Reviews

At the beginning of the book, The Raven Tower warns you "there will be a reckoning."

This is a very exciting and ominous way to start a novel. I had high hopes. And then I spent the first third of the novel being... profoundly bored.

But, like pebbles rolling downhill that gain momentum and evolve into an avalanche, the novel fully delivers on this promise.

Based on reading the reviews, it seems like readers either love it or hate it depending on which of the two stories they prefer: the story of Mawat--the hot-tempered, wronged heir of a dynasty who has built their lives around sacrificing themselves to their god--and his cunning servant Eolo; or the story of the god/literal boulder known as Strength and Patience of the Hill. Those who are more focused on and intrigued by the human side of the narrative seem to struggle more, and find the other sections dealing directly with the gods to be meandering and distracting.

Neither Mawat or Eolo really drew me in. Mawat was made bearable only by Eolo's unwavering loyalty. Eolo seems more a plot device than a character, as he is hustled from situation to situation to gain Important Court Intrigue Information, while Mawat sulked and fumed instead of stepping up and trying to get to the bottom of things himself.

But I truly enjoyed listening to the history of the gods: the ponderous Strength and Patience, the roaming Myriad, the ominous Silent Forest, and the encroaching Raven. And, as the centuries-long story of the gods began to intertwine with the fates of men and, eventually lead to the readers directly to Mawat and Eolo, the novel gained traction until it was barreling towards an inevitable ending.

Still, when it came, I was surprised by the speed and suddenness with which it arrived.

Leckie excels at the slow and thoughtful momentum build of the novel, which is no doubt intentional given the nature of its narrator. I am so glad I gave this one the time it deserved, and didn't DNF based on my initial impressions.