Slightly edited version of the review I posted on Mastodon a while back @ octodon.social/@kg6gfq/109491337149140152

Bicycle representation

I rate this a Platinum-Level Bicycle Friendly Book!

I so enjoy reading something where the main character and the general populace all travel by bike. There was even a bike chase scene! The book did end with the frustratingly common "Oh no, we need to get somewhere fast, better use one of those new automobiles to get there in time" trope... but it turns out the power source for the cars (and other new tech) is horrifically unethical, so at least cars are acknowledged as problematic.

Occasionally I encounter a book with cyclist characters who just "ride their bike" and it feels one-dimensional. The characters in Witchmark, on the other hand, get winded climbing hills, carry stuff in bike baskets, use bike locks, notice - in detail - the quality of other characters' bikes, and have to be cognizant of road rules & conventions for riding with crowds of other cyclists. It felt real, and like Polk put some serious thought into it. (Update: They did put serious thought into it, see www.tor.com/2019/05/10/the-city-of-bicycles-get-to-know-the-world-of-witchmark/ for a glimpse at the history of cycling in Aeland.)

Collective nouns

• "a competence of nurses"
• "a draft of cyclists"
• "a curiosity of reporters"

Brilliant! I kept highlighting these as I read. I love entertainingly appropriate collective nouns.

Baker Thief & Witchmark: Our new batteries are made from...

(I am really trying to be vague about spoilers, but it might become obvious now.)

Ok, so within a few chapters I was saying to myself "Is aether power really...?" Partly because foreshadowing, but I think also because I read Baker Thief by Claudie Arseneault a few weeks before and the premise is similar.

If this is becoming a trope, I think I like it. We need more people saying that high-energy-density technologies are problematic. Electrification and "green power" cannot save us if we do not also reduce our power consumption. Plenty of folks are saying this directly, which is good. But stories shape the way we think, so putting the idea out there metaphorically in fiction is just as important.