The Ruined Land

Praise for Clare Rhoden’s Chronicles of the Pale

Praise for Clare Rhoden’s Chronicles of the Pale

The Pale is a simmering read that never goes the way you expect it to … If you’re into intelligent, innovative, feminist science fiction, you can find it in The Pale.

—Aurealis Magazine

The Pale, in which many sentient species must, as they emerge from disaster, learn to rebuild together, is refreshingly nuanced and complex … The meticulous, deeply thought-out, and intelligent worldbuilding makes it shine.

—Laura E Goodin, author of After The Bloodwood Staff

A gripping tale of resilience, survival, and how we define the ‘other’—this is intelligent SF that speaks to our time.

—Jennifer Mills, author of Dyschronia

The sign of good speculative fiction is that you can not only read it for the page-turning story and characters you will come to love and loathe, but also for the way it makes you think about issues relevant to your own world. Clare Rhoden captures both aspects excellently with this great read about a post-apocalyptic world and the four communities within it.

—Writer's Epiphany

The Pale is a world of biomachines, talking and civilized canines, ferals and complicated futuristic technologies … that captivated me from the start.

—Reading Time Journal

Rhoden demonstrates tremendous descriptive powers and impressive world building, The Pale reminiscent of the intelligent science fiction novels of old. I am reminded of my favourite science fiction author, Phillip K d**k. The Pale is filled with well-crafted and engaging characters—including dogs—in what amounts to a classy read with an important moral message, making the reader question where we are heading and whose side we are on and what it means to be fully human.

—Isobel Blackthorn, author of Clarissa’s Warning

Rhoden's style is deeply humanist, showing people overcoming prejudices and learning from each other while they deal with dwindling resources and create a better world … It’s a dense, poetic book and probably won’t be for everyone, but if you’re interested in layered world-building, nuanced plotlines, and complex characters, pay attention to Broad Plain Darkening.

—Aurealis Magazine

Some of the big questions in Broad Plain Darkening for me were to wonder at what it really means to be sentient? What is human? Why do some people fear difference? What is family and belonging? How far will artificial intelligence influence our decisions in the future? Will humans merge with machines? What gives rise to ultimate power? Why are people exiled? Surviving on Broad Plain is grim, but this is a warm heart of a story, with inter-species cooperation and care.

—Reading Time Journal