Carrie Vaughn
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
July 11th, 2017
Enid of Haven is an investigator. She’s called to investigate a murder at a town further down the coast road, and she’s to lead the investigation assisted by a member of her household. The trip to the village brings up a lot of old memories of how she got to where she is, and how far she’s come.
Bannerless is a post apocalyptic mystery that takes place several generations after a series of events have caused the breakdown of modern society as we know it. Most advanced technologies, knowledge and techniques have been lost. Enid has to conduct an investigation much in the manner of investigators of the past, relying on instinct, logic, reasoning and interviews.
There’s also marked changes in people’s attitudes toward productivity and reproduction. People are expected to think ahead and consider impacts years down the road–such as farming to preserve the productivity of fields for years, and not over farming to preserve the same. There’s a strong theme of contribution, and reproduction is a privilege that is awarded to people who contribute to their homes and communities in measurable ways.
Enid is an interesting character and the concept is one that’s easy to get drawn into. The characters are all engaging, and the story is inventive. I look forward to seeing where this new series goes.
JL Jamieson is a strange book nerd who writes technical documents by day, and book news, reviews, and other assorted opinions for you by night. She is working on her own fiction, and spends time making jewelry to sell at local conventions, as well as stalking the social media accounts of all your favorite writers.