I finished reading Alchemised yesterday and I found it very compelling, though I’m always hesitant to say I “liked” grimdark fantasy as it often feels the wrong word to use. Alchemised is an extreme tale of war, oppression and trauma, but I ended up rating it 4⭐️. I’m by no means a potterhead but what ended up actually increasing my interest once I was done was reading all these reviews that described it as nazi Christian misogynist r*pe porn, and I just couldn’t see it. This is a hot topic, but this is my experience and others experiences are equally valid.
I didn’t feel that the book makes light of its events. At no point do the characters describe the events of what occurred as anything other than what they are (I.e assault) . And there are lasting consequences that impact both leading characters well into the final chapters and (inferably) beyond.
The Nazi symbolism is, as far as I can see, intentional, it’s not romanticising it just because it’s depicted, the story (I feel) does a good job of showing the ugliness of regimes. The Axis did terrible things and so did the Allies, this books sides are no different. The values of the Faith are not portrayed as good things, the people who hold the faith above all are not portrayed as good, Penny who is one of the main supporters who isn’t outright antagonistic towards Helena is very much an example of religious indoctrination and wasn’t depicted in a good light. The society of the setting is extremely patriarchal and misogynistic, again, I don’t feel this is portrayed as a good thing, it’s very clear, from both Helena’s treatment and the way we see Lila treated that Sen wasn’t trying to make readers think it was a good thing.
There is a lack of any major LGBTQ elements I could recall, but there is plenty of in world context as to why (societally) that would be the case and as the main pairing is a straight couple (and never marketed as anything but) it’s not exactly something I was looking for when I picked up this book. I am hoping someone trad publishes a 1000 page Drarry fanfic though so we can compare.
Ferron I think had a few too many murders to be characterised as fully good, but at the same time I don’t think Sen tried to do so, he is flawed. Intrinsically so, with in world reasons as to why. Not an excuse but this is a fantasy novel and I think Sen does well with his character.
The highlight for me however was Helena, her story, internal dialogue and experiences were so moving to me that it’s what made up most of my enjoyment. She is a uniquely excellent character that I loved being in the brain of for 1000 or so pages.
The book also brings into focus an incredibly important topic about humane death, the difference between being forced to suffer and choosing a quick clean exit. These are topics we struggle with in reality and Sen does a wonderful job of replicating these kind of thought provoking questions within Alchemised.
Regardless to say I did enjoy Alchemised, it had me on the edge of my seat and was the second book to make me cry this year. I finished it with a sense of melancholy that I found comforting.
