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vermilionaura's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
annachronistic's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
blue_guitar's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I read this as part of the 2024 r/fantasy Bingo – Entitled Animals
The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie is a perplexing read for me. It's told in a 2nd person narrative that only becomes clear later in the book - and in that period has essentially two main characters. Although to give too much away would be a spoiler. There's a good deal of mystery to it. Unfortunately, it's also a bit dry.
I found the world building really interesting. It's a world with many gods that take many different forms. Small animals, forests, rocks and small artifacts. The humans who worship the gods give them power and in turn, the gods provide boons and protection to the people they value.
With that premise, there's an interesting political intrigue created in the Raven Tower. It revolves around a usurped throne and an heir that struggles to regain his rightful place. Meanwhile, a separate story is told of the life of a god from the beginning of their existence to their present day.
I found the concepts really interesting. Unfortunately, I just didn't find the characters very likeable or particularly interesting. Eolo was the standout for me, he essentially plays the Horatio roll in Hamlet to a hot tempered and arrogant lord. Everyone else comes across as rather selfish, naive and kind of stupid.
The other aspect of the book - the story of the god is very slow paced. There's so much detail, page after page of exposition that my eyes were glazing over. There's some really unique ideas there - but I think ultimately, the book would have been stronger with Eolo as the sole focus.
The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie is a perplexing read for me. It's told in a 2nd person narrative that only becomes clear later in the book - and in that period has essentially two main characters. Although to give too much away would be a spoiler. There's a good deal of mystery to it. Unfortunately, it's also a bit dry.
I found the world building really interesting. It's a world with many gods that take many different forms. Small animals, forests, rocks and small artifacts. The humans who worship the gods give them power and in turn, the gods provide boons and protection to the people they value.
With that premise, there's an interesting political intrigue created in the Raven Tower. It revolves around a usurped throne and an heir that struggles to regain his rightful place. Meanwhile, a separate story is told of the life of a god from the beginning of their existence to their present day.
I found the concepts really interesting. Unfortunately, I just didn't find the characters very likeable or particularly interesting. Eolo was the standout for me, he essentially plays the Horatio roll in Hamlet to a hot tempered and arrogant lord. Everyone else comes across as rather selfish, naive and kind of stupid.
The other aspect of the book - the story of the god is very slow paced. There's so much detail, page after page of exposition that my eyes were glazing over. There's some really unique ideas there - but I think ultimately, the book would have been stronger with Eolo as the sole focus.
sammytee's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
satyarc's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
ampersandread22's review against another edition
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
3.0
tdavidovsky's review against another edition
5.0
In a world where gods have the power to manipulate truth and reality through speech alone, nothing and no one can be trusted. Such a setting is perfect for a thrilling political intrigue, and Ann Leckie absolutely delivers.
Mawat (loosely inspired by Hamlet) is a total tool who probably has a very punchable face. Eolo (loosely inspired by Horatio), Mawat's anxious but highly competent aide, is an absolute treasure. The dynamic between the two is very entertaining as they navigate a complicated succession crisis that involves local politics, usurping family members, powerful deities, and foreign conflict, all narrated by a ponderous minor god who likes to deliver delightful philisophical asides about language, power, and civilization. It's a very focused story, but by involving a couple of formidable deities who have witnessed all of human history (and who can change it if they want to), Leckie causes the stakes and setting to still feel somewhat epic in scope.
The magic system in this book is its most compelling aspect. All gods basically have the power to do anything simply by speaking their desires. If they say an entire army has been struck by plague, expect dysentery to start sweeping through the ranks. If they say a random lowborn farmer has become king, expect to find the peasant sitting on the throne with a crown on their head.
In some ways, the gods are totally omnipotent. Their words construct reality, shaping the past, present, and future. They can create anything simply by speaking it into existence.
However, in other ways, the gods do have limits. To obtain power, they have to recieve prayer and sacrifice from humans. If one tries to speak catastrophe into existence, a second god with sufficient power can put a stop to it. Gods who try to alter reality drastically have to expend a lot of power to do so, especially if another diety is trying to prevent such alterations. When too much power is expended, a god can die.
The narrator of The Raven Tower is a relatively minor god, but it's very smart about how and when it use its power. As a result, it saves up a lot of power over time. It's powerful enough that if it says something is true, it might become so. Its words construct reality, building the world as it narrates it. If it lies, the reader has no way to know because fiction can become fact if the god wants it to.
It's the kind of story that can make a brain hurt, and it's more than worth it. It feels like William Shakespeare's plays merged with Judith Butler's essays—philisophical, fun, queer, and mysterious. Come for the linguistics; stay for the wonderful narrator.
Mawat (loosely inspired by Hamlet) is a total tool who probably has a very punchable face. Eolo (loosely inspired by Horatio), Mawat's anxious but highly competent aide, is an absolute treasure. The dynamic between the two is very entertaining as they navigate a complicated succession crisis that involves local politics, usurping family members, powerful deities, and foreign conflict, all narrated by a ponderous minor god who likes to deliver delightful philisophical asides about language, power, and civilization. It's a very focused story, but by involving a couple of formidable deities who have witnessed all of human history (and who can change it if they want to), Leckie causes the stakes and setting to still feel somewhat epic in scope.
The magic system in this book is its most compelling aspect. All gods basically have the power to do anything simply by speaking their desires. If they say an entire army has been struck by plague, expect dysentery to start sweeping through the ranks. If they say a random lowborn farmer has become king, expect to find the peasant sitting on the throne with a crown on their head.
In some ways, the gods are totally omnipotent. Their words construct reality, shaping the past, present, and future. They can create anything simply by speaking it into existence.
However, in other ways, the gods do have limits. To obtain power, they have to recieve prayer and sacrifice from humans. If one tries to speak catastrophe into existence, a second god with sufficient power can put a stop to it. Gods who try to alter reality drastically have to expend a lot of power to do so, especially if another diety is trying to prevent such alterations. When too much power is expended, a god can die.
The narrator of The Raven Tower is a relatively minor god, but it's very smart about how and when it use its power. As a result, it saves up a lot of power over time. It's powerful enough that if it says something is true, it might become so. Its words construct reality, building the world as it narrates it. If it lies, the reader has no way to know because fiction can become fact if the god wants it to.
It's the kind of story that can make a brain hurt, and it's more than worth it. It feels like William Shakespeare's plays merged with Judith Butler's essays—philisophical, fun, queer, and mysterious. Come for the linguistics; stay for the wonderful narrator.
directorpurry's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Confinement
Moderate: Transphobia and Death
forroan's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
3.25
I thought i’d be thrown by the 2nd person voice, but I ended up enjoying it. I really enjoyed the cast of characters and the way the plot was going; I just wish it had gotten to the point a little faster so that it didn’t end so soon! overall a very enjoyable read, but I would’ve enjoyed a bit more depth.