Happy Friday to you and for all you reading this in the future on a print out you found in the ruins of some building, a slice of home in today’s review. Today’s book “
What Branches Grow,” by T.S. Beier is post-apocalyptic science fiction.
***The Non-Spoiler part of this review***
What I love about this book:As a big science fiction fan, a fan of the subgenre of post-apocalyptic sci-fi, and a video gamer—I feel Beier’s book is like a ride-along with someone’s character in a “Fallout” game. She even captures that particular game world’s aesthetics. “What Branches Grow” is mostly a survival story set in the grim reality typical of the subgenre, but it also engages in the wackier flights of fancy and humor cruising just under the surface of the narrative—like “Fallout.” When the characters visit the town of sex-crazed “vampires,” who aren’t really undead, it reminds me of the same sort of absurdist high-concepts for post-apocalypse settlements that I’d expect to find in the capital wastes.
Our main characters of this novel are a likable bunch, and some of my favorite parts of the story were the slower bits. Don’t get me wrong, the action scenes are fun too, but I enjoyed the occasions when the group got to put up their feet and shoot the shit—that is until the arguments started up. My favorite downbeat moment, between advancements of the plot, was probably on the golf course. Delia, who is typically deathly serious, and Gennero, who generally is too nervous around Delia, let their collective guards drop a bit to go on a joy ride on a still working golf cart. They also use the golf cart to get into some mischief involving Perth.
I liked that Delia and Gennero, despite their circumstances, are avid readers. For someone who talks about books all the time, I like book people, even book people who wander wastelands.
Mort, the pug, was also a fun element to this story. He was primarily attached to his owner Perth, but his presence added a bit of levity to this book, which I think is vital in any setting that can become grimdark at any turn. Conversely, Mort also added to my anxiety and the stakes of any situation where violence broke out because “what about the dog” still works on me thousands of stories later.
What I don’t love about this book:
The cultural references before the red war, a time synonymous with our own, only make sense when Perth is doing the reminiscing—or any other character who lived before the apocalypse. When the narration does it as an: if so-and-so lived before the red war then x popular culture reference, those parts felt out of step to me.
Overall, I liked the central romance sub-plot to this book. What I didn’t like is that it wasn’t just slow burn but sometimes felt like the beats of indecision were repeated too many times. I often felt that with the male character in the equation, a scene would go by, and I, as the reader, would be like, you see that right there? That was your moment. You missed your moment. Then he’d do it again, and again, and again.
Another issue and I have this problem with “Fallout” and “Mad Max” as well, and many other stories in the post-apocalyptic subgenre, which can be summed up like this: what is with all the antagonists with such minimal regard for self-preservation? It just seems like raiders are always ready to go in on a swarm, wave after wave of bodies into a stream of fire, at the drop of a hat. These people had to have survived this long in the wasteland. It just seems like caution would be a dominant trait amongst everybody, not only the protagonists.
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***The Spoiler part of this review***
***Ye be warned to turn back now***
The quick and dirty synopsis:
The adventure begins when a mysterious woman—Delia—shows up in the post-apocalyptic settlement of Churchill, named after its founder and leader. He immediately tries to pressgang this well-armed mercenary woman into his town’s brothel. It doesn’t go well.
