Series: The Sixth World by Rebecca Roanhorse ("Trail of Lightning")

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Continuing the buddy read of Trail of Lightning, we will be starting Storm of Locusts! Please reference the chapter you're on and use spoiler tags.

[Sarah, The Unsettled]

Just received notification this is ready to pick up at the library! I'll be starting soon.

[Sarah, The Unsettled]

Just finished chapter one. First impressions: I’m really enjoying the tone and the writing. Some of the words are really difficult, sort of wish a glossary or something had been included.

[Sarah, The Unsettled]

So content warnings page 11: (view spoiler)[Rape. I didn’t think it was graphic- but I know everybody’s tolerance level is different, so I just wanted to mention it. (hide spoiler)]

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Thanks, Sarah!! Good to know :)

[Ariana]

Sarah wrote: "So content warnings page 11: [spoilers removed]"

Thanks, Sarah! I'm starting this today, and I REALLY appreciate having a heads up for stressful content.

[Sarah, The Unsettled]

Happy to help. After progressing a little further (regarding the content warning) (view spoiler)[ I’m not entirely sure it was rape... it implied that but with further context I’m not sure that is what happened. (hide spoiler)]

Additional content warning also Chapter 2/3: (view spoiler)[A child is killed. This scene was fairly graphic. If anyone wants additional details let me know. I can PM them or post them in spoiler tags. This is a YA book so it was not Stephen King level graphic but it’s there. (hide spoiler)]

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Yikes. Sarah, I can start this tomorrow if you need a quick breather/forewarning. Otherwise, thanks for the heads up on both :)

[Katy]

I picked this book up and then found this thread. Hope to start reading soonish.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Glad you could join, Katy!

[Kaa]

Ooh, I just recently got this book from the library and haven't gotten around to starting it. Having some folks to discuss it with will be good incentive to pick it up!

@Sarah: Thanks for the warnings, that's a really helpful thing to be able to be aware.

[Sarah, The Unsettled]

Thanks Allison! I’m actually doing okay. The one scene was a little tough but (view spoiler)[ I think you receive enough warning that I was sort of expecting it. Maybe not on the level that it happened but I’m hoping the book kind of started with a bang and the rest of the book sort of simmers down. We will see! Still enjoying it overall. Lots of fun lore. (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah, The Unsettled]

Up to chapter 15: (view spoiler)[ it started really strong but now it feels like it’s devolved into lots of back story and info dumping. I feel like I was okay not knowing precisely what happened to Maggie.

Also- the author clearly knows her lore, but I wish she had woven it in more naturally rather than: here is coyote, he’s going to tell some stories, which doesn’t seem like it has much to do with the plot at this point. (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah, The Unsettled]

End of Chapter 26: (view spoiler)[maybe it’s just me, but it feels like the plot has really lost its way. Like Maggie just meanders from one thing to the next with no clear purpose or direction. I completely forgot that she was even supposed to do that favor for Coyote until he showed up again and was like: “This doesn’t look like the canyon.”

Nevermind that hardly any thought at all has been given to the over arching plot thread with the tse nayee and the witch. (hide spoiler)]

[Ariana]

I started this yesterday and it's pretty fun! Through Ch. 7. Glad I'm doing the e-book vs. audio or hard copy, it's nice to be able to look up all the Navajo (Diné) words.

[Sarah, The Unsettled]

Ariana wrote: "I started this yesterday and it's pretty fun! Through Ch. 7. Glad I'm doing the e-book vs. audio or hard copy, it's nice to be able to look up all the Navajo (Diné) words."

That’s cool- does Kindle actually define them? I was stumbling hard over pronunciations and such.

[Ariana]

Sarah wrote: "That’s cool- does Kindle actually define them? "

No, only a few are in the Kindle dictionary, but it's pretty easy to highlight and do a web search, and there's a few Navajo/Diné online dictionaries that show up. No idea how to pronounce them, though.

[Sarah, The Unsettled]

Aw bummer. Still - that’s a leg up on me. I had no idea what mist of them meant.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

2 chapters in, and agreed, that's pretty dark!

