Review: A Work I Loved to Hate
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 10, 2011
I have to say, I'm so glad Ms. Rigel decided to make this into a full length novel. Whereas the first two novellas left me wanting more information, this one was full of depth. Wonderful world building!Before I go deeper into the review, one thing you must know about me is I'm the type of person who LOVES to HATE. Many aspects of this book riled me, but in a way which was satisfying because of the realism. Think Darth Vadar: an absolutely wicked character but in such a way where you can't help but say he's a kick-ass villain.So with that in mind, I went through Bleeder hating characters, attitudes, and situations, but absolutely loving the book because of it.For me, this work delved a bit into women's fiction with its clash of opposing ideas. On one hand, it celebrated womanhood by making fertile women the most valuable resource on the planet. On the other hand, they were just that... resources-either breed for the planet or face the consequences.Then there was the idea of motherhood. In Spiderwork, the women seemed to want to be mothers, but responsibilities forced on them by society denied them that opportunity. They were breeders, nothing more. This time around, the breeds mocked and criticized any birth mother for holding any emotional attachment to a child. The Chosen were brainwashed into believing that motherhood was something to be scorned. It was a rather disheartening future to think something so natural would be frowned upon. All in all, it was like two giant leaps backward for women.Bleeder had such a deep message which dealt with human rights and politics. In many ways the society lost its spirit. Lack of choices made them complacent with the way things were. Even those in charge of making the rules were complacent. Each new ordinate chipped away freewill leaving an entire society of slaves with varying privileges. I could see our society becoming like that.Overall, I truly enjoyed this book. Bleeder came pretty close to a 5 star read--somewhere between 4.5 - 5 out of 5 stars. Let's round up, shall we? Like I said, it was full of issues I LOVED to HATE. I recommend this work to readers who enjoy exploring human rights.By the way, romance lovers... this does have a happily ever after.