I really liked this one! There's definitely time jumps and not everything is explained, but I'm already reading the novelette that came before it.
Thank you very much to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for the ARC!

These Prisoning Hills by Christopher Rowe is an atmospheric novella set in a post-apocalyptic Kentucky. The United States, or at least some of the Southern states, have been devastated by a war with an AI, who created the Voluntary State of Tennessee and destroyed swathes of the environment with weird composite creatures and colossal weapons with human cores. The humans fought back with their own cyborgian soldiers. Meanwhile, the Appalachians were stripped of their natural resources and barely retain sovereignty and self-sufficiency due to loss of population. Artificial beings, whom I pictured as brightly colored Lego-people, take care of mundane tasks such as harvesting and bus driving because there aren't enough remaining humans to do so. The plot is fairly simple: there's something valuable in the AI's territory, a squad of federal soldiers went to get it, and since they didn't come back, more soldiers have arrived to attempt a rescue. Marcia, the Kentuckian point of view character, is sixty-one, divorced, and tired, but she ends up guiding the rescue mission as well as reflecting on her memories of the original war. The whole story felt both familiar and innovative, and was absolutely jam-packed with cool ideas. Recommended.

Honestly I was expecting more from this book. Based on the cover and the synopsis I was hoping for a spooky read that would keep me on the edge of my seat but it did not. The characters were flat and the plot was a bit too convenient at times. I woul like to check more from him in the future, but this one sadly was not it for me.

These Prisoning Hills by Christopher Rowe is a historical fiction novel set in the 1930s. The story follows a group of characters in the Appalachian Mountains, who are struggling to survive amidst the harsh conditions of their environment. Unfortunately, the book fails to deliver a compelling story, and its pacing is slow, making it a tedious read.

The characters are also not well-developed, and their actions often seem implausible or unrealistic, which can be frustrating for readers. While the author attempts to create a sense of tension and drama, the plot feels predictable and lacks any real excitement or surprise.

Overall, These Prisoning Hills is a disappointing read that falls short of its potential. While the historical context and setting are interesting, the book fails to engage the reader and lacks the necessary depth to create an emotional connection with its characters. Unless you are a die-hard fan of the genre or the author, this book is best left on the shelf.

I loved Christopher Rowe's earlier short fiction, set in the same world as These Prisoning Hills. Unfortunately, I was sadly disappointed in this latest work. Instead of using his very considerable imagination to create a new world and story, complete and consistent in itself, it seems he's taken bits and pieces from his previous work and then jumbled them together without regard to an emotionally satisfying story arc. Information was scattered throughout the book, often in the wrong place for me -- some context I needed in the first pages didn't occur until well past halfway through, and the many digressions, info dumps, and characters telling one another what the reader needs to know, slowed the action to a crawl whenever it seemed to pick up speed. Every once in a while, a snappy, understated remark by one or another of the characters would shine brilliantly in an otherwise humdrum scene. The prose flows well, there are many great bits of dialog, and some scenes grabbed me, but the whole just didn't come together.

The biggest problem for me by far, even more than the lack of payoff for the disjointed timeline, was how distanced I felt from the main character. It felt as if her only purpose was as a literary cipher, a blank slate that allows the author to say things. Sure, she's got a backstory, but she lacks personality. Since I never connected emotionally with her, neither her goals nor her fate meant anything to me.

Another reader might feel differently, and perhaps my disappointment arises from the high expectations I had based on Rowe's earlier work.

Published by Tordotcom on May 31, 2022

These Prisoning Hills is a novella set in a postapocalyptic future. Christopher Rowe alludes to The First Athena War and related events in the novel’s past. He fills the reader in on a few details but never gets around to explaining how weaponized bears learned to fly. To be fair, Rowe has set other stories in the same future. I haven’t read them but I assume a reader who is more familiar with this future history will have a better grasp of the story’s background.

I did glean that an AI who integrated with a human declared war on the Federals. The AI called itself Athena Parthenos. Its forces occupied the Voluntary State of Tennessee. The AI is thought to have died or been vanquished before These Prisoning Hills begins.

