Wow. Wow oh wow. I think Arcbeatle should have to pay for my therapy after the psychological damage this one did me. Usually I say that in a bad way, but this time, it is because the story was so damn good, but it worked so well because it was so damn disturbing. Every story in this series seems to deal our boy more and more trauma. 4.5/5 - a wonderful character piece that gave me greater understanding not only of the character, but of the series as a whole.

I did not have a Cwej landing on a desert planet mutating into something unrecognisable and cloning himself for food and then becoming god of that food on my Cwej: The Series bingo card. Because why would I what the f**k what the f**k what the f**k -
My boy has been TRAUMATISED. As have I. Please give him a break, I beg. Seeing that the next story has the word "trauma" in the title, I doubt that this begging will be successful.

This story did something very, very important to the character of Cwej - it showed us what he is like when he is alone. It also had some religious commentary that shows just how fascinatingly unsustainable Cwej's relationship with his Superiors really is - he was weary and doubtful of the Cwejen's blind, cult-like religion that led them to sacrifice themselfs (yes, that is the correct plural in this case, see The Book of the War) again and again, and yet did believe that they needed a purpose: to blindly follow the superiors, who sacrifice Cwejen, again and again. He is able to recognise and point out the f**ked up dynamics of, well, waves hands all this, and yet is not able to break from those same dynamics between him and the Superiors. We as the reader know and understand the terror of the Cwej-Superior relationship, and so we see this hypocrisy - we know he is steeped in propaganda, and yet we are still able to trust his assesment of this situation, still able to recognise that we are supposed to agree with him that this is f**ked up, even before we meet the cannibalistic bear. It's a very fine line to walk - trusting a character and his assessment of right and wrong in such a situation whilst also knowing that he is unreliable - and this story does it remarkably well. I am truly blown away by how delicate a balance is struck here - and how well-written this story is! It's on the longer side, without trying to wrangle too much plot, with such pleasant pacing that I found this a really easy read. Despite the horrors. The very necessary (for understanding Cwej) and uniquely disturbing (because this really wouldn't have been possible if it were any other character in any other situation) horros.

I also feel like I understand Larles and Kwol's role in this series much better now. I'd been thinking of them as companions to Cwej's Doctor, and thus bemoaning them not really being in the anthology that much, but across the last couple stories (with this one making me able to voice this properly) I have realised that they are meant to be Cwej's little secret, stashed away, who he is with occasionally but not all the time. They do not shape his relationship to the universe - they are an interesting addition, rather than a necessary part of the functioning of this series. They improve without being relied upon - it's an interesting dynamic, and one that it took me a little too long to get used to, but I feel like I enjoy them more now with this understanding.

I've only got a few stories left - although there is much more Cwej, both already published and on it's way, not much of what is already out is Cwej: The Series. I do feel as though I've fallen in love with the series, more than the character, and I will miss it greatly in-between releases.

So yeah, amazing story that made me understand the series and character a lot more, truly disturbing, 4.5/5.