An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon

What you may discover aboard the HSS Matilda may not inspire optimism, but the worldbuilding is splendid and an achievement of this book. However, we also see the different stratum within the HSS Matilda their functions, their supposed ‘purpose’, how convention and normality are created (one part of the ship uses they/them pronouns exclusively for its people), and just the various and complex machinations within the ship. Through the eyes of Aster, we see the violence afflicted by those with greater power, those who live in the upper decks, and the immense disparity between the rich and high-class upper-deck people and the poor and low-class lower-deck people. A masterpiece of worldbuilding layered, complex, and meaningfulĭecades into her voyage, the HSS Matilda has become a highly stratified and hierarchical institution reminiscent of the antebellum Southern United States – and everything that is wrong with it. An Unkindness of Ghosts is truly unforgettable, and here are my five reasons why you should read this book. It’s insightful, powerful, and the kind of book that just sears into your memory. Given the book’s multiple warnings, I do believe that this book is incredible. Please take care before you decide to read it! It is harrowing, it is dense, and it is blunt and graphic in its depictions of violence (trigger warnings can be found at the bottom of my review). Following the mysterious death of their leader, Aster finds herself the key to this mystery – and may be the tinder that will ignite revolution within the spacecraft.īefore I tell you all why you should read this book, I also think it’s important for me to start with the caveats.įirst, this book is not easy to read. The story follows Aster, a lower-class healer that lives abroad the HSS Matilda, a colossal generation ship that is carrying the remnants of humanity to the ‘Promised Land’ after Earth’s decimations centuries ago.

Second, despite the importance of what this book explores and its insightful storytelling and worldbuilding, this book is not for everyone – or, requires some emotional and mental preparation before delving into this rich and dark story. An Unkindness of Ghosts is stellar, hard-hitting, but absolutely brutal, honest in its depictions of systemic oppression and its machinations.

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon