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hollagraph

she/her | I'm always searching for the next Cloud Atlas-meets-Outlander

386 points

0% overlap
Fictional(?) Dystopian Societies
Level 3
Black Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and Speculative Fiction
My Taste
The Bone Clocks
Slade House
Beautyland
I Who Have Never Known Men
Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos, #1)
Reading...
The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge
0%
Beloved
0%
The Country of the Pointed Firs
0%
The Luminaries
0%
How Democracies Die: What History Reveals About Our Future
0%
Monster, She Wrote: The Women Who Pioneered Horror and Speculative Fiction
0%
How Long 'til Black Future Month?
0%
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida
0%
Onyx Storm
0%

hollagraph wrote a review...

5d
  • Helm
    hollagraph
    Aug 22, 2026
    Helm
    3.5
    Enjoyment: 2.5Quality: 4.5Characters: 3.0Plot: 3.0
    🌬️
    ⛰️
    💨

    “Time happens all at once for Helm, more or less, relative to longevity.”

    I believe this opening line is meant to set the tone for an elaborate chorus of voices through the ages that collectively tell the stories of Helm, a named wind in north central England. The concept is strong, writing is gorgeous, the first and last chapters are brilliant. I especially loved the Bronze Age story.

    What kept this from being a runaway success for me was the chopped up editing of each story. I think the novel would have worked better with the stories told coherently, sequentially, and with clear titles to orient the reader to some anchor of time or name. Unfortunately, I also think most of these unconnected stories lacked compelling stakes and cut away right at any point of action in favor of introspective inner dialogue (which Helm admits to “Helmself” is not totally clear). So while I see the rational from an artistic standpoint, the structure interrupted the reading flow without adding any deeper surprise or meaning for me.

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    Thoughts from 32% (page 110)
    spoilers

    View spoiler

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