3.25 stars

Lana Baker, an optimist and scribe, gets tricked into being sent to scribe at the Low Parliament. At the Low Parliament, the politicians continue to disagree on just about everything, and every vote ends up hung. Fairies work as the overseers of Parliament, and if the votes continue to hang, then a deadly flood will be unleashed on them all. Lana quickly befriends Bugbite, the fairy overseeing the scribes, and the two regularly get high together to make the long Parliament sessions bearable. Lana must work with Bugbite and the mysterious, beautiful dancer she spots in the courtyard in order to try and save them all

A fun, quick read, High Times in the Low Parliament is satirical and comedic and doesn't take itself too seriously. I had a little trouble following the plot at times, but I found the characters, especially Lana, delightful. She's eternally optimistic and it was fun to read this story through her eyes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really really wanted to love this book, but the plot was so scattered I couldn't ever get in it enough to focus and enjoy what I was reading. The fantastic side of that is the book is a totally wild ride that was soclose to being an absolute trip of.a fun time. It ended up as a bit left of a fun time, and leaned a bit too hard into just weird, no whimsy. I usually love weird little novellas, but this one missed the mark for me.

I was really looking forward to this one (the description! the cover!), but alas. The plot was a total mess. Thematically, I think it was meant to be a satire of Brexit, maybe, or perhaps about politicians being useless windbags and politics being nonsense and how a common person is needed to save the day, which is a theme that has gotten old, oh, a few hundred years ago, and got the world nowhere good recently. Or something. I've no idea. It ended up being muddled beyond recognition and left me wondering what was the all-important point.

As for the humour, I know I'm a notorious curmudgeon about comedic books, but I hated it. Very very much. Especially Lana's awkward and forced attempts at flirting. Her personality, apart from being a woman of the people who doesn't really care about politics is pretty much being a womanizer fond of drugs who flirts with everyone (and I can't overstate how awful said flirting is), and if she was a man (there are only women in this world apparently?) or if this was a novel instead of a novella, I'd have tossed my ereader against the wall a few pages in.

HIGHLIGHTS
~politicians now have CONSEQUENCES
~yeast is hallucinogenic now???
~you’ll never guess where babies come from
~fairies > men

I’m sure I’m not the first one to say this, but: this book is a trip.

High Times in the Low Parliament has much the same vibe as its main character Lana: charming, delightful, and here to have a good time. But just as Lana – to her own surprise – finds herself having to knuckle down and get at least reasonably serious, so too does High Times reveal an unexpectedly genuine heart beneath the giggles and glitter.

See, in Lana’s world, parliament isn’t the ruling body of a single country: it’s where representatives of all the countries on Earth hash out international law. And to force them all to get along, the fairies have a law of their own: if parliament can’t keep its shit together, the fairies will drown it under the waves.

Honestly, I can think of more than one government in our world which might benefit from that kind of magical threat. Ahem.

Anyway. Due to dastardly trickery, Lana ends up appointed one of the scribes recording everything that’s said on the parliament floor…and maybe that wouldn’t be so bad, in another year. But at the moment? Parliament can’t seem to agree on anything. They’re deadlocked, and the end of the parliamentary session is rapidly approaching. If they can’t come to an agreement by then, they’re all going to drown.

This could have been a super-serious book, full of intrigue and plots and the importance of democracy, or whatever – but instead, Lana makes friends by sharing hallucinogens and spends her time gazing adoringly at the most beautiful of the representatives. Which is not to say it’s empty-headed fluff-fic, because it most certainly is not – there’s some sobering stuff about the sheer awfulness of the worst of humanity, and the friendship that develops between Lana and Bugbite, the fairy overseeing the scribes, is pretty literally game-changing in a way I massively appreciated. Plus, a huge amount of the tension is in seeing how the stupidity of the ruling class/politicians has direct consequences for civilians – the representatives are far from the only humans in parliament, and all the cooks and cleaners and everyone else will drown too.

It’s not the subtlest of metaphors.

