Reviews with content warning for Gore - The Spear Cuts Through Water

Reading The Spear Cuts Through Water is like trying to remember a fever dream. When you lay down to sleep at night and your mind starts to swirl with all sorts of imaginary ideas but then you suddenly remember that time your brother stole your favorite toy for no reason, but then you imagine a really cool waterfall, but then you hear your grandma's stern voice telling you not to go outside with wet hair or you'll catch a cold, but then you try and think about mysterious warrior on an epic quest... but then you remember that presentation you're supposed to give at work tomorrow which makes you realize how tired you've become of your job... And so on. Are these thoughts and images and worries and distant memories connected at all? Well, yes. Otherwise your brain wouldn't be tossing them all together in your tired mind like a salad.

To read this book is to experience this sensation every time you crack it open. Scarcely page goes by where you, as the reader (and the narrator sometimes??) aren't poured out from one plotline to another like water from a cup. Sometimes the transition is so seamless its difficult to remember where you are. Sometimes its so jarring you get frustrated by not knowing what happens in the previous section. This book is a new form of stream of consciousness where I feel like I'm inside someone's mind right as they're about to fall asleep.

The plot(s) are beautifully interwoven with each other, the characters are extremely well written. The fantasy elements of this book are like experiencing an entire mythology breathed to life and then brilliantly burning out like a supernova. The more personal parts of this book are like looking into a cracked window of someone familiar's home. Its definitely one of the most thoughtfully written stories I've read, maybe ever.

If you were a fan of Vanished Birds, or if you are of the Ursula K. LeGuin, N.K. Jemisin, or Jeff Vandermeer persuasion, I'd definitely recommend picking this up. Be warned though, as other reviewers have pointed out, the narrative structure of this book does not lend itself very well to audiobook format- you almost certainly want to read this on the page in order to make sense of the shifting perspectives.

Content Warnings

fostley's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

strawb3rrysugar's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

If you're looking for a grand, epic fantasy that's unlike anything you've read before, and you're patient enough for a non-linear reading experience that shifts POVs (and narration styles) and timelines every couple of pages, I recommend this book. It took a good while for me to "get into" it, or to even really know what's going on, but I believe this to be the author's intention - you will have lots of questions and few answers. Also, do look up the TWs ahead of time. This book can get unflinchingly grisly at some points; this does not reflect upon my overall review of the book, but if you can't stomach kind of intense gore, maybe pass on this one.

As is the case with a lot of 500+ page books, this book plays the long game - you will spend a good portion of it not entirely clued into what's going on. While it starts slow and sometimes lulls in the middle, the third act is excellently crafted. Anyone who loves a gritty, deeply human fantasy would enjoy this.

Content Warnings