Meg Corbyn is running from something. Or someone. That’s the
only reason a human would be willing to work as liaison for the
terra indigene.
But there’s something else strange about her that puts Simon Wolfgard on edge.
Meg is human, but she doesn’t smell like meat. Her not-prey smell confuses and
angers him, even as he gives her the job, a place to live, and arranges for
food and winter clothing (since it’s obvious she has neither). He justifies it by rationalizing that the
terra indigene in Lakeside Courtyard are in desperate need of a new Human Liaison to
take the mail and package deliveries, as none of the human drivers will
interact with the shifters long term. Humans sense that the
terra indigene view
them as nothing more than special meat, and that seems to make them…nervous…about
being in confined spaces with something that looks at them with the eyes of a predator.
Meg is running. She’s running from the Controller who viewed
her as extra-sensitive skin to be sliced and sold to the highest bidder. As a cassandra
sangue Meg’s blood carries prophecies, released when precise cuts are made on
her body. Each cassandra sangue has only so much skin, however, and when the
space is gone, so is her usefulness. While they have skin left, the cassandra sangue are kept under lock and key with every action controlled and scheduled. They
have no friends, no conversation, no skill beyond their prophecy. To resist is
to be punished with imprecise cutting that induces madness. But those maddening
cuts brought Meg visions of how to escape…and images of her own death. Visions
that contained Simon Wolfgard.
Even as Meg builds a life at Lakeside Courtyard among the terra
indigene, making friends with the shifters and humans alike, the Controller
searches for his lost property. It won’t be long before word gets out that a
Blood Prophet is in residence. Will the terra indigene turn Meg over, or will
the Controller truly learn what it means when they say “Human Law Does Not
Apply Here.”
This novel is stunning, and the above plot description
doesn't begin to cover the threads that are woven into the story. In addition
to the overriding plot there are multiple spinoff subplots about some of the
characters, which really develop them into more that simple secondaries. These
subplots weave back into the main plot at the end, wrapping things up nicely
while still leaving enough room for a sequel (which comes out in March 2014).
The world building in this story is brilliant. To have a
world that is so close to our own and yet so different is not a unique concept,
but this one is definitely a world that hasn't been created before. The terra
indigene are the dominant species and simply allow humans to live here. They
like our technology and the way we taste, but we tend to get a bit cocky and
they have to smack us down every once and a while when we forget who’s boss.
There’s a lot of humor in this relationship, as well as a lot of horror and
violence. We are just meat. Literally. Intelligent meat, but edible.
I wouldn't yet classify this novel as romance, but there is
something brewing. There is a bit of sex, but nothing graphic. The novel does
contain some adult language and, as stated before, unabashed and unrepentant violence.
Overall, however, it is much tamer than many of the books I've read lately (not
sure what that says). Though the book is 433 pages I finished it in less than
two days because I couldn't stop reading. I stayed up late – until I couldn't
stay awake any longer – and as soon as I woke up the next day I started reading
again and kept going until I finished. It was THAT good. I highly recommend
this novel. And yes, I will be checking out Bishop’s backlist while I wait for
the sequel.
Bishop, Anne. Written in Red: A Novel of the Others. New York: ROC, 2013. 433 pages. Five stars.