The central character is Marcia. Flashbacks show the role she played in the war, having benefitted from some implanted technology that made the forces serving Athena Parthenos so fearful. That same technology is responsible for a variety of sentient combat machines, including massive “mechano-nano-biological creatures” called Commodores, not to be confused with Lionel Richie. Some of those machines are “dependents” that seed and fertilize the land, among other restoration or transformation projects.

Other oddities of the war years include rock monkeys that carry broadswords and a mystic Owl of the Bluegrass. The Owl wears a helmet and seems to be an owlish version of Hawkman, although the Owls are usually accompanied by crows. The Owl knows how to pass through the Girding Wall that separates North from South. Marcia needed that knowledge when she was sent on a rescue mission.

In the present, Marcia is a civilian bureaucrat employed by the Commonwealth, but the Federal military demands her return to service to act as a guide in the hill country, where a military team disappeared while investigating … something. Drones and low-orbit satellites that keep an eye on treaty states spotted an anomaly in quarantined territory that merited personal investigation. Once again faced with something that might be a rescue mission, the intrepid Marcia discovers a threat that had gone dormant. Events ensue that might force the Federals to reconsider the nature of dependents.

Without detailed knowledge of the earlier books, I couldn’t make much sense of the background to These Prisoning Hills. I nevertheless give Rowe credit for building an imaginative future and describing it in polished prose. Still, Rowe gives more attention to background than characterization. Marcia might be any reluctant soldier in any war. The ending is ambiguous, although ambiguity fits in with the story as a whole.

A longer story might have supplied a meatier plot and more depth of character than These Prisoning Hills achieves, but readers who enjoyed earlier works in the series will probably enjoy this one. For other readers, this is enough here to warrant a recommendation, but it might be best to start with related stories that appear in the collection Telling the Map.

RECOMMENDED

Fantastic worldbuilding. It gives just enough to make the reader interested in this universe. I think setting this far after the war is such a great move. I'd love to read more from this world. The ending was a little abrupt, which is my only criticism.

I love Christopher Rowe's work, especially his Voluntary State universe and this did not disappoint. The ending seemed a bit abrupt, but maybe I just want more.

This was a pretty surprising pick for me! The description piqued my interest, and I’m so glad I had the chance to give it a read. Please pick this up, and you’ll love it too!

I seem to be reading a lot of short but wonderfully weird books lately, and this was one of them! Dystopia, Appalacia, AI- there's a lot of good stuff happening IMO. There was more of a focus on military-ish stuff (wow my talent for words are amazing today) which I personally really liked, so I would definitely recommend this to readers who are into that type of thing are less concerned with a lot of plot and character development.

Extreme kudos to the cover designer- this one is awesome.

Thanks so much for the review copy!

These Prisoning Hills was a really interesting read that felt like a combination of Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer and I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison- a fascinating mix of "evil AI takeover" and "a strange change coming over the world that morphs our very biology". In concept it had all the ingredients to make for a deeply engaging and interesting story yet it ultimately missed the mark due to one key reason: character. Throughout the story we follow Marcia, flipping between her past in the army and her present asba guide on a dangerous rescue mission. In theory this should work as an interesting way to teach us about this character and show us how she has changed and grown between these two times, but it just doesn't. Her personality feels the same between both time periods and up until the very end each chapter felt so short that the jumps between time felt kind of jarring and never really gave me a moment to grow attached to her as a character. I was honestly a bit bored by her as a character, and while the plot and world were fascinating the book was too short to really feel like we fully explored the concepts presented to us. I still enjoyed what we did get, but I was left wishing that there was more- I could have easily read another two or three hundred pages of this world and the war that had ravaged it, hopefully those extra pages also providing some more opportunities for Marcia to really develop into a more fleshed out character. I would still definitely reccomend this read for concept alone, but to me it felt like I was served a plate of really delicious mashed potatoes and gravy only to find that my host forgot to defrost the steak- I really enjoyed what I got, but I just wish there was more to it. That all being said- I would 100% pick up a full length novel by this author set in this world, the real saving grace of this novella was how interesting the world is and how badly I need to know more about it.

Some days I just wake up craving a science fiction novella. Today's read is These Prisoning Hills, written by Christopher Rowe.