The prose is quite light and breezy, and maybe that’s why it took me a little while to realise something was nagging at me about Lana’s world. At first, I was just delighted that we were getting so many women in positions of power – from running their own bakeries and taverns, to being representatives in parliament. And that didn’t stop delighting me…but eventually I realised that there are no men at all here. At all. Not anywhere in this world. Babies come from being respectable enough for a baby-giving fairy to bless you with one, as best I can make out, and folx, I love everything about this. I have so many questions, and I would really like more stories set in this world to see more of the backstory and how this all works, but I just. Find this absolutely fabulous.

Is there a causal link between the lack of men and world peace??? Hmmmm…

No, not really – the people causing trouble at parliament are women, after all. It’s pretty clear that things got magically fixed by fairies, not by an absence of men. But I am really curious about why Robson decided to craft her world like that. Maybe she, like me, just finds the idea really fun?

Because High Times in the Low Parliament is fundamentally fun. It’s a short, gleeful little read that will have you grinning, making weird shapes with your eyebrows, and definitely rolling your eyes at the ridiculousness of our heroine – even if you can’t help being extremely fond of her, too.

Highly recommended for anyone looking for fun, sneakily clever, and unexpected fantasy.

i loved this novella. it’s full of political intrigue and psychedelics, which make for an interesting and innovative mix. i’m also obsessed with the worldbuilding. the fact that it takes place in a realm free of men, where everyone is a lesbian, allows the author to explore how politics would exist if pervasive misogyny wasn’t polluting the system.

I had such a good time with Gods, Monsters, & the Lucky Peach and I was so excited to dive into this newest edition of Robson’s work!

First off, this book is very different to Lucky Peach, but it somehow feels more authentically Robson? This book feels like exactly something that Robson wanted to write and, as such, the amount of just pure fun and adventure is next level.

Lana Baker is a scribe who also happens to be a chronic flirt, suddenly finds her life upended when she is sent to work in Parliament. But an important verdict is about to be given and Lana needs to ensure that a hung-vote is not the outcome. So she teams up with Bugbite, an adorably grumpy fairy, and Eloquentia, a lovely human deputy to ensure the safety of the realm.

The stakes are sort of high, but not to the extent that they’re overly stressed. The focus of the story is Lana’s fun character and the trouble said character gets her into.

Oh and did I mention it’s sapphic and poly? Cause it’s definitely sapphic and poly - so expect to enjoy some fun and freely given kisses.

High Times was a joy to read and I’m already excited for what Robson will write next!


*I received an eARC from Macmillan-Tor/Forge (Tordotcom) & NetGalley in exchange for my honest review*

Thanks (I think) to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novella. I uhhhhh ya know, I feel like 2 stars is a fair assessment. Normally, I write really long winded, super detailed reviews of the novels I read for NetGalley...but I don't think I could even begin to explain what happened in this one and how horrible mislead I was. Honestly, this review sums up my thoughts https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4245137961?book_show_action=true&from_review_page=1 and had I not read this review while reading the book, I don't think I would have realized the lack of men in this world. Yeah.

Lana is a womanizer who is drifting through life with very little ambition when a fellow scribe tricks her into delivering a letter to the fairy overlords. Press-ganged into becoming a scribe at Low Parliament, Lana soon discovers that all is not well there. If the humans can’t get their act together the fairies will wash away Parliament, drowning all of the inhabitants including Lana and the parliamentarian she is lusting after.

I had a few problems with this novella. The first was the character of Lana. She’s terrible. Like genuinely not a very good person. She spends the entire book objectifying the women around her, doing drugs, and trying to “woo” a woman she is lusting after. Her main character trait is “womanizer” which even though for some reason the world this novella takes place in is one where only women exist (don’t get me started on why that’s not ideal….) still drives me crazy. Whether a character is a man, woman, or non-binary person, if you spend all of your time trying to get into someone else’s pants, and they repeatedly tell you they aren’t interested but you continue to pursue them, and you only notice things about their physical appearance, you are a bad person not worthy of me spending even 200 pages with. It’s also just not very interesting and grates on the nerves after about 20 pages.

