The caw of Belle

Tags: Danish Me Review Science fiction

Review of The war of Belle (Belles krig) by Mogens Wenzel Andreasen.

Outline: 16 year old Belle has a goal. Something has to happen in Copenhagen. (A Copenhagen within a dome, because of the pollution outside.) So she leads strong Adam and clever Claes towards -- something. But it's not quite that easy, there are so many armed guards, with no scruples when it comes to shooting stupid teenagers. And then there's Hentel, and he smells a rat.

Is it science fiction? The rebellion of Belle could have taken so many forms, and still been the same story, without domes and guns etc. But the background strengthens the story. A rebellion seems more relevant, when you can actually be killed, if you make a misstep.

Themes: Belle is a tough leader. Among other things she confronts the hormones of the boys: they want her. Even if they have to rape her. (And that's just one example of the violence showing up here and there in the book.) -- Society is mechanised, so there's a high rate of unemployment. And as only the rich get educations, many people are just bored. (By the way: funny that MWA can imagine a fully mechanised society, but believes there will still be boys handling used bottles.)

Is it good? Hm. Why don't the intelligent use the library and educate themselves? And spend all the money they have access to, to create a meaning? Hm. Besides that, I think the language and the characters are a bit clumsy from time to time.

Note: I grabbed this book because I thought I read it 20 years ago, and liked it. But I must have misremembered, because I can't recognize it at all. Oh well. That's the way it goes.

Created: 27 July, 2009 - Last changed: 27 July, 2009 - Comments (0)