Review: SURVIVOR SONG

SURVIVOR SONG released in July 2020, so surely it had been written prior to the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Yet it is a remarkably prescient tale; even though the contagious virus is different (a mutant variation of a common already existent virus) and even though the transmission vector diverges (and is this case is far more violent than breathing in the virus), the novel provides an all too familiar look back at the recent past.

I felt that the story's length could have been reduced by 20-25%, as toward the conclusion it seemed to go on and on (primarily the final experience of the two female protagonists), and I haven't reached my mental conclusion about the postlude, as to whether that additional material helped or hindered.

However, I acclaim the remarkably strong female characters: there are two protagonists of equal weight, both female, and at least 4 other strong, determined, female characters, each of whom noticeably impacts the story. The riffs on friendship (the two protagonists especially, but also a pair of secondary characters later in the story) are inspiring and hopeful. There's also a riff on the extreme to which anti-vaccination conspiracy conviction and refusal of scientific thinking and logic can run.

4 Stars

British Fantasy Award 2021