 | Water Logic is the third novel in the Elemental Logic series by Laurie J. Marks. It follows many of the same characters as the previous books: the warrior-woman Zanja and her wife Karis; the soldier Clement and her lover Seth, a cow-doctor. The story deepens the political impasse between the Sainnite invaders and the native Shaftali. The Sainnite military are embroiled in an internal struggle over leadership, while the Shaftali are divided over whether to forgive the Sainnites or punish them for their past misdeeds. |
I enjoyed the found-family aspect of these books and the moral dilemmas the characters wrestle with within the larger political context. There are no easy answers, and the author deftly explores the potential consequences of action and inaction.
Some favorite passages:
Some favorite passages:
- The silence made Seth’s ears feel empty.
- The trail was steep and slippery with mud, and her legs wobbled like warped wagon wheels.
- Seth could have named each of these pastures or hay fields but did not subject Damon [or the reader] to that recital.
- Putting on her sodden clothing was about as pleasant as rolling naked in the snow.
- One of the people at the table had been Seth’s brother. They had grown up together at High Meadow, and it was possible they might share a parent, though no one paid attention to such things here. [realistic polyamory]
- As the sun set, a solitary woodland bird began calling for company but received no answer. The water at the bottom of the cliff lapped and sighed. Distant waves boomed.
- For peace, thought Seth, is not merely the absence of war. It is all the things that war displaces, the things that war makes not merely unachievable, but unimaginable.
Other books in the series: Fire Logic and Earth Logic
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