I'm sort of jolted with the voice, too. I just finished a book that was very lyrical and had what felt like true voices and now I'm hoping that "generic YA bitter heroine voice" resolves into something more unique.

I'm liking all the words and bits of the world so far, though!

[Ariana]

Allison wrote: ... "generic YA bitter heroine voice"...

I've been enjoying this so far, but that aspect is starting to grate a bit. I'm through Ch. 18.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Ariana wrote: "Allison wrote: ... "generic YA bitter heroine voice"...

I've been enjoying this so far, but that aspect is starting to grate a bit. I'm through Ch. 18."

siiiiiiiighh

[Katy]

Picked it up and started last night. I had to make myself go to bed. This is a great new voice for me.

[Ariana]

Allison wrote: "Ariana wrote: "Allison wrote: ... "generic YA bitter heroine voice"...

I've been enjoying this so far, but that aspect is starting to grate a bit. I'm through Ch. 18."

siiiiiiiighh"

At least we haven't heard that "she's not like other girls" I don't think. We're just supposed to infer it. (Sorry, maybe I'm still traumatized by A Gathering of Shadows in this regard.)

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Yeah, I am a little salty from Graceling, I think. (Note, I love that people love these books and see the appeal, I've just eaten too many sweets now and can't have them as often anymore.)

[Sarah, The Unsettled]

The YAness of it got to me too after a bit, but there were still things to enjoy about the book. Hopefully you all can find something to like about it too. And at the very least, it’s a short quick read.

[Katy]

Allison wrote: "...I've just eaten too many sweets now and can't have them as often anymore.) ..."

True, I can see your point. For me however, I am coming from reading some pretty big nonfiction books, so perfect timing for me.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Wonderful!! I know some folks have loved this, so I'm really looking forward to the mystery and the world :)

[Kristin B.]

Finished this today, so spoilers through to the end.

(view spoiler)[I agree with Sarah on two very big points. a glossary would have been SUPER helpful. Several times Maggie is referred to as Chinibaa (I don't know how to make the fancy accents on my keyboard.) I searched the internet trying to find a translation but couldn't. It drove me nuts. Towards the end it seems like it means "girl who comes out fighting." Which I think is accurate and would have been great to understand sooner.

The second point is the plot. It is just really all over the place. There's the monster that kills the girl at the beginning, then all the nonsense in Tse Bonito with the Law Dogs, the trip to the town where everyone was dead (which Maggie and Kai apparently don't feel the need to tell anyone about, which seemed odd) the mission for Coyote which doesn't even end up being a mission, the fight in the arena which made no sense at all, the final fight at Black Mesa. There was just no cohesion anywhere.

Some of the characterization felt really weird. Like Longarm. Why was he such a nasty piece of work? When we first meet him in chapter 7 he goes from vaguely smarmy to violent and holding a gun on Maggie in two seconds with no real trigger. Later on he's beating Kai to death, but there is no motivation for it. He's just a stock "bad cop."

Also, why was it so easy to kill Coyote, but she didn't even contemplate just killing Neizghani? Why does she even want Neizghani dead or captured at this point? The monsters weren't his fault. Yeah, he was a dick to her. But he wasn't hurting people. For the most part he just killed monsters.

I have a whole list of plot points that made almost no sense. I won't go into them though, because then this would take awhile.

It wasn't all bad though. The voice was interesting. I haven't read any Native American lore that I can remember so this was a fresh perspective.

Some of the characters were really fantastic. Tah and Grace were wonderful, quirky older folks, which is a weakness of mine. Clive is an interesting character. Because why can't you love guns and make-up? Kai and Maggie's interactions were fun.

The descriptions in the book were also really interesting. All the different clan powers and the different people in the club were really fascinating.

The idea of the wall protecting the Native peoples was great. It's an interesting twist on current events. (I will avoid commenting any further on that topic in the interest of preserving my blood pressure.)

Even with my gripes I did overall enjoy it. The next book comes out in April, if I can still remember the plot of this one by then and can get it from my library, my intention as of now is to read it. I think that the series has a lot of potential, and it's an important voice that we need right now. (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah, The Unsettled]

Kristin B. wrote: "Finished this today, so spoilers through to the end.

