The Library of Broken Worlds

April 1, 2023
Freida, sent to kill AI war god Nameren who will likely kill her first, trades him a story instead: hers. Found by the Head Librarian as a baby in the ever changing tunnels in the depths of the Library, most considered Freida a secondary AI, not quite human. She spent her childhood communing with the material gods, while some mortals and gods sought to love her, and others, to own her. When the Treaty peace between worlds, enforced by the Library for the last five centuries, comes under threat from the bloodthirsty Mahām, who want to feed Nameren their most oppressed ethnic minority, Freida must use her forbidden knowledge of the Library tunnels to find answers in deep and dangerous places, risking her life and future to save the tri-systems from a humanitarian crisis. While this is an interesting premise, the execution may not appeal to most teen readers. The language is so ostentatious it's hard to tell what's actually happening versus what is metaphor or perhaps a sentient AI program flitting through brain-digital interfaces. Readers may need to allow themselves to gloss over large chunks of text or make assumptions about many elements in order to follow the all-too-hidden story threads. Which prompts the question: If the slog doesn't lead to any real understanding of the tale, was the read worth it? Most characters are brown-skinned. Filled with beautiful prose vignettes but a confusing and tedious narrative nonetheless. (map, author's note) (Speculative fiction. 16-adult)

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