A review by mcf
Steel Crow Saga by Paul Krueger

5.0

It's hard for me to find the right words to explain how great Steel Crow Saga is -- I can describe it, certainly, but no description will be able to encompass the book's multi-layered emotional punch, or Krueger's remarkable ability to simultaneously tell both huge and tiny stories. His world is one made up of brown people, cultures with connections to what we think of as those in Asia, India, and the Middle East; this alone is refreshing and notable, given how few fantasy books are willing (even now) to not center white, western culture. Similarly, none of the cultures sees heterosexuality as compulsory; the causal dropping of phrases like "his husband" into historical tales remains incredibly powerful. Not only are the cultures clearly differentiated by things like dress, traditions, and language, but they also have totally different types of magic, differences which, in many cases, lead to profound racism in a world full of colonialism, war, and hate. Our main characters are all from different cultures and, in the space of less than a week, are forced to learn to deal with one another (at first in pairs and then in larger or mixed groups), and to address their own prejudices, assumptions, and mistakes.

What's most impressive about all of this, however, might just be the way Krueger is able to make his story feel deeply relevant without hitting the reader over the head with it, and without sacrificing any of the world he's created. Without this grace, the story would be far less powerful but, as it is, there are times when it's almost overwhelming (in a good way).

TL;DR HOLY CRAP IT'S SO GOOD YOU GUYS.

Thanks to Random house and NetGalley for the ARC.