A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson
159 pages
Published 2016
Read from November 11 to November 14
Rating: ★★★½ out of 5
The previous Wilson novella set in this story universe, Sorcerer of the Wildeeps, was a modern take on some old sword-and-sorcery cliches. A Taste of Honey moves closer to the science-fantasy of Butler's Xenogenesis series or Le Guin's Hainish books, full of godlike aliens mingling their genetic patterns and psionic powers with a human race seemingly reverted to an Iron Age existence. In both cases Wilson fans new life into the respective subgenres but nonetheless seems bound by their limitations, at least to some extent.
In its structure, plotting, and pacing, Honey is a more assured undertaking, slipping forward and backward through Aqib's life exactly as needed to pull the story along, without the occasional wobble Sorcerer suffered. The characters are richer here, the tragedy more compelling, yet to be honest, I preferred the fantasy elements of Sorcerer (dated as they were) to the rote technobabble here. A better balance between the two influences would be superb, though for me, that balance would rest closer to the fantasy side of things.
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