@joycereynoldsward and @QueenOfEverything asked about this yesterday, but I was still too gobsmacked to reply.
I'm reading for a Le Guin shortlist book review, so I'll be covering this one in a different light soon, but...
This story rightfully won the Hugo this year. It is intelligent, engagingly paced, unflinching around difficult themes, and deeply wise in its presentation of an indoctrinated militant realizing she's coveted the wrong things her whole life.
@joycereynoldsward @QueenOfEverything
What floored me yesterday was that it touched on many things I wanted to say in my series (right down to being inspired in part by Spartan history), but even though my story is different, this one is flat-out better written.
No two ways about it.
And I'm okay with realizing how inadequate my writing is--and why I have no chance of selling my book in this market. I will survive.
I just had to marvel at what a difference in calibre exists.
Kudos to Tesh!
@MLClark @QueenOfEverything that's always a hard but very true thing to realize and appreciate! Tesh is on my to-read list, but getting it from the library.