I agree with Sarah on two very big points. a glossary would have been SUPER helpful. Several times Maggie is referred to as Chinibaa (I don't k..."

Thanks for sharing that definition Kristin! I had no idea throughout.

(view spoiler)[I’m so with you on the lack of cohesion. I had forgotten all about that town too, which didn’t seem like a direct result of the monsters she was hunting but it was so bizarre nothing was done about it.

Coyote being the big bad didn’t make much sense either- what was his motivation? My general sense of trickster type gods isn’t that they are inherently evil- just that they are given to their whims which may or may not be good/bad. Granted- I know very little about Native American culture.

But I also agree with you in that despite all it’s shortcomings- the perspective was fresh enough and the book short enough that I enjoyed it overall. (hide spoiler)]

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Can someone help me please? I'm on Chapter 4

(view spoiler)[ How long ago was Big Water and how old is Maggie? (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah, The Unsettled]

Allison wrote: "Can someone help me please? I'm on Chapter 4

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I *think* Maggie is in her early twenties and she remembers life before the Big Water so I’m guessing it was about 10-15 years before the book. But I don’t know that any concrete dates are ever given. I also would have appreciated a more concrete timeline on that. (hide spoiler)]

[Trike]

Just wondering if anyone has read the Leaphorn & Chee mysteries by Tony Hillerman. Based on what you’re all saying, this book sounds like the supernatural version of those books set on the Navajo reservation in Arizona/New Mexico. I highly recommend those novels.

BTW, LeVar Burton read Roanhouse’s short story “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience” for his podcast. Episode 25: http://www.levarburtonpodcast.com/

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Oh, cool, thanks for the recos, Trike!

@Sarah, thanks. I think that kills it for me. (view spoiler)[ I'm only 40 pages in and it seems clear to me that the author isn't very sure how long ago things were, how to separate authorial knowledge from character knowledge and has spent next to no time following through the implications of the world basically ending a decade or two ago. I've now hit too many pet peeves. I'll try again when brain is okay just letting go a bit more. I'm feeling very analytical lately. Which is very sad, I was so excited about this book. (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah, The Unsettled]

Allison wrote: "Oh, cool, thanks for the recos, Trike!

@Sarah, thanks. I think that kills it for me. [spoilers removed]"

Yeah maybe try again another time? Not really spoilerish but just in case: (view spoiler)[I think she has good stories to tell, but as you say her writing is not great by any means. I think she could have used a better editor. (hide spoiler)]

Come join me in the Certain Dark Things buddy read! I’m just starting.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

That's a good way of putting it, Sarah. And yeah, maybe give myself some time before trying again. By Jove, I think I will join you!

[Ariana]

Allison wrote: "(view spoiler)[...and has spent next to no time following through the implications of the world basically ending a decade or two ago. (hide spoiler)]"


(view spoiler)[I also had an issue with this. Like, how are they all getting food? No one seems to be farming, or producing anything they can trade for food. I hate to be a stickler for details, since the economics are clearly not the focus, but when it takes you out of the story, then it's an issue. (hide spoiler)]

That said, I'm still really enjoying this. I do wish it was less "YA-ish," as mentioned above, (view spoiler)[the tropes with Maggie's character are a bit annoying, all emotionally stunted because of trauma, just needs to learn to trust people again. (hide spoiler)] Maybe I'm just in a forgiving mood lately? Almost done!

Sarah wrote: "I think she could have used a better editor."


Yes exactly.

