A review by genderqueer_hiker
The Four Profound Weaves by R.B. Lemberg

2.0

My thoughts on this book: 1) the author and editor seemed to assume that, despite this being the author's first book, we all were supposed to have read all the other short stories connected to this book (published in literary journals of course). So we start this book completely unfamiliar with the world, characters, religions, and magic system - nothing is EVER explained. We just started a book and are told we didn't do the homework?? So we're left disoriented, with no opportunity to understand offered to us. Honestly, it just pissed me off and seemed like lazy writing/editing. 2) the book shifts between two people's perspectives, though they're often traveling and interacting together. But the voices aren't very different - it was often hard to tell them apart. 3) I'm so over including trans characters just to spend the entire book reading endless, exhausting experiences of transphobia. Do better. Trans people aren't your trauma fodder.