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Santa Olivia #1
Santa Olivia
Lushly written with rich and vivid characters, Santa Olivia is Jacqueline Carey's take on comic book superheroes and the classic werewolf myth.
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First published May 29, 2009
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About the author
Jacqueline Carey
66 books8,473 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Jacqueline Carey (born 1964 in Highland Park, Illinois) is an author and novelist, primarily of fantasy fiction.
She attended Lake Forest College, receiving B.A.'s in psychology and English literature. During college, she spent 6 months working in a bookstore as part of a work exchange program. While there, she decided to write professionally. After returning she started her writing career while working at the art center of a local college. After ten years, she discovered success with the publication of her first book in 2001.
Currently, Carey lives in western Michigan and is a member of the oldest Mardi Gras krewe in the state.
Jacqueline Carey (born 1964 in Highland Park, Illinois) is an author and novelist, primarily of fantasy fiction.
She attended Lake Forest College, receiving B.A.'s in psychology and English literature. During college, she spent 6 months working in a bookstore as part of a work exchange program. While there, she decided to write professionally. After returning she started her writing career while working at the art center of a local college. After ten years, she discovered success with the publication of her first book in 2001.
Currently, Carey lives in western Michigan and is a member of the oldest Mardi Gras krewe in the state.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 916 reviews
December 4, 2013
The thing about this book is...
Okay, I'm not actually sure what the thing about this book is. There's a couple of points where I felt the author was being weird and wrong-headed, but overall it was so fascinating that I forgave it almost anything.
I found the book fascinating because it was, to me, an indictment of the privilege on which the superhero story is constructed. Loup Garron has special powers; speed, super-strength, yer basic 'I am an advanced biological construct' lego set. But, because of the society she's in, the most that this affords her is the occasional opportunity to get in one blow, which had better be a knockout, because she won't get a chance for a second. She's a woman, and a child, and a latina, in a town run by the United States army and local mob. There is no 'with great power comes great responsibility,' but rather the message she is given is that the power structures around her will not tolerate her threat to the established order, and she had by god better be careful.
This is not what I expected from Carey, an author I otherwise associate with the kinktastic. It seems to me an incredibly female take on the 'superhero,' and the result is so different that it doesn't even resemble a superhero narrative, although characters within the book allude to the concept. There are no clearly defined villains, and no 'victim' to be saved: if there is any wronged party seeking redress it is Loup's entire community, and if there is heroism, it is likewise corporate.
One specific point of Loup's mutation is that she doesn't experience fear. In another book, this would be treated with a sort of muscle-flexing aggression, but in this book, Loup is told from earliest childhood that her lack of fear is a danger to her, causing her to take risks she wouldn't otherwise, and urged to learn the caution others have instinctively. However, on an extra-textual level, it seems to me that Loup's fearlessness could be another extremely female super-power, given the ways in which women are regulated by fear.
Although this is not in the vein of Carey's more, um, BDSM-tastic works, it has quite interesting sexual politics. Loup's mother engaged in something like prostitution, as do most of the women in her community on some level, and this is treated as part of the economy, and neither stigmatized nor eroticized. Several of the characters who constitute the strongest voice of moral authority are implied to be part of a poly-fidelious relationship. And Loup herself, although not quite human enough to be a lesbian, has a girlfriend.
Okay, now to deal with what's obvious to any French speakers in the audience: Loup understands herself to be a werewolf, although not in any mythological sense, and her name, "Loup Garron" is a pun on the French for werewolf, loup garou. Her father, the source of her difference, requested that her mother name her that, because he thought naming her "Wolfy McWolferson" would be a good way for her to go undetected. Also, and maybe my understanding of Spanish morphemes is shaky, but although people ask if Loup (pronounced "Lu") is short for Lucinda, no one ever calls her Lupita, which seems like the blindingly obvious name for her, if she's not going to go around telling people her name is 'Wolf.'
This is a highly readable book that is cynical about power structures, but not people.
Okay, I'm not actually sure what the thing about this book is. There's a couple of points where I felt the author was being weird and wrong-headed, but overall it was so fascinating that I forgave it almost anything.
I found the book fascinating because it was, to me, an indictment of the privilege on which the superhero story is constructed. Loup Garron has special powers; speed, super-strength, yer basic 'I am an advanced biological construct' lego set. But, because of the society she's in, the most that this affords her is the occasional opportunity to get in one blow, which had better be a knockout, because she won't get a chance for a second. She's a woman, and a child, and a latina, in a town run by the United States army and local mob. There is no 'with great power comes great responsibility,' but rather the message she is given is that the power structures around her will not tolerate her threat to the established order, and she had by god better be careful.
This is not what I expected from Carey, an author I otherwise associate with the kinktastic. It seems to me an incredibly female take on the 'superhero,' and the result is so different that it doesn't even resemble a superhero narrative, although characters within the book allude to the concept. There are no clearly defined villains, and no 'victim' to be saved: if there is any wronged party seeking redress it is Loup's entire community, and if there is heroism, it is likewise corporate.
One specific point of Loup's mutation is that she doesn't experience fear. In another book, this would be treated with a sort of muscle-flexing aggression, but in this book, Loup is told from earliest childhood that her lack of fear is a danger to her, causing her to take risks she wouldn't otherwise, and urged to learn the caution others have instinctively. However, on an extra-textual level, it seems to me that Loup's fearlessness could be another extremely female super-power, given the ways in which women are regulated by fear.
Although this is not in the vein of Carey's more, um, BDSM-tastic works, it has quite interesting sexual politics. Loup's mother engaged in something like prostitution, as do most of the women in her community on some level, and this is treated as part of the economy, and neither stigmatized nor eroticized. Several of the characters who constitute the strongest voice of moral authority are implied to be part of a poly-fidelious relationship. And Loup herself, although not quite human enough to be a lesbian, has a girlfriend.
Okay, now to deal with what's obvious to any French speakers in the audience: Loup understands herself to be a werewolf, although not in any mythological sense, and her name, "Loup Garron" is a pun on the French for werewolf, loup garou. Her father, the source of her difference, requested that her mother name her that, because he thought naming her "Wolfy McWolferson" would be a good way for her to go undetected. Also, and maybe my understanding of Spanish morphemes is shaky, but although people ask if Loup (pronounced "Lu") is short for Lucinda, no one ever calls her Lupita, which seems like the blindingly obvious name for her, if she's not going to go around telling people her name is 'Wolf.'
This is a highly readable book that is cynical about power structures, but not people.
April 10, 2016
This is a really great book. I loved it. Really well written and engaging story-line. If you like stories with a dystopian feel, where the world is different due to war and disease.. Don't pass this one up!
The main character is likable and even though she doesn't have many of the same feeling we do, she's written well enough that you feel for her and root for her to succeed.
I know the second book didn't get as good of reviews (people says its a bit mushy between Loup and Pillar) but I'm looking forward to reading about them being happy and in love.
Don't miss this one, it's too good not to read.
The main character is likable and even though she doesn't have many of the same feeling we do, she's written well enough that you feel for her and root for her to succeed.
I know the second book didn't get as good of reviews (people says its a bit mushy between Loup and Pillar) but I'm looking forward to reading about them being happy and in love.
Don't miss this one, it's too good not to read.
August 6, 2016
The town of Santa Olivia lies between the U.S. and Mexican border, but becomes a sort of present day leper colony when it is walled off from the rest of the world. Apparently the epicenter of a particularly nasty flu virus, the U. S. military builds a base there so the soldiers can keep the townspeople in line. And, as governments are wont to do, it decides, "Hey, while we have this super-secret base cut off from the rest of the world, how's about we take the opportunity for a little genetic experimentation? Maybe splice some animal DNA into human DNA and create a super soldier? Anyone have any wolf DNA lying about?" Which is all fine and dandy until your super soldier escapes, impregnates a local waitress, and hightails it for Mexico after the townspeople turn against him. And so Loup Garron is born, a child with super-strength and an inability to feel fear.
Following Loup throughout her childhood and teenage years, we witness as she deals with the deaths of loved ones, bands together with others in her orphanage to create miracles and punishments in the name of the town's patron saint, grapples with her identity and her sexuality, and enters into a military sanctioned boxing match as a means of avenging her brother's death. To have focused on any one of these stories might have made for a more cohesive (if not more satisfying) narrative, but, as it is, the plot structure seems clunky and jumps from one idea to the next. It doesn't help that, through it all, Loup doesn't seem to feel much of anything or develop a personality beyond "gee, I feel different from everyone else." The climax of the book leads to the aforementioned boxing match, which lacks any real sense of tension or drama.
I've seen summaries of Santa Olivia that claim it gives a new and intriguing slant to both the werewolf mythos and to the superhero concept. Except for it doesn't. Because, really, it's not about werewolves or about superheroes. The whole wolf DNA angle is basically irrelevant; the only wolfy characteristics exhibited by Loup are her super-strength and stamina, a keen sense of hearing, an increased appetite, and some poorly executed idea about her "mating for life." Any animal could have been selected for the same traits--there's no real reason as to why it had to be a wolf. In terms of her superhero abilities, see the list provided above. Not exactly thrilling stuff. She's no Wolverine (although one of the orphans compares her to him). Here she is, blessed with the strength of the big bad wolf, so what's she going to do? She's going to box her heart out, baby! This failed to blow my house down.
There were some intriguing ideas here whose executions fell flat, but I did appreciate the inclusion of a strong lesbian character. However, even that feels a little disingenuous in that it seems to exist only as a means of reinforcing the idea that Loup never fits in, in case it's not really coming across that she's different. During her sexual experimentation with boys, the boys always reject her, saying that she just "feels different" when they kiss her or that sex with her is like putting a "penis in a vise." It's almost as if seeking out another female is her only option, although it's later connected to the whole tendency to have only one mate idea. I would have preferred it if her attraction to women had been separated from this strange connection to her lupine heritage.
Overall, I feel this is the type of book that was born out of a tongue-in-cheek conceit: "Hey, what if I named the main character Loup Garron? Get it? Like loup garou? As in werewolf? Why aren't you 'howling' with laughter?"
Also, I'm pissed about that cover. Because that cover has nothing to do with the book.
Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder
Following Loup throughout her childhood and teenage years, we witness as she deals with the deaths of loved ones, bands together with others in her orphanage to create miracles and punishments in the name of the town's patron saint, grapples with her identity and her sexuality, and enters into a military sanctioned boxing match as a means of avenging her brother's death. To have focused on any one of these stories might have made for a more cohesive (if not more satisfying) narrative, but, as it is, the plot structure seems clunky and jumps from one idea to the next. It doesn't help that, through it all, Loup doesn't seem to feel much of anything or develop a personality beyond "gee, I feel different from everyone else." The climax of the book leads to the aforementioned boxing match, which lacks any real sense of tension or drama.
I've seen summaries of Santa Olivia that claim it gives a new and intriguing slant to both the werewolf mythos and to the superhero concept. Except for it doesn't. Because, really, it's not about werewolves or about superheroes. The whole wolf DNA angle is basically irrelevant; the only wolfy characteristics exhibited by Loup are her super-strength and stamina, a keen sense of hearing, an increased appetite, and some poorly executed idea about her "mating for life." Any animal could have been selected for the same traits--there's no real reason as to why it had to be a wolf. In terms of her superhero abilities, see the list provided above. Not exactly thrilling stuff. She's no Wolverine (although one of the orphans compares her to him). Here she is, blessed with the strength of the big bad wolf, so what's she going to do? She's going to box her heart out, baby! This failed to blow my house down.
