The Spear Cuts Through Water
Ratings48
Average rating4.2
15
Ratings48
Average rating4.2
Two warriors shepherd an ancient god across a broken land to end the tyrannical reign of a royal family in this new epic fantasy from the author of The Vanished Birds. “A beguiling fantasy not to be missed.”—Evelyn Skye, New York Times bestselling author of The Crown’s Game ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2022—Tordotcom, BookPage, LitHub The people suffer under the centuries-long rule of the Moon Throne. The royal family—the despotic emperor and his monstrous sons, the Three Terrors—hold the countryside in their choking grip. They bleed the land and oppress the citizens with the frightful powers they inherited from the god locked under their palace. But that god cannot be contained forever. With the aid of Jun, a guard broken by his guilt-stricken past, and Keema, an outcast fighting for his future, the god escapes from her royal captivity and flees from her own children, the triplet Terrors who would drag her back to her unholy prison. And so it is that she embarks with her young companions on a five-day pilgrimage in search of freedom—and a way to end the Moon Throne forever. The journey ahead will be more dangerous than any of them could have imagined. Both a sweeping adventure story and an intimate exploration of identity, legacy, and belonging, The Spear Cuts Through Water is an ambitious and profound saga that will transport and transform you—and is like nothing you’ve ever read before.
Reviews with the most likes.
What. A. Novel. Simon Jimenez is operating on another level with The Spear Cuts Through Water. This is an evocative tale that beautifully blends fantasy, reality, and fable into a perfect package. To summarize the plot here would deprive you of the wonderful journey that awaits you once you crack open the first page. Jimenez simultaneously (and effectively) tells multiple nested stories, while exploring the nature of identity, love, and intergenerational trauma. The book is unwavering in its commitment to its characters, its story, and its structure. And it's told with such fierce confidence and love that I was totally mesmerized from start to finish.If [b:The Vanished Birds 45422268 The Vanished Birds Simon Jimenez https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1562699959l/45422268.SY75.jpg 70173100] (also excellent) didn't put Jimenez on the map, The Spear Cuts Through Water definitely will. This is a special book.See this review and others at The Speculative Shelf.My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book was really good. The only problem I have with it is how long it took to understand the flow of the book. If not for that, I would give it 5 stars.
Beautiful, lyrical prose. Fascinating structure: story-within-story-within story (which comes together in the end), use of all persons (i.e. first, second, third), and stage-like asides for minor and major characters alike. Very interesting world (e.g. psychic turtles!). Compelling characters. The atmosphere is part epic folk tale, part dream. Somehow also a love story.
I listened to the audiobook. The narrator was great and gave the story so much life, but I found myself having to rewind periodically, especially in the beginning while I acclimated to the POV switching. In hindsight, I would have preferred reading it.
OK, this was a pretty great and engaging read but it's also really complex that I can't even think of how to write a review. Like even writing a review requires some mental bandwidth that I don't feel like I have at the moment.
So I'll just summarize my experience: I enjoyed it. This was fun and satisfying. It wasn't always the most pleasant read because some graphic, horrible things do happen in it (nothing too triggering for me thankfully), but overall it all seems to serve a purpose and comes together in a pretty cohesive whole. I'm due to read The Vanished Birds some time early next year and I look forward to it.
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