Very different than anything I have ever read. I enjoyed reading it. ( )

Okay, so here's the thing: I liked this book overall. It built a very realistic world, there were a wealth of characters and cultures, Barton displayed the ability to build conflicting and negative traits into main characters that so impressed me in Brookland, and the writing style and structure was nothing short of stunning.

But...it took me 19 days to read this 415-page book.

Why, though, that's the question. I noticed that the slowest parts for me were the beginning--about the first 50 pages--and the last 100 pages, take a little. While I did end up appreciating the world building, it took a little bit of time for me to get into it. I went to a school with a large Jewish student body, I'm very well versed in the Christian Bible (if I do say so myself), and I love stories with complex world building, but I still struggled to get into the right frame of reference. I figured out pretty quickly that this was probably due to the idiosyncratic spellings/namings of different places. I get the desire to do it, to make it clear that this is an imagined world, and appreciate the effort to distinguish fact from fiction. It's something most authors don't take responsibility for. Honestly, I think my complaint about the country confusion would have been solved if I hadn't been reading an ARC with "TK" where the map should have been

To be honest, the book felt a bit patchy, and not just with the pacing. There were some gaps in logic as well, though some preliminary research on the Khazars has answered a couple questions: How could Esther have avoided being to exposed to different forms of Judaism and different cultures in such a diverse city in a diverse country? Why did the mechanical horse Seleme show so much personality when it was repeatedly stated that she was no more than a machine, unlike the golems? Why was Esther the only one so concerned about the Germanii's army and intentions until the last minute? Why did no one have a sensible plan of attack laid out instead of a vague idea? Why were the Germanii trying to get to the Russ oil fields via Khazara? (Admittedly I just looked up some maps of Russian oil fields on Google Images, and this can be countered either by saying that the Germanii hadn’t defeated the Russ or by saying “it’s an AU, get over it!”) Why hadn’t the industrial age brought weapons, vehicles, and some factories to Khazara, as it did to other parts of the world at that point in history? How on earth was a mechanical horse easier to make than a car? Why did the Khazars only have wooden aeroplanes if they had mechanical freakin’ horses?

All that said, the things I loved about Brookland were still here: beautiful prose, strong women characters even in a sea of men, beautiful world building (even if the scale was daunting for a reader—can’t imagine what it would have been like to write!), complex characters who aren’t all good or all bad, who don’t always do what they say but also aren’t always aware of that fact. It’s some of the most human fiction I’ve read. Yeah, maybe I need to suspend my disbelief a bit higher than usual, but it’s a good exercise, and easily done when the reward is the lovely tapestry of history, fiction, multiculturalism, ethics/morality, diversity, and more.

I struggled with this book, I’ll admit. As I said, I think I would have had an easier time if the map had been included to help me at least keep the countries sorted out. But I would still recommend it to anyone up for a bit of a challenge. Fans of complicated mythologies like [b:The Lord of the Rings|33|The Lord of the Rings (The Lord of the Rings, #1-3)|J.R.R. Tolkien|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1411114164s/33.jpg|3462456] will find this a welcome brain stretch that we so rarely get in our vaguely-medieval obsessed western world. People who’ve grown up with Judaism and can read the original Hebrew probably won’t struggle as much with the names as I sometimes did. Anyone taking and liking that infamous Kabbalah course at Muhlenberg might find this a fun application of their lessons.

Still looking forward to what Emily Barton will write next…and in the meantime, apparently there’s [b:The Testament of Yves Gundron|525465|The Testament of Yves Gundron|Emily Barton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347564224s/525465.jpg|368631] to hunt down! ( )

I'm just going to start right out and say this book was incredibly confusing and difficult to get into. The author throws a bunch of names at you right away, and it's difficult to parse and find context. Then there's whole issue of the horse--is it mechanical? is it sentient? I don't know. It needs fuel, but it apparently has feelings and emotions?

Then there's the whole issue of the world itself, which again lacks context. And a young girl just marching off on her own to war and no one questions her much along the way? It all just seems so unrealistic. I made it to the end, but it was a bit of a chore to do so.

[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.] ( )

The Book of Esther by Emily Barton is an alternate reality version of World War II set in a Jewish area of the present-day Caucasus region. Barton has written three novels so far. Her first, The Testament of Yves Gundron, called “blessedly post-ironic, engaging, and heartfelt” by Thomas Pynchon, won the Bard Fiction Prize and was named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.

With a degree in history, I am not much of a fan of historical fiction. I find too many holes in the historical aspects of the story that usually ruins the book for me. I picked this book because the plot revolved around something that is not part of actual history. To my surprise, this book had very little to do with actual history. It resembles more of a fantasy story than historical or alternative fiction. The map of Europe has been redrawn with new borders and slightly different named countries. There is also a mix of magic, through kabbalism, and an unusual mix of military technologies. What remains from our historical timeline is the holocaust and refugees from the Nazis.

The book started a bit slow for my taste and this is mainly because of my preconceived perceptions. Looking at the cover the heroine, Esther, is riding a mechanical horse. This is something that bothered me throughout the book. The four-legged horse is controlled much like a motorcycle with the exception that they have a sort of consciousness. This is accomplished by mechanical means and not magic or some advanced technology. It really seems out of place in a practical sense; a motorcycle would have made a better choice. It does, however, seem to add to the fantasy sense of the story and perhaps a reminder of what happened to the Polish horse cavalry when it fought the German Panzers.

There are several things that I really liked in the story. First, it plays on two different female heroes. Esther, the main character’s namesake, saved the Jews from Haman in ancient Persia and it is now her role in this book to save her people. Her leadership also rivals Joan of Arc in creating and leading an army. There is also an interesting discussion of what it is to be human and the role of having a soul. This was discussed in the open but its full value lived just below the surface. One thread that remained under the surface of the story was sex and sexuality. The later plays a bigger role than what may have been initially presented. It creates an interesting twist in a society that runs strictly by the laws of the Torah. The role of religion and Jewish tradition does play a major role throughout the book.

I did enjoy the story and writing once I got set into the story. The plot is solid and flows well. The fantasy essence of the story is within most people’s willing suspension of disbelief; it fits well within the created world. The mix of real Judaism and history with the Barton’s created world is also a good mix. What makes the story most enjoyable is the interconnecting weave of genres: historical fiction, Judaism, dieselpunk, military fiction, and fantasy. The Book of Esther was a book that caught my attention from both the description and cover. I nearly lost interest when I found out it was not what I thought it would be, but then the story caught and I could not put it down. It is a well written and thought out story that leaves the reader with the hope that there may be more to come.
This book was provided by bloggingforbooks.com ( )

DNF ( )