“High Times in the Low Parliament” by Kelly Robson

This novella was very creative, but it was not for me. Didn’t enjoy this one.

The protagonist is Lana, from an alternate version of London. Lana is mostly interested in chasing girls and getting high, but is unfortunately drafted to serve as a scribe in a sort of pan-European Parliament. This Parliament governs humans, but is administered by faeries. Parliament is presently paralyzed by a series of hung votes, which is a problem, because if the logjam doesn’t break the faeries will be drowning the members, the support staff, and everyone else who is there (obviously a matter of some concern for Lana).

Overall, it didn’t work for me. Lana would have been fine as a minor character in a larger story; make her the protagonist, and she got old quickly. There were a lot of things that I didn’t really get why the author did what she did (why are there no men at all in this universe?). There are things that aren’t explained (why is most of Parliament apparently willing to commit suicide?). And the things which I got (Parliament as a barely-disguised stand-in for the United States Senate) felt very heavy handed.

There are a number of things that I could understand why someone would like it, but none of it worked for me.

Comes out on August 9.