Driftwood by Marie Brennan

I was really intrigued at the premise of a land called Driftwood, the place where worlds go to die in the Crush. Plus, I usually love the stories from this particular publisher so it was an easy request. Unfortunately, the story just fell a little flat for me.

I can really get a sense of the author's experience with anthropology with the world creation. Driftwood is a patchwork land of every imaginable cosmos and people. There is culture and linguistics on the surface, but we never really get to dive into the details. We focus more on the one thread stitches this patchwork quilt together. Last--the one who has seen thousands of worlds breathe their last breath. 

His tale is told via a series of memorials, which makes this novel more like a collection of short stories than a book. Each storyteller describes a moment where Last impacted their life--in no particular order with no particular connection. By the end, you do realize there seems to be a heavy religious undertone (is Last a god or not), and there were certainly thought provoking moments.

All the stories seemed like they were trying to build a bigger picture, I just never saw it. It left me feeling like something was always missing from the story. I turned the last page in disbelief that there was no more.

When I requested the ARC, I had really been hoping for a book. The opening scene really seemed like it was leading towards a novel and was disorientating when it turned into stories. I closed the book craving the world that could have developed if Driftwood had been a full blown sci-fi novel.

Driftwood will be out August 14th for you to make your own decision.