“Terrifying and necessary” – A Women’s Day Interview with Emily Weedon
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Autokrator
I am a gender criminal. I am Unmale, yet I write as though I am a person.
Driven by a Machiavellian mind and ego, Tiresius has risen through the ranks of the Autokracy to become Imperial Treasurer, has won over the trust of the Autokrator himself, and yet, has broken the society’s most scared rules: She has posed as a male for many years. In the eyes of the Autokracy, this gender crime is one of the most heinous a person can commit, and punishable by death.
In this deeply etched speculative world, women — Unmales — have been relegated to non-person status with their reproduction strictly controlled. Their only role is to serve men, and to do so from the shadows.
Tiresius’s rebellion against the Autokracy coincides with that of a Domestic — a female labourer — named Cera. Cera’s son, who was taken from her at birth as demanded by tradition, is the successor to the Autokracy. She is desperate to be part of his life and takes dangerous steps toward revealing herself to him, becoming a gender criminal herself.
The fates of both women become intertwined as they are driven to discover what cost gender and power exact.
What happens when you strip women of all their rights Autokrator offers a chilling insight into a brutal but not completely unfamiliar world where the patriarchy runs amok to devastating consequences Weedon skillfully builds a dystopian universe inviting the reader to live out the lives of two unmales who battle the orthodoxy one for power and the other for love Their continued survival despite the terrifying horrors occurring all around them raises many questions most notably Will we ever find our way back to a more just society In a post Roe v Wade environment where reproduction trumps individual rights its hard not to read this sweeping saga with terror
While reminiscent of tales like 1984 Game of Thrones and The Handmaids Tale Weedon wasnt setting out to write a dystopia just a ripping good story But soon she realized that her novel a chilling tale of a world where women have no rights was beginning to mirror what was happening in our own world
The author has framed an original epic story that posits important and pressing questions about the dire rise of autocracy and the ongoing chaos caused by The Patriarchy
Autokrator delivers a multifaceted book highlighting a society with extreme views about women Much like the dystopian world depicted in The Handmaids Tale author Emily A Weedon delivers a cautionary tale The beauty of the story is the authors smooth writing style that sucks you in
Readers will enjoy Tiresius brutal drive and Ceras desperate strength as well as the novels thoughtprovoking questions into hate power and misogyny
Weedon has imagined and convincingly describes a complex political and social structure the lessthanoptimal living and working conditions endured by the Unmales and so on I found myself caught up in the plot interested to see how everything would shake out Autokrator provides food for thought while at the same time highlighting the potential longterm impact of the erosion of rights
What a great book club title to discuss
When Orthodoxy means that males have all the power and women have none the oppression of patriarchy twists everything to its will in this alternate history novel that doesnt fail to surprise
Highly recommended Autokrator is political actionpacked thoughtful gory imaginative and an undeniable pageturning thrill ride I can see a film adaptation in the near future
A richly detailed canvas
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Details
Dimensions:
440 Pages
8.5in * 5.5in * 1in
410gr
Published:
April 13, 2024
City of Publication:
Toronto
Country of Publication:
CA
Publisher:
ISBN:
9781770866850
Language:
eng
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