Lucas Blogs About Amnesty
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| Huh, I didn't realize that a book could be a libra. |
So, what's this book's deal?
It's the conclusion to the Amberlough Dossier by Lara Elena Donnelly. We've discussed the two previous entries on this very blog.
Oh, right. I'll get around to reading those one day.
All, right, but we'll definitely be discussing SPOILERS for the previous books, so don't say I didn't warn you.
I will not.
All right, so this book begins about five years after the end of Armistice. The One State Party (or Ospies) have been removed from power and the provisional government is preparing for the first election since the transition of power and the front runners are Opal Saeger, a populist organizer who worked within the Catwalk resistance group whose terrorist attacks helped oust the OSP, and Emmeline Frye, an industrialist with a firm understanding of policy and optics but also a clear bent towards cronyism and underhanded deal-making.
Wait! What about the characters from the previous books?
I'm getting to that, I was just setting the scene. Lillian DePaul is now back in Gedda and working in the provisional government's press office. Her husband, Jinnadh, and son, Stephen, are both having trouble with the transition, partly because of Jinnadh's homesickness and partly because of Stephen's trouble in school. Like most thirteen-year-olds, he's struggling with authority. Unlike most thirteen-year-olds, he's been suspended for blowing up a pencil sharpener. Meanwhile, Aristide Makricosta, having given up his search for his former lover (and Lillian's brother), Cyril, and started a new import/export (read: drug-smuggling) operation in Liso, receives a late night phone call informing him that Cyril is still alive. Cyril, for his part, has been traumatized both by his experiences being coerced into helping the Ospies take control of Gedda and by his time as a mercenary in the recent proxy war in Liso. He's twitchy, and can't help himself from stuffing food in his pockets as if he doesn't know where his next meal will come from. The timing of all of this is a little awkward, be—
Is there a non-awkward time to find out that a loved one who's been missing for ten years is still alive?
No, there is not. In any case, all of this is happening just when Lillian has invited Aristide to speak at a ceremony honoring Cordelia Lehane, who died fighting the Ospies at some point between this book and the last. See, Cyril isn't in any condition to leave on his own, and even though Lillian has a lot on her plate she can't exactly turn her brother away. After all, the Solstice is coming up. Then again, harboring a documented traitor isn't exactly going to help her career prospects, and Cyril might not be the best influence on Stephen. And Aristide has been leading on his secretary/boy toy Daoud for the last five years as well, and even if he weren't it's not exactly as if he and Cyril can just pick up where things left off. I mean there's more plot going on than just that, but I think that pretty much sets the stage.
All right, let's cut to the chase: Is this a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy?
At the risk of sounding wishy-washy, yes and no.
Aw, c'mon.
I know, I know. As the conclusion to these characters' stories, yes it is satisfying (with one caveat). But I'll admit to being curious about how things turned out in Gedda after the events of this novel.
Is that good? I mean, didn't she leave you wanting more?
Well, yes, but I'm also somewhat curious about events that occurred between the novels. Specifically how Cordelia died. That said, because these three books are almost like stand-alone novels, each telling a complete story, I think Donnelly has stuck the landing and given her readers an ending that feels worthwhile. Let's talk about why.
Okay.
As a writer, Donnelly has a talent for crafting compelling characters. Although we might not sympathize with say, a disgraced spy who sold out his country to fascists, or a narcissistic drug smuggler turned film director turned drug smuggler who thinks he can buy his way out of any problem; Donnelly gives them clear motivations that naturally lead to conflict which allows for an interesting story to unfold. When I found out that this book takes place after the Ospies were removed from power I was somewhat disappointed. Given that the last book ended with Cordelia Lehane and Gregori Memmediv returning to fight the Ospies and lead a Tatien independence movement, respectively, I was interested to see how that played out. I also worried that the removal of the Ospies might make things back in Gedda a bit too settled. However, rebuilding a country is complicated, especially after civil war and ethnic cleansing, and there are still plenty of questions left to address.
