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sunday's review
4.0
Gorgeous gorgeous writing. I picked this up without reading the previous book in this world. And. I struggled. I spent the first half of the book thinking this one wasn't for me -- the plot, the world-building, the history, all obscured, hidden, left unsaid to focus on the women living inside all these structures. Eventually, information started to seep in, the story unfolding as you fall in love with each character, one by one, wondering where their story will end. My heart is aching after this one.
zachward's review
War told through the perspective of 4 different women. sapphic (a bit). world building is inconsistent, sometimes wonderful, other times confusing. weird romance between cousins, so i didn’t like that. good story overall.
cantabile's review against another edition
5.0
i must have read this the first time with my cognitive abilities functioning at 5% but this time i was fully lucid and now i HAVE to be sedated
nerp's review
5.0
One of the most exquisite books I've ever read. The writing is unbelievable! But I don't know if I could recommend this to non-writers. This is Literary Fantasy with capital letters, without exposition, without handholding; the worldbuilding is between the lines, the characters aren't telling a linear narrative, and you as a reader have no sense of what is going on until about 100 pages into the book. *Some*how, Sofia Samatar pulls it off.
But if you were to ask me the plot of this book, I'm not sure what I'd say beyond "A war from four perspectives." It's so much more than that, a treat to be savored and reread again and again, but I just don't know if someone who isn't interested in writing as a craft will enjoy this. I came away without a strong understanding of the political world inside the book—heck, even the worldbuilding in general—but I completely trust the author in knowing what I do not, and I am not mad at ALL with all I don't understand. I have a feeling a reread will be most illuminating.
(Note: I haven't read A Stranger in Olondria; I found this book comprehensible without it, though I wonder if I would have understood what was going on before the end of the first part if I'd read ASiO before.)
But if you were to ask me the plot of this book, I'm not sure what I'd say beyond "A war from four perspectives." It's so much more than that, a treat to be savored and reread again and again, but I just don't know if someone who isn't interested in writing as a craft will enjoy this. I came away without a strong understanding of the political world inside the book—heck, even the worldbuilding in general—but I completely trust the author in knowing what I do not, and I am not mad at ALL with all I don't understand. I have a feeling a reread will be most illuminating.
(Note: I haven't read A Stranger in Olondria; I found this book comprehensible without it, though I wonder if I would have understood what was going on before the end of the first part if I'd read ASiO before.)
aalamb's review
adventurous
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
sleeping_while_awake's review
4.0
The Winged Histories is loosely connected to A Stranger in Olondria, and can be read as a standalone.
This is a frustrating book to rate. There were times it was as 2 star book, struggling to capture my attention, and other times it was a 5 star book, full of rich poetic language and characters. I am kind of throwing my hands up and giving it 4 stars for the technical writing skills alone.
The Winged Histories takes place in the Empire of Olondria around the same time as its predecessor. It's divided into four parts: The History of - the Sword, the Stone, Music, and, Flight. Each section is a different female narrator. Tav, a noblewoman who leads a rebellion; Tialon, the daughter of the Priest of the Stone (she has a brief appearance in Stranger); Seren, lover of Tav and part of a nomadic people; and Siski, sister to Tav, who is a pawn in a political game for her aunt.
Tav, Seren, and Siski's plots intertwine well to form a narrative of a grand political scheme and how the lives of women are affected by war and the rise and fall of different peoples.
On the other hand, Tialon's section really stands alone, and seemed like it was out of place. I definitely enjoyed it, but maybe it was better suited for a novella. It gives a bit of information regarding Prince Dasya. However, this character is barely in the plot.
I'll be honest. For much of Tav's section, the first part of the book, I was trying to grab onto some strings of the plot. Like with Stranger, the world-building is so dense and heavy.
I can't underscore how dense the book can read at times. It's like my eyes were stuck in some sticky, I don't know how to properly explain this.
I couldn't keep track of all the characters in Tav's section.
When I got to Tialon's part it was a welcome relief, as she lived in a little self-contained world. Her life as the daughter of priest was rather fascinating.
Seren's section was amazing. The structure is looser, more poetic, focusing on feelings.
Then when I got to Siski's section all the pieces started to click as to what the heck was happening in Tav's part. It was kind of too late, but I'm glad it did come together at the end.
The style of the book is to explain very little and to hit you over the head with in depth world-building. But the writing is wonderful and the characters are fascinating.
Yet, this isn't a book that has a lot of dialogue. It summarizes a lot of what happens, so it's even more condensed. Most fantasy authors could take what is in this book and make it into 3 books easily.
I'm encouraged by Samatar's work so far, but it's so dang hard to read. Almost like reading a classic.
This is a frustrating book to rate. There were times it was as 2 star book, struggling to capture my attention, and other times it was a 5 star book, full of rich poetic language and characters. I am kind of throwing my hands up and giving it 4 stars for the technical writing skills alone.
The Winged Histories takes place in the Empire of Olondria around the same time as its predecessor. It's divided into four parts: The History of - the Sword, the Stone, Music, and, Flight. Each section is a different female narrator. Tav, a noblewoman who leads a rebellion; Tialon, the daughter of the Priest of the Stone (she has a brief appearance in Stranger); Seren, lover of Tav and part of a nomadic people; and Siski, sister to Tav, who is a pawn in a political game for her aunt.
Tav, Seren, and Siski's plots intertwine well to form a narrative of a grand political scheme and how the lives of women are affected by war and the rise and fall of different peoples.
On the other hand, Tialon's section really stands alone, and seemed like it was out of place. I definitely enjoyed it, but maybe it was better suited for a novella. It gives a bit of information regarding Prince Dasya. However, this character is barely in the plot.
I'll be honest. For much of Tav's section, the first part of the book, I was trying to grab onto some strings of the plot. Like with Stranger, the world-building is so dense and heavy.
I can't underscore how dense the book can read at times. It's like my eyes were stuck in some sticky, I don't know how to properly explain this.
I couldn't keep track of all the characters in Tav's section.
When I got to Tialon's part it was a welcome relief, as she lived in a little self-contained world. Her life as the daughter of priest was rather fascinating.
Seren's section was amazing. The structure is looser, more poetic, focusing on feelings.
Then when I got to Siski's section all the pieces started to click as to what the heck was happening in Tav's part. It was kind of too late, but I'm glad it did come together at the end.
The style of the book is to explain very little and to hit you over the head with in depth world-building. But the writing is wonderful and the characters are fascinating.
Yet, this isn't a book that has a lot of dialogue. It summarizes a lot of what happens, so it's even more condensed. Most fantasy authors could take what is in this book and make it into 3 books easily.
I'm encouraged by Samatar's work so far, but it's so dang hard to read. Almost like reading a classic.
casella's review
5.0
A beautiful, lyrical, intensely moving book. I can't lavish enough praise on this. Has already joined my "frequent re-read" shelf.
Chicago Nerds discussion notes: http://positronchicago.blogspot.com/2016/09/chicago-nerds-winged-histories.html
Chicago Nerds discussion notes: http://positronchicago.blogspot.com/2016/09/chicago-nerds-winged-histories.html
rivqa's review
4.0
Samatar inverts tropes to the extent that this is almost a story told in negative space. I had to read slowly because each page hurt a little. Enriching, beautiful and heartbreaking.