entre les humains et une autre race extraterrestre. Tout cela a été déclenché par une lune plein de ressource qui a été colonisée par les extraterrestres (avans que les humains en entendent parler) et que les humains voudraient récupérer. Mais ceux ci ont dit non, c’est LEUR colonie, et les humains l’ont très mal pris.
Certains humains se sont mis du coté des extraterrestres, estimant que c’était normal qu’ils veuillent garder leur colonie et que les humains n’avaient rien à faire sur place. Ils sont appelés des « symp » (diminutif de « sympathisants », de façon insultante) par les autres humains. Les symps sont dirigés par un homme qui est devenu un mythe : le Warboy, un homme que l’on dit être le pire assassin, capable de descendre à lui tout seul des vaisseaux entiers humains …
Nous suivons Jos. Celui ci a 8 ans quand le vaisseau de commerce dans lequel ses parents sont ingénieurs est attaqué par des pirates. Ceux ci tuent tout les adultes et embarquent les enfants pour les vendre comme esclave. Le capitaine du vaisseau pirate décide de garder Jos pour lui. Mais pas pour lui faire nettoyer les couloirs … Il lui enseigne les bonnes manières pour « plaire » à ses clients et en fait un enfant docile qui accepte tout.
Mais en dessous de ça Jos garde un grande colère, qu’il arrive très bien à cacher. Une haine qui explose a un moment quand ils se retrouvent par hasard sur une station quand celle ci est attaquée par le camp adverse (celui des extraterrestres). Il plante son « maître » avec une fourchette et s’enfuit dans la panique générale, mais pas avant que celui ci lui ai tiré dessus …
Jos est sauvé par un inconnu.
Celui ci l’emmène chez lui. Bien sur Jos n’est pas dupe, il se méfie de tout et ne lui fait pas confiance. Mais petit à petit la façon dont il est bien traité le fait sortir de sa coquille. Il va pouvoir entamer son apprentissage de la vie libre, et choisir son camp. Car en fait l’homme qui l’a sauvé est le fameux Warboy, qui n’a pas pu abandonner un enfant blessé sur son passage …
Il se met à enseigner à Jos les mœurs de l’autre camp, et veut en fait son apprenti.
Vous l’aurez compris, Jos est un enfant traumatisé. Il lui faudra bien du temps pour arriver à faire la part des choses. Il est totalement dans le déni de ce qui lui est arrivé, il a « oublié » les sévices et refuse s’en parler. Pour lui il ne c’est jamais rien passé.
Au fil de son parcours il va rencontrer différentes personnes en lien avec le fameux capitaine pirate et de nombreux que celui ci a aussi détruit. Il va apprendre à guérir et si il faut pour cela devenir un assassin ou un espion pour partir à sa poursuite et avoir sa revanche, ça ne le dérange pas.
Du coup je dirais que le sujet principal est le traitement des sévices que Jos a subit et la façon dont son chemin va le faire changer au fur et à mesure.
Il va vraiment être confronté successivement à tout les camps de la guerre et s’apercevoir qu’il y a du bon et du mauvais partout finalement car la guerre amène à des extrémités horribles des fois. Peut-on conserver ses propres convictions dans une guerre quand on s’aperçoit qu’il y a du bon chez les ennemis et que votre propre camp fait des atrocités? C’est pour moi le second sujet important de ce roman.
Au niveau du rythme on est loin d’un roman d’action.
Jos passe plus de temps dans son apprentissage successif et dans la vie « de tout les jours » (en tant de guerre dans des vaisseaux, du coup pas non plus le truc ordinaire mais pas dans des grandes batailles ou autre) qu’à être actif dans les batailles. Il y a certes quelques scènes mais elles sont rapide car n’étant pas le sujet principal du roman.
Au final je pense que c’est un roman qui peut déplaire car assez dur. C’est un livre que j’ai l’impression d’avoir mis bien plus de temps à lire que son nombre de pages (même si c’est faux vu que je l’ai fini en deux jours). Il prend au tripes à de nombreuses reprises et ne faut pas de cadeau.
Mais je suis néanmoins vraiment contente de l’avoir sorti.
Par contre je ne sais pas encore si je lirais la suite, j’en ai lu des avis pas géniaux.
