Some Desperate Glory
by Emily Tesh
Reviewed by Galen Strickland
Posted October 17, 2024
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The winner of the 2024 Hugo Award for Best Novel, Emily Tesh's Some Desperate Glory, was also finalist for a Locus, the Le Guin Prize, and an Arthur C. Clarke award. It is her debut novel, following two novellas, the first of which won a World Fantasy Award, and in 2021 she won the Astounding Award as Best New Writer. Since the main protagonist and many other characters are seventeen or younger, this could be considered a Young Adult title, but it is not the first of that type to win a Hugo. It reminded me (but only briefly) of two other award winners, Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game, and Alexei Panshin's Nebula-winner Rite of Passage. The latter because most of the action takes place in a hollowed out asteroid, the occupants of which think of themselves as the last remnants of the human race. They aren't, as we later learn. The society within Gaea Station is strictly regimented, divided into "messes," (squads). Many of the males are "warbreeds," genetically designed and enhanced for size, speed, and endurance. Some of the girls train to be soldiers too, but I'm not sure if any are enhanced, any superiority might be the result of genetics alone.
The part that was similar to Ender's Game was the agoge, a virtual reality game scenario, named after the Spartan education program, although that was limited to males, trained in the art of war. Valkyr "Kyr" Marston is the central character. She has maintained the second best agoge scores, her better being her twin brother Magnus. Both expect to be assigned to one of the dreadnought ships, Kyr hoping for the Victrix, previously under the command of her mother, Elora Marston. But when their assignments come Mags disappears, and Kyr cannot get information as to where he is, or what assignment he was given. She is also disappointed when her assignment is the last thing she wanted: Nursery. She would be required to bear as many children for the cause as she was able. The "Cause" is revenge for the destruction of Earth, the killing of 14 billion people, at the tail end of the Majo War, which is when her mother died. She does not know who her father was, but that is normal for Gaea Station, since many births came from the genetic banks saved before the end of Earth.
I'll shy away from too many other plot details, but Kyr's journey starts when she learns secrets of Gaea and its current Commander, Aulus Jole, whom she thinks of as Uncle, although he was only a close friend of her mother's. Other truths involve her older sister, Ursa, who had left Gaea years before, branded a traitor. Kyr had been a loyal Gaean, training hard to be the best she could be in case they ever had a chance to fight the Majo again. I have seen other reviews that were mixed, a few more negative. I generally don't read too far into other reviews, only wanting to get the gist of what the book is about. It is possible the negative reviews were mostly about Kyr, who some might label a 'Mary Sue,' when in truth she is the exact opposite. She is smart in the ways of the agoge, and she thinks she is a good leader of the Sparrow mess, but she is not smart in the ways of people. She later finds out no one likes her, some actively hating her, because of how she drove the other Sparrows, being more critical than supportive. Mags may love her as a sister, but he doesn't like her that much, saying she is too much of a bitch, and the majority would agree with that assessment. She also continuously overthinks things, frequently unable to act due to self doubt. How can such a person be the impetus for change, the leader of a rebellion? Only with a lot of help, and the revelations of the secrets she has learned.
In summation, this is not the best 2023 novel I have read, nor is it the worst. I didn't nominate or vote for the Hugos this year, but none of my favorites made the final ballot, even though a couple were on the Nebula ballot. I cannot criticize Some Desperate Glory for being YA, because I do not think the age of the characters matters. One book I might have nominated ahead of it is Middle Grade. Tesh is also not the only writer to feature a less than completely competent protagonist, and one of the books I'm thinking of won both a Hugo and Nebula. I could also list at least ten Hugo winners that are not as good, and a few of them were written by Grand Masters. I know this will appeal to many, and not just girls or young women. I am a 74-year-old man and I liked it, but as I said, not as much as a few others from last year. It is exciting and thought-provoking, with many twists of plot that give Kyr (or Val, or Vallie, depending on the scenario) multiple chances to correct her mistakes. I will not elaborate on that. Not an unqualified recommendation, but there is more depth than you might expect in the social and political situations, and a strong condemnation of war and oppression. If I was still on Goodreads or Story Graph I would be giving this 4 stars out of 5. It may be a standalone, or it is possible there will be a continuation of Kyr's story. If that happens I will read it, and I should check out Tesh's previous novellas, and there is another novel due out next year that looks interesting.
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