The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson

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The Traitor Baru Cormorant

Seth Dickinson

September 15, 2015 / 400 pages / Fiction

In Seth Dickinson's highly-anticipated debut The Traitor Baru Cormorant, a young woman from a conquered people tries to transform an empire in this richly imagined geopolitical fantasy.

Baru Cormorant believes any price is worth paying to liberate her people-even her soul.

When the Empire of Masks conquers her island home, overwrites her culture, criminalizes her customs, and murders one of her fathers, Baru vows to swallow her hate, join the Empire's civil service, and claw her way high enough to set her people free.

Sent as an Imperial agent to distant Aurdwynn, another conquered country, Baru discovers it's on the brink of rebellion. Drawn by the intriguing duchess Tain Hu into a circle of seditious dukes, Baru may be able to use her position to help. As she pursues a precarious balance between the rebels and a shadowy cabal within the Empire, she orchestrates a do-or-die gambit with freedom as the prize.

But the cost of winning the long game of saving her people may be far greater than Baru imagines.

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Betrayal

Power

Fantasy world

Political Intrigue

Economics

Rebellion

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Synopsis

In Seth Dickinson's highly-anticipated debut The Traitor Baru Cormorant, a young woman from a conquered people tries to transform an empire in this richly imagined geopolitical fantasy. Baru Cormorant believes any price is worth paying to liberate her people-even her soul. When the Empire of Masks conquers her island home, overwrites her culture, criminalizes her customs, and murders one of her fathers, Baru vows to swallow her hate, join the Empire's civil service, and claw her way high enough to set her people free. Sent as an Imperial agent to distant Aurdwynn, another conquered country, Baru discovers it's on the brink of rebellion. Drawn by the intriguing duchess Tain Hu into a circle of seditious dukes, Baru may be able to use her position to help. As she pursues a precarious balance between the rebels and a shadowy cabal within the Empire, she orchestrates a do-or-die gambit with freedom as the prize. But the cost of winning the long game of saving her people may be far greater than Baru imagines.

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A wonderful political thriller novel about empire conquering. Baru Cormorant is a wonderfully interesting character that is prone to mistakes like any other human. The ending was truly phenomenal!

Grade: A– / Obie / Oct 18, 2015

I enjoyed the world building in this book, but the plot moved a little to slowly for me. And was a bit dull. I think I just prefer more action and less political intrigue.

Grade: B / wizardsheart / Mar 17, 2016

"...we are not free. Not even when we march beside them, nor even when we lead them. Freedom granted by your rulers is just a chain with a little slack."

Grade: A / Alissa / Oct 5, 2016

I had multiple issues with this book. 1. The first 3/4 was boring. Everyone said it had a really good ending though, so I persevered. 2. The ending wasn't actually that awesome. It was mostly predictable. 3. The names of the people and places were dumb and hard to pronounce. 4. We heard about a place called falcrest throughout the whole book, but we never actually get to see baru when she gets there. 5. The main character wasn't even likeable, especially at the end.

Grade: D / Darthpoulsen / Oct 5, 2016

An unusual fantasy novel, as there's no apparent fantasy found within. It's set in a secondary world, and hints that beyond the scope of the story there may be more fantastical elements. This book is the story of a child of a land swallowed up by an empire bent on absolute rule. She's a prodigy which the empire intends to use her as an instrument of their control in another conquered land, but has sedition harboured in her heart though. Great prose, interesting characters, highly recommended

Grade: A / smaz / Apr 13, 2017

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