I have two novellas I want to talk about today, so instead of making a choice between them like a responsible adult, I have decided to cram both reviews into a single piece. My two victims are The Orb Of Cairado by Katherine Addison and Space Station by K.R. Gadeken. Orb is a spin-off novella from the well-known Addison and takes place in her Goblin Emperor universe, while Space Station is a strange cerebral story by new author Gadeken. Let’s start with Orb.
With The Orb Of Cairado I was hoping for a stand-alone adventure from the fabulous Addison, but I was left generally disappointed by what I discovered. Our story follows the airship explosion that sets up The Goblin Emperor, but this time, it follows the perspective of Ulcetha. Once a student at the University of Cairado, he was working toward becoming a scholar first-class in the Department of History. When a map to the coveted lost treasure of a dead empire disappears, and Ulcetha is blamed, he is kicked out in shame. Now, he works for a crooked importer, using his knowledge of elven history to write provenances for the fake artifacts Salathgarad sells. But, when the death of a friend reveals the map that he took the fall for, Ulcetha is given the opportunity to either try to clear his name or make the historical find of the century.
Orb reads like fan fiction for megafans of the original Goblin Emperor. I don’t really know what the appeal of the story would be if you weren’t very familiar with the original novel because this short makes numerous blink-and-you-miss-it references to the main books. Addison remains (in my mind) one of the best prose writers of the modern age, and this novella meets the high expectations I have come to associate with her work. However, there just isn’t much else to this novella other than the cute Easter eggs and the pretty prose.
Normally, I find Addison’s character work to be on point, but the cast of this novella felt stilted and awkward. Events moved quickly, and I moved through them without weight. Originally, I thought the story would have elements of mystery and adventure, given the premise, but those threads are tied up extremely quickly. The climax feels like it comes around 60% of the way through the novella, but the narrative sticks around to make a few more connections to the original series timeline. The result is a silly romp that felt extremely forgettable despite the gorgeous writing. I supposed I enjoyed myself in a vacuum, and it was a small investment, but I will never think about Ulcetha again once I finish this review, to the point where I doubt I will remember him if he shows up in the main series later. I expected more from Addison, but it isn’t like The Orb Of Cairado was terrible at the end of the day, just forgettable.
More memorable than Orb was Space Station by K.R. Gadeken. Space Station is a fever dream about a character who goes to a space resort made up of self-contained spheres. The spheres each contain their own mini wonderland acid trips that dive into the human psyche and help explore insecurities, anxieties, and the human condition. To try and explain it feels futile. The book carefully captures the weirdness and strangeness of entering into a contract proposed by the disclaimer.
“* Needs are subjective and not always based on reality. Guests may obtain new perspectives, uncover emotional trauma, or develop a better outlook on life.
† Experiences may lead to altered brain chemistry, physical changes in the brain, a distortion of reality, and irrational fears. Please warn your loved ones ahead of time that you might return to them a fundamentally different person.††
†† We also advise guests to warn their loved ones that they may decide not to return. We offer generous packages for our residents that wish to remain on the Space Station indefinitely.
‡ Once on the space station, you must remain there until your journey is complete. Failure to do so may cause temporal incursions, brain damage, or fatality. The Space Station does not claim fault for any galactic or personal injuries incurred during your visit.”
The main thing you’re not allowed to do? Stop the process. Its first-person perspective serves to envelop the reader into the journey. The protagonist remains nameless, and the baggage they carry is undefined. If you buy into it, Space Station takes you on the journey. It is written stylistically to emulate a lucid dream and feels very reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland. If you ever wanted to attend a therapy-themed amusement park, this might be for you.
The functional exploration of the protagonist’s mind is a bit messy. Although the writing is very evocative and pretty, it can be hard to follow, and I found myself rereading sections repeatedly to pull away the core messaging. But, the theming and setting of the story is really fun (I love the feeling of walking from sphere to sphere and was always excited to see what was behind the next door. I am a sucker for any story that feels like it transports the protagonist to a surreal city of dreams where nothing is what it seems.
Gadeken’s writing fits well with the themes she explores. No grand ideas are explored here, and the book is not subtle about what it’s digging into. The opening chapters mirror the Garden of Eden, a sort of state of innocence. Since this is a place to experience emotional and psychological change, it casts you out into the maze and collection of spheres that constitute the space station. You wander its halls, encountering rooms that hold secrets and, on the surface, indecipherable oddities. Gadeken writes with a light hand regarding the protagonist’s thoughts and feelings. They come through sparingly, allowing the sights, sounds, and experiences to speak to the reader and allow them to interact with them on their own terms. The prose enables the weirdness to feel natural, even if it’s still out of place for everyday contemporary life
I don’t have a lot more to say about Space Station as it feels like a deeply personal read that is hard to pin down. The book is light, and some might even say it’s cozy, despite my trepidation around that term. You’ll get out of it what you put into it, which I think is true for most books, but it feels extra pertinent to point out here. Space Station doesn’t overstay its welcome and is crystal clear in its priorities. The result of all of this is a quirky short book that left me feeling refreshed, even if it didn’t change my life. Space Station is fun and did a great job encapsulating what I want when I crack open a novella. Its experimental vibes and the fascinating setting were a nice break from our current reality. Change can be hard, and while the world will change without you, you still have the choice to make changes within yourself. Structures exist and will push you around, but you still have some agency. Seize it.
Rating:
The Orb Of Cairado – 6.5/10
Space Station – 7.5/10
-Andrew
An ARC of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts on this book are my own.
