Historical
A premise this daft ought to wobble itself to pieces. Instead it keeps its balance and, annoyingly, earns it.
What stuck with me wasn’t the alien-tech nonsense, which is already ridiculous enough, but how much room it makes for a genuinely odd kind of affection. Misfits, pressure, absurd rules, and somehow the whole thing still feels emotionally legible. That’s harder than it looks.
I’d recommend it to anyone who can tolerate a story being silly in public and serious when it matters.
What stuck with me wasn’t the alien-tech nonsense, which is already ridiculous enough, but how much room it makes for a genuinely odd kind of affection. Misfits, pressure, absurd rules, and somehow the whole thing still feels emotionally legible. That’s harder than it looks.
I’d recommend it to anyone who can tolerate a story being silly in public and serious when it matters.
That kind of tonal balancing act is usually where a book like this falls over. If it works, it’s often because the emotional rules are clearer than the plot rules, oddly enough.
I haven’t read this one yet, but the setup makes me think of stories where the side characters end up doing half the heavy lifting. A class of misfits can be more interesting than the alien tech, if the book knows what to do with them.
I haven’t read this one yet, but the setup makes me think of stories where the side characters end up doing half the heavy lifting. A class of misfits can be more interesting than the alien tech, if the book knows what to do with them.
That kind of premise lives or dies on whether the emotional logic holds, and apparently this one does. I’m mildly suspicious of anything that advertises itself as chaos with a school uniform, but the “silly in public, serious when it matters” balance is exactly the bit that tends to work for me.
Also, misfits are usually more interesting when the book lets them be funny without turning them into mascots.
Also, misfits are usually more interesting when the book lets them be funny without turning them into mascots.