There were some intriguing ideas here whose executions fell flat, but I did appreciate the inclusion of a strong lesbian character. However, even that feels a little disingenuous in that it seems to exist only as a means of reinforcing the idea that Loup never fits in, in case it's not really coming across that she's different. During her sexual experimentation with boys, the boys always reject her, saying that she just "feels different" when they kiss her or that sex with her is like putting a "penis in a vise." It's almost as if seeking out another female is her only option, although it's later connected to the whole tendency to have only one mate idea. I would have preferred it if her attraction to women had been separated from this strange connection to her lupine heritage.
Overall, I feel this is the type of book that was born out of a tongue-in-cheek conceit: "Hey, what if I named the main character Loup Garron? Get it? Like loup garou? As in werewolf? Why aren't you 'howling' with laughter?"
Also, I'm pissed about that cover. Because that cover has nothing to do with the book.
Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder
July 2, 2009
This is a science fiction novel from Carey, about the daughter about a genetically engineered soldier who escapes the lab and passes through a border zone created between the U.S. and Mexico (in the wake of a plague that came up from Mexico--I wonder how Carey feels now, since the copyright date is April 2009, the same month reports of H1N1 virus became news, which means that Carey would have handed the manuscript in a year earlier!). Loup is born to her single mother when her father is forced to move on, and raised as much by her half-brother Tom, a kind and cheerful boy who does his best to keep his promise to Loup's father, to teach her to hide the characteristics that mark her as other. (She is fast, with a higher body mass and tolerance to pain, and she does not know fear.) It's Tom who first takes her into the town's boxing ring, where he trains to fight in the soldiers vs. locals boxing game that promises the local who defeats a soldier two tickets to America.
When their mother dies, Loup is raised by the town's priest and nun along with other orphans. They discover what she can do, and it is they that concoct the incidents that earn Loup the name of "Santa Olivia," after the town's patron saint. But it isn't until Loup loses yet another person who is vital to her that she is driven to find out just how much punishment her body can take--and dish out.
I didn't mark this one as adult or ya because, except for the language and sexual lives of Loup and her friends, it could be a ya. And if it were the real world and instead of a novel, with the language and sexual lives of these kids, going from pre-teen to mid-teens for Loup, it would be a ya. It's a durn good read from an extraordinarily talented author.
When their mother dies, Loup is raised by the town's priest and nun along with other orphans. They discover what she can do, and it is they that concoct the incidents that earn Loup the name of "Santa Olivia," after the town's patron saint. But it isn't until Loup loses yet another person who is vital to her that she is driven to find out just how much punishment her body can take--and dish out.
I didn't mark this one as adult or ya because, except for the language and sexual lives of Loup and her friends, it could be a ya. And if it were the real world and instead of a novel, with the language and sexual lives of these kids, going from pre-teen to mid-teens for Loup, it would be a ya. It's a durn good read from an extraordinarily talented author.
August 13, 2016
It's raining snakes - hallelujah?
It's probably wrong that this is the second Snakes on a Plane thought I've had in weeks (be glad I didn't post the pic of snakes falling from the plane), but when I think of falling snakes, it's either that or Indiana Jones.
I am review-lazy this week, so I'll give a fast run-down of why I REALLY liked Santa Olivia :
The story was dark. It was strangely apocalyptic and/or screwy militant who-knows-what in form. I don't fully understand how death, disease, grudge-match boxing, sinful clergymen, and mutated people with wolf genes all work together to make a cohesive story, but somehow, it does work.
The characters were not typical. The first main character was a sexually charged female who took to an inexperienced male. The second main character was a young woman who struggled to feel fear, anxiety, or even a sense of danger due to her genetic coding.
The emotional connections were off the charts. I love when a story is about so much more than just a romance. The relationship between mother and child, brother and sister, and two fellow orphans becoming lovers, were all of equal importance.
I GOT SUPER EMOTIONAL FEELS. TWICE. OR THREE TIMES. MAYBE EVEN FOUR TIMES.
The setting felt like another character. I pictured the church yard and the statue of Santa Olivia in my mind. I was nervous when Loup was in places she shouldn't be hanging around because I could practically see the danger lurking in every corner.
I'd highly recommend this book for fans of darker, unique, or emotional stories. For an Urban Fantasy, it was less about ass kicking or bizarre non-humans, and more about survival and tackling hardships. I loved the everyday struggle of the characters fighting to survive.
There is a f/f romance, but for those unsure if they'd enjoy reading a non-m/f or m/m, I'd say to give the book a chance because it was handled beautifully and tastefully. The slow build eventually burned into something lovely to witness.
Highly recommended!
Snakes fell like rain, twisting in midair.
It's probably wrong that this is the second Snakes on a Plane thought I've had in weeks (be glad I didn't post the pic of snakes falling from the plane), but when I think of falling snakes, it's either that or Indiana Jones.
I am review-lazy this week, so I'll give a fast run-down of why I REALLY liked Santa Olivia :
The story was dark. It was strangely apocalyptic and/or screwy militant who-knows-what in form. I don't fully understand how death, disease, grudge-match boxing, sinful clergymen, and mutated people with wolf genes all work together to make a cohesive story, but somehow, it does work.
The characters were not typical. The first main character was a sexually charged female who took to an inexperienced male. The second main character was a young woman who struggled to feel fear, anxiety, or even a sense of danger due to her genetic coding.
The emotional connections were off the charts. I love when a story is about so much more than just a romance. The relationship between mother and child, brother and sister, and two fellow orphans becoming lovers, were all of equal importance.
I GOT SUPER EMOTIONAL FEELS. TWICE. OR THREE TIMES. MAYBE EVEN FOUR TIMES.
The setting felt like another character. I pictured the church yard and the statue of Santa Olivia in my mind. I was nervous when Loup was in places she shouldn't be hanging around because I could practically see the danger lurking in every corner.
I'd highly recommend this book for fans of darker, unique, or emotional stories. For an Urban Fantasy, it was less about ass kicking or bizarre non-humans, and more about survival and tackling hardships. I loved the everyday struggle of the characters fighting to survive.
There is a f/f romance, but for those unsure if they'd enjoy reading a non-m/f or m/m, I'd say to give the book a chance because it was handled beautifully and tastefully. The slow build eventually burned into something lovely to witness.
Highly recommended!
"Hear, hear." Sister Martha hoisted her water glass. "Let the rigid stick of self-righteousness be dislodged from her very uptight ass."
Father Ramon coughed. "A-fucking-men."
June 6, 2009
I LOVE this author. That said, it isn't my favorite of hers, but it was very enjoyable. I think the world was a bit confusing for me. I felt like the environment that the story was set in was kind of hard to grasp. The characters were interesting, but the world was not enjoyable to be in as others. That said, it sets up a GREAT sequel, so I can't wait to read it, like everything else by Ms. Carey! Huge fan!
August 20, 2024
5 awesome vigilante stars!
I wonder how many of the negative reviews for this book are based on the fact that, being a Jacqueline Carey book, people automatically expect "Kushiel style".
Well, this is definitely not "Kushiel style". It doesn't even resemble it. It is a totally different type of story written in an absolutely different manner. And I absolutely LOVED IT!!!
It's a light and engaging read about an unlikely heroine born in an isolated military buffer zone between Mexico and the U.S.. She is the daughter of a man genetically manipulated by the government to be a weapon. A "Wolf Man", he was engineered to have superhuman strength, speed, stamina and senses, as well as a total lack of fear. Named for her vanished father, Loup Garron has inherited his gifts.
Frustrated by the injustices visited upon her friends and neighbors by the military occupiers, Loup is determined to avenge her community. Aided by a handful of her fellow orphans, Loup takes on the guise of their patron saint, Santa Olivia, and sets out to deliver vigilante justice..
(from the back cover)
If you're looking for a deeper meaning in this book - you're not gonna find it! There is no other deep buried secret or world-wide conspiracy. It's just the story of a little girl who is born different and tries to find her place in a society who is either afraid of, or in awe of her powers. We accompany her through her struggles to always "be careful" and not show how different she is and through sorrow and happiness on a self-imposed journey for vengeance and justice.
And we do it from the very beginning with a smile on our lips, because I'll bet you you're gonna laugh at hearing a priest and a sister's unholy opinion about God's way with his people, or at seeing a few little orphans trashing a gang of thugs. And don't even let me get started with vengeance given after the measure of a child's sense of justice! They can be pretty imaginative about it. :)
"Father Ramon's mouth twitched. "...let us pray that for the sake of her children, Celia O'Brien will take the lesson to heart and cease to begrudge our charity."
"Hear, hear." Sister Martha hoisted her water glass. "Let the rigid stick of self-righteousness be dislodged from her very uptight ass."
Father Ramon coughed.
Wouldn't you also cough in his place at hearing this particular prayer from the lips of a holy sister?! :D
The second half of the book gets serious and as the fun part becomes less, the action picks up and grabs you. I didn't want to stop reading till the very last page.
Don't start this expecting science and philosophy. Go into it expecting to relax and have a good time and you won't be disappointed.
Happy reading! :)
Check out this review and more over at The Magic Book Corner
.
I wonder how many of the negative reviews for this book are based on the fact that, being a Jacqueline Carey book, people automatically expect "Kushiel style".
Well, this is definitely not "Kushiel style". It doesn't even resemble it. It is a totally different type of story written in an absolutely different manner. And I absolutely LOVED IT!!!
It's a light and engaging read about an unlikely heroine born in an isolated military buffer zone between Mexico and the U.S.. She is the daughter of a man genetically manipulated by the government to be a weapon. A "Wolf Man", he was engineered to have superhuman strength, speed, stamina and senses, as well as a total lack of fear. Named for her vanished father, Loup Garron has inherited his gifts.
Frustrated by the injustices visited upon her friends and neighbors by the military occupiers, Loup is determined to avenge her community. Aided by a handful of her fellow orphans, Loup takes on the guise of their patron saint, Santa Olivia, and sets out to deliver vigilante justice..
(from the back cover)
If you're looking for a deeper meaning in this book - you're not gonna find it! There is no other deep buried secret or world-wide conspiracy. It's just the story of a little girl who is born different and tries to find her place in a society who is either afraid of, or in awe of her powers. We accompany her through her struggles to always "be careful" and not show how different she is and through sorrow and happiness on a self-imposed journey for vengeance and justice.
And we do it from the very beginning with a smile on our lips, because I'll bet you you're gonna laugh at hearing a priest and a sister's unholy opinion about God's way with his people, or at seeing a few little orphans trashing a gang of thugs. And don't even let me get started with vengeance given after the measure of a child's sense of justice! They can be pretty imaginative about it. :)
"Father Ramon's mouth twitched. "...let us pray that for the sake of her children, Celia O'Brien will take the lesson to heart and cease to begrudge our charity."
"Hear, hear." Sister Martha hoisted her water glass. "Let the rigid stick of self-righteousness be dislodged from her very uptight ass."
Father Ramon coughed.
Wouldn't you also cough in his place at hearing this particular prayer from the lips of a holy sister?! :D
The second half of the book gets serious and as the fun part becomes less, the action picks up and grabs you. I didn't want to stop reading till the very last page.
Don't start this expecting science and philosophy. Go into it expecting to relax and have a good time and you won't be disappointed.
Happy reading! :)
Check out this review and more over at The Magic Book Corner
.
September 7, 2011
This is your basic dystopian boxing fable with a mutant lesbian werewolf superhero/saint as the main character. I know that sounds completely ludicrous. But Carey makes it work rather well, and the book was just a pleasure to read. She writes with such ease and clarity here. And I really liked several of the characters here. I also especially liked how she dealt with a main character who was simply incapable of feeling fear, or any of its related emotions. She treats it basically as another form of Hansen's Desease (leprosy), a debility that requires much extra care and thought.
