Review: Seven Surrenders

As the second book in the Terra Ignota series, Seven Surrenders picks up right where Too Like the Lightning left off. That’s hardly surprising, as Lightning doesn’t conclude so much as it… halts. This made it really easy to pick up, with the major aspects of the world mostly fleshed out. There’s still plenty of complexity that needs clarification–it’s just easier than starting from square one.

Author Ada Palmer nails down a bunch of details, once again smartly mixing subtle clues with direct explanations from Mycroft Canner to their reader. And of course, the events of the novel raise still more questions about how the world works in the 24th century. What’s really enticing, though, is the mystery from Too Like the Lightning which Seven Surrenders doesn’t address. I wrote down my questions at the end of the first book (I had a lot), and I had to copy a bunch over when I reached the end of this installment.

It’s a weird feeling of satisfaction that comes from not knowing something. But when entries in a series link neatly from one to the next, the world seems to expand and contract according to an arbitrary publication schedule. With its series-spanning questions, Terra Ignota feels more like a best-effort attempt to explain events that really took place (which happens to be the conceit of these first two books–more on that in a second).

Seven Surrenders also inherits a lot of great stylistic traits. It’s full of expressive analogies, starting from Sniper’s description of Mycroft’s scars in the opening pages: “all layered on top of on another like a graffiti wall which tempts you to add your own mark.” It continues to explore sex and violence and religion, usually in some combination, and almost always with disturbing effect. Unfortunately, the fantastical setting can make these topics tough to take seriously. That’s most apparent as the narrator reveals more of their backstory. Palmer encourages you to consider their morality, but you’re just as likely to question the premise itself. Most likely the series has more to say on the subject. In the mean time, though, it’s frustrating to feel distanced from a central theme.

I was also disappointed to find fewer historical references in the sequel. Too Like the Lightning regularly took time out to explain how historical figures and movements inspired its events. Someone better-versed in world history might have been bored by those sections, but for me, they added depth and were engaging in their own right. Readers who feel the same will be let down to find that Palmer doesn’t flex their historian muscles nearly as much in Seven Surrenders.

A more welcome surprise came in the form of some risky literary tricks. The first involves Mycroft’s previously-established habit of conversing with the reader. It’s very minor and very quick, but it’s also unique and effective. For me, anyway. If it didn’t hit emotionally, then I’d probably call it gimmicky or even presumptuous. The same goes for some light play with text formatting. Whatever the effect, it’s great to read an author who’s willing to experiment in the middle of a series.

The conclusion is somewhat neater than that of Too Like the Lightning, but it’s still plenty alluring. For one, I’m a little concerned about the potential for the deus ex machina trope (though honestly, Palmer seems way too thoughtful for such banality). More optimistically, Seven Surrenders sets up a novel (pun intended) interplay between the text and the narrative, and I’m really curious to see if/how that’s developed. What’s more, we’re looking at a Hyperion-Cantos-esque change in narrator, and I have no idea where that’s headed.

Too Like the Lightning set a high bar for Terra Ignota, and through its plot, style, and experimentation, Seven Surrenders met it. I’m psyched to continue on with the series because I’m convinced The Will to Battle will be just as surprising (and just as challenging) as its antecedents.