En gros ils sont sur le même thème, avec d’autres personnages, mais ça devient de plus en plus graphique dans les descriptions vu que ceux ci ne sont pas dans le déni comme le personnage de ce tome ci. Et j’ai vu que ça avait rendu pas mal de monde très mal à l’aise car à force certain y ont vu un coté érotique vraiment dérangeant. Ceci dit je ne les ai pas lus donc je ne sais pas si c’est vrai ou si ces personnes ont l’esprit dérangé d’y voir ça, mais ça ne me motive pas vraiment on va dire ! (Déjà que c’était dur dans celui ci !!)
Mais finalement même si je ne les lis pas ça ne dérange pas tant que ça vu que celui ci était un one-shot avec une vrai fin qui n’amène à rien et qu’on ne reverra pas le personnage dans la suite.
https://delivreenlivres.home.blog/202...
J’avoue que je ne sais pas trop ce que j’ai pensé de ce livre.
C’était bien, oui, mais ce n’était pas vraiment ce que j’en attendais quand je l’ai ouvert. Du coup on peut dire que ça m’a un peu déstabilisé, surtout que les thèmes abordés sont durs et touchent des points sensibles.
C’est un livre qui traite des traumatismes d’un enfant maltraité qui tente de se reconstruire et de se venger alors qu’on est en plein milieu d’une guerre.
Guerre où il va devoir choisir son camp.
Et du coup je met un beau warning pour ceux que le sujet dérange vraiment.
La guerre est déclarée entre les humains et une autre race extraterrestre. Tout cela a été déclenché par une lune plein de ressource qui a été colonisée par les extraterrestres (avans que les humains en entendent parler) et que les humains voudraient récupérer. Mais ceux ci ont dit non, c’est LEUR colonie, et les humains l’ont très mal pris.
Certains humains se sont mis du coté des extraterrestres, estimant que c’était normal qu’ils veuillent garder leur colonie et que les humains n’avaient rien à faire sur place. Ils sont appelés des « symp » (diminutif de « sympathisants », de façon insultante) par les autres humains. Les symps sont dirigés par un homme qui est devenu un mythe : le Warboy, un homme que l’on dit être le pire assassin, capable de descendre à lui tout seul des vaisseaux entiers humains …
Nous suivons Jos. Celui ci a 8 ans quand le vaisseau de commerce dans lequel ses parents sont ingénieurs est attaqué par des pirates. Ceux ci tuent tout les adultes et embarquent les enfants pour les vendre comme esclave. Le capitaine du vaisseau pirate décide de garder Jos pour lui. Mais pas pour lui faire nettoyer les couloirs … Il lui enseigne les bonnes manières pour « plaire » à ses clients et en fait un enfant docile qui accepte tout.
Mais en dessous de ça Jos garde un grande colère, qu’il arrive très bien à cacher. Une haine qui explose a un moment quand ils se retrouvent par hasard sur une station quand celle ci est attaquée par le camp adverse (celui des extraterrestres). Il plante son « maître » avec une fourchette et s’enfuit dans la panique générale, mais pas avant que celui ci lui ai tiré dessus …
Jos est sauvé par un inconnu.
Celui ci l’emmène chez lui. Bien sur Jos n’est pas dupe, il se méfie de tout et ne lui fait pas confiance. Mais petit à petit la façon dont il est bien traité le fait sortir de sa coquille. Il va pouvoir entamer son apprentissage de la vie libre, et choisir son camp. Car en fait l’homme qui l’a sauvé est le fameux Warboy, qui n’a pas pu abandonner un enfant blessé sur son passage …
Il se met à enseigner à Jos les mœurs de l’autre camp, et veut en fait son apprenti.
Vous l’aurez compris, Jos est un enfant traumatisé. Il lui faudra bien du temps pour arriver à faire la part des choses. Il est totalement dans le déni de ce qui lui est arrivé, il a « oublié » les sévices et refuse s’en parler. Pour lui il ne c’est jamais rien passé.
Au fil de son parcours il va rencontrer différentes personnes en lien avec le fameux capitaine pirate et de nombreux que celui ci a aussi détruit. Il va apprendre à guérir et si il faut pour cela devenir un assassin ou un espion pour partir à sa poursuite et avoir sa revanche, ça ne le dérange pas.
Du coup je dirais que le sujet principal est le traitement des sévices que Jos a subit et la façon dont son chemin va le faire changer au fur et à mesure.