The plot was another thing about this book that didn’t really work for me. Because it is so short we don’t really understand what Parliament is before Lana arrives there. Then we find out that she is likely going to die because…. fairies are mean I guess?!? But instead of doing anything about it Lana takes some drugs and it’s not until the 11th hour that Lana suddenly notices the crucial piece of information that is somehow going to allow her to save the day. Never mind the fact that Lana is not a smart character so it is incredibly unbelievable that she would notice what she does and be able to act on it. I understand that the author was trying to satirize Brexit but there just wasn’t enough substance even for a novella here.

There were two things I really liked about this book, otherwise I likely would have dnf’d. The first thing I thought was amazingly well done was the portrayal of the fairies. They felt very unique and I honestly wanted more about them and their habits/culture. The other thing I liked was the worldbuilding that felt like Elizabethan England with a dose of fantasy, almost like alternate history with a magical twist. The places that were described felt real and lived in, and I especially liked Low Parliament. There is however one huge caveat to this and that is the decision to remove gender diversity and have only women in the entire world. I really don’t understand why authors do things like this, because not only are you erasing men and heterosexuality from the story (which I think is generally the point), but you are also erasing other gender identities and sexualities. I want stories with non-binary, and trans characters, gender fluidity, asexuality, pansexuality, etc. etc. Rethinking the binary is important, but eliminating all but one kind of person isn’t really better it’s just reinforcing it in a different way.

Overall my feelings on this book are very meh. It might be for you if you have been personally affected by Brexit and have very strong negative feelings about it and want to work through those feelings in a fantasy world with mean fairies. Unfortunately that angle didn’t really appeal to me as a reader.

Delightful and mordantly cheerful, High Times in the Low Parliament creates an all-female world where the worst circumstances can be overcome with friendship, cunning, and drugs - mostly drugs. Lana Baker is a scribe, but mostly a layabout who spends her days kissing girls and drinking. When she is summoned to Parliament to serve as a scribe, Lana finds herself trapped among bickering politicians as fairies get ready to drown everyone if they can't agree. Using her wits, friendliness, and her mother's best yeast, Lana sets out to enjoy what may be the rest of her life - or maybe save everyone. Robson's work sparkles with creativity and wit, leavened with sarcasm and just a little bit of hope. A bright spot in dark times, High Times in the Low Parliament is one of the best stories I've read this year, destined for a spot on 2022's Best of lists, and is one I'll be rereading whenever I need a smile.

Very playful. A world with a lot of unanswered questions that actually adds some depth to the plucky, determined group fighting for sense in a senseless political world - that may resonate for some as of late.

High Times in the Low Parliament is a quick jaunt into Kelly Robson's unique fantasyland...where fairies enforce the government, and one human woman makes it her mission to flirt with every being she meets. There are no men in this world, which gives us a good deal of sapphic romance and a lot of shameless feminine adoration from the perspective of Lana, our scribe protagonist.
This was a unique short story with an offbeat premise, but wasn't really my cup of tea. I prefer a bit more world-building and plot in my stories. Lots of good lesbian representation though (but in a world of solely women there's not much else to choose from)!

It’s a little weird but it’s good. Lana’s up for a good time in life and gets tricked into going to her world’s parliament as a scribe. The fairies are about to drown everyone, she gets high a lot and fumbles towards a solution trying to save herself. Just roll with the no men and praying to a natal fairy for a baby. And apparently the yeast in this world takes the edge off life…. Like I said, kind of a weird book but it’s short and fun.

I don't know why this one just wasn't for me. It didn't make sense a lot of the time, and I didn't really care about the characters. I loved that they found each other in the end, but getting there felt...awkward.

This is an adorable and hilarious book set in an alternate England where humans and fairies--all women--make coalitions and develop relationships that--ultimately--find a way to end the filibuster keeping the government deadlocked. I was charmed by the characters, their yeast highs, and their smarts. It's an utter romp with terrific world-building and character development --the perfect antidote to current politics.

High Times in the Low Parliament is like if Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell was written as a stoner buddy comedy. Unfortunately, while that sentence sounds kind of delightfully weird, my final impression with High Times was just the weird, and none of the delight.

There are some intriguing threads in this novella, hinting at a world I'd like to know more about, but the threads are all twisted into fraying tangles that lead nowhere. Mostly, I spent the story thinking okay, I get that this is some sort of parable or allegory for real world politics, but what exactly are we doing? And to what point? And is it really advocating colonialism? And WHY is [whatever oddity of the world or plot was happening at that moment]?? To what end??