The book bases itself on some extrapolations from current U.S. policies. The main town is an area completely controlled by the U.S., but not actually part of the U.S. anymore. Thus, the army has complete control over the area, and law is pretty much whatever the commanders decide. This situation, I think derives from the legal status that the government has asserted over Guantanamo Bay. The similarity becomes even more clear during some enhanced interrogation scenes. Carey melds this idea with the idea of creating a huge wall to keep Mexicans from immigrating. Combine the two, and you get a buffer zone like the one that exists in this book. The extrapolation is well done, and its all too believable. But I also think that the direct parallels weaken the fable aspect of the book.
The main reason I haven't given this five stars is because Carey took pains to finish by setting up a sequel, rather than coming to a clean and compelling ending for a standalone book. This was obviously her plan, and she executes it well. The book ends very well for the first book of a series. But I didn't realize it was going to be a series until I hit the last couple of chapters, and as a result I was a little disappointed with the ending. After Jordan and Martin, I vowed not to start any series until it's been finished. Carey works considerably faster than Martin's glacial pace. And I'm sure I'll pick up the next installment of this series. But I still would rather not have broken my vow, especially out of my own ignorance and stupidity.
The book bases itself on some extrapolations from current U.S. policies. The main town is an area completely controlled by the U.S., but not actually part of the U.S. anymore. Thus, the army has complete control over the area, and law is pretty much whatever the commanders decide. This situation, I think derives from the legal status that the government has asserted over Guantanamo Bay. The similarity becomes even more clear during some enhanced interrogation scenes. Carey melds this idea with the idea of creating a huge wall to keep Mexicans from immigrating. Combine the two, and you get a buffer zone like the one that exists in this book. The extrapolation is well done, and its all too believable. But I also think that the direct parallels weaken the fable aspect of the book.
The main reason I haven't given this five stars is because Carey took pains to finish by setting up a sequel, rather than coming to a clean and compelling ending for a standalone book. This was obviously her plan, and she executes it well. The book ends very well for the first book of a series. But I didn't realize it was going to be a series until I hit the last couple of chapters, and as a result I was a little disappointed with the ending. After Jordan and Martin, I vowed not to start any series until it's been finished. Carey works considerably faster than Martin's glacial pace. And I'm sure I'll pick up the next installment of this series. But I still would rather not have broken my vow, especially out of my own ignorance and stupidity.
November 1, 2009
This is the post-apocalyptic gay superhero with soulbonds underdog sports story OF MY HEART. While quality may vacillate between three and four stars, it's, like, at least a six on my enjoyment scale. You got your apocalypse in my scrappy kids working together novel! You got your gay soul bonds in my underdog boxing tournament story! Ignore the description on the back; it's dumb. This is like Annie crossed with X-Men crossed with Escape from New York crossed with Rocky crossed with the as-yet-unmade-soulbond-lesbian-adventure-movie-with-a-happy-ending that is awesome!
March 22, 2009
(NB: I received this as an ARC)
Santa Olivia is the latest book by Jacqueline Carey, who is better known for, and much better known for the Sundering Duology, and much much better known for two Kushiel trilogies. While the former is a take on classic fantasy and the latter are milestone in dark, sensual fantasy, Santa Olivia is a completely different kettle of fish.
The press information provided to me describes Santa Olivia as Jacqueline Carey's take on comic book superheroes and the classic werewolf myth. However, what this novel is, I think, is far more nuanced and complex than that simple formulation.
The novel centers around Loup. Born in a future where a conflict and a disease has created such tensions between Mexico and the United States that a no man's land has sprung up between the two nations, Loup lives in the abject poverty and virtual prison that makes up the titular piece of land controlled by the U.S. Military. Born of a genetically engineered father, and a local for a mother, we follow Loup's life, from living with her mother and older half-brother, to her life as an orphan in the local church when she loses both of them.
Loup has a hard life in a hardscrabble world, but she does have her secret--the genetic heritage of her father. Her father's special gifts of strength, fearlessness, paranormal senses, and speed have been fully inherited in Loup. What first starts as a secret to be held tightly for fear of discovery by the military turns into a opportunity to exact justice, and later still, an opportunity to escape...
While Loup does take up the mantle of a disguised superhero, and hints and nuances (including the very name given to her) suggest werewolves as an inspiration for the genetic manipulations which inadvertently created Loup, this novel is much more than a novel about a werewolf-powered comic book superhero.
Carey's interest in Christian saints and iconography get play here in the identity that Loup takes in her retributive acts, the titular saint of the compound, Santa Olivia. The novel runs from before her birth to her ultimate escape and freedom, and so we follow her as she grows up, grows into her abilities and learns to use them as a symbol of hope and strength for herself, and for the people around her that she touches. There is a love story in the novel as well, and while the love story itself follows a relatively familiar pattern, the identities of the participants, and the development of the characters give it its own unique stamp.
I don't think that the novel quite works as well as I had hoped. There are an awful lot of loose ends left unanswered by the denouement (not ones that really would be answered in a sequel, either). It's difficult to do "near future" worldbuilding well, as any of the top lights in science fiction can tell you; Carey's worldbuilding is much more assured in her other novels than here. I never really bought the Macguffin that the head of the camp holds as a potential means of escape, although I recognize its dramatic necessity as a device to propel the characters, Loup included, a chimerical banner to chase after. I was also surprised at first at the coarseness of language of the characters of all ages. It took a shift of perception on my part to go from the beauty of courtly language in Terre D'Ange to the salty, expletive filled language of the residents of Santa Olivia.
Overall, though, on the balance, I am happy that Carey wrote the novel. Not only on its merits, which, upon reflection do outweigh its drawbacks, but because I am a firm believer in author diversification. I don't want Carey to write *only* endless Kushiel novels, just like I don't want Stross to only write Merchant Prince novels. I want authors that I like (and Carey certainly has her place in there) to do well--but I'd rather not have them turn into one-series wonders, with each successive volume in the series groaning under the weight of the previous ones. Writing different things, I think, is a good way for an author to remain fresh, inventive, and keep me coming back for more.
So, if you come to this novel hoping for a rocking comic book superhero who changes into a werewolf at night, you are going to be very, very disappointed. This is really a novel about a little girl, born in a cage, who grows, learns to love, and learns to be free. And in the process, she learns to be an inspiration for all of those around her.
Santa Olivia is the latest book by Jacqueline Carey, who is better known for, and much better known for the Sundering Duology, and much much better known for two Kushiel trilogies. While the former is a take on classic fantasy and the latter are milestone in dark, sensual fantasy, Santa Olivia is a completely different kettle of fish.
The press information provided to me describes Santa Olivia as Jacqueline Carey's take on comic book superheroes and the classic werewolf myth. However, what this novel is, I think, is far more nuanced and complex than that simple formulation.
The novel centers around Loup. Born in a future where a conflict and a disease has created such tensions between Mexico and the United States that a no man's land has sprung up between the two nations, Loup lives in the abject poverty and virtual prison that makes up the titular piece of land controlled by the U.S. Military. Born of a genetically engineered father, and a local for a mother, we follow Loup's life, from living with her mother and older half-brother, to her life as an orphan in the local church when she loses both of them.
Loup has a hard life in a hardscrabble world, but she does have her secret--the genetic heritage of her father. Her father's special gifts of strength, fearlessness, paranormal senses, and speed have been fully inherited in Loup. What first starts as a secret to be held tightly for fear of discovery by the military turns into a opportunity to exact justice, and later still, an opportunity to escape...
While Loup does take up the mantle of a disguised superhero, and hints and nuances (including the very name given to her) suggest werewolves as an inspiration for the genetic manipulations which inadvertently created Loup, this novel is much more than a novel about a werewolf-powered comic book superhero.
Carey's interest in Christian saints and iconography get play here in the identity that Loup takes in her retributive acts, the titular saint of the compound, Santa Olivia. The novel runs from before her birth to her ultimate escape and freedom, and so we follow her as she grows up, grows into her abilities and learns to use them as a symbol of hope and strength for herself, and for the people around her that she touches. There is a love story in the novel as well, and while the love story itself follows a relatively familiar pattern, the identities of the participants, and the development of the characters give it its own unique stamp.
I don't think that the novel quite works as well as I had hoped. There are an awful lot of loose ends left unanswered by the denouement (not ones that really would be answered in a sequel, either). It's difficult to do "near future" worldbuilding well, as any of the top lights in science fiction can tell you; Carey's worldbuilding is much more assured in her other novels than here. I never really bought the Macguffin that the head of the camp holds as a potential means of escape, although I recognize its dramatic necessity as a device to propel the characters, Loup included, a chimerical banner to chase after. I was also surprised at first at the coarseness of language of the characters of all ages. It took a shift of perception on my part to go from the beauty of courtly language in Terre D'Ange to the salty, expletive filled language of the residents of Santa Olivia.
Overall, though, on the balance, I am happy that Carey wrote the novel. Not only on its merits, which, upon reflection do outweigh its drawbacks, but because I am a firm believer in author diversification. I don't want Carey to write *only* endless Kushiel novels, just like I don't want Stross to only write Merchant Prince novels. I want authors that I like (and Carey certainly has her place in there) to do well--but I'd rather not have them turn into one-series wonders, with each successive volume in the series groaning under the weight of the previous ones. Writing different things, I think, is a good way for an author to remain fresh, inventive, and keep me coming back for more.
So, if you come to this novel hoping for a rocking comic book superhero who changes into a werewolf at night, you are going to be very, very disappointed. This is really a novel about a little girl, born in a cage, who grows, learns to love, and learns to be free. And in the process, she learns to be an inspiration for all of those around her.
June 20, 2009
My summary here is a little long, because the premise and set-up is a tad complicated, but I haven't really shared much more than the blurb itself does. I did want to explain the situation though, because I found it confusing at first. If you're leery of even mild spoilers (can't blame you), feel free to skip this review. It's mostly the background - the first, oh, three chapters - that I talk about here.
At some point in the near future, a devastating influenza epidemic sweeps over North America. To keep the sick Mexicans from swarming American hospitals, the army builds a new wall fifty miles north of the wall between the US and Mexico, to create a cordon, a corridor and buffer zone along the border. Threats of attacks by "el Segundo", a general leading rebels who set bombs and, so it is said, wants to overrun America, keep everyone in fear and justify the presence of the walls and the soldiers. The soldiers, all male, work a three-year term at the base, patrolling the southern wall as they "chase the ghost", el Segundo.
Most of the people of the small Texan town of Santa Olivia, now called Outpost No. 12, opt to stay, too sick to move. After the new wall is built, no one's allowed to leave. As far as the rest of the country is concerned, no one lives in the cordon. They've all been forgotten, and they feel it.
But they struggle on. With limited supplies, modern luxuries fade away. There's very little work, and many of the women opt for being "kept" by a soldier. Carmen Garron is no different. She dates three soldiers, and the third one, Tom, she falls in love with. When she becomes pregnant, he tries to convince his commanding officer to let him stay and marry her. But no soldier is allowed to stay, to marry within the Outpost, and Tom is killed in a bomb blast.
Years later, while working at a diner, Carmen meets a new man, Martin. He's different, in a subtle way. He moves differently, and feels differently. The muscles under his black skin are denser and heavier. He seems to be on the run, and Carmen offers him a place to stay. Her son Tommy loves him. Drawn to him, it turns into a relationship and she learns that he was part of a Chinese science experiment conducted in Haiti, manipulating genes to create a kind of super human. When the US government came and rescued the "lost boys", or "Wolf Men", they created a unit within the army for them. When they found out that they were going to be separated, they deserted and ran for the Mexican border.
These experimental humans are stronger and faster, but a main difference is their lack of fear. With an inability to feel scared, they're prone to doing stupid things and endangering their lives. Carmen discovers she's pregnant but with a reward out for Martin, he can't stay. He makes her promise to name the child Loup ("Lou"), the French word for "wolf". Loup is like her father, strong and fearless, and it's Tommy who teaches her to be careful.