Speaking of questions to address, what's the answer to the one on the cover?
You mean, "What crime will you commit for redemption?"
Yeah, does Cyril do something wild and reckless to make up for his role in ushering in the fascist government?
What if I told you that the question didn't necessarily refer to Cyril's betrayal at all?
You already put up a SPOILER warning, you don't have to be coy about it.
That was for the first two books. But in all seriousness, everyone has something they'd like to atone for.
Are you talking about life or the book?
It can be two things. The point is that Cyril's suffered quite a bit and is hardly the worst criminal to emerge from l'affaire Ospie.
You can't see it, but I just rolled my eyes so hard I nearly fell over.
Good. The point is that as in real life politics and warfare there aren't always easy answers. What's the best path for Gedda moving forward? How can they deal with the past? What do they do with collaborators? Does it matter if they acted under coercion? Those are all questions that are raised in the novel but don't necessarily receive hard answers. However, Donnelly does write about how the characters respond to these questions and conflicts in ways that are believable and consistent with their growth and experiences since the start of the series. So, yeah for the most part, I enjoyed reading this and would recommend the series to someone looking for a fun spy-thriller-y type thing that isn't afraid to touch on more serious issues.
What's this for the most part bit?
Okay, so, it's a good book, right?
So you say.
But it does feel a little meander-y from time to time. By the conclusion, it's definitely quite gripping. But during the section where Lillian and Jinnadh are awkwardly hosting Cyril, Aristide, and Daoud at the old DePaul winter home (recently picked over by the Ospies who'd been living there) for Solstice, everything slows down a little due to the . . .
Awkwardness?
Yeah, I was awkwardly trying to avoid saying awkward that many times in one sentence. It would have felt . . . damn it! Anyway, the point is that it starts well and ends well, but during the middle Donnelly's machinations to put the pieces in place for the finale are maybe slightly too apparent. Not enough for me to dislike the book or not recommend it, but noticeable.
Amnesty by Lara Elena Donnelly, Tor Books trade paperback edition, April 2019, 382 pages, pairs well with gimlets and awkward convos at holiday get-togethers
Links:
Here's the author's website, if you're into that kinda thing.
All, right, but we'll definitely be discussing SPOILERS for the previous books, so don't say I didn't warn you.
I will not.
All right, so this book begins about five years after the end of Armistice. The One State Party (or Ospies) have been removed from power and the provisional government is preparing for the first election since the transition of power and the front runners are Opal Saeger, a populist organizer who worked within the Catwalk resistance group whose terrorist attacks helped oust the OSP, and Emmeline Frye, an industrialist with a firm understanding of policy and optics but also a clear bent towards cronyism and underhanded deal-making.
Wait! What about the characters from the previous books?
I'm getting to that, I was just setting the scene. Lillian DePaul is now back in Gedda and working in the provisional government's press office. Her husband, Jinnadh, and son, Stephen, are both having trouble with the transition, partly because of Jinnadh's homesickness and partly because of Stephen's trouble in school. Like most thirteen-year-olds, he's struggling with authority. Unlike most thirteen-year-olds, he's been suspended for blowing up a pencil sharpener. Meanwhile, Aristide Makricosta, having given up his search for his former lover (and Lillian's brother), Cyril, and started a new import/export (read: drug-smuggling) operation in Liso, receives a late night phone call informing him that Cyril is still alive. Cyril, for his part, has been traumatized both by his experiences being coerced into helping the Ospies take control of Gedda and by his time as a mercenary in the recent proxy war in Liso. He's twitchy, and can't help himself from stuffing food in his pockets as if he doesn't know where his next meal will come from. The timing of all of this is a little awkward, be—
Is there a non-awkward time to find out that a loved one who's been missing for ten years is still alive?