I don't demand that books, especially short ones and comedic ones at that, have a moral or a message, but this one really seemed to be trying to make a point about...Brexit or something, I guess, and honestly, I couldn't figure out what I ought to be taking away from it beyond the humor (which, most unfortunately of all, just didn't land with me). Humans are naturally divisive? Drug trips are funny? Tyrannical oppressive governments know best? Frankly, I didn't laugh nearly often enough to make up for what a mess the plot and world seemed to be.

Thanks to Tordotcom for the advance copy.

This book was fun, but it definitely felt like it was more about the characters than the plot. In a lot of cases this is fine, but it felt like there was the possibility of more story that just got lost under the characters and their relationships. I felt like at the end I still wasn't sure exactly what the point was of even having the plot when the characters were more the point and more interesting.

I loved the world building, and I wish we'd had more of that than the weak political intrigue. What's the yeast? Why don't they allow alcohol in Low Parliament? What's the history of this world? Are there actually only women in the entire world? So many questions.

I thank the publisher & netgalley for the advance copy.

"Award-winning author Kelly Robson returns with High Times in the Low Parliament, a lighthearted romp through an 18th-century London featuring flirtatious scribes, irritable fairies, and the dangers of Parliament.

Lana Baker is Aldgate's finest scribe, with a sharp pen and an even sharper wit. Gregarious, charming, and ever so eager to please, she agrees to deliver a message for another lovely scribe in exchange for kisses and ends up getting sent to Low Parliament by a temperamental fairy as a result.

As Lana transcribes the endless circular arguments of Parliament, the debates grow tenser and more desperate. Due to long-standing tradition, a hung vote will cause Parliament to flood and a return to endless war. Lana must rely on an unlikely pair of comrades - Bugbite, the curmudgeonly fairy, and Eloquentia, the bewitching human deputy - to save humanity (and maybe even woo one or two lucky ladies), come hell or high water."

There's an air of Regency Magic here!

When I think a book is going to be really good but then it falls flat for me I will assume that I just didn't get it. That's what I'm assuming here. I like a lot of the elements: lesbian Lotharios, fairies, confounding architecture, but I kept feeling like I was missing something.
My first instinct is to say that I don't understand the current or historical political situations of the real world to know what is being satirized here. Is it the inanity of politicking in general? Is it the European Union? Canadian Parliament? Once the political plot of the book got rolling I felt very lost, but I'm not sure that this is my only problem with this book.
Another thing I noticed after thinking on it for a few hours is that Bugbite and Lana only become friends because they are constantly getting high together. Like imagine if you were like "my middle manager is a nightmare, I'm going to smoke weed with them until they like me". Again, I just might not be getting it, but this feels like a sort of shallow relationship that won't outlast the circumstances of the novel by any length.

Overall, this was fine. But it didn't quite hit the mark for me? I know authors hate this when it comes to novellas, I truly do think this would've benefited from being a bit longer with a bit more time to develop the world building and relationships. Lana was okay as the main character and I did like how her relationship with Bugbite developed. Bugbite's growth in her relationship with the scribes was well done. The relationship with Eloquentia, on the other hand, felt kind of forced? I understood them banding together politically, but I don't feel like there was enough time for me as a reader to buy a romantic relationship forming.

It's the world building that felt flat for me. I didn't totally understand why the Parliament had been formed or why the fairies were acting as enforcers.

But if you're looking for a no thoughts, just vibes lesbian stoner fantasy read, then I definitely recommend this. I think this will be a big hit with some people.

The description of High Times in Low Parliament sucked me in. However, I was expecting something more akin to a political thriller or fantasy adventure. What I got was a "fantasy stoner comedy." I guess I missed that from the title. It was not for me. I do hope this book finds an audience with people who enjoy this humor.

I loved the idea of a world made entirely of women, and I wanted to really peel back the layers and understand it. Alas, it was merely a backdrop for the antics of the main character.

Representation: It's great to see lesbian characters front and center in fantasy!