Il va vraiment être confronté successivement à tout les camps de la guerre et s’apercevoir qu’il y a du bon et du mauvais partout finalement car la guerre amène à des extrémités horribles des fois. Peut-on conserver ses propres convictions dans une guerre quand on s’aperçoit qu’il y a du bon chez les ennemis et que votre propre camp fait des atrocités? C’est pour moi le second sujet important de ce roman.
Au niveau du rythme on est loin d’un roman d’action.
Jos passe plus de temps dans son apprentissage successif et dans la vie « de tout les jours » (en tant de guerre dans des vaisseaux, du coup pas non plus le truc ordinaire mais pas dans des grandes batailles ou autre) qu’à être actif dans les batailles. Il y a certes quelques scènes mais elles sont rapide car n’étant pas le sujet principal du roman.
Au final je pense que c’est un roman qui peut déplaire car assez dur. C’est un livre que j’ai l’impression d’avoir mis bien plus de temps à lire que son nombre de pages (même si c’est faux vu que je l’ai fini en deux jours). Il prend au tripes à de nombreuses reprises et ne faut pas de cadeau.
Mais je suis néanmoins vraiment contente de l’avoir sorti.
Par contre je ne sais pas encore si je lirais la suite, j’en ai lu des avis pas géniaux.
En gros ils sont sur le même thème, avec d’autres personnages, mais ça devient de plus en plus graphique dans les descriptions vu que ceux ci ne sont pas dans le déni comme le personnage de ce tome ci. Et j’ai vu que ça avait rendu pas mal de monde très mal à l’aise car à force certain y ont vu un coté érotique vraiment dérangeant. Ceci dit je ne les ai pas lus donc je ne sais pas si c’est vrai ou si ces personnes ont l’esprit dérangé d’y voir ça, mais ça ne me motive pas vraiment on va dire ! (Déjà que c’était dur dans celui ci !!)
Mais finalement même si je ne les lis pas ça ne dérange pas tant que ça vu que celui ci était un one-shot avec une vrai fin qui n’amène à rien et qu’on ne reverra pas le personnage dans la suite.
July 6, 2016
Just as a warning! This book starts off briefly in Second person then moves to First. DON'T let that have an effect on your decision to read it. I usually dislike First person, but it really works here. This book talks about such difficult things. If the author had used third person, it might have felt like so much shock value.
Anyway. Wow, what can I say? This book really spoke to me.
There are so many things I like about it, but that might just be because as a writer, I appreciate what I did and DIDN'T see. No inane shoehorned romance, interesting use of POV, a focus on guardian-child relationships, an actually believable progression for an abused character, shades of gray for characters, and beauty as a NEGATIVE.
This isn't a traditional LGBT+ book either. The character's trauma was strong enough that thinking in a sexual capacity appears beyond him right now. Some people won't appreciate that, which is fair, but I thought it worked really well here. It made sense, when the most important growth for the character was actually friendships. And by that I mean that he takes the entire book to form relationships that are at least approaching healthy.
I think my one gripe is that the next book is supposed to be a different person. At the same time, I think it'll be a nice break to deal with a bratty guy that feels like he's a victim. It'll be a nice change of pace from the things that turn up in this book. And I can't wait to see what the next guy thinks of the main character from this book.
It might not be for everyone, but I really enjoyed it.
Anyway. Wow, what can I say? This book really spoke to me.
There are so many things I like about it, but that might just be because as a writer, I appreciate what I did and DIDN'T see. No inane shoehorned romance, interesting use of POV, a focus on guardian-child relationships, an actually believable progression for an abused character, shades of gray for characters, and beauty as a NEGATIVE.
This isn't a traditional LGBT+ book either. The character's trauma was strong enough that thinking in a sexual capacity appears beyond him right now. Some people won't appreciate that, which is fair, but I thought it worked really well here. It made sense, when the most important growth for the character was actually friendships. And by that I mean that he takes the entire book to form relationships that are at least approaching healthy.
I think my one gripe is that the next book is supposed to be a different person. At the same time, I think it'll be a nice break to deal with a bratty guy that feels like he's a victim. It'll be a nice change of pace from the things that turn up in this book. And I can't wait to see what the next guy thinks of the main character from this book.
It might not be for everyone, but I really enjoyed it.
Read
August 17, 2009Although this book shares similarites with Orson Scott Card's Enders Game, I found it a world apart.
The day I picked it up I was so wrapped within the character Jos that I could not set the book down. That, I would dare to say, is the main difference between these two books. The main character is realistically emotional in every way imaginable.
Although the first segment is in second person, do not allow that to deter you. At first I was put off by that style hoping, even though I enjoyed that section almost as much as any other, that the entire book would not be written so. Fortunately it is not (even if it were it wouldn't make the book any less beautiful).
The day I picked it up I was so wrapped within the character Jos that I could not set the book down. That, I would dare to say, is the main difference between these two books. The main character is realistically emotional in every way imaginable.
Although the first segment is in second person, do not allow that to deter you. At first I was put off by that style hoping, even though I enjoyed that section almost as much as any other, that the entire book would not be written so. Fortunately it is not (even if it were it wouldn't make the book any less beautiful).
November 28, 2010
One of my top 10 favorites. A nitty gritty emotionally charged sci fi story. The story emphasizes and is driven by the characters, not the story, which separates it from most science fiction. It's even better because it's part of a trilogy (Cagebird and Burndive are the others) where we see some of the exact same scenes from a different character's viewpoint. I've read the trilogy twice and look forward to reading again in the future. The mental imagery she creates is so strong that on re-reading it years later I remembered some of the scenes quite vividly. I wish there were 10 books in the series. Wonderful books.
Read
March 19, 2011A very strong first novel, making use of second person present tense in an unnervingly successful way. The prose might seem less polished then her later books, but this story has enormous drive, and tremendous ambition within the slashy hurt/comfort realm that seems dominated, interestingly enough, by extremely intelligent female writers.
November 2, 2011
Space opera melodrama about a traumatized child who grows up to become a conflicted spy. I enjoyed this for the characterization and human drama more than for the science fiction elements. It's slashy and full of angst, but it's well-written and I have a weakness for this kind of thing.
May 16, 2017
This was SO excellent.
Further thoughts: http://ladybusiness.dreamwidth.org/20...
Further thoughts: http://ladybusiness.dreamwidth.org/20...
July 20, 2018
Absolutely great.
At it's base, "Warchild" is a story, well, about a warchild. Jos is a lost boy - he lost his parents and his home to a small part of a never-ending war. During his short life, he find himself in different sides of the war, with truly terrible people but also great people from both sides.
For me, the best thing about this book was its character work and writing. Every character Jos met felt truly realistic to me. I was terrified of the terrible ones, and fell in love with the good ones (well, especially Niko <3). As someone who often felt lost and hurt as child (I guess most of us do), it was extremely easy for me to identify with Jos. I also liked the ambivalence regarding the war although the book, stemming from Jos's unique position.
Most of all, I think I enjoyed "Warchild" as a growing-up story, about a young person finding his place and personality between his many life experiences, role models, and enemies. The way they all combine in Jos is absolutely charming.
On top of this, I felt these characteristics are quite rare in military sci-fi, which made this book even more refreshing and original.
At it's base, "Warchild" is a story, well, about a warchild. Jos is a lost boy - he lost his parents and his home to a small part of a never-ending war. During his short life, he find himself in different sides of the war, with truly terrible people but also great people from both sides.
For me, the best thing about this book was its character work and writing. Every character Jos met felt truly realistic to me. I was terrified of the terrible ones, and fell in love with the good ones (well, especially Niko <3). As someone who often felt lost and hurt as child (I guess most of us do), it was extremely easy for me to identify with Jos. I also liked the ambivalence regarding the war although the book, stemming from Jos's unique position.
Most of all, I think I enjoyed "Warchild" as a growing-up story, about a young person finding his place and personality between his many life experiences, role models, and enemies. The way they all combine in Jos is absolutely charming.
On top of this, I felt these characteristics are quite rare in military sci-fi, which made this book even more refreshing and original.
November 12, 2025
This book. THIS. BOOK. Oh my god. If I hadn't needed my hands to hold my kindle steady as I was reading, my face would have been in almost constant danger of me RIPPING IT OFF. I just-- this book. This book is amazing. The prose is stunning. The story is gripping. The plot is edge of your seat. The feelings are VISCERAL. I'm breaking out the caplocks, even though it is cheesy, because it is one-hundred percent necessary.
