Endurance by Jay Lake

In Endurance, Jay Lake continues the exploration of a strange and beautiful world. We feel the smoothness of a length of silk, hear the sounds from the docks, smell the curries and the spices in the food cooked in the taverns. As Green, his main character, travels through Copper Downs, the reader sees the city from the roofs she travels, and wanders deep into the tunnels and caves beneath the city’s foundation. We see the rust-frozen machines used eons ago, built by the sorcerer-engineers to work the mines, the city’s genesis. Green herself is an interesting character, at her most engaging when she is being rebellious… Two things damage the power of the story and the character of Green: a weak plot and a narrative voice that undercuts the character… I am still intrigued, but less eager to follow Green back to Kalimpura. I want Lake to let Green take charge of her own story. Read the rest.