Hello and happy Friday, godlings and Groots. Today we’re talking about the Iron Throne, SF/F audiobooks, beer and book pairings, The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie, and more.
This newsletter is sponsored by Flatiron Books, publishers of The Reign of the Kingfisher by T.J. Martinson.
Thirty years ago a superhero tried to save Chicago. Now the city is again under siege, in this gritty, suspenseful, and beautifully written novel from award-winning debut author T.J. Martinson.
Got a preferred candidate for the Iron Throne? This endorsement for Sansa Stark is compelling.
I did not know Harry Potter-themed Escape Rooms were a thing, and yet I am completely unsurprised.
Ready your earholes! Alex has rounded up 25 of the best SF/F audiobooks and it is quite a list.
Here’s a semi-secret: I’m prepping for an SFF Yeah! episode dedicated to Dune, with a very special guest (no I will not tell you who it is). So this piece on whether or not Dune is a “white savior” narrative is both relevant to my interests and very thoughtfully laid out.
Another find from my trip to LA: I scored an awesome print at the Time Travel Mart, and you should definitely check out their wares. Bonus: proceeds benefit 826LA,a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6 to 18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write.
I’m not saying it’s aliens, but …. the evidence around water on Mars could very well mean that Martians existed! My body is now ready for “A long time ago, on a planet not that far away…” space operas.
And while February is over, this round-up of speculative romances paired with beer is still worth your clicks.
Tuesday’s review was for a book that had both magic and science in it, and today’s is … sort of same? But also very different.
The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie
Trigger warning: self-harm, transphobia
This is Leckie’s first fantasy novel, and while it is hugely different from the Imperial Radch series, it also contains many elements that will be familiar to her fans. Narrated by a god who is literally a giant sentient rock, with a transgender main character, The Raven Tower examines the nature of reality, the power of words, the meaning of worship and sacrifice, and the bonds of friendship.
A note about voice: the book is told in second person, but not to you the reader — rather, to the you that is Eolo, our main character. I strongly encourage you, even if you think you don’t like second-person narration, to give this a shot; Leckie pulls it off beautifully.
Eolo is the aide and good friend to Mawat, the heir to the current ruler of Vastai. Mawat has been summoned home; his father is ailing, and it will likely soon be time for him to take up the mantle of power. In this case, that means an actual sacrifice: the ruler is the Raven’s Lease, who is granted power by a god called the Raven and who, in exchange for that power, must ritually kill himself at the end of his rule. Mawat has been raised in this tradition and is ready and willing to take up the burden, but he arrives to find his father missing and his uncle on the throne. (If you’re seeing shades of Hamlet here, you’re not wrong!) While Mawat stages a public protest, Eolo starts to investigate behind the scenes — and thus enters into a dark world of intrigue, including both political and actual backstabbing.
Our godly narrator, in the meantime, gives us centuries (millennia?) worth of information about the world of The Raven Tower. We see the evolution (although not named as such) of the humans, the cultural clashes of different tribes and settlements, and the clashes between different gods. It’s where these last two overlap, of course, that things start to get really interesting.
There is magic aplenty, as well as all-out battles, subterfuge, romance, and a full and varied cast of characters; if there are more books set in this world, there are a few people and things I am dying to know more about. And while it fits solidly into the pre-Industrial fantasy genre, The Raven Tower also strays into scientific territory more than once (for example, the laws of conservation of matter and energy make a cameo). The result is a science-minded fantasy that I found incredibly satisfying; giving me a rousing, action-packed tale while also pondering the mechanics of the universe is a sure way to my heart.
For Leckie fans, this will likely be another keeper for your shelf; for those who haven’t read her, this is a great intro to her work. It may also give you nightmares about ravens and/or rocks; you’ve been forewarned!
And that’s a wrap. You can find all of the books recommended in this newsletter on a handy Goodreads shelf. If you’re interested in more science fiction and fantasy talk, you can catch me and my co-host Sharifah on the SFF Yeah! podcast. For many many more book recommendations you can find me on the Get Booked podcast with the inimitable Amanda, or on Twitter as jennIRL.
Beware the old gods and the new,
Jenn