Athena Parthenus, the Queen of Reason, is a sentient and powerful A.I. She used to rule the Voluntary State of Tennessee before she decided to destroy the American Southwest. That changed things for good.

This is where Marcia comes into play. She's being sent back into the fray because they need her help finding the one weapon they need to stand a chance in this war. We can only hope that they'll find it.

It always amazes me how complex novellas can be, especially science fiction novellas. I think that is why I love them so much! These Prisoning Hills had so many moving parts in the narrative that it was difficult to sum it up in only two paragraphs.

Sometimes I love a solid "evil A.I. Conquering the world" story. And there are times when I find it exhausting. Thankfully, I was in the former mood when I picked up These Prisoning Hills.

There are some very typical elements one would expect here, but there are also a lot of twists and surprises. Not least is the political situation portrayed...that one is kind of heavy, or at least it was for me.

Long story short, These Prisoning Hills is a fascinating science fiction read, one that I would recommend for those that want something both familiar and different.

Taking a break from promo for my own book --REUNION!-- to say you should get
@ChristopherRowe's terrific story of the AI-pocalypse, THESE PRISONING HILLS: a unique and inventive take on humans vs. machines, deeply thought with propulsive action. Loved it.

It’s not often that Appalachia becomes the focus of a science fiction story, despite the unending talk of turning coal miners into coders. So when I first noticed the ominous cover of These Prisoning Hills and learned that it takes place within that fabled range, I had to get my hands on the novella. Christopher Rowe’s book is haunting, vague and an incredible work of imagination that left me questioning its deeper ideas. 

These Prisoning Hills follows Marcia, a former captain who fought in a long ago war against the rogue artificial intelligence known as Athena Parthenus. This all powerful A.I. ran the Voluntary State and declared war on the southeastern United States. Marcia has been pulled out of her long retirement as the federals have discovered that one of Athena’s dreaded Commodores, has been unearthed and may threaten the land once again. It’s up to her to lead a new generation of soldiers through the shifting landscape of Appalachia to find the hulking weapon of mass destruction. 

While I did not read the other short stories that are a part of this world Rowe has created, I had no issue understanding the time and place These Prisoning Hills existed within. If Rowe accomplishes one thing with this novella, it’s Atmosphere, and boy is it thick. It’s been a while since I felt transported to another time and place in the way this novella imagines the weirdness of Appalachia. From the vague descriptions of the geography, to the volunteer warbands that dress like birds to hide from Athena’s eyes, I was engrossed. There was an ominous and foreboding tinge to both the present and past timelines within the book, as if each perspective informed the other. Time does not matter, and it does not heal within this place. 

Marcia was a particularly likable protagonist for such a short story. She felt like a woman who has lived a life full of sorrow, pain and has accepted her fate. Her voice rolls out clearly and strongly. I especially loved her little asides about her on again, off again husband Carter. She had a dry wit that was fashioned from a lifetime of knowing the people around her. The characters around her too all felt like big personalities, even in their short page count. Alma, a side character from Marcia’s past, is easily the most memorable for me. Her curiosity about history ending once she realizes it involves “fucking empires.” Everyone had their bit to play, but they felt alive because of Marcia’s little flavor she adds to their interactions. 

One of the more fascinating aspects of These Prisoning Hills is how Rowe engages with the world within the novella. Word choice and language have a particular meaning, especially when it comes to the periphery and the people and objects that act within it. It feels like there is so much happening beyond Marcia’s perception, and Rowe only gives hints of it here. Not only does it make me want to read the other stories set within this world, but it opens up so many questions about how the society is set up. It forces the reader to ask questions and draws connective lines between the varying factions. There may be sides, but how we view their different systems is all defined by the words we use to describe them. It isn’t a matter of “good vs bad,” so much as who gets to be deemed active or passive, and how that assigns a particular righteousness. It’s even blatantly called attention to with a single line in a conversation. 

I am enthralled by this small work. It may not be some folks' cup of tea as it’s a piece of fiction that raises more questions than it answers, but I found it particularly delicious. I read it twice just to feel the atmosphere, and slip beyond the walls of my own imagination. These Prisoning Hills is something special and I hope more people have the ability to check it out. 

