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the Last Graduate - Naomi Novik | Book Review

3/4/2022

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          A deeply satisfying sequel to a Deadly Education and an absolute Master Class in how to utilize plot bits to effectively ratchet up intimate emotional tensions! I am absolutely delighted by this series, and the second installment is an excellent addition to the over-all enterprise of it!
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         Still exercising the glorious flex of how the first book absolutely eviscerated the foundational concepts of the modern education industry, Book 2 delves into the consequences of system correction efforts (and the potential for over-correction), and how such seemingly benign endeavors, at best, swap the disadvantages of one group with the privileges of another, and at worst, further entrench a brand new sort of inequality that can hardly be accurately identified, let alone emolliated. 
The inevitable conclusion is just so poignantly visceral that it almost belies the genuine reality of the allegory. The system isn't working. And it cannot simply be 'fixed'. It needs to be entirely torn down and created anew.
          This novel also delves into the concept of blame for the entrenchment of inequity. The founders of the system meant it to be far better than they built it to effectively accomplish. Yes, exploitation and inhumanity was present at the conception, but for all their faults they tried to do right by the next generation and it's not fair (let alone productive) to simply castigate them for their failings without both acknowledging their efforts and also doing something to fix what they got wrong. Both within Novik's magical world and within our external reality, the school-system is abysmally flawed and needs to be entirely reimagined if we are to make any more significant strides of advancement as a species. The clear cut allegory of Novik's delightfully satirical explication is GLORIOUS.
          More than that, the story itself is fun, engaging, and masterfully written. The characters are all unique, well-developed, and have arcs of growth that move elegantly through the plot. The story's set-up and pacing are exquisitely handled and managed in such a way so as to entirely prevent the sense that Book 2 is simply a bridge from 1 to 3. It is its own critical piece of the puzzle and a uniquely worthwhile read without reliance on its place within the trilogy.
           I absolutely LOVED this book and HIGHLY RECOMMEND it to anyone over about age 10, though the more frustrated with the education industry you are (ie, high-schoolers, college kids, and their immediately concerned parents), the more viscerally you will react to the commentary presented here. I do however want to smack someone upside the head for allowing that ending to exist prior to the release of Book 3. I anticipate stalking through life like a trapped tiger until September when such misery will be granted absolution.
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That Inevitable Victorian Thing - E.K. Johnston

6/16/2021

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Date Read: May 7th, 2021
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Final Score: 5 / 10 !

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           Well, this was an odd one. The premise was super intriguing, namely how the world would look if the British Empire never collapsed (and within that, the idea of how different things might've been if the Brits weren't racial purists in the way that they were... and if they were a helluva lot less in-bred and sickly as they've made themselves)... It was definitely an intriguing experiment in thought-exercises.

​            Unfortunately, 'intriguing thought-experiment' is really as far as this one went in terms of interest-value. There was a mildly cute love story, and some discussion of the complexities of commerce and the politics of dealing with pirates, but the fixation of genetic compatibility and the overly intense commentary on 'race' as a non-entity just got a little too solid to enjoy much else. It was a valid point, but it definitely got in the way of anything really happening. The story covers about 2 months of time, with far too many days skipped in sweeping, 'things went on like that for x hours / rest of the afternoon /  duration of the week' or such... And the angsts of the characters were laughable.


              Only August had any actual problems to deal with but the bulk of the narrative was focused on the two girls who had no real problems whatsoever. And the ending resolved with August's dad swooping into to fix things for him, and his joining the girls in realizing that none of them had any real problems to begin with... The inevitable thing was simply the obvious arrangement that ensured that none of them ever had to deal with any repercussions of a problem that was never really significant anyway.

             As a thought experiment, it was kind of neat.

            As a story? It was pretty lame.

​            I'd only ever recommend it as a low-stakes beach-read / distraction type endeavor with which to while away an afternoon.
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