Farm Land: Intelligence

It's been two and a half years since I read the first of G Lawrence's Farm Land trilogy, Farm Land: Sentience, so I was a little concerned on starting its sequel, Farm Land: Intelligence, that I would not remember enough of what had gone before. I need not have worried. Farm Land: Sentience was such a memorable novel that I was soon thoroughly engrossed in Holt's story again, feeling as if I had never been away. I think it would be advisable to read the series in order as, while Holt's drive for freedom in this book could be read as a standalone adventure, much of what makes these stories so gripping for me is the environment within which they are set. Farm Land: Intelligence does drop hints and reminders, but to fully appreciate the enthralling depth of Lawrence's created world I feel it's necessary to journey with Holt from the very beginning.

Farm Land: Intelligence cracks along at a faster pace so, while I appreciated its greater sense of energy, I did also miss the depth of world building and detail from the first book. Idiosyncratic characters such as Hathor seemed to feature less strongly too although I appreciated Lawrence's depictions of how psychologically damaged the rescued factory prisoners were. I wondered if these images would be as strong to non-vegans. I wasn't as astounded by Holt's inter-species interactions because I already understood them. The reactions of other characters were nicely portrayed though and I especially loved one minor character's awakening to the reality of the 'cows' he blithely ate. Lawrence has a real skill for illustrating the wrongs of our own world through the distorted lens of Farm Land. I hope these these thought-provoking moments are as shocking and eye-opening to all her readers!