Okay, I admit I was a little wary at first, because of how the first chapter begins (you could call it the prologue, almost)-- with the 2nd person POV, plus the not-so-nice content-- but HOLY DANG I am SO BEYOND GRATEFUL that I stuck it out, because this book paid that small amount of endurance back in spades. I don't think I've read another book in this past entire YEAR (and I've read a shitton of books) that had me as much by the throat as Warchild did. I almost don't even want to recommend it to any of my friends, that's how highly I rank it now. Because I would be beyond mortally offended if they didn't see the grand, transcendental, sublime perfection of it, like I do. You can't stay friends with people who mortally offend you. It would be a big risk, is what I'm saying.
EDIT - SEPT 2015 (re-read the book, adding in a real review this time):
A young boy is stolen. Barely eight years old, he’s taken away by a pirate. When he’s nine, the boy escapes the man who hurts him. And when he runs, he’s stolen again – this time by aliens, the enemies Earth have been at war with for decades. They tell him: decide if you are one of us. For a boy with no place, no home, and no family, is it even really a choice at all?
Warchild is the story of Jos Musey, a stolen boy who doesn’t belong to himself. It’s a coming-of-age; it’s a journey in the real world and the internal landscape both. It’s a lot of things in one story, actually, which is why I have a hard time describing this book. I can tell you that it’s got sci-fi and space marines, aliens versus humans, leviathan-size ships and city-size space ports, intrigues and spies and hidden agendas. And all that stuff is cool, but it’s just the window-dressings for the real story. Behind the curtains of the sci-fi alien war plot, you look through the window and the window is Jos. Sometimes you see through him all the way, like standing outside at night and looking into a room with the lights on. And sometimes the light is off, and all you can do is guess what’s going on inside the labyrinth of his head. Reading Warchild, you’ll live through what Jos lives through from ages eight to eighteen: loss, violations, emptiness and anger. You will learn what he learns: a new language. A new culture. How to fight. How to survive. You’ll move with him as he gets moved, shuffled around like a pawn piece on a chessboard the size of a galaxy; a board the size of a war. Your chest will constrict along with his at every test of loyalty, ache as the collateral damage and the costs add up higher and higher, and keep moving forward through all of it.
Warchild is a gorgeous book. The author, Karin Lowachee, has a gift for prose that can make your breath catch. There are some lines I want to turn into art and put on my walls in frames. That being said, it’s not an easy book to read, for the obvious reason: for most of it, you’re sharing the headspace of an abused child. Warchild is a book about emotion, psychology, recovering from trauma. In it’s own way, it subverts the typical “hard sci-fi” plot (à la Herbert, Asimov, Clarke, etc) into something that’s not about scale and scope, instead turning it into something almost painfully immediate and intimate. And before I scare everyone off, thinking this surely must be the Most Depressing Book Ever Writ– it absolutely is not. I promise you, there is love in this book! Love with a capital L, even. And there is humor, and annoyance, and banality, and triumphs large and small: all the same components of life, in short. It’s Jos’s life, and you live it alongside him. I can’t give it any better endorsement than that.
Okay, I admit I was a little wary at first, because of how the first chapter begins (you could call it the prologue, almost)-- with the 2nd person POV, plus the not-so-nice content-- but HOLY DANG I am SO BEYOND GRATEFUL that I stuck it out, because this book paid that small amount of endurance back in spades. I don't think I've read another book in this past entire YEAR (and I've read a shitton of books) that had me as much by the throat as Warchild did. I almost don't even want to recommend it to any of my friends, that's how highly I rank it now. Because I would be beyond mortally offended if they didn't see the grand, transcendental, sublime perfection of it, like I do. You can't stay friends with people who mortally offend you. It would be a big risk, is what I'm saying.
EDIT - SEPT 2015 (re-read the book, adding in a real review this time):
A young boy is stolen. Barely eight years old, he’s taken away by a pirate. When he’s nine, the boy escapes the man who hurts him. And when he runs, he’s stolen again – this time by aliens, the enemies Earth have been at war with for decades. They tell him: decide if you are one of us. For a boy with no place, no home, and no family, is it even really a choice at all?
