Some Desperate Glory

Blechpirat reviewed Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

Brilliant book, left me stunned

5 stars

So far the best book I read in 2025. Amazing, well written, very nice twist(s). Go read this.

Dee 📖 (book aspect) reviewed Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

5 stars

On the surface, this may seem like military SF, but really, it's more about trauma, and radicalization, and cults, and personal growth. It's well-written, too. When following the perspective of an initially angry teenager as she then changes as a person, it is possible to lay things on too thick, but Tesh manages to do it just right.

This sort of shifting perspective also makes the worldbuilding of the setting interesting. The view of the novel's world is colored by the characters' biases, and how those biases shift, and those shifts play a role in the overall plot. The overall plot is perhaps a bit of the standard SF fare, but the way it is told through the arcs of the characters involved is what makes it compelling.

This book stands out in both its approach to the kind of plot and setting it employs, and also in doing what …

On the surface, this may seem like military SF, but really, it's more about trauma, and radicalization, and cults, and personal growth. It's well-written, too. When following the perspective of an initially angry teenager as she then changes as a person, it is possible to lay things on too thick, but Tesh manages to do it just right.

This sort of shifting perspective also makes the worldbuilding of the setting interesting. The view of the novel's world is colored by the characters' biases, and how those biases shift, and those shifts play a role in the overall plot. The overall plot is perhaps a bit of the standard SF fare, but the way it is told through the arcs of the characters involved is what makes it compelling.

This book stands out in both its approach to the kind of plot and setting it employs, and also in doing what other SF novels may attempt to do, but in this case doing it exceptionally well.

Tim reviewed Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

It hurt my head but in a good way

5 stars

It took me a while to warm up to this. Once over that hump this was great with so much relevance.

Will reviewed Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

Good, but not great

4 stars

The first half of this book reads like a very predictable standard space opera, then it takes a turn for the wild. There are a lot of great ideas here, and my only criticism is that the pacing in the second half was awkward. Tesh rushed through some segments that could have used more detail, yet lingered on other parts way too long.

satanicguava@bookwyrm.social reviewed Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

1/2 of an incredible book, 1/2 of a very good book

5 stars

navigates complexity in a propulsive and heartwrenching manner. the first half asks important questions that don't have answers, and then the second decides there are in fact earnest and hopeful answers after all. felt a little twee, but i adored these characters and felt so strongly for them, and i read this whole thing in one explosive rush. i may not completely vibe with the resolutions given, but i'm engaged and pensive and grateful over the questions being asked. edit: ok its been 24 hours and i bumped it from 4 stars to 5 stars because i'm still chewing this book over and i think i will be for months

mouse reviewed Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

Dark but not heavy

5 stars

This book really stuck with me after reading it. I had to stop reading it before bed because I would stay up too late reading it, which is a trait I cherish in a book and is also hard to pull off in a book with such heavy themes -- brainwashing, abuse, reproductive coercion, war,.... And the characters were so well articulated. I really live for books where characters seem like actual humans who are capable of being really truly horrible to each other and also capable of kindness and growth.