As she grows older, Tommy learns to be a boxer and, when Carmen dies of pneumonia, Loup is sent to the church as an orphan. It is there, with the other orphans who learn about her secret, that Loup and her friends start finding ways to fight back, to have a voice - by capturing the spirit of Santa Olivia herself, the little girl who once went out to a battlefield to bring food to her father and the other men, bringing the battle to a complete standstill.
But such a symbol of hope for the repressed townspeople doesn't go unnoticed or unpunished by the army, and more people than herself are at risk of retaliation if she continues. When a terrible incident takes the choice from her hands, Loup embarks on the ultimate revenge, knowing full well she could lose everything and everyone she holds dear as the price.
Aside from being a bit confused about the whole Outpost thing, which wasn't clearly explained in the beginning, for me; I also found the book's blurb (and cover) to be misleading - enough that I found myself a bit disappointed. That's why I've gone to the trouble of giving as much detail about the story as I could without completely spoiling it.
This isn't the story of a masked hero, a vigilante striking terror into the hearts of the enemy etc. etc. The cover made me think "Dark Angel", the blurb even more so with its focus on genetically manipulated humans and the "Wolf Man". So rather than have this misleading perception continue, I wanted to lead you in the right direction - yet I found myself faring no better, and you're still none the wiser.
The truth is, this is a book about a girl who learns to box. Yes, it's a boxing novel. Surprise! It's a very good one though, if that puts you off. Loup is a great character, completely frank, unable to feel embarrassment or fear yet not apathetic or callous in the slightest. The story of her parents, and her years growing up, is a wonderful tale. When the boxing thing started, I thought - hoped - it was all part of the build-up to her becoming a masked avenger. Seriously. I love super-heroes. And with a cover like that... It doesn't happen, though, so better not to expect it.
What you do get is a great story. The entire town is very much alive, the myriad supporting characters vivid and distinct, all fleshed out in delightful shades of grey. Miguel Garza was one of the surprise favourites - keep your eye on him.
There's a critique of American foreign policy here too - as coach Floyd says, "it was easier to convince people to go along with it [the walls:] if they believed there was a vast plot against the nation ... Hordes of desperate brown people clamoring to invade the southwest and take over our hospitals by force."
This is a much shorter, quicker read than Carey's Kushiel books - sit down with it for a few hours and it's like watching a really good, self-contained movie, one where you're not sure what will happen next. It doesn't follow a typical formula, especially when it comes to relationships, and it has such a frank honesty to it that makes it feel very real. If you don't like swearing in books, you won't care for this one, though it wasn't over-done, it was simply capturing these people, their hard lives and their natural way of talking. The pacing is steady and swift, the prose unpretentious and with a different tone to her Kushiel series, with an omnipresent third person narration allowing us to get as close as we possibly can.
An excellent stand-alone novel, read it as fantasy, science fiction, post-apocalyptic fiction or just a good ol' yarn about a compelling woman and her desire for justice and revenge.
At some point in the near future, a devastating influenza epidemic sweeps over North America. To keep the sick Mexicans from swarming American hospitals, the army builds a new wall fifty miles north of the wall between the US and Mexico, to create a cordon, a corridor and buffer zone along the border. Threats of attacks by "el Segundo", a general leading rebels who set bombs and, so it is said, wants to overrun America, keep everyone in fear and justify the presence of the walls and the soldiers. The soldiers, all male, work a three-year term at the base, patrolling the southern wall as they "chase the ghost", el Segundo.
Most of the people of the small Texan town of Santa Olivia, now called Outpost No. 12, opt to stay, too sick to move. After the new wall is built, no one's allowed to leave. As far as the rest of the country is concerned, no one lives in the cordon. They've all been forgotten, and they feel it.
But they struggle on. With limited supplies, modern luxuries fade away. There's very little work, and many of the women opt for being "kept" by a soldier. Carmen Garron is no different. She dates three soldiers, and the third one, Tom, she falls in love with. When she becomes pregnant, he tries to convince his commanding officer to let him stay and marry her. But no soldier is allowed to stay, to marry within the Outpost, and Tom is killed in a bomb blast.
Years later, while working at a diner, Carmen meets a new man, Martin. He's different, in a subtle way. He moves differently, and feels differently. The muscles under his black skin are denser and heavier. He seems to be on the run, and Carmen offers him a place to stay. Her son Tommy loves him. Drawn to him, it turns into a relationship and she learns that he was part of a Chinese science experiment conducted in Haiti, manipulating genes to create a kind of super human. When the US government came and rescued the "lost boys", or "Wolf Men", they created a unit within the army for them. When they found out that they were going to be separated, they deserted and ran for the Mexican border.
These experimental humans are stronger and faster, but a main difference is their lack of fear. With an inability to feel scared, they're prone to doing stupid things and endangering their lives. Carmen discovers she's pregnant but with a reward out for Martin, he can't stay. He makes her promise to name the child Loup ("Lou"), the French word for "wolf". Loup is like her father, strong and fearless, and it's Tommy who teaches her to be careful.
As she grows older, Tommy learns to be a boxer and, when Carmen dies of pneumonia, Loup is sent to the church as an orphan. It is there, with the other orphans who learn about her secret, that Loup and her friends start finding ways to fight back, to have a voice - by capturing the spirit of Santa Olivia herself, the little girl who once went out to a battlefield to bring food to her father and the other men, bringing the battle to a complete standstill.
But such a symbol of hope for the repressed townspeople doesn't go unnoticed or unpunished by the army, and more people than herself are at risk of retaliation if she continues. When a terrible incident takes the choice from her hands, Loup embarks on the ultimate revenge, knowing full well she could lose everything and everyone she holds dear as the price.
Aside from being a bit confused about the whole Outpost thing, which wasn't clearly explained in the beginning, for me; I also found the book's blurb (and cover) to be misleading - enough that I found myself a bit disappointed. That's why I've gone to the trouble of giving as much detail about the story as I could without completely spoiling it.
This isn't the story of a masked hero, a vigilante striking terror into the hearts of the enemy etc. etc. The cover made me think "Dark Angel", the blurb even more so with its focus on genetically manipulated humans and the "Wolf Man". So rather than have this misleading perception continue, I wanted to lead you in the right direction - yet I found myself faring no better, and you're still none the wiser.
The truth is, this is a book about a girl who learns to box. Yes, it's a boxing novel. Surprise! It's a very good one though, if that puts you off. Loup is a great character, completely frank, unable to feel embarrassment or fear yet not apathetic or callous in the slightest. The story of her parents, and her years growing up, is a wonderful tale. When the boxing thing started, I thought - hoped - it was all part of the build-up to her becoming a masked avenger. Seriously. I love super-heroes. And with a cover like that... It doesn't happen, though, so better not to expect it.
What you do get is a great story. The entire town is very much alive, the myriad supporting characters vivid and distinct, all fleshed out in delightful shades of grey. Miguel Garza was one of the surprise favourites - keep your eye on him.
There's a critique of American foreign policy here too - as coach Floyd says, "it was easier to convince people to go along with it [the walls:] if they believed there was a vast plot against the nation ... Hordes of desperate brown people clamoring to invade the southwest and take over our hospitals by force."
This is a much shorter, quicker read than Carey's Kushiel books - sit down with it for a few hours and it's like watching a really good, self-contained movie, one where you're not sure what will happen next. It doesn't follow a typical formula, especially when it comes to relationships, and it has such a frank honesty to it that makes it feel very real. If you don't like swearing in books, you won't care for this one, though it wasn't over-done, it was simply capturing these people, their hard lives and their natural way of talking. The pacing is steady and swift, the prose unpretentious and with a different tone to her Kushiel series, with an omnipresent third person narration allowing us to get as close as we possibly can.
An excellent stand-alone novel, read it as fantasy, science fiction, post-apocalyptic fiction or just a good ol' yarn about a compelling woman and her desire for justice and revenge.
December 9, 2013
Buddy read with Anna & Ace.
Loup was born on Santa Olivia's day in a military occupied buffer zone along the Mexican border. Her mother was one of the citizens of Outpost, her father was a super soldier who escaped from the lab where he was made.
As Loup grows she witnesses the injustices perpetrated by the military overlords on the citizens of Outpost, until one day after a friend is raped and the military take no action she decides to take matters into her own hands. Taking on the guise of Santa Olivia she uses her super strength and speed to get justice for the townspeople. She quickly becomes a hero to townsfolk, while the military try and fail to hunt her down.
Santa Olivia is a difficult book to describe, it's incredibly dense and has an almost oppressive undercurrent. It's something of a moral tale about a young woman who sees injustice and chooses to fight it, even knowing that in doing so, she'll lose everything.
Much love for this book.
Loup was born on Santa Olivia's day in a military occupied buffer zone along the Mexican border. Her mother was one of the citizens of Outpost, her father was a super soldier who escaped from the lab where he was made.
As Loup grows she witnesses the injustices perpetrated by the military overlords on the citizens of Outpost, until one day after a friend is raped and the military take no action she decides to take matters into her own hands. Taking on the guise of Santa Olivia she uses her super strength and speed to get justice for the townspeople. She quickly becomes a hero to townsfolk, while the military try and fail to hunt her down.
Santa Olivia is a difficult book to describe, it's incredibly dense and has an almost oppressive undercurrent. It's something of a moral tale about a young woman who sees injustice and chooses to fight it, even knowing that in doing so, she'll lose everything.
Much love for this book.
April 8, 2022
5 Stars - Audible version - 6+ stars for the narration - narrator: Susan Ericksen
So this is the second time I have "read" this story. The first time I read it in book form was a long time ago and I remember really liking it and the sequel. This time I listened to the audio book performed by Susan Ericksen and it blew me away. You guys - the narration is soooo good. And the storytelling is so so so good.
The fact that there are soldiers and these people are stuck in "Outpost 12" due to a deadly flu pandemic and a closing of the borders to Mexico hits different in 2022 then it did back when I first read this too.
Loup and Pillar are great couple and when they get together its not super explicit but somehow it stays very hot.
Theres is a feel of a bit of fairy tale, there is action, friendships, drama, heartbreak, triumph. This audiobook gets my highest recommendation. I really liked it the first time and I freaking LOVED it the second time.
So this is the second time I have "read" this story. The first time I read it in book form was a long time ago and I remember really liking it and the sequel. This time I listened to the audio book performed by Susan Ericksen and it blew me away. You guys - the narration is soooo good. And the storytelling is so so so good.
The fact that there are soldiers and these people are stuck in "Outpost 12" due to a deadly flu pandemic and a closing of the borders to Mexico hits different in 2022 then it did back when I first read this too.
Loup and Pillar are great couple and when they get together its not super explicit but somehow it stays very hot.
Theres is a feel of a bit of fairy tale, there is action, friendships, drama, heartbreak, triumph. This audiobook gets my highest recommendation. I really liked it the first time and I freaking LOVED it the second time.
June 18, 2022
This was so fcuking good I want to read it again for the first time. WOW! I've just found a new book to add on my favourites list.
August 18, 2016
I loved this book.
I didn't know I loved it until somewhere between 66-75%. Before that, I had liked it. A LOT. But the love kinda sneaked up on me. That's the best kind of love, I think. The kind that lies quietly, waiting for you to come around to its inevitability.
Loup and Piral are like that too. Of all of the many, many things I love about Santa Olivia, I think it's the hopefulness that I love the most. Loup's world is not a happy place, and throughout the story it becomes increasingly less happy. But Loup never wavers. She keeps trudging ever onward, and that consistency pays off.
It. Pays. Off.
I hate books that have characters struggling but never achieving anything. Never making progress. HATE them.
So I guess it's not surprising that I would have an equally vehement response to the opposite scenario. And that's what this book is <-------happiness.
