Mohamed never goes easy on her characters, and even when they’re on the verge of a breakthrough, it’s obvious that another setback is lurking just around the corner. Possibly with tentacles.
Although I can see the similarities to vampires, the deep gender divides in book eater society and the unique way that the book eaters operate put them in an inventive literary class of their own.
“You are right. I understood this myself when I read your novel The Time Machine. All Human conceptions are on the scale of our planet. They are based on the pretension that the technical potential, though it will develop, will never exceed the terrestrial limit. If we succeed in establishing interplanetary communications, all our philosophies, moral and social views, will have to be revised. In this case the technical potential, become limitless, will impose the end of the role of violence as a means and method of progress.” (Vladimir Ilych Lenin, in conversation with H. G. Wells at the Kremlin, Moscow, 1920)
“We have internal enemies.