Written In Red

Written In Red (2013) Anne Bishop

I read this soon after it first came out (a gift, I think, from Natalie (Thanks!). But life got complicated, so I never read any more of the series. I decided to start again, and go further in the series.

It’s fantasy but with a world that would in many ways be familiar to the modern eye, with cars and cell phones. But also monsters and a world where humans are not in control of their lives and their destinies.

Shaking, she held out both arms. Thin, straight scars marched down the tops of both arms from shoulder to elbow, one-quarter inch apart. The same kind of scars marched down the top of her left thigh and on the outside of her right thigh. There was a line of them down the left side of her back— precise in their execution. They had to be precise or the cut was worth less— or even worthless. Except for punishment.

Meg has escaped and is looking for somewhere safe to hide for the Controller who owned her and her gift. So she applies to become the Liasion between The Others and the community of Lakeside.

There are a couple things I have issues with in this story.

First, is that The Others refer to all humans as clever meat–even though they take human shapes and wear clothes and interact with humans.

I can accept that they would have no qualms about killing humans who cause them trouble. Humans do that to teach other. What I find difficult is that they could interact with humans and still see them as little more than food.

Especially when food is not scarce.

Vlad hated doing the paperwork as much as he did when a human employee quit, which was why they’d both made a promise not to eat quitters just to avoid the paperwork.

Mind you, I’m a pacifist who doesn’t eat mammals and tries very very hard to avoid factory raised poultry, so I may have a skewed view, but it feels very very wrong to see an intelligent species–one with whom you can communicate–as a food source.

The second thing is this.

They aren’t human, will never be human. But we’re going to try to get them to see at least some of us as more than useful or clever meat. Then maybe— maybe— the next time adult men act like fools and enter the Courtyard uninvited, we’ll get a call instead of having to fill out a DLU form.”

“I’m not sure anyone ever tried to change the dynamics between us and the Others,” Kowalski said cautiously.

Assuming that human nature is the same there as it is here, I find that very very unlikely.

But it’s interesting, and I already own it, so I’m reading on.

Publisher: Roc
Rating: 7/10

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