Rating: These Prisoning Hills 8.5/10 
-Alex 

An ARC of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts on this book are my own.

Long ago, a rouge AI named Athena Parthenus invaded the American Southeast and transformed the landscape using nanotechnology. Everything from flora to fauna to the ground itself she turned into her own biomechanical weapons.

Marcia, a former captain in the war, remembers the horror of Athena’s creations firsthand, so when one of Athena’s most deadly weapons is believed to be buried near the Commonwealth, federal troops enlist her aid in finding it.

These Prisoning Hills by Christopher Rowe presents an intriguing post-apocalyptic novella with some really cool concepts. There’s an omnipotent AI, rock monkeys, and flying bears.

In fact, the story is so caught up in its own ideas that it buries its plot and character writing with them. The first half of the novella is spent mainly establishing the world's history and worldbuilding. Nothing eventful happens until much later on, and once we do finally get to the climax, I found it underwhelming.

This was a major disappointment because I adore its central premise of an expedition team going into unknown, dangerous territory (i.e. Annihilation or At the Mountains of Madness), and I just wish we got gotten more of that adventuring aspect.

Overall, I think this might boil down to an issue of length. It feels more like we’re getting more of a fragment of a story and it might have worked better if it had been fleshed out into a full novel.

Promising setting and concept with a somewhat lackluster followthrough, the premise and cover alone may offer enough inspiration to provide a basis for any reader. While I enjoyed my time with it, the writing was such that I would hold out on recommending it unless the reader is already drawn in by these concepts.

Content warning: PTSD, self-administered eye surgery, bombing, subjugation, kidnapping

It’s another post-apocalypse in Appalachia, but this one has to do with a war long thought over against an AI named Athena Parthenus. Decades go by, and the main character, Marcia, is about to retire until she’s reinstated for one more mission to investigate an automaton that’s reawakened.

The world-building is really cool in this one. There’s a band of Owl and Crow resistance groups who cosplay as their respective birds, and it’s interesting to see the different community dynamics of the few remaining human enclaves. There several different types of robots, and it’s not entirely clear if all the people aren’t some kind of cyborg as well. The writing is clear and crisp, and it’s easy to keep all the different factions clear.

It’s a bit on the nose in its exploration of the collapse of an empire and the cycles of violence that come with it, citing examples of Greek and Roman history in casual dialogue. But for a small vignette of a greater world, it simply deepens the worldbuilding.

Due to the brevity of the work, the character development loses a bit of its depth. That being said, it’s rad to have a genre work about a reckoning with past and present while AI have different agendas with regards to where the world goes next.

I liked what I understood of These Prisoning Hills, and found the story to be really atmospheric and intriguing. I will also fully admit that I was lost for a not insignificant portion of the book. Both things said, I would still venture back into this world, especially now that I have a little clearer picture of what is happening.

As the synopsis tells us, we're in post-apocalyptic America, specifically, Tennessee. An AI has pretty much made a mess of things, but pockets of humanity remain strong and fighting. Our main character, Marcia, fought in the original war with the AI, but finds herself back in the fight. I liked what I got to know of Marcia. She was older, which was refreshing to see, plus it gave her a ton of experience for the task at hand. Obviously since it was a novella we didn't get to delve too deep into her character, but I enjoyed what we did get.

The world itself was quite fascinating, and I definitely would be eager to learn more about it. The atmosphere was on point and definitely forbidding, and I absolutely felt the fear and desolation of the area. That said, I really had a hard time wrapping my head around what exactly happened during the war- the last one, and even the current one- and what the AI endgame was. But again, I'd definitely be up for more of the world and characters!

Bottom Line: While I was a bit lost on certain points, I also really enjoyed what I did understand.

My favorite thing about this book is the setting. I want to know so much more about this world and what comes next. Rowe includes just enough details so you can picture what is happening, and lets your mind fill in the rest. This was a quick read so perfect for summer. I would recommend this book for sci-fi fans.

I was a little lost for much of this novella, but I still really enjoyed it! A lush and fantastical snippet of a post-apocalyptic America. I was so fascinated by the Crows and the Owls, and would gladly pick up a book all about them.