No, there is not. In any case, all of this is happening just when Lillian has invited Aristide to speak at a ceremony honoring Cordelia Lehane, who died fighting the Ospies at some point between this book and the last. See, Cyril isn't in any condition to leave on his own, and even though Lillian has a lot on her plate she can't exactly turn her brother away. After all, the Solstice is coming up. Then again, harboring a documented traitor isn't exactly going to help her career prospects, and Cyril might not be the best influence on Stephen. And Aristide has been leading on his secretary/boy toy Daoud for the last five years as well, and even if he weren't it's not exactly as if he and Cyril can just pick up where things left off. I mean there's more plot going on than just that, but I think that pretty much sets the stage.
All right, let's cut to the chase: Is this a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy?
At the risk of sounding wishy-washy, yes and no.
Aw, c'mon.
I know, I know. As the conclusion to these characters' stories, yes it is satisfying (with one caveat). But I'll admit to being curious about how things turned out in Gedda after the events of this novel.
Is that good? I mean, didn't she leave you wanting more?
Well, yes, but I'm also somewhat curious about events that occurred between the novels. Specifically how Cordelia died. That said, because these three books are almost like stand-alone novels, each telling a complete story, I think Donnelly has stuck the landing and given her readers an ending that feels worthwhile. Let's talk about why.
Okay.
As a writer, Donnelly has a talent for crafting compelling characters. Although we might not sympathize with say, a disgraced spy who sold out his country to fascists, or a narcissistic drug smuggler turned film director turned drug smuggler who thinks he can buy his way out of any problem; Donnelly gives them clear motivations that naturally lead to conflict which allows for an interesting story to unfold. When I found out that this book takes place after the Ospies were removed from power I was somewhat disappointed. Given that the last book ended with Cordelia Lehane and Gregori Memmediv returning to fight the Ospies and lead a Tatien independence movement, respectively, I was interested to see how that played out. I also worried that the removal of the Ospies might make things back in Gedda a bit too settled. However, rebuilding a country is complicated, especially after civil war and ethnic cleansing, and there are still plenty of questions left to address.
Speaking of questions to address, what's the answer to the one on the cover?
You mean, "What crime will you commit for redemption?"
Yeah, does Cyril do something wild and reckless to make up for his role in ushering in the fascist government?
What if I told you that the question didn't necessarily refer to Cyril's betrayal at all?
You already put up a SPOILER warning, you don't have to be coy about it.
That was for the first two books. But in all seriousness, everyone has something they'd like to atone for.
Are you talking about life or the book?
It can be two things. The point is that Cyril's suffered quite a bit and is hardly the worst criminal to emerge from l'affaire Ospie.
You can't see it, but I just rolled my eyes so hard I nearly fell over.
Good. The point is that as in real life politics and warfare there aren't always easy answers. What's the best path for Gedda moving forward? How can they deal with the past? What do they do with collaborators? Does it matter if they acted under coercion? Those are all questions that are raised in the novel but don't necessarily receive hard answers. However, Donnelly does write about how the characters respond to these questions and conflicts in ways that are believable and consistent with their growth and experiences since the start of the series. So, yeah for the most part, I enjoyed reading this and would recommend the series to someone looking for a fun spy-thriller-y type thing that isn't afraid to touch on more serious issues.
What's this for the most part bit?
Okay, so, it's a good book, right?
So you say.
But it does feel a little meander-y from time to time. By the conclusion, it's definitely quite gripping. But during the section where Lillian and Jinnadh are awkwardly hosting Cyril, Aristide, and Daoud at the old DePaul winter home (recently picked over by the Ospies who'd been living there) for Solstice, everything slows down a little due to the . . .
Awkwardness?
Yeah, I was awkwardly trying to avoid saying awkward that many times in one sentence. It would have felt . . . damn it! Anyway, the point is that it starts well and ends well, but during the middle Donnelly's machinations to put the pieces in place for the finale are maybe slightly too apparent. Not enough for me to dislike the book or not recommend it, but noticeable.
Amnesty by Lara Elena Donnelly, Tor Books trade paperback edition, April 2019, 382 pages, pairs well with gimlets and awkward convos at holiday get-togethers
Links:
Here's the author's website, if you're into that kinda thing.
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