A storm of wings

This is one of the best books I've ever read. Unfortunately, nothing I could write here will properly capture why I think that. I'll try, though.

A Storm of Wings is ostensibly a follow-up to The Pastel City, a fantasy and vaguely swords-and-sorcery series that fits into the Dying Earth subgenre. But it'd be better described as an escalation; it takes everything about the the first book in the Viriconium series and cranks it up 1000x.

The stakes are higher, the scenes are denser, the characters have sharper personalities with more interesting traits and motivations. It's even more fantastical, more poetic, and much, much weirder.

This strangeness has been off-putting to some judging by the other reviews. After all, there's nothing about The Pastel City that suggests the author was holding something back: it was weird and free and fearless.

But apparently M. John Harrison was holding back a lot, and you'd almost think Pastel City was some overbearing prison by the way he bursts forth here. If you were expecting a more traditional sequel (and of course you would be) then it's going to take some adjusting.

You'll often feel like you're drowning in his prose, but there's nothing extraneous about it. Every insane moment, every bonkers conversation or bizarre imagery serves a purpose, and by the end you'll be able to piece it together (though you'll sound like a madman if you explain it to someone else).

You're meant not to understand everything, especially in the beginning, as M. John Harrison really embraces what it means to be a fantasy (or sci-fi, if you prefer) story. But stick with it, because figuring it out is incredibly rewarding.

I recommend strongly reading the first book to get an idea of the prose and world and characters, then go into this one knowing full well that it's bonkers. I think that'll give you the proper expectations to accept and enjoy it.

It's something really special.