Neat book.
Jul. 27th, 2005 09:49 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kengrI just finished "A Brother's Price" by Wen Spencer.
It's set in a world much like ours. Could be the distant future, more likely an alternate history. Technology is about US Civil War level. There are six-shooters, rifles using cartridges, steamboats and even some ironclads.
But the very different culture is based on one simple fact. Less than 10% (a guess, she doesn't give any figures) of all babies that survive are male. Most male babies miscarry or are stillborn. And apparently there are enough problems with inherited diseases that bloodlines are *very* important.
So the *men* are the ones kept home and protected.
The protagonist is a boy, just reaching the age when he'll have to marry whoever his sisters pick.
I might as well let you in on a "secret". It's a fairly typical (but enjoyable!) *romance* novel, but stood on its head due to the culture.
It's also an adventure novel of sorts.
I'm looking forward to the other books she's said she intends to write in this world. :-)
It's set in a world much like ours. Could be the distant future, more likely an alternate history. Technology is about US Civil War level. There are six-shooters, rifles using cartridges, steamboats and even some ironclads.
But the very different culture is based on one simple fact. Less than 10% (a guess, she doesn't give any figures) of all babies that survive are male. Most male babies miscarry or are stillborn. And apparently there are enough problems with inherited diseases that bloodlines are *very* important.
So the *men* are the ones kept home and protected.
The protagonist is a boy, just reaching the age when he'll have to marry whoever his sisters pick.
I might as well let you in on a "secret". It's a fairly typical (but enjoyable!) *romance* novel, but stood on its head due to the culture.
It's also an adventure novel of sorts.
I'm looking forward to the other books she's said she intends to write in this world. :-)