Warchild is the story of Jos Musey, a stolen boy who doesn’t belong to himself. It’s a coming-of-age; it’s a journey in the real world and the internal landscape both. It’s a lot of things in one story, actually, which is why I have a hard time describing this book. I can tell you that it’s got sci-fi and space marines, aliens versus humans, leviathan-size ships and city-size space ports, intrigues and spies and hidden agendas. And all that stuff is cool, but it’s just the window-dressings for the real story. Behind the curtains of the sci-fi alien war plot, you look through the window and the window is Jos. Sometimes you see through him all the way, like standing outside at night and looking into a room with the lights on. And sometimes the light is off, and all you can do is guess what’s going on inside the labyrinth of his head. Reading Warchild, you’ll live through what Jos lives through from ages eight to eighteen: loss, violations, emptiness and anger. You will learn what he learns: a new language. A new culture. How to fight. How to survive. You’ll move with him as he gets moved, shuffled around like a pawn piece on a chessboard the size of a galaxy; a board the size of a war. Your chest will constrict along with his at every test of loyalty, ache as the collateral damage and the costs add up higher and higher, and keep moving forward through all of it.
Warchild is a gorgeous book. The author, Karin Lowachee, has a gift for prose that can make your breath catch. There are some lines I want to turn into art and put on my walls in frames. That being said, it’s not an easy book to read, for the obvious reason: for most of it, you’re sharing the headspace of an abused child. Warchild is a book about emotion, psychology, recovering from trauma. In it’s own way, it subverts the typical “hard sci-fi” plot (à la Herbert, Asimov, Clarke, etc) into something that’s not about scale and scope, instead turning it into something almost painfully immediate and intimate. And before I scare everyone off, thinking this surely must be the Most Depressing Book Ever Writ– it absolutely is not. I promise you, there is love in this book! Love with a capital L, even. And there is humor, and annoyance, and banality, and triumphs large and small: all the same components of life, in short. It’s Jos’s life, and you live it alongside him. I can’t give it any better endorsement than that.
October 11, 2012
Being notoriously picky about what I read, I figured I wouldn't really like this book since the whole space opera genre has gotten a bit old for me. "Science" in science fiction is something of a... sore point.. for me.
That being said, Warchild is a powerful psychological story, compellingly told and emotionally engaging. It is intensely character driven, and the politics and dynamics of these characters was well enough written that I was able to overlook the softness of the books "science" (*cough* I freely admit to elitism, but don't begrudge fans of soft SF, especially not when it facilitates stories like this!)
Pros
- Engaging and real characters who worm their way into hearts when you least expect it
- Visceral drama that is deeply felt
- I loved the kickass female characters in this book, from motherly Enas to the hardass Hartford to Aki and Iratxe
- The male characters, likewise, are well rounded and engaging.
Cons
- Predictable plot line for military sci-fi
- Boring alien culture (Japanese/East Asian indeed!). If you liked Avatar's Pandora, you'll like Stiv culture, though. Gets old after seeing it done so many times before.
- Dark, dark elements such as slavery, child abuse, and even rape are mentioned and rementioned several times throughout the story. In the case of one character, it feels like it's played for cheap sympathy. For some, however, it serves to give purpose and drive.
- SLASHY undertones. Which is a pro for me but likely a con for others. Nothing happens in Jos' bed, but it gets mentioned in the story.
Overall, Jos' growth from a survivor child into a capable but emotionally dependent adolescent and finally into a resourceful and free thinking young adult was engaging enough for me to overlook the shortcomings and really enjoy this novel. It's going on my favorites shelf!
That being said, Warchild is a powerful psychological story, compellingly told and emotionally engaging. It is intensely character driven, and the politics and dynamics of these characters was well enough written that I was able to overlook the softness of the books "science" (*cough* I freely admit to elitism, but don't begrudge fans of soft SF, especially not when it facilitates stories like this!)
Pros
- Engaging and real characters who worm their way into hearts when you least expect it
- Visceral drama that is deeply felt
- I loved the kickass female characters in this book, from motherly Enas to the hardass Hartford to Aki and Iratxe
- The male characters, likewise, are well rounded and engaging.
Cons
- Predictable plot line for military sci-fi
- Boring alien culture (Japanese/East Asian indeed!). If you liked Avatar's Pandora, you'll like Stiv culture, though. Gets old after seeing it done so many times before.
- Dark, dark elements such as slavery, child abuse, and even rape are mentioned and rementioned several times throughout the story. In the case of one character, it feels like it's played for cheap sympathy. For some, however, it serves to give purpose and drive.