I didn't know I loved it until somewhere between 66-75%. Before that, I had liked it. A LOT. But the love kinda sneaked up on me. That's the best kind of love, I think. The kind that lies quietly, waiting for you to come around to its inevitability.
Loup and Piral are like that too. Of all of the many, many things I love about Santa Olivia, I think it's the hopefulness that I love the most. Loup's world is not a happy place, and throughout the story it becomes increasingly less happy. But Loup never wavers. She keeps trudging ever onward, and that consistency pays off.
It. Pays. Off.
I hate books that have characters struggling but never achieving anything. Never making progress. HATE them.
So I guess it's not surprising that I would have an equally vehement response to the opposite scenario. And that's what this book is <-------happiness.
August 17, 2009
Are you looking for another Phedra? You aren't going to find her here. You aren't going to find the sex or the epic adventure either. If this is what you are in the mood for, you should probably go elsewhere.
However, if you are up for a quick adventure that is self contained and a bit more real than the fantasy that you are used to from Carey, this is worth a look.
Loup (pronounced Lou actually) has some crazy genetics. She is fast, super strong, and has no fear. Literally. This actually poses a problem in real life and Carey actually addresses the issue (Loup has a big brother). However, the world Loup lives in isn't typical. The world has all been attacked by Swine Flu! (Okay, you can enter your choice of disease.) And the town Loup is stuck in is walled off from the rest of the world so America can keep Mexico out.
Not that any of that is addressed either. But, the characters Loup interacts with are real enough and the story flows okay. Frankly, a child with that kind of background really wouldn't have too many details on what she is, what the government is doing, or really anything else that Carey skims over.
It really reads as if it is an expanded short story. You know the sort - the story itself could be short and sweet but it meanders just a bit. I am loving that Carey is stepping out of what she usually writes and the story is even good. I guess I expected more from such an excellent writer. However, if she can write a decent story in a type of world that she never touches I am impressed. More authors should step out of their comfort zone and write something fun.
So final bit - this was fun and I will continue to buy Carey's work without a second thought. However, if Carey is not one of your favorite authors, you should pick this up at the library and try her anyway. This is not her typical work but does contain her excellent writing ability. Just treat it like some multi flavored popcorn - it is light, jumps all over the place, and pretty fun.
However, if you are up for a quick adventure that is self contained and a bit more real than the fantasy that you are used to from Carey, this is worth a look.
Loup (pronounced Lou actually) has some crazy genetics. She is fast, super strong, and has no fear. Literally. This actually poses a problem in real life and Carey actually addresses the issue (Loup has a big brother). However, the world Loup lives in isn't typical. The world has all been attacked by Swine Flu! (Okay, you can enter your choice of disease.) And the town Loup is stuck in is walled off from the rest of the world so America can keep Mexico out.
Not that any of that is addressed either. But, the characters Loup interacts with are real enough and the story flows okay. Frankly, a child with that kind of background really wouldn't have too many details on what she is, what the government is doing, or really anything else that Carey skims over.
It really reads as if it is an expanded short story. You know the sort - the story itself could be short and sweet but it meanders just a bit. I am loving that Carey is stepping out of what she usually writes and the story is even good. I guess I expected more from such an excellent writer. However, if she can write a decent story in a type of world that she never touches I am impressed. More authors should step out of their comfort zone and write something fun.
So final bit - this was fun and I will continue to buy Carey's work without a second thought. However, if Carey is not one of your favorite authors, you should pick this up at the library and try her anyway. This is not her typical work but does contain her excellent writing ability. Just treat it like some multi flavored popcorn - it is light, jumps all over the place, and pretty fun.
February 14, 2016
Santa Olivia was a reread, but it’s been a while — six (what?!) years, apparently. I never read the sequel, Saints Astray, so between getting that and having bought my sister the books for Christmas, it seemed high time to reread this and get stuck into Saints Astray. It was even more readable than I remembered — I’d have read it in a day if pesky life didn’t keep getting in the way. It takes a whole bunch of ideas — a faintly post-apocalyptic No-Man’s-Land in the Outpost, genetically modified soldiers, werewolves (sort of), boxing, coming of age, vigilantism, vengeance… — and makes a fresh, fun pageturner out of it.
And in case, like my sister, this is a draw for you, the central relationship is between two girls, and they eventually have a shot at a happy ever after.
The background is fairly nondescript, because the action is all confined to the Outpost and the inhabitants know little of what happens beyond the barricades. The important aspect is the characters and the interplay between them: the “orphans”, growing up together and trying out their strength, keeping each other’s secrets and having each others’ backs, and at the same time growing apart because they’re all so different. There’s people being good and people being assholes and people being caught somewhere in between and learning, a little, slowly, how to be better. There’s people being brave and people with no fear at all, and interesting discussions of how that affects each of them. All kinds of human emotions and motivations and tangles: that’s the draw of this story, even if the boxing and vengeance leaves you cold.
My one criticism is that it takes a surprisingly long time for Loup to really become the hero of the story, and she does so for entirely predictable reasons. You can feel those beats in the story coming way in advance. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m growing to wish it wasn’t always tragedy that motivates heroes.
Originally posted here.
And in case, like my sister, this is a draw for you, the central relationship is between two girls, and they eventually have a shot at a happy ever after.
The background is fairly nondescript, because the action is all confined to the Outpost and the inhabitants know little of what happens beyond the barricades. The important aspect is the characters and the interplay between them: the “orphans”, growing up together and trying out their strength, keeping each other’s secrets and having each others’ backs, and at the same time growing apart because they’re all so different. There’s people being good and people being assholes and people being caught somewhere in between and learning, a little, slowly, how to be better. There’s people being brave and people with no fear at all, and interesting discussions of how that affects each of them. All kinds of human emotions and motivations and tangles: that’s the draw of this story, even if the boxing and vengeance leaves you cold.
My one criticism is that it takes a surprisingly long time for Loup to really become the hero of the story, and she does so for entirely predictable reasons. You can feel those beats in the story coming way in advance. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m growing to wish it wasn’t always tragedy that motivates heroes.
Originally posted here.
February 9, 2020
3.5 Stars for Santa Olivia: Santa Olivia Series Book 1 (audiobook) by Jacqueline Carey read by Susan Erickson. This book seemed to have a rough start for me. The world building was a little unclear. There was a mispronunciation. Not the author’s fault. But by the midway of the story it started to get interesting. I enjoyed it. I’ll read the next one in the series.
November 10, 2015
Read it in one sitting. Finished at 4am.
Enough said.
Enough said.
January 2, 2018
I last read Carey back before my GR reviewing days when my sexuality was still an unquestioned landscape and my career path a seemingly guaranteed if empty grind. Much has changed in the seven (or is it eight now) years since, but everything is still too much in flux for my tastes, which is perhaps why this bildungsroman of a bioengineered superwoman which cuts off at the spry young age of below 20 didn't take. I'm too old to read about children puzzling out their lusts and their strengths and the revenge plots for 300+ pages, and especially too old to commit to a series of who knows how many books of the same shit, different escalations. I'd still like to return to Kushiel's Dart and associated co., but I've read a lot of books since my first visit to those sensual lands, and I may find that the prose is not as lush as remembered, the plot not as gripping as supposed, the erotica not as needed as imagined. Such is experience, such is age, such is disillusionment. I may need to forbid myself from keeping a book on my to read list for longer than five years if this keeps up, or at least wait until the political climate or my academic fortunes have shifted before revisiting tales marked for viewing in my youth.
There's not much to be said about this book. There's a wide enough variety of characters for most to latch onto at least someone, but development, save for in a few main character segments, is very much a null. Race is hinted at, Latinx themes are a given what with the location and all but never fleshed out, queerness abounds but is still, for whatever reason, is still stigmatized. In short, military crackdowns and no person zones and yadda yadda yadda are given as an excuse to make a future landscape look a lot like today's landscape despite supposed breakdowns in absolutely everything, which is great if you consider bigotry a necessary addition to your normal routine, but not for me. I'm sick of sci-fi that thinks the addition of lasers excuses not making an effort to transcend harmful social norms, and by that I don't mean the Nazis winning (could you be any more obtuse in your wet dreams white authors) or a global European conglomerate (more of the same) or any world where capitalism still reigns unquestioned and women who want to fuck women still get shit despite not hurting anyone else. I get that this is a dystopia, but unless you're thinking ahead to how cyborgs will feed into the already present stigmatization of disabled people, or what interstellar settler state mechanisms will mean for the people back home, your dystopia's about as effective as is a mermaid consisting of a monkey sewn to a fishtail.
I'm sure I could've started 2018 on a more pleasant note, but eh. No use beating around the bush, especially since I keep getting friend requests from content-less randos who get real offended when I question their reading women of color percentages. I'll likely be continuing my messing with my most read authors list, but all the challenges I've drawn up plans for will hopefully complicate this enough to minimize the dull spots I ran into every once in a while last year. I'm also starting 2018 on a cheerier note, as 2017 began with me having to forgo reading for any purpose save for English subject test study, which is the explanation for last year's dampened read count. There's no guarantee that my comparatively free reading schedule this year will prevent me from buying more books than I manage to read in 2018, but I still manage to find space for them all without opening up new avenues of storage, so I must be going along at somewhat of a good pace. In any case, I wish all a good 2018. May your reading experiences be better than this starting encounter of mine.
There's not much to be said about this book. There's a wide enough variety of characters for most to latch onto at least someone, but development, save for in a few main character segments, is very much a null. Race is hinted at, Latinx themes are a given what with the location and all but never fleshed out, queerness abounds but is still, for whatever reason, is still stigmatized. In short, military crackdowns and no person zones and yadda yadda yadda are given as an excuse to make a future landscape look a lot like today's landscape despite supposed breakdowns in absolutely everything, which is great if you consider bigotry a necessary addition to your normal routine, but not for me. I'm sick of sci-fi that thinks the addition of lasers excuses not making an effort to transcend harmful social norms, and by that I don't mean the Nazis winning (could you be any more obtuse in your wet dreams white authors) or a global European conglomerate (more of the same) or any world where capitalism still reigns unquestioned and women who want to fuck women still get shit despite not hurting anyone else. I get that this is a dystopia, but unless you're thinking ahead to how cyborgs will feed into the already present stigmatization of disabled people, or what interstellar settler state mechanisms will mean for the people back home, your dystopia's about as effective as is a mermaid consisting of a monkey sewn to a fishtail.
I'm sure I could've started 2018 on a more pleasant note, but eh. No use beating around the bush, especially since I keep getting friend requests from content-less randos who get real offended when I question their reading women of color percentages. I'll likely be continuing my messing with my most read authors list, but all the challenges I've drawn up plans for will hopefully complicate this enough to minimize the dull spots I ran into every once in a while last year. I'm also starting 2018 on a cheerier note, as 2017 began with me having to forgo reading for any purpose save for English subject test study, which is the explanation for last year's dampened read count. There's no guarantee that my comparatively free reading schedule this year will prevent me from buying more books than I manage to read in 2018, but I still manage to find space for them all without opening up new avenues of storage, so I must be going along at somewhat of a good pace. In any case, I wish all a good 2018. May your reading experiences be better than this starting encounter of mine.
December 9, 2014
Given that this is about a lesbian Latina boxer who is genetically unable to feel fear, I have no idea why it took me so long to get to it. It is not only exactly up my alley, but is very well-written, gripping, moving, sometimes funny, sometimes sexy, and probably of wide appeal even to people who don’t find that premise instantly charming.
