Review: Survival in the Grove

Excellent descriptions

Some people just have the ability to describe the emotion of a place, and Gerrold Cheam is one of those people. In this novella his descriptions just drip out with this impressively evocative, dark feeling. For such a dreary world, it is nevertheless enjoyable to read it thanks to the craft of the writer.

As for the protagonist, Kael is a good underdog. Quick yet sturdy, he manages to survive through a mix of mentorship, luck, and an unwillingness to die.

Speaking of Kael, we feel his emotions. We understand why the weight of his life drags him down. It's hard not to get depressed reading this story, and I mean that in a very positive way. Whatever world he was born into is not a pleasant one. The point is that the author gets across Kael moments of triumph and defeat without making us feel too sorry for the character. It's well done and makes me want to read more by the author.

I do have three criticisms, all which can be corrected easily so this book could have five stars:

1. In a few places the author switches from past tense to current tense. Instead of describing what happened, his writing changes what is currently happening. This is understandably jarring, and a little more editing should fix it.
2. The "pulse knives" are described in action more like swords rather than knives. Maybe the author was inspired by the "messer" swords of 15th and 16th century Germany? I know I'm being sword-nerdy, but parries are much more a sword thing than a knife thing.
3. The cover lacks the author's name.