Crudrat: The Tinkered Stars by Gail Carriger - A Colorfully Written Tale Of A Young Woman Searching For Her Place In The Universe

 Crudrat: The Tinkered Stars by Gail Carriger

Crudrat is a young adult sci-fi adventure story about a young woman looking for a purpose in life written by Gail Carriger. I had read nothing by this author before and wasn't sure what to expect when I opened the book. What I got was a fun story with clever writing and colorful descriptions and a plethora of interesting and diverse characters. The settings are colorful and provide a great backdrop for the characters to play in.

When I first started read, I had a bit of a hard time getting into the book. The author has a cadence to her writing that was complex - I was not used to reading in the rhythm set down. However, as I read on, I got into the rhythm and had no problem understanding what was on the page. Gail is brilliant in her writing, but it takes some getting used to. The way she uses words drives the humor in the story.

The humor is subtle, it is everywhere in the tale, but it doesn't impede what the writer is trying to communicate. 

Overall, I was entertained and got into Crudrat to the point I didn't want to stop reading, it just kept moving forward and pushing me on to the next page.

In a word, Crudrat is refreshing, innovative, and fun.

Maura is aboard a huge space port the size of a city. Her job is to help clean up the residue made when the station generates power from dark energy. To do this, she must have the skills to move like a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. All around her, sharp metal blades whirl around, and she must avoid them, or forfeit her life in an accident. No longer a small child, she has gotten too big for the job and her future is not good.

When a crudrat is no longer useful aboard the station, there is no new job for them; they are just left to survive on their own, or not to survive at all. So, if she wants to live, she must find a way off the station to seek her fortune elsewhere.

By rescuing an incarcerated alien being, she has a ticket to a better life, and a future she can determine for herself. Her skills as a crudrat will be needed on her new home aboard a station made of ice.

The principal character, Maura, is a crudrat. That is both a disparagement and a job title, as well as a death sentence once she reaches puberty and grows too big to continue avoiding the blades that move the dark matter through the energy making process. The process creates a kind of crud buildup needing to be cleaned off the equipment. Maura has a companion to do her job, a kind of animal that eats the crud. She must find a new living situation away from the spaceport's society that just disposes of the unneeded things and people.

When Maura arrives at her new living situation, she finds herself immersed in a culturally diverse society with all kinds of new rules and ideas where a wrong move can get one in trouble.

My favorite part of Crudrat is Gail's use of language. It is colorful and fun to read once one gets into the rhythm of the writing. The story takes us places where we meet people with different philosophies and ideas that are intriguing, and fun to explore from Maura's point of view.

My takeaway from Crudrat is how a person must be open to strange new situations. The principal character is adaptable, open-minded, and works to fit in her new world. But, there are also those willing to adapt to her as well. So, for me, this story so far is about finding balance when in new situations.

Crudrat is not a casual read. The prose will keep a reader on their toes, and one must become immersed in the story to get the full flavor. This is an uncommon sci-fi story that comes from the imagination of a great teller of tales. There are both light and dark moments in this book that will, if the reader lets it happen, take one on a journey of discovery and adventure.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger (AKA G.L. Carriger) writes to cope with being raised in obscurity by an expatriate Brit and an incurable curmudgeon. She escaped small-town life and inadvertently acquired several degrees in higher learning, a fondness for cephalopods, and a chronic tea habit. She then traveled the historic cities of Europe, subsisting entirely on biscuits secreted in her handbag. She resides in the colonies, surrounded by fantastic shoes, where she insists on tea imported from London.

Note: I met and visited with Ms. Carriger at a small convention in Omaha several years ago. I remember her being a fun person to be around with an enormous sense of humor, and a great smile. Her wardrobe is amazing. If you ever have the opportunity to meet this lady, do it! She is awesome and you'll have a better day for the effort.

Gail at OSFest 6 - Omaha, 2013

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