In the not-quite-post-apocalyptic near future, the town of Santa Olivia has been cordoned off as part of a gigantic effort to seal the border between the US and Mexico. The inhabitants of the town, mostly poor and Latino/a, are stuck there, subject to the American military base on site but with no recourse from the government of either country. However, it’s not an orderly dystopia, but a poor and somewhat lawless town where people live their lives and have relationships and play sports and have plenty of happy times, even though overall conditions are hard and unjust.
Speaking of sports. The American military commander loves boxing. Once a year, a match is held between an Olympic-level boxer he brings in, and whatever man from Santa Olivia wants to face him. If the latter can win, he gets a ticket out of town. Needless to say, this creates a thriving boxing subculture, jumping at the prize that’s perpetually just out of reach.
But all this is prologue. The story concerns a young woman from Santa Olivia who falls in love with a fugitive from Haiti… a man who was experimented on and genetically engineered. Urban legend calls those men werewolves, but they can’t shapeshift. However, they’re stronger, faster, and unable to feel fear. He’s on the run and soon leaves… but not before fathering a little girl, whom he playfully names Loup.
The bulk of the story is about Loup growing up, mostly in an orphanage. Being unable to fear gives her an odd emotional tenor, not quite autism spectrum but similar. She seems strange to other people, and in her circumstances, being unable to fear means that she needs to hide herself lest she attract unwanted attention. But while she puts off some people, she intrigues others, and soon she’s at the heart of a little band of orphanage kids.
Loup may not feel fear, but she knows injustice when she sees it, and there’s a lot around. There’s also a local legend of a child saint, Santa Olivia, depicted as a little girl in a blue dress. Loup and her friends take on the role of Santa Olivia, stealth dispenser of justice. (In one hilarious scene, she creates a rain of live snakes.) And then there’s that boxing match…
I loved this book. The town and its people feel incredibly real, making unpredictable choices in the way that actual human beings do. The power dynamics, both social and individual, were also strikingly realistic. The relationships were wonderful, from Loup’s childhood buddies to her first romance to (my favorite) her relationship with an arrogant asshole male boxer who goes from being an enemy to a sparring partner to an unexpected friend.
This is written in a completely different style and tone from Carey’s Kushiel’s Dart books, so if you didn’t like those, you may well like Santa Olivia. If you did like those, you may also like Santa Olivia. There’s a sequel, but the story feels complete within the book.
In the not-quite-post-apocalyptic near future, the town of Santa Olivia has been cordoned off as part of a gigantic effort to seal the border between the US and Mexico. The inhabitants of the town, mostly poor and Latino/a, are stuck there, subject to the American military base on site but with no recourse from the government of either country. However, it’s not an orderly dystopia, but a poor and somewhat lawless town where people live their lives and have relationships and play sports and have plenty of happy times, even though overall conditions are hard and unjust.
Speaking of sports. The American military commander loves boxing. Once a year, a match is held between an Olympic-level boxer he brings in, and whatever man from Santa Olivia wants to face him. If the latter can win, he gets a ticket out of town. Needless to say, this creates a thriving boxing subculture, jumping at the prize that’s perpetually just out of reach.
But all this is prologue. The story concerns a young woman from Santa Olivia who falls in love with a fugitive from Haiti… a man who was experimented on and genetically engineered. Urban legend calls those men werewolves, but they can’t shapeshift. However, they’re stronger, faster, and unable to feel fear. He’s on the run and soon leaves… but not before fathering a little girl, whom he playfully names Loup.
The bulk of the story is about Loup growing up, mostly in an orphanage. Being unable to fear gives her an odd emotional tenor, not quite autism spectrum but similar. She seems strange to other people, and in her circumstances, being unable to fear means that she needs to hide herself lest she attract unwanted attention. But while she puts off some people, she intrigues others, and soon she’s at the heart of a little band of orphanage kids.
Loup may not feel fear, but she knows injustice when she sees it, and there’s a lot around. There’s also a local legend of a child saint, Santa Olivia, depicted as a little girl in a blue dress. Loup and her friends take on the role of Santa Olivia, stealth dispenser of justice. (In one hilarious scene, she creates a rain of live snakes.) And then there’s that boxing match…
I loved this book. The town and its people feel incredibly real, making unpredictable choices in the way that actual human beings do. The power dynamics, both social and individual, were also strikingly realistic. The relationships were wonderful, from Loup’s childhood buddies to her first romance to (my favorite) her relationship with an arrogant asshole male boxer who goes from being an enemy to a sparring partner to an unexpected friend.
This is written in a completely different style and tone from Carey’s Kushiel’s Dart books, so if you didn’t like those, you may well like Santa Olivia. If you did like those, you may also like Santa Olivia. There’s a sequel, but the story feels complete within the book.
September 7, 2017
*Sorry any grammatical error, English is not my native language*
Let me tell you ... I loved this story.
A solid 5 and if this plataform had more stars I could fucking give!
Starting from the beginning, the cover of the book ... Yeah, beautiful.
Not only the art itself, but the feel of the cover, I love covers this way. They are a differential.
One of the other things I liked was how the author describes the main character's bakcground, telling the story from her mother's life to the moment she meets her father.
A great and solid work in explaining the origins of the character.
And after this introduction that took about 30 pages, we are introduced to little Loup. Which I found very cute.
The author describes perfectly the growth of the main character. The moment she moves from childhood to adolescence and gradually as she is forced to mature quickly within the city.
I was able to predict some outcomes but nothing that would make me disappointed because the author's writing is wonderful.
And as for romance, which I always end up finding a fault, this time I found none. The narrative was well developed to form the romance between the main character and her love interest. Even the moments of pure sappiness were tolerable and I caught myself enjoying it.
Actually, this is one of the few books I've come to be pleased with in the conclusion of a romance. I've grown accustomed to seeing in lesbian books the characters swear love in a few encounters and in this book, although the characters feel immense attraction and then get together, they take the time to pronounce the famous "I love you" that seem to fly in the lesbian romances.
I was definitely very pleased with this book.
I hope that in volume 2 Loup can help her friends.
Let me tell you ... I loved this story.
A solid 5 and if this plataform had more stars I could fucking give!
Starting from the beginning, the cover of the book ... Yeah, beautiful.
Not only the art itself, but the feel of the cover, I love covers this way. They are a differential.
One of the other things I liked was how the author describes the main character's bakcground, telling the story from her mother's life to the moment she meets her father.
A great and solid work in explaining the origins of the character.
And after this introduction that took about 30 pages, we are introduced to little Loup. Which I found very cute.
The author describes perfectly the growth of the main character. The moment she moves from childhood to adolescence and gradually as she is forced to mature quickly within the city.
I was able to predict some outcomes but nothing that would make me disappointed because the author's writing is wonderful.
And as for romance, which I always end up finding a fault, this time I found none. The narrative was well developed to form the romance between the main character and her love interest. Even the moments of pure sappiness were tolerable and I caught myself enjoying it.
Actually, this is one of the few books I've come to be pleased with in the conclusion of a romance. I've grown accustomed to seeing in lesbian books the characters swear love in a few encounters and in this book, although the characters feel immense attraction and then get together, they take the time to pronounce the famous "I love you" that seem to fly in the lesbian romances.
I was definitely very pleased with this book.
I hope that in volume 2 Loup can help her friends.
July 26, 2016
An entertaining dystopian/superhero novel that never reaches its full potential. I was intrigued by the description and the first few pages, but in retrospect the story itself is a bit of a letdown.
Santa Olivia is set along the U.S.-Mexico border in what's implied to be the not-so-distant future. The book starts strong, the first 40 pages following a young woman named Carmen living in a militarized outpost, before moving on to the real protagonist, her daughter Loup. Loup has superhero powers that she tries to hide, including the inability to feel fear, and from the beginning of the tale it's clear she's on a collision course with the town's military rulers.
This book is fun and easy to read, propelled by lots of dialogue and a setting full of inherent danger. However, particularly in the second half of the book, the plot becomes increasingly predictable and seems to be treading water on its way to the climax. The dystopian elements are underutilized--we never learn what's going on in the wider world--and, more importantly, so is Loup, who never comes into her own. It seems as if Carey has missed the point of superhero stories, which are all about wish-fulfillment: we're supposed to revel in the crazy challenges thrown at the heroine, vicariously enjoying her ability to overcome with ease obstacles that would be insurmountable in real life. But Loup spends the book holding back, not doing much; she pulls off some pranks with help from friends, and then spends the whole second half of the book training for the climactic fight: a boxing match scheduled for her convenience, with quite surmountable odds, from which she has nothing to gain if she wins and nothing to lose if she quits.
Some of you would respond that this isn't meant to be a traditional superhero story: it's meant to be a commentary on the superhero story, and in particular how that story changes when the superhero is female. I'm of two minds on that one. Certainly the book plays with and comments on gender tropes. But sometimes it's a bit muddled, leaving me uncertain just what it's trying to say. For instance, Loup's love interest is a girl, one much girlier than herself, and at some points Carey implies that someone as physically tough as Loup has to have a girlfriend rather than a boyfriend. But then, Loup's father also has a hard time finding someone who's attracted rather than repelled by his overly-powerful mutant body, so it's not clear that Loup's unsuccessful physical relationships with men have much to do with gender expectations. Meanwhile her physiological lack of fear sort of works as a commentary on the way women are controlled by fear, but it's also pretty weird--Loup does feel pain, after all--and there's no reason she couldn't fight the system while experiencing fear if she were put in a situation that compelled her to do so. This aspect of the story also seems less successful because there are other female superheroes in fiction, whose stories don't require such contortions: for instance, Katsa of Graceling, published a year before this one (hardly the best-written fantasy novel ever, but a far more satisfying superhero story).
Plot aside, the book is adequate without being exceptional. It's mostly populated by stock characters: the kindhearted older brother, the embittered old coach, the band of orphans with one personality trait apiece. Loup feels somewhat hollow. Her love interest, though, is well-characterized and their romance is cute--if heterosexual it would likely have been too generic, but as is it kept my interest. The setting is well-drawn, though I wanted to see more of Carey's world beyond the single town. The writing is adequate and the dialogue has flavor and does a good job of contributing to the characterization.
In the end, this is a worthwhile piece of entertainment if you're looking for something fairly light, but that emphasizes relationships more than action. As a dystopian fantasy story it works well enough, though it doesn't have the sort of fun and excitement I expected when I read the word "superhero."
Santa Olivia is set along the U.S.-Mexico border in what's implied to be the not-so-distant future. The book starts strong, the first 40 pages following a young woman named Carmen living in a militarized outpost, before moving on to the real protagonist, her daughter Loup. Loup has superhero powers that she tries to hide, including the inability to feel fear, and from the beginning of the tale it's clear she's on a collision course with the town's military rulers.
This book is fun and easy to read, propelled by lots of dialogue and a setting full of inherent danger. However, particularly in the second half of the book, the plot becomes increasingly predictable and seems to be treading water on its way to the climax. The dystopian elements are underutilized--we never learn what's going on in the wider world--and, more importantly, so is Loup, who never comes into her own. It seems as if Carey has missed the point of superhero stories, which are all about wish-fulfillment: we're supposed to revel in the crazy challenges thrown at the heroine, vicariously enjoying her ability to overcome with ease obstacles that would be insurmountable in real life. But Loup spends the book holding back, not doing much; she pulls off some pranks with help from friends, and then spends the whole second half of the book training for the climactic fight: a boxing match scheduled for her convenience, with quite surmountable odds, from which she has nothing to gain if she wins and nothing to lose if she quits.
