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Winter's Orbit
So the upside of not having power is that I finally sat down and read my shiny hardback copy of Winter's Orbit! (The bit in the mountains was very #relatable, lemme tell you) I loved it, but I had some thoughts about how it's changed since I read the first version The Course of Honour on AO3 (as a WIP even! That was delicious agony waiting for updates, let me tell you).
My main thought is that the addition of all the Resolution & link network worldbuilding made the novel a far better space opera but a weaker romance. The imposed deadline of the treaty made the plot a lot tighter and more tense but there were some scenes that got cut that I realised were really key to my affection for their relationship, plus it's really hard to do a good slow burn when you only have a month of real time.
Particularly, I found myself missing the scene - oh, I forget the details, it's been awhile since I read TCOH and my downloaded copies are all unavailable right now - but it was from Jainan's POV, watching Kiem run a charity board meeting and realizing how differently he worked compared to Taam, and their conversation after where Kiem is like "I didn't do anything special" defines that aspect of Kiem - his competence and emotional intelligence, and how he sees them as not valuable - in at an early stage. It gives Jainan a specific edge of Kiem to start trusting and falling for, and it sets up a quiet parallel between regarding their negative self image. I can see why it was cut (though elements were preserved, and you still get a subtler impression of Kiem's issues in the novel), because Ev pushed the explicit reveal of Taam"s abuse to the climax, plus the sharp deadline made something like a charity board meeting hard to justify, but it was such a key turning point for them and I missed it. It makes the novel's romance hinge much more heavily on their mountain crash adventure, which is wonderful, but with the shorter time span it's got much more weight to carry, and I don't know how well it succeeds. I'm not sure I would ship it quite as hard if I hadn't read TCOH, frankly. I guess I'm just a competence kink girl to the core!
On the other hand, the additional plot was very cool and the "fuck imperialism" twist at the end was very satisfying and much more thoughtful regarding the politics, and I still loved all the characters to pieces. I just think I'll be rereading both versions for different reasons.
Also: MORE WEIRD ALIEN DINOSAUR THINGS YES. I knew the bear was coming, of course, but the added color was hilarious (and even a little plot relevant, with Operation Kingfisher). Of course Kiem feeds the fucking "doves", what a beautiful sweet dumbass that boy is.
My main thought is that the addition of all the Resolution & link network worldbuilding made the novel a far better space opera but a weaker romance. The imposed deadline of the treaty made the plot a lot tighter and more tense but there were some scenes that got cut that I realised were really key to my affection for their relationship, plus it's really hard to do a good slow burn when you only have a month of real time.
Particularly, I found myself missing the scene - oh, I forget the details, it's been awhile since I read TCOH and my downloaded copies are all unavailable right now - but it was from Jainan's POV, watching Kiem run a charity board meeting and realizing how differently he worked compared to Taam, and their conversation after where Kiem is like "I didn't do anything special" defines that aspect of Kiem - his competence and emotional intelligence, and how he sees them as not valuable - in at an early stage. It gives Jainan a specific edge of Kiem to start trusting and falling for, and it sets up a quiet parallel between regarding their negative self image. I can see why it was cut (though elements were preserved, and you still get a subtler impression of Kiem's issues in the novel), because Ev pushed the explicit reveal of Taam"s abuse to the climax, plus the sharp deadline made something like a charity board meeting hard to justify, but it was such a key turning point for them and I missed it. It makes the novel's romance hinge much more heavily on their mountain crash adventure, which is wonderful, but with the shorter time span it's got much more weight to carry, and I don't know how well it succeeds. I'm not sure I would ship it quite as hard if I hadn't read TCOH, frankly. I guess I'm just a competence kink girl to the core!
On the other hand, the additional plot was very cool and the "fuck imperialism" twist at the end was very satisfying and much more thoughtful regarding the politics, and I still loved all the characters to pieces. I just think I'll be rereading both versions for different reasons.
Also: MORE WEIRD ALIEN DINOSAUR THINGS YES. I knew the bear was coming, of course, but the added color was hilarious (and even a little plot relevant, with Operation Kingfisher). Of course Kiem feeds the fucking "doves", what a beautiful sweet dumbass that boy is.
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Haha CAN'T IMAGINE WHY.
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