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This reads like a parable of the european takeover of the americas, except that the natives realized their mistake (just) in time this time around.

There wasn't much scifi or fantasy, except for the implied apocalypse that happened out of frame.

I was constantly frustrated with the characters for not being more proactive about stuff like: checking what happened with the power, being suspicious of Scott, following up on Scott after multiple red flags, etc. - but maybe I'm having unrealistic expectations about characters who don't know they're in a story.

I liked the strong themes of community and mutual support, even in the face of (imo realistic) uneven participation.

Overall a good read, I enjoyed it.

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I did feel like some of the plot mechanisms did get repetitive, though. For example, one of his enemies defeating him in battle, then holding him prisoner until he could be rescued. Or thinking somebody he cared about had been killed only to find out they were ok, actually.

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My first thought for "the place where iron lives" was a laundromat

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Babel is a story of colonialism, racism, sexism, whiteness, Englishness, loss, betrayal, and despair. It's basically a modern parable grittily illustrating the causes and consequences of colonialism.

I love the translation magic mechanism, and I found the embedded etymology tidbits super interesting.

I also appreciate that the author had the courage to allow Bad Things to happen to major characters - not in a GRRM torture porn kind of way, but just as a kind of natural consequence of the world and the characters' interactions.

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