Some of you would respond that this isn't meant to be a traditional superhero story: it's meant to be a commentary on the superhero story, and in particular how that story changes when the superhero is female. I'm of two minds on that one. Certainly the book plays with and comments on gender tropes. But sometimes it's a bit muddled, leaving me uncertain just what it's trying to say. For instance, Loup's love interest is a girl, one much girlier than herself, and at some points Carey implies that someone as physically tough as Loup has to have a girlfriend rather than a boyfriend. But then, Loup's father also has a hard time finding someone who's attracted rather than repelled by his overly-powerful mutant body, so it's not clear that Loup's unsuccessful physical relationships with men have much to do with gender expectations. Meanwhile her physiological lack of fear sort of works as a commentary on the way women are controlled by fear, but it's also pretty weird--Loup does feel pain, after all--and there's no reason she couldn't fight the system while experiencing fear if she were put in a situation that compelled her to do so. This aspect of the story also seems less successful because there are other female superheroes in fiction, whose stories don't require such contortions: for instance, Katsa of Graceling, published a year before this one (hardly the best-written fantasy novel ever, but a far more satisfying superhero story).
Plot aside, the book is adequate without being exceptional. It's mostly populated by stock characters: the kindhearted older brother, the embittered old coach, the band of orphans with one personality trait apiece. Loup feels somewhat hollow. Her love interest, though, is well-characterized and their romance is cute--if heterosexual it would likely have been too generic, but as is it kept my interest. The setting is well-drawn, though I wanted to see more of Carey's world beyond the single town. The writing is adequate and the dialogue has flavor and does a good job of contributing to the characterization.
In the end, this is a worthwhile piece of entertainment if you're looking for something fairly light, but that emphasizes relationships more than action. As a dystopian fantasy story it works well enough, though it doesn't have the sort of fun and excitement I expected when I read the word "superhero."
July 27, 2019
CW: Rape(off page but discussed in detail), alcohol abuse, death, grief, murder, violence, misogynistic language, ableist language, attempted sexual assault, physical violence, death of a dog, drugs mentioned, cheating.
Rep: Queer main character, sapphic characters, side polyamorous relationship, f/f romance, Poc.
Santa Olivia was basically what happens when Stranger Things meets Rocky, only a whole lot gayer and it was glorious!
This was a unique take on a book that shouldn’t have worked so well together but did. There was so much I loved about this and not just including our protagonist, Loup, and how badass she was.
The plot was slow going and.. different. It takes a direction you wouldn’t expect but, like I said, it worked. The book is majorly character driven, which I did expect considering the way Loup is telling the story as she’s getting older. It goes on for approximately 18 years or so.
Santa Olivia contained many of my favorites tropes, including - strong sibling bonds( we don’t see a lot of these anymore), found family, slow burn romance and even a little revenge.
Loup truly was a fascinating MC and I liked how the author played with how, because of what she was, Loup didn’t feel emotions as strongly as humans but we still see her love and show love in her own way. I freaking adored how she knew how strong she was but she uses her strength for good. She was so badass and yet so soft.
The one thing I LOVED compared to everything else in the book was the slow burn, childhood friends- to- lovers f/f romance of my dreams! It was wonderful. There were some bumps in the road and one specific thing made me furious- though I did understand why- it was just such a good romance. It was so well thought out and the mutual pinning!!! I loved it. Honestly read this book for the epic romance alone. You will not be disappointed.
Overall: As much as I’m screaming my love, Santa Olivia wasn’t perfect. There were scenes that infuriated me and I do think the ending was just a little tidy. However, there’s a sequel, which I was happy to discover so maybe I’ll get some answers to questions I still have. I’m excited to see Loup and Pilar again. I still recommend this though- it truly was delightful.
Rep: Queer main character, sapphic characters, side polyamorous relationship, f/f romance, Poc.
Santa Olivia was basically what happens when Stranger Things meets Rocky, only a whole lot gayer and it was glorious!
This was a unique take on a book that shouldn’t have worked so well together but did. There was so much I loved about this and not just including our protagonist, Loup, and how badass she was.
The plot was slow going and.. different. It takes a direction you wouldn’t expect but, like I said, it worked. The book is majorly character driven, which I did expect considering the way Loup is telling the story as she’s getting older. It goes on for approximately 18 years or so.
Santa Olivia contained many of my favorites tropes, including - strong sibling bonds( we don’t see a lot of these anymore), found family, slow burn romance and even a little revenge.
Loup truly was a fascinating MC and I liked how the author played with how, because of what she was, Loup didn’t feel emotions as strongly as humans but we still see her love and show love in her own way. I freaking adored how she knew how strong she was but she uses her strength for good. She was so badass and yet so soft.
The one thing I LOVED compared to everything else in the book was the slow burn, childhood friends- to- lovers f/f romance of my dreams! It was wonderful. There were some bumps in the road and one specific thing made me furious- though I did understand why- it was just such a good romance. It was so well thought out and the mutual pinning!!! I loved it. Honestly read this book for the epic romance alone. You will not be disappointed.
Overall: As much as I’m screaming my love, Santa Olivia wasn’t perfect. There were scenes that infuriated me and I do think the ending was just a little tidy. However, there’s a sequel, which I was happy to discover so maybe I’ll get some answers to questions I still have. I’m excited to see Loup and Pilar again. I still recommend this though- it truly was delightful.
March 25, 2019
This is not the American superhero story you’re used to.
Santa Olivia is the soul of Zorro in the body of Logan.
There’s a reason this story is titled after the town, rather than any of the other characters. This story is about the power of hope and humanity fighting to arise against immeasurable adversity. While the stories prime focus, especially by the end, is Loup the story of her parents the place where she grew up are just as important because they are part of who she is.
I’m not surprised that so many fellow Americans were confused or thrown off by the structure of the story. It’s antithetical to American storytelling, most especially to superhero/urban fantasy stories. If this had been an American style story it would have begun with Loup’s birth and only mentioned her parents to explain her race and origins of her power.
But Santa Olivia isn’t just a setting of this story. It represents the place(s) where all superhero/hero stories are born, from the hopes and dreams of the oppressed. I didn’t cite Zorro just because of the Latinx cultural connection. Santa Olivia revises the spirit of the original folks tales that inspired McCulley’s stories (that later we’re adapted into movies), of folk heroes who stood up for the downtrodden peasants and indigenous people of California.
In Santa Olivia that same cycle of oppression and disillusionment is occurring with former American citizens effectively under military occupation. Without rights, resources or any contact with the outside world. Santa Olivia is a modern setting that also feels lost in time. Where people have lost all hope can find it again in the figure of a young girl, the saint for which the town is named.
Genetically modified humans and government conspiracies are just modern dressing for a very old folklore about heroes emerging from the most unlikely of places.
In this story the hero is an QUEER AFRO LATINA!!!!
This is a fantastic story with amazing characterization and a fully fleshed out (if very small and intimate) world.
I highly recommend it to fans of Logan, Zorro, and Girlfight.
Santa Olivia is the soul of Zorro in the body of Logan.
There’s a reason this story is titled after the town, rather than any of the other characters. This story is about the power of hope and humanity fighting to arise against immeasurable adversity. While the stories prime focus, especially by the end, is Loup the story of her parents the place where she grew up are just as important because they are part of who she is.
I’m not surprised that so many fellow Americans were confused or thrown off by the structure of the story. It’s antithetical to American storytelling, most especially to superhero/urban fantasy stories. If this had been an American style story it would have begun with Loup’s birth and only mentioned her parents to explain her race and origins of her power.
But Santa Olivia isn’t just a setting of this story. It represents the place(s) where all superhero/hero stories are born, from the hopes and dreams of the oppressed. I didn’t cite Zorro just because of the Latinx cultural connection. Santa Olivia revises the spirit of the original folks tales that inspired McCulley’s stories (that later we’re adapted into movies), of folk heroes who stood up for the downtrodden peasants and indigenous people of California.
In Santa Olivia that same cycle of oppression and disillusionment is occurring with former American citizens effectively under military occupation. Without rights, resources or any contact with the outside world. Santa Olivia is a modern setting that also feels lost in time. Where people have lost all hope can find it again in the figure of a young girl, the saint for which the town is named.
Genetically modified humans and government conspiracies are just modern dressing for a very old folklore about heroes emerging from the most unlikely of places.
In this story the hero is an QUEER AFRO LATINA!!!!
This is a fantastic story with amazing characterization and a fully fleshed out (if very small and intimate) world.
I highly recommend it to fans of Logan, Zorro, and Girlfight.
June 7, 2009
Despite the description that surrounds this novel, it isn't a superhero/werewolf novel, so don't think you're going to read about werewolves.
It's better than that. Much better.
While the novel isn't about werewolves, it is about superheros, or at least what makes a heroine. Carey is playing with the superhero genre for much of the book. There are references to X-Men, Wolverine in particular, and Superman. Many of the plot points are similar to those used in comics - the outsider with superpowers, the motley crew of support staff, the super powered bad guy, the evil government conspiracy, the villain who isn't really a villain. Carey, however, plays around with these plot points. The animalistic superhero outsider is a girl, not a Wolverine berserker (one wonders if part of the story was inspired by the question what if Wolverine was female). The super hero takes a name of a saint and wears a dress. Additionally, Carey tells the story, at least in the beginning, as if it were a legend.
The book succeeds because the characters are well drawn and even minor characters have a life of their own. The heroine, Loup, is likeable. While there is sex, it is not a Kushiel book, so it's rather tame by those standards. One would think that the book is an attempt by Carey to break into the Urban Fantasy genre, similar to how Armstrong as done teen Otherworld books. Be warned, despite the age of the protagonists, this book isn't a teen or YA novel. There is language and there is sex.
The one false note is the ending. It is unclear if this novel is intended as a stand alone. It almost seems like it is, but the ending suggests otherwise. It is not a bad ending, but too open ended for a novel that is a stand alone.
It's better than that. Much better.
While the novel isn't about werewolves, it is about superheros, or at least what makes a heroine. Carey is playing with the superhero genre for much of the book. There are references to X-Men, Wolverine in particular, and Superman. Many of the plot points are similar to those used in comics - the outsider with superpowers, the motley crew of support staff, the super powered bad guy, the evil government conspiracy, the villain who isn't really a villain. Carey, however, plays around with these plot points. The animalistic superhero outsider is a girl, not a Wolverine berserker (one wonders if part of the story was inspired by the question what if Wolverine was female). The super hero takes a name of a saint and wears a dress. Additionally, Carey tells the story, at least in the beginning, as if it were a legend.
The book succeeds because the characters are well drawn and even minor characters have a life of their own. The heroine, Loup, is likeable. While there is sex, it is not a Kushiel book, so it's rather tame by those standards. One would think that the book is an attempt by Carey to break into the Urban Fantasy genre, similar to how Armstrong as done teen Otherworld books. Be warned, despite the age of the protagonists, this book isn't a teen or YA novel. There is language and there is sex.
The one false note is the ending. It is unclear if this novel is intended as a stand alone. It almost seems like it is, but the ending suggests otherwise. It is not a bad ending, but too open ended for a novel that is a stand alone.
June 11, 2015
The different sections of this book didn't seem to go together to me, genre-wise.
There's the first, shortest, section, really an introduction, which is a gritty, dystopian, very plausible near-future in which the border region between the US and Mexico has been militarized and the citizenship of the denizens revoked. In fact, in legal terms they no longer exist and their presence is forgotten by the general public, although the soldiers use the towns as bases and take advantage of the poverty of the locals to score sex and home-cooking. In this setting we have the brief, sad romance of a local woman and a genetically-enhanced super-soldier which produces our main character Loup.
The middle section about Loup's youth and her teen friends seemed like YA, an implausible superhero fantasy of successfully getting the revenge (superficial, of course) on the jerks who mistreat the poor orphans, of whom the town has many. And also the virginal fantasy of how amazing sex is going to be when you find the right person who will love you so much.
The next section is heavy on sports training, like a montage from a movie where the underdog works so hard to get ready for the big match against the evil champion. Karate Kid, but with bigger stakes.
