Fantastic dystopian story in a world where men, "mankeys", are being phased out of a society run solely by women. Told thru the eyes of Nick who has ties to several women although he is not sure why those relationships exist. The story has mystery, adventure, and tons of ideas that will make you think about the value of family and love. The ending gives us a few answers and leaves the reader hoping a sequel is coming out soon.

I received a complimentary advance copy of Severed Roots through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers program. My review is voluntary. After starting the book, I’ve decided to postpone finishing it when I can hold a more open attitude toward it. Right now the premise is making me cringe and much of the story is uncomfortable. And I usually love dystopian literature, so the genre is not the problem. I will update my review once I am able to finish the book in a better frame of mind.

I'm not quite sure how to rate this book. Since I enjoyed it and it was an interesting read I'll go above average, but I can't give it as high of a rating overall. I actually started at 3.5 stars, realised more about what annoyed me while writing and decreased it to three stars and when I started writing about the ending I wanted to take off another half star but 2.5 felt a little too low for an overall rating...

This book is set in a future when women rule and women are seen as the ideal, rather than men. While I don't have a problem with cruel dystopian regimes, this one felt like it may have a somewhat misogynistic undertone while I was reading it. The book explores a future full of misandry which I'm good with, but I really don't buy the way that the government treats other women. The vast, vast majority of women I know wouldn't stand for most of this (forced child removal, not being allowed to choose to get married or get pregnant, families being illegal, babies being described as products, etc). Although I'm not Canadian so maybe people are just different there. While this could theoretically be an interesting concept we are not told how the world gets here, which I think probably added to that uncomfortable feeling (and I'm not talking that good kind of dystopian uncomfortable here) in the back of my mind. That coupled with the fact that the author is a man (although this plays less of a role here) makes it feel (at times) like a projection of someone who believes that feminism is a bad thing. I also wasn't a big fan of where Beatrice's storyline went. She was such an intriguing character but at the the end of the day a man saved here, even though this is a world run by women and one that focuses on female empowerment...

Despite being slightly uncomfortable with the tone, I did otherwise enjoy the book. I enjoyed that it looked at the harm that gender roles can have (although I disliked that the groups all represented some kind of extremes) and I did mostly enjoy the plot, which follows a desire to escape from society's boxes. Although hey, you probably get to escape to a new set of boxes. The book started off strong and had a strong portion around the middle, but other bits just fall flat. I think having some of the events fleshed out a bit more and expanded upon could have helped a lot. Nick's travels in particular were pretty vague and his problems were solved with some hand waving. I don't really want to go beyond that to avoid potential spoilers, but the writing definitely felt stronger when he wasn't trying to get somewhere. The ending also makes this feel like it's a first book? Even though this isn't mentioned anywhere (at the time of reading at least). Not going to lie, I found the ending a little unsatisfying. I feel like it needed to go somewhere more. ( )

I have read many dystopian novels, but none like this. The unique view of womanhood being the ideal is intriguing. Usually we see the opposite. I have seen other reviews compare this to "The Handmaid's Tale," but reversed. There might be some truth in that statement, but I think it is an entirely new concept all together.

With all the real dangers to civilization in our world today, this author is worried about feminism. One full star off for that.

This is the story of a man who's being chemically, but not permanently, unsexed. He has enough manhood left to take an interest in earning a living, although as a man he has no chance at a good job. He does stage magic. It doesn't pay well but it's better than other men are doing. He has three friends: an older woman whom he fails to visit when she's hospitalized with cancer, a woman who's only slightly older than he is and talks down to him but helps him in crises, and a younger woman who's been publicly shamed for wanting to have children of her own and rear them--being a wife! "Wife" is verbal abuse in the New Feminist Order that prevails in Canada, though the New Order doesn't seem to have prevailed long enough, or to be secure enough, for "wife" to have a real sting. Anyway, with the help of his friends the man is able to bring the woman who will be his wife to a secret underground colony, literally underground in a maximu security prison, where a few people are forming traditional families again

It is pleasant to imagine, if only for a few hours, a world where this novel would be remotely relevant to any reasonable person's real concerns about the future of civilization. I enjoyed this piece of escape fantasy. The characterizations are nicely done; the wife seems a poor little thing but the protagonist and his two friends are a believable image of nonviolent resistance. It would be interesting to see them becoming aware of chemical poisoning, environmental destruction, or "trans-humanism." ( )