A very good selection for our Science Fiction month. Yes, it is SF not fantasy. I already had this on my TBR list because of positive recommendations of other MR members. When I realized the original publication date, I wondered how I had missed it before. Reading it now though, is probably better for me because I would have been very frustrated waiting for sequels.
R. Kirstein’s characters Rowan and Bel are great story tellers as is their creator. You are immediately drawn into the story and the action but if you are like me you will also find yourself pausing to consider all those pesky things like ethics, truth and lying, ends vs. means, freedom of information, power, etc. I found myself highlighting a lot.
I’ve been trying to avoid the media election circus but must admit that’s what came to mind when I highlighted the following:
“… The best way to lie is to tell the truth.”
The steerswomen looked at each other in perplexity. Bel expanded on Josef’s statement. “That’s right, you say true things— except, you leave some things out. That way, the person takes what you’ve said and makes his own conclusions— the wrong ones, because of what’s missing.”
Josef gave her an affirming nod. “And that’s your lie. And the second best way is to tell the truth— something obvious, something the other person knows down to his bones— and add your lie onto it, so long as it fits in.”
“The person knows that the part he can check is true, and if the rest makes sense, he’ll believe it,” Bel said.
“And the last good way to lie is to say nothing. Let the other person guess as much as he likes, and when he’s dead wrong,” he said with a smile, “you tell him how clever he is.”
Enjoyed
The Steerswoman enough that I went ahead and read the other three installments. Thanks Charlie.