There are some other elements I haven't gone into, organized crime and organized religion and lesbianism among them. Although I didn't love the book there were lots of things I liked about it and I mostly enjoyed reading it. The writing is pretty dissimilar from Kushiel's Dart, fwi, down to earth in a way that suits the setting and the educational level of the characters.
There's the first, shortest, section, really an introduction, which is a gritty, dystopian, very plausible near-future in which the border region between the US and Mexico has been militarized and the citizenship of the denizens revoked. In fact, in legal terms they no longer exist and their presence is forgotten by the general public, although the soldiers use the towns as bases and take advantage of the poverty of the locals to score sex and home-cooking. In this setting we have the brief, sad romance of a local woman and a genetically-enhanced super-soldier which produces our main character Loup.
The middle section about Loup's youth and her teen friends seemed like YA, an implausible superhero fantasy of successfully getting the revenge (superficial, of course) on the jerks who mistreat the poor orphans, of whom the town has many. And also the virginal fantasy of how amazing sex is going to be when you find the right person who will love you so much.
The next section is heavy on sports training, like a montage from a movie where the underdog works so hard to get ready for the big match against the evil champion. Karate Kid, but with bigger stakes.
There are some other elements I haven't gone into, organized crime and organized religion and lesbianism among them. Although I didn't love the book there were lots of things I liked about it and I mostly enjoyed reading it. The writing is pretty dissimilar from Kushiel's Dart, fwi, down to earth in a way that suits the setting and the educational level of the characters.
June 13, 2016
This was slow to start for me, but I ended up being really invested in the plot and a few of the characters, although others frustratingly remained enigmas when I don't think Carey intended them to be. Honestly, the writing in here isn't anything to write home about, which doesn't bother me for a plot-driven book like this, but I have to admit it REALLY irked me how Carey used "could/should/have of" when she meant "could/should/would've"throughout the entire book. HOW DID AN EDITOR NOT CATCH THAT? Santa Olivia probably loses half a star just for that.
June 2, 2009
One thing that amazes me with this novel is Carey's scope as a writer. With the Kushiel sextuplet she was graceful and highly engaging with her intelligent main characters, spinning sentences like colorful and erotic thread; with this book, her main character is more physical and so her writing takes on a greater physicality and brevity. Parsed phrases create intense moments, highlighting the fearless nature of her heroine, the simplicity that she brings to bear in her worldview.
Unlike the shadowy origins that much of urban fantasy uses as a suspenseful trope, Carey makes us witness to the events leading to the birth of the girl who will enliven the myth of Santa Olivia. Occurring in a slightly off future Texas where the threat of rampant disease in Mexico has caused the U.S. to seal the border claiming rebel Mexican forces are threatening to overrun the States, focusing in on the town once known as Santa Olivia but now converted into Outpost - disappearing from public awareness as the entire town becomes locked down - Carey introduces us to a genetic experiment of human scale: men who were bred to be stronger and faster and more resilient.
It is one such man, fleeing his U.S. captors, who succumbs to a tryst with a local girl, causing the improbable pregnancy that leads to the birth of Loup (pronounced Lou, French for wolf, told with a somber yet tongue-in-cheek werewolf reference and not the overripe gravitas crappy romance novels would give to the name).
Born gifted with the same genetic alterations engineered into her father, life is rather challenging for Lou. But then, life pretty much sucks for all the residents of Santa Olivia cum Outpost. Not allowed to leave by the U.S. Army, able only to serve as the working class servants of the soldiers, stuck between warring factions of Outpost gangs trying to scratch the crumbs the Army leaves, the scene becomes ripe for an avenging angel – Zorro style. Carey could have thrust her novel into the trenches of high action/adventure with swashbuckling and ass kicking, creating a comic book heroine in Loup. She does not. There is plenty of action, but Carey does not allow her action sequences to spin out of proportion to the story, despite Loup’s heightened abilities. In my opinion, this makes the story more realistic and rich, for the true heroic aspects arise in the only sport allowed the town of Outpost: boxing.
Loup’s older brother Thomas grows to be the heroic ideal of the town, training wholeheartedly and single-mindedly. Loup will get her turn in the spotlight, but the trajectory that Carey takes her on – growing and learning amongst orphans under the protection of the unorthodox Church, shadowing her older brother in the local boxing gym, performing “miracles” more akin to pranks as the original namesake child saint of the town, butting heads with the local bad boy tough who could easily be a stereotypical gang leader but in Carey’s hands becomes much more – plays alongside her brother’s development, benefiting from the comparison and example she finds, fleshing out the hopes and dreams of a small town forgotten and trapped.
Santa Olivia, as a novel of urban fantasy, pushes through many of the boundaries reinforced by previous novels of the genre. Carey continues to expand her craft and seduce her readers into her worlds just slightly askew of our own, spinning characters of coarse fabric and fine patterns, threading sexuality into her tales with skillful aplomb, and interweaving literary merit with the excitement of the genre and a subtle social commentary. Punches are not pulled, pelvic thrusts fully expressed. Santa Olivia packs the wallop of her main character.
Unlike the shadowy origins that much of urban fantasy uses as a suspenseful trope, Carey makes us witness to the events leading to the birth of the girl who will enliven the myth of Santa Olivia. Occurring in a slightly off future Texas where the threat of rampant disease in Mexico has caused the U.S. to seal the border claiming rebel Mexican forces are threatening to overrun the States, focusing in on the town once known as Santa Olivia but now converted into Outpost - disappearing from public awareness as the entire town becomes locked down - Carey introduces us to a genetic experiment of human scale: men who were bred to be stronger and faster and more resilient.
It is one such man, fleeing his U.S. captors, who succumbs to a tryst with a local girl, causing the improbable pregnancy that leads to the birth of Loup (pronounced Lou, French for wolf, told with a somber yet tongue-in-cheek werewolf reference and not the overripe gravitas crappy romance novels would give to the name).
Born gifted with the same genetic alterations engineered into her father, life is rather challenging for Lou. But then, life pretty much sucks for all the residents of Santa Olivia cum Outpost. Not allowed to leave by the U.S. Army, able only to serve as the working class servants of the soldiers, stuck between warring factions of Outpost gangs trying to scratch the crumbs the Army leaves, the scene becomes ripe for an avenging angel – Zorro style. Carey could have thrust her novel into the trenches of high action/adventure with swashbuckling and ass kicking, creating a comic book heroine in Loup. She does not. There is plenty of action, but Carey does not allow her action sequences to spin out of proportion to the story, despite Loup’s heightened abilities. In my opinion, this makes the story more realistic and rich, for the true heroic aspects arise in the only sport allowed the town of Outpost: boxing.
Loup’s older brother Thomas grows to be the heroic ideal of the town, training wholeheartedly and single-mindedly. Loup will get her turn in the spotlight, but the trajectory that Carey takes her on – growing and learning amongst orphans under the protection of the unorthodox Church, shadowing her older brother in the local boxing gym, performing “miracles” more akin to pranks as the original namesake child saint of the town, butting heads with the local bad boy tough who could easily be a stereotypical gang leader but in Carey’s hands becomes much more – plays alongside her brother’s development, benefiting from the comparison and example she finds, fleshing out the hopes and dreams of a small town forgotten and trapped.
Santa Olivia, as a novel of urban fantasy, pushes through many of the boundaries reinforced by previous novels of the genre. Carey continues to expand her craft and seduce her readers into her worlds just slightly askew of our own, spinning characters of coarse fabric and fine patterns, threading sexuality into her tales with skillful aplomb, and interweaving literary merit with the excitement of the genre and a subtle social commentary. Punches are not pulled, pelvic thrusts fully expressed. Santa Olivia packs the wallop of her main character.
June 13, 2015
rating: 4.5/5
A superhero novel that takes the typical superhero origin story and mixes it up into a surprisingly deep novel. While contemptuously regarding power structures with an analysis of the power of sexuality (and the role of women within power structures), it creates an understated, but relatable, superhero.
The diversity and depth of characters made this a page turner. Additionally, although Loup may be the offspring of a genetically modified rogue soldier, she isn't "the hero" but a child growing up in a world trying her best to live and possibly even live up to ideals, just like so many other non-super characters in this story. I love how others around her, the regular humans, display heroic behaviors (including children). Some push her to be better while she also has that effect on others just by being herself. The relationships are complex, and the characters grow and develop to become more.
I also love that Loup is lesbian (possibly bisexual, the novel is also anti-label). She may fall for a girl but this isn't a romance, just a novel with a romanctic subplot. It actually delves deeply into a variety of relationships such as parents/children, siblings, friends, unrequited love, frenemies, enemies, tentative friendship with that guy who is a complete asshole but may have some redeemable qualities, etc. No relationship is like another, nothing stereotypical. It is nice to also have a girl-loving female superhero (with a pretty awesome girlfriend too).
Loup's "super powers" are interesting as well, non-stereotypical. She may be a bit stronger and faster than others, and maybe not experiencing fear can be classified as a super power (or even the inability to cry, especially in a female protagonist). But there is no single moment where she goes from regular girl into super ass-kicking vigilante. Her development is that of a lifetime, one that starts before her birth, and by the end she's still not done cooking (where is typical superhero novels this kind of development last a whole of 5 minutes).
Despite at times uneven writing and an anti-climactic big boxing match at the end (which was glazed over instead of giving us lots of violent and bloody details, including boxing details), it was an amazing novel. Ok, and despite the ending which seemed too cliché for a novel thriving on breaking down clichés and stereotypes; it was almost as if Carey just ran out of steam from all that innovating and settled in the last few pages.
Still, I loved the concept and (mostly) its execution, the ideas and themes are still churning in my mind. This is definitely worthy of a re-read just for the commentary on power structures and dynamics, if not for an amazing superhero tale.
A superhero novel that takes the typical superhero origin story and mixes it up into a surprisingly deep novel. While contemptuously regarding power structures with an analysis of the power of sexuality (and the role of women within power structures), it creates an understated, but relatable, superhero.
The diversity and depth of characters made this a page turner. Additionally, although Loup may be the offspring of a genetically modified rogue soldier, she isn't "the hero" but a child growing up in a world trying her best to live and possibly even live up to ideals, just like so many other non-super characters in this story. I love how others around her, the regular humans, display heroic behaviors (including children). Some push her to be better while she also has that effect on others just by being herself. The relationships are complex, and the characters grow and develop to become more.
I also love that Loup is lesbian (possibly bisexual, the novel is also anti-label). She may fall for a girl but this isn't a romance, just a novel with a romanctic subplot. It actually delves deeply into a variety of relationships such as parents/children, siblings, friends, unrequited love, frenemies, enemies, tentative friendship with that guy who is a complete asshole but may have some redeemable qualities, etc. No relationship is like another, nothing stereotypical. It is nice to also have a girl-loving female superhero (with a pretty awesome girlfriend too).
Loup's "super powers" are interesting as well, non-stereotypical. She may be a bit stronger and faster than others, and maybe not experiencing fear can be classified as a super power (or even the inability to cry, especially in a female protagonist). But there is no single moment where she goes from regular girl into super ass-kicking vigilante. Her development is that of a lifetime, one that starts before her birth, and by the end she's still not done cooking (where is typical superhero novels this kind of development last a whole of 5 minutes).
Despite at times uneven writing and an anti-climactic big boxing match at the end (which was glazed over instead of giving us lots of violent and bloody details, including boxing details), it was an amazing novel. Ok, and despite the ending which seemed too cliché for a novel thriving on breaking down clichés and stereotypes; it was almost as if Carey just ran out of steam from all that innovating and settled in the last few pages.
Still, I loved the concept and (mostly) its execution, the ideas and themes are still churning in my mind. This is definitely worthy of a re-read just for the commentary on power structures and dynamics, if not for an amazing superhero tale.
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