Camestros Felapton

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Hugo Novels 2019: Trail of Lightning, by Rebecca Roanhorse (Saga)

In the near future an apocalyptic flood disrupts our world. The waters exceed what scientists expected from climate change but it is the closest scientific explanation that people can hang on to. Deep in the Navajo homelands of Dinétah there is another explanation: the floods marked the start of the sixth version of our world and with this new world the gods have returned and with them other supernatural creatures.

Maggie Hoskie makes a living as a hunter of supernatural creatures preying on people. Equipped with supernatural speed and a traumatic backstory, she hunts down creatures in exchange for goods. In the process, she encounters god-like beings of legend. When a girl goes missing, she is drawn into a conflict that will reveal dark secrets about her world and her own life.

This semi-post-apocalytpic YA-style novel delivers a complex world not so very different from our own but also one in collision with tradition and belief. Corrupt lawmen and small towns and lurking evils abide in a setting that feels both familiar and original.

It’s a good, well paced read but didn’t really bowl me over. The underlying mystery of events fizzled a bit two thirds of the way through and a key character in Maggie’s life just seemed like a bit of a shit from the start which undermined a later revelation that they were a bit of a shit. Having said that, I’ll probably be reading the sequel — I felt early on that this was going to interesting places but didn’t quite get there in book 1 for me.

Hugo voting wise, this book isn’t going to top my list in a tough field but its a worthy read.

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13 responses to “Hugo Novels 2019: Trail of Lightning, by Rebecca Roanhorse (Saga)”

  1. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again — I think this one is better as an example of the future potential of Roanhorse as an author than as a masterpiece in and of itself. It was a good read, but far from perfect.

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  2. I read the Kindle excerpt and it just seemed like bog-standard post-apocalyptic paranormal urban fantasy to me, none of which has much interest for me. And I’ve read so many reviews now which basically say the same things that you’ve said, so I really don’t feel a need to read the book or any sequels it might have.

    I don’t think that the nominators who put it on the ballot have done the author any favors; the expectations for a Hugo finalist are going to be more than this book is able to live up to, which will likely put off potential readers of later, better work.

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  3. I liked Trail of Lightning, but then I like urban fantasy and this one feels very much like urban fantasy with a post-apocalyptic twist. But it’s not a typical Hugo book and I do think that the fact that Rebecca Roanhorse is well regarded after her Hugo-Nebula-Campbell triple last year does play a significant part in the nomination.

    Currently, it stands firmly in the middle of my ballot, but then I really, really don’t like two of this year’s finalists and like two others a whole lot. One is still a wild card, cause I haven’t read it yet and based on previous experiences with the author, my reaction could go either way.

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  4. I’m reminded rather of 2013, and feel this is a somewhat thin year, as that was. We have the rather generic fantasy plot made interesting by its distinctive setting (Ahmed/Roanhorse), the satirical work based on an aspect of pop culture (Scalzi/Valente), the latest work in a popular series (Bujold/Lee or Chambers), the, er, well, the new work in a distinctive direction by the author of a popular series (Grant/Novik), and, um, well I can’t really think of a correspondence between Robinson and Kowal except that they each have three names. But the field as a whole still feels similar to me.

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  5. I enjoyed the action of ToL and the characters. I wouldn’t have nominated it as one of my five best, but it’s middle of the pack among the short list for me.

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    • Honestly, I agree this year doesn’t have a ~lot~ that thrills me to pieces. STET, basically. Hey, everyone has different taste. I’m sure for someone this year’s ballot is their nominations list.

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      • I have to admit I’m not really thrilled with the 2019 finalists either. There are a lot of works which are fine, but not “knock your socks off” good and at least for me, a couple I really, really don’t like, usually sequels and new works by authors whose work I bounced off before.

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  6. a key character in Maggie’s life just seemed like a bit of a shit from the start which undermined a later revelation that they were a bit of a shit

    I can think of two people this could apply to … and it’s just as accurate for both of them. That was the book’s one weakness.

    On the plus side, it’s a rare case where a supposed love interest with a big secret is… actually kind of a cool character?

    I thought it was a solid book (Though sadly it is now a liquid one…one of my boys dumped it in strawberry syrup then soaked it within hours of my finishing it, which I suppose is nicer than the other one was to Everfair), definitely plan to inhale the sequel, and think that being nominated is almost going to work against it in critical response, even though it’s a perfectly enjoyable book.

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    • @Lenora —

      “definitely plan to inhale the sequel”

      Yeah, I’m definitely going to read book 2, and I bet it’s better than book 1.

      Every time I see imperfections in book 1 of any UF series, I remind myself of the first two books of the Dresden series. I thought Trail of Lightning was better than either of those two, and Roanhorse’s setting seems to have lots of room for development in future installments.

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