Have you ever wondered if storytelling could save the world?
Before you roll your eyes at me for the absurd thing I say, I must tell you they can. But you’re right, stories might not change everything on their own; they’re just a good start. Where do you think money came from? Trees? Last I checked, a sheet of paper is worth less than a dollar.
That’s right, money started off as a story, not an objective reality.
Welcome to my odd review series, where I categorize how much novels question our beliefs about life, and how much they merely take them for granted.
This review contains spoilers to the main theme, and possibly some unimportant and predictable plot points.
Be warned.
W H A T I S E V E R S H O R E ?
Evershore is the third novella in the Skyward series, so if you have not read my reviews of the first novella or the second, you should not be here. Unless you want to be utterly lost—which I won’t judge.
But if you won’t consider feeling that way, you can read them, or read the Skyward book reviews here: Skyward, Starsight, and Cytonic.
Moving on!
After the whole ReDawn situation, things slow down to a halt at the DDF. Slowing down, however, is not a luxury the Defiant—and their allies—have in the political climate they’re in. Fortunately, though, the answer to that exact rut they face is broadcasted to everyone in the universe, so there is no chance the Superiority can take wind of it, right?
Right…
Jorgen will have to run against time to take the source of his problems back from the Kitsen planet. Only if they don’t intend to take him instead.
F U N
I knew Patterson would make it!
If you read my previous review, I knew Patterson had it in her to make a great novella, and I’m proud to say I told you so.
This novella was much more character-centric; Jorgen, now the protagonist, felt exactly like the one in the main books, with all his quirks and insecurities, with his obsession about orders and control, and even his desire to be that perfect pillar for his subordinates to rely on.
Seeing the growth he went through was truly refreshing because growth had not felt as cohesive in the previous novellas—even in the previous book to tell you the truth. It felt natural; how he handled his emotions, his cytonic abilities, and his fears, perfectly lined in with the theme.
The plot was interesting enough as the stakes rose pretty high; it was even mentioned how the Superiority had to resort to great power to try and take the main cast down. It felt pretty good at the end, to be honest, when all the questions I had on Cytonic were resolved—at least when it comes to Jorgen.
Worldbuilding was not out of this world, but it was cute to imagine the Kitsen planet and how small their cities were. I’d say their culture was the most enjoyable as they often have this very serious undertone to everything they do all while being, well, cute. It was dissonant in a way that made me find humor in things that normally I wouldn’t have.
The bad? I can’t say. Something is missing for me, but I am not aware of what that might be. Objectively speaking, I find the parts checking the boxes, yet the whole is missing a bit of something. Perhaps I can find what that might be as I continue to explore the world of fantasy. Who knows.
In my perception, it was… actually a good time.
I’d say she nailed it.
Verdict? W O R K S F O R M E
W E L L W R I T T E N
Maybe what bothers me might be related to the writing.
I feel this tingling sensation that it might be here, but I can’t be sure.
Patterson’s style is simple and matches well with Sanderson’s, to the point I felt this novella was more towards the murky side regarding the authorship. Perhaps there’s this tiny thing separating her from Sanderson still, but it was a great novella.
In regards to structure, I felt there was a better handle on it.
Maybe pacing can be weird when thinking about traveling distances but that is a challenge when there is only one character's POV and the space is limited, so I won’t be too picky on this.
The events that happened connect with the themes and the missing gaps left by Cytonic, so I’d say it all went smoothly, unlike certain events in Sunreach that I’d rather not think about because they made no sense and appeared only to take up space for the next important piece to come barging in—
Anyway, nothing struck me as being too jarring, but I cannot say this was on par with Skyward, so I believe the answer might lie somewhere in here about what I didn’t find as compelling. Not to say it was bad, because, like I said before, this is a great novella, but the question remains.
So, all in all, pretty good.
Verdict? W O R K S F O R M E
T H O U G T - P R O V O K I N G T H E M E S
The themes for this novella center on Jorgen as the main character, and, if we consider that themes might directly correlate to characters, his quarrel with himself is the one to take precedence.
His main insecurity—of what I can remember from my notes— lies in choices.
Decision-making. Or making the right choice.
I do find it interesting how the choices also tie into Jorgen’s position in command, and how those choices can affect more people than the regular person can, exalting the importance for Jorgen to know what the right choice is; hence the dilemma he faces.
Now, not to be a party pooper, but I would’ve liked the theme to be expanded on… as always. Perhaps seeing more perspectives on choice would’ve enriched the story much more, or perhaps delving into why we usually give the choice to one person (or a few) on matters that pertain to us all—and actually question if that should be the case—instead of barely mentioning it in a couple of lines, would’ve been perfect.
Yet, I find the answer to the question went in the right direction. There is no right answer and we do rely on other people to examine the possibilities of a choice, but the nuance and the question left to the public is closed in simple terms. When in real life that is not the case.
I get that this is YA, and I should not question this too much, but I can’t help thinking that sometimes we might present things to children in a simple way because we are used to pushing children away from critical thinking.
But, heh, that could only be me.
Verdict? N O T F O R M E
C R I T I C A L C O M M E N T A R Y
Yes.
Related to what I said just now, the choice and the position Jorgen has to make decisions, is something of a social commentary.
This novella does question the tendency to relay choice to one more “capable”, and delves into how to know if someone is considered capable; questioning the preconceived notions we have of what a capable person is, and some observations around how it might not always be the person in command.
The ‘why that happens’, is not fully addressed though, and it could probably be too much for a novella to tackle, yet I did want to mention that there are things that could’ve made this commentary pick it up a notch.
Still, this is enough for me because it exemplifies something that happens way more often than it should in real life.
This is a—short but sweet—yes.
Verdict? W O R K S F O R M E
P R O P O S E S A L T E R N A T I V E S
You know, sometimes I get way too excited when thinking about proposals in books.
It happened to me last time, where a simple world-building detail caused me to give the whole novella a star. Not that I will go back and change it, but now, I find my eagerness funny.
Mainly because the rest of the novella did not propose anything too different, yet the context of an alien culture coming into the mix was revolutionary enough to fool me. The themes went nowhere new, nor the plot or the conclusion; it was all pretty standard.
Nonetheless, an alien with a simple line of dialogue made me do it.
Friends, I tell you now I will try my hardest not to be fooled again!
Evershore does not earn this star.
While there’s commentary, and there is a semblance of a thought-provoking theme, the ultimate proposal is nothing too out of the ordinary.
Nothing in the chain of command changes, nor the Defiant’s whole approach, they don’t discover something intrinsically wrong with the goals they have, nor do they ask questions about anything they’ve accomplished.
Not that they should, but there is no other goal than saving people and defeating villains.
Now, this won’t make it a bad story…
…But it does make me not want to check the box.
Verdict? N O T F O R M E
To make a long story short, this book got:
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