- SLASHY undertones. Which is a pro for me but likely a con for others. Nothing happens in Jos' bed, but it gets mentioned in the story.
Overall, Jos' growth from a survivor child into a capable but emotionally dependent adolescent and finally into a resourceful and free thinking young adult was engaging enough for me to overlook the shortcomings and really enjoy this novel. It's going on my favorites shelf!
February 13, 2024
Warchild is the beginning of a series, but the series set up is a little differently. Each book follows one young man, but they all happen in the same world and in nearly the same time frame. It's three different points of view of the same major events. Warchild follows Jos Musey (who's my favorite of the three!). The events that Jos faces are so harsh, and it's interesting to see how he reacts and handles them. It reminded me a little of Ender's Game, but only very slightly; not enough to say that "if you liked Ender's Game, you'll definitely enjoy this." It's the same type of story since it's about a boy that's growing up in a war-torn universe and has to figure out his role. But that's where the similarity ends. It's a broad plot generalization, but the authors have very different views on how the characters should end up. Warchild is very gritty and quite dark as some points. I do want to express a word of caution for those concerned with certain subject matters. Potential sexual abuse of children is a topic often brought up throughout the book. It shocked me and made me a little uneasy the first time I read it, but it didn't keep me from falling in love with this book. If you like space opera, military sci-fi, heck, I guess even Ender's Game you may want to check this out. Definitely find a used copy of this or even check the library because $20 for a mass market paperback is just ridiculous.
December 7, 2015
all of known space is at war. after first contact with an alien race went badly, the humans ended up on one side of an interminable clash across from the aliens and their human sympathizers on the other. earth-hub-central government is far away, leaving the battle captains autonomous, sometimes dangerously so. merchant vessels may bring aid to isolated colonies, or may act as secret couriers for the military, while pirates prey on anyone that can't fend them off.
and as a thoroughly unexpected change, Karen Lowachee doesn't tell that huge story of intergalactic politics, but instead uses it as a fascinating backdrop to tell the story of one human kid caught up in the disaster. circumstances bounce him to every possible faction in the war, from a peacefully normal childhood as a shipboard brat, to a pirate's plaything and possible protege, to an alien world populated by monsters and tattooed warriors. just like in real life, the story isn't at all simple, and every side has their own version of who was wrong to begin with, and who's most wrong at the end. it would be shockingly nuanced if it were a YA novel, but though the protagonist remains a teen at the end, this isn't at all a kid's book; rather, it has a little more in common with A Clockwork Orange in that it's a shock every time you remember this war-torn spy is only fifteen.
and as a thoroughly unexpected change, Karen Lowachee doesn't tell that huge story of intergalactic politics, but instead uses it as a fascinating backdrop to tell the story of one human kid caught up in the disaster. circumstances bounce him to every possible faction in the war, from a peacefully normal childhood as a shipboard brat, to a pirate's plaything and possible protege, to an alien world populated by monsters and tattooed warriors. just like in real life, the story isn't at all simple, and every side has their own version of who was wrong to begin with, and who's most wrong at the end. it would be shockingly nuanced if it were a YA novel, but though the protagonist remains a teen at the end, this isn't at all a kid's book; rather, it has a little more in common with A Clockwork Orange in that it's a shock every time you remember this war-torn spy is only fifteen.
July 30, 2014
Awesome science fiction novel about a future human-alien conflict viewed from both sides of the war, with a bunch of space pirates further muddying the political and martial waters: sort of Firefly meets Avatar (minus the skanky race issues). The protagonist, a young boy who grows to adulthood over the course of the book, is a likable character and is eminently believable despite the precociousness that he shares with so many child protagonists. Add to that several other fascinating characters--both friend and enemy--and an involving and often surprising plot, and you get an exciting, complex, touching story about interculturality and about resistance and survival.
I can't fully recommend this book without first noting that it contains quite a bit of (mostly inexplicit, but disturbing) child abuse. But if that's something you can handle, then it's really a great read.
(Oh, and the second person POV switches to third person after the first few chapters and then stays there, so don't let that scare you off if you're allergic to second person.)
I can't fully recommend this book without first noting that it contains quite a bit of (mostly inexplicit, but disturbing) child abuse. But if that's something you can handle, then it's really a great read.
(Oh, and the second person POV switches to third person after the first few chapters and then stays there, so don't let that scare you off if you're allergic to second person.)
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