This is one of the most engaging epic fantasy books I’ve ever read. Which is the opposite tac most authors take in this genre. Most of the time, epic means slow to build and come together, but here, because there are multiple, shifting perspectives and a truly wondrous world that feels completely new, rather than derivatives, again, expected in this genre, it is almost impossible to soak up everything that is happening. I felt similarly with The Vanished Birds; a re read would be almost required, but also exciting because so much happens and is happening during any given page. Large chunks of time can go by in a page or two, whole stories from people never before or seen or seen again are told. It’s honestly a staggering amount of information, and that’s why I felt like it was the kind of book you first have to let wash over you, and then process again.

You are an audience member to a play unfurling, telling the history of a spear, a dynasty, and two individuals crossing a nation at and after a crossroads. Sometimes the perspective goes inside these individuals, sometimes it encapsulates everyone; other times a narrator is basically giving stage directions and giving you meta knowledge about what’s happening on the stage. It’s a truly novel approach and completely captivating.

Even at a surface level, having consumed it on audio only, and felt inundated with the story, I think this will be one of my favourite fantasy books, possibly of all time. There is a conversation with morality, complex characters, queerness, nuanced and layered storytelling, and worldbuilding that felt completely new to me. I cannot wait to re read it at some point, on the page, preferably.