Deborah Klein > Recent Status Updates

I’m increasingly annoyed by this book. None of the human characters have personalities. They have skillsets: pilot-musician, captain, ambassador, etc. The Commonwealth is a mechanized utopia, where everyone is strong, healthy, well-fed, and peaceful. The Evil Republic is Bible-banging bigots who promote injustice and conqueror mentality.

Too much stereotyping and politicizing.

I got bored ⅓ of the way through, and dumped the book. No character development. No one that I cared about in any way. I don’t recommend this book.

Parts hold my attention, but other parts bore me. So my progress is choppy.

I don't know if I can continue. Helga doesn't really do much except travel with other animals and try to convince the larger world that Wood Cows are just as "human" as everyone else. Problems so far resolve without her doing much. I've gotten bored.

Good so far. I've finished the first two books in the collection: At the Back of the North Wind and Ben Hur. I will probably take a break before reading the remaining two books.

In rereading At the Back of the North Wind, I noticed important details that I missed when I was younger. Now I'm rereading Ben Hur. Again it has that strange sense of being both familiar and new. I had forgotten how young Judah is at his arrest. Right now, he is still in Rome and does not know the fate of his mother & sister. I recommend this collection for both the quality and diversity of the selections.