
(Space Opera; Xuya) Da Trang earned favor with the Empress because his remora, Pearl, feed him information. He has lost Pearl, but cannot stop searching for it. (8,244 words; Time: 27m)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average
Recommended By: NClarkeThis story is set in the author’s Dai-Viet universe, but it does not depend on readers having any familiarity with it.
"Pearl," by Aliette de Bodard [bio] (edited by Dominik Parisien and Navah Wolfe), appeared in The Starlit Wood (RSR review), published on October 18, 2016 by Saga Press.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: This story takes the Legend of Dã Tràng and the Pearl and converts it to a science-fiction setting. Unlike the legend, where Dã Tràng’s spirit inhabits crabs that search for the pearl forever, de Bodard lets Da Trang find peace in death at the end..
Con: If you come to this story without having read the original, it seems like a pointless tale of futility. Da Trang did nothing to deserve Pearl in the first place, and his dependence on it is uncomfortably like a drug addiction. We feel zero sympathy at the loss of his unearned position.
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Aliette de Bodard Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Con: If you come to this story without having read the original, it seems like a pointless tale of futility. Da Trang did nothing to deserve Pearl in the first place, and his dependence on it is uncomfortably like a drug addiction. We feel zero sympathy at the loss of his unearned position.
Other Reviews: Search Web, GoodReads.com
Aliette de Bodard Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
I agree with the rating.
ReplyDeleteI have not read the original fairy tale, but it was as you say - very like drug addiction or dependency.