The wild dead
Ratings10
Average rating3.9
"A Mariner Original Mysteries and murder abound in the sequel to Carrie Vaughn's post-apocalyptic mystery Bannerless. A century after environmental and economic collapse, the people of the Coast Road have rebuilt their own sort of civilization, striving not to make the mistakes their ancestors did. They strictly ration and manage resources, including the ability to have children. Enid of Haven is an investigator, who with her new partner Teeg is called on to mediate a dispute between households over an old building in a far-flung settlement at the edge of Coast Road territory. The investigators' decision seems straightforward--and then the body of a young woman turns up in the nearby marshland. Almost more shocking than that: she's not from the Coast Road, but from one of the outsider camps, belonging to the nomads and wild folk who live outside the Coast Road communities. Now one of them is dead, and Enid wants to find out who killed her, even as Teeg argues that the murder isn't their problem. In a dystopian future of isolated communities, can our moral sense survive the worst hard times?"--
"Decades after environmental and economic collapse, pockets of settlements struggle to maintain a much-reduced civilization by strictly rationing resources--including the ability to have children. Enid of Haven, an investigator in this community, travels to a far-flung village with her new, inexperienced partner to settle a minor resource dispute. But while there, the murder of an outsider demands her attention, and leads to explosive secrets"--
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I really love the layering of genres in this series. Blending police procedural and post-apocalypse sci-fi breathes new life into both. It also opens lots of room for world-building, character study, and philosophizing, in ways that don't seem overbearing.
One thing that really knocks me out is how Vaughn has constructed the most sympathetic oppressive regime I can imagine. While actively reading about Enid's police work in a fragile, painstakingly-rebuilt society, I found myself nodding along with the cultural and legal restrictions. It makes sense. It helps communities survive and even thrive. In the midst of a story where Enid regrets the loss of everything from refrigeration to photography in her quest for truth and justice, it's easy to allow for strict measures that preserve some modicum of post-industrial civilization.
But of course, the driving theme of the series is the draconian controls placed around reproduction, and the perverse incentives and downstream effects that can produce, along with the intended assurance that resources will support the population.
And naturally, that curves back into the larger setting for these stories. The books ask, “What is modern civilization worth?” in the context of personal autonomy and bodily self-determination. But we're currently answering that question in the context of global climate change - the very issue that led to the dire circumstances humanity grapples with in the Bannerless saga.
I think Carrie Vaughn is one of the most under-rated genre writers around. Post-Apocalyptic murder mystery is not a genre just anyone could handle, but she does so with great skill. Bannerless has the fun of other fantastical neo-noir detectives but without the sexism and toxic masculinity that is pretty ingrained in the latter genre. I love the concept, and the mystery met my criteria of I got it figured out just a little ahead of the characters. I remember liking Bannerless but read it a long time ago and was worried it would be confusing to jump into the world, but honestly you could jump in here and be caught up with the world in the first chapter.
I'm also maybe a little won over by the idea of “households” who all gather together to raise children because magic dystopian birth control aside, that's a really great idea.
Recommended especially to fans of a good detective story looking for a fresh and more inclusive take on it.
