The wild dead

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.