[Ariana]

So I finished a few days ago, and I think I'm with the consensus on this one: fairly fun and enjoyable despite (view spoiler)[the plot not really hanging together. (hide spoiler)]

About the ending: (view spoiler)[so she shot Kai to convince Neizghání that she was going with him and then trap him... And they're relying on his magic healing powers to help him not die? But her buddies think she killed him and are pissed, even they know he can heal too?
Just another place where the plot was a little sloppy I guess. At least it was short and I thought the pacing was decent. Not many parts that dragged, for me. (hide spoiler)]

[Kaa]

Okay, I sort of wish I'd opened this thread again before picking up the book, because I'd forgotten about some of the early warnings. Ch 2: (view spoiler)[I am also unclear whether the scene was intended to be rape or the monster was "just" eating the girl but either way... not super pleasant. (hide spoiler)]

[Christopher]

I'm about 75% of the way through this and I'm enjoying it. One question I had, however, sprang up in Chapter 9 (view spoiler)[ Do they just live in a totally lawless society? They come upon a town where everyone has been slaughtered and my first reaction was: shouldn't they report this to someone? or notify families or anything? It 's just treated as another encounter they have without any need for extra actions beyond working on their current case. (hide spoiler)]

[Trike]

Christopher wrote: "I'm about 75% of the way through this and I'm enjoying it. One question I had, however, sprang up in Chapter 9 [spoilers removed]"

Yeah, it sort of felt like a combination of (view spoiler)[the wild west, where the law was what you made it, and a sort of loosey-goosey tribal thing or Mafia town where you were expected to rely on yourself mostly until things got out of hand and the authorities would step in. But it was never super clear to me exactly how it worked. (hide spoiler)]

[Meredith]

For folks joining the "Storm of Locusts" buddy read, note the chapter and use spoiler tags please.

I'm at the start of Chapter 9 (~12% in) and (view spoiler)[ taking a breath after the fast-paced start. This was similar to the first book, where things start off with a hunt and you are sort of scrambling to catch up with what's going on. Roanhorse did a good job reminding readers of the setting, I thought, without too much rehashing the first book. (hide spoiler)]

[Christopher]

I'm on Chapter 15, took me awhile to remember all the details of how everything left off in book one, but then it just started rolling along. I find this a nice, easy read so far and I mean that in a good way, perfect for kicking back and going along on the adventure. (view spoiler)[not sure what to make of all these locusts yet, but I know it will all be explained in due time. (hide spoiler)]

[Meredith]

I agree, this is an easy read and I'm enjoying the ride.

Response to spoiler/ end of Chapter 14 (view spoiler)[ I'm enjoying the locust elements, they are creepy and disturbing. The scene with the locust-man was super gross and creepy. (hide spoiler)]

Through chapter 20 (view spoiler)[ I'm enjoying the addition of Mosi, she's adding a good element of humor. Interested to see what role she plays later (hide spoiler)]

[Christopher]

Just finished Chapter 20 (view spoiler)[ I agree that Mosi is a nice addition, I also like Ben. Really getting curious how Caleb and Kai were convinced to act the way they did. (hide spoiler)]

[Meredith]

I agree, (view spoiler)[ I like Ben, definitely want to know more about her. (hide spoiler)]

[Christopher]

I'm up to Chapter 29 (view spoiler)[the capture by Bishop and his crew was a bit disturbing. If you watch Game of Thrones, his choice of punishments reminded me of the preferences of Ramsay. (hide spoiler)]

[Meredith]

Christopher wrote: "I'm up to Chapter 29 [spoilers removed]"

Agreed, (view spoiler)[ that whole section was disturbing. The world outside the wall is very dark even compared to some of the dark magic at work inside Dinetah. I hadn't thought of Ramsay/GoT, but definitely was chilled by Aaron's complete, righteous conviction about what he was doing there. On the other hand, how much did Ben rock both for escaping and creating a bomb? (hide spoiler)]

[Christopher]

Yeah and (view spoiler)[we finally get to the scene on the cover art. (hide spoiler)]

[Christopher]

Finished. Overall it lived up to my expectations and I think it was probably better than the first. Will definitely finish the series.

[Meredith]

I will definitely continue the series, I am really enjoying the world Roanhorse has created. I liked this one though slightly less than the first (view spoiler)[I felt like it didn't build up enough tension/urgency along the way about what the Locust cult was actually doing until they got to the resort at the end when Kai told everything. Also, I was never worried about Kai having gone over to the bad guys side even though we were supposed to be, I think. (hide spoiler)]