I’m just going to come right out with it – I love Kameron Hurley’s writing! She’s bloody brilliant. After I finished reading “The Stars Are Legion”, I went through her backlist looking for something that might be similar. I found her Bel Dame Apocrypha series and bought the first book “God’s War”.
“Move over Mad Max—here comes Nyx.
Ex-government assassin turned bounty-hunter, Nyx, is good at solving other people’s problems. Her favorite problem-solving solution is punching people in the face. Then maybe chopping off some heads. Hey—it’s a living.
Her disreputable reputation has been well earned. To Nyx’s mind, it’s also justified. After all, she’s trying to navigate an apocalyptic world full of giant bugs, contaminated deserts, scheming magicians, and a centuries-long war that’s consuming her future. Managing her ragtag squad of misfits has required a lot of morally-gray choices.
Every new job is another day alive. Every new mission is another step toward changing a hellish future—but only if she can survive.”
“She was alive, alive, alive today; she was never so alive as the morning after cheating death.”
Nyx was a Bel Dame, a government Assassin. In the first book “God’s War” you learn how she lost her title, ended up prison and after her release, put a team together. Then the book jumps seven years ahead. At the time I wondered what had happened during those seven years, well, this collection of stories fills in some of the gaps. As a result I’d recommend that you read “God’s War” first.
Hurley provides such a refreshing view of women, under her pen they’re freed from issues like body image, beauty and other societal shackles. Nyx isn’t interested in looking glamorous, sometimes she hasn’t even showered, quite often she’s drunk. It’s amazing to read characters like this. But Nyx’s world is not an egalitarian paradise. There’s racism, sexism, homophobia and religious intolerance. But her relationships with her crew are interesting and complicated and the world has bug magic, and organic technology.
I can’t recommend this series highly enough. Really, just buy the entire series, like I did. Hell, just buy everything Kameron Hurley has ever written, I really can’t see how you’d ever be disappointed.
Disclaimer – I received a digital galley of Apocalypse Nyx by Kameron Hurley from Netgalley in return for an honest review.