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Untethered Sky

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Fonda Lee is the World Fantasy Award-winning author of the epic Green Bone Saga, beginning with Jade City and continuing in Jade War and Jade Legacy. She is also the author of the acclaimed science fiction novels Zeroboxer, Exo and Cross Fire. The characters are written superbly. Even though the writing was understated, I could tell exactly what kind of people (or rocs) they were from the brief time I was with them. Every part of the book was crafted with this same care. I love stories like this: Untethered Sky doesn’t stay longer than it needs to, but it left an indelible impression on my heart nevertheless. Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!

Therefore, when Ester's last sentence states, "Where, come spring, there would be new monsters to tame"... it was a depressing reminder of the futilities we go through as humans to feel safe in a monster-tamed world, when the reality is that monsters can't never be tamed. Judging this by my novella standards, Untethered Sky is one of the best standalone novellas I’ve read. Lee’s Green Bone Saga is The Godfather with an Asian cast, Game of Thrones in a suit, tie and sunglasses. It has all the earmarks of a modern, international gangster epic juiced with boardroom intrigue, economic theory and swordfights.”—NPR on Jade Legacy A person might pass a tree on the path every day and not notice it until it springs fruit at a time they’re hungry.” The dark days acclimate the roc to the ruhker’s voice and presence. In the long period of sensory deprivation, the fledging starts to forget her old life, to feel that perhaps she has always been in this dark room, that the voice of her trainer is the only constant, the only thing there is, the only thing there ever will be.People have admired rocs for centuries. Artists paint them, sculpt them, tell stories about them. I wanted to be one. I wanted to be the monster that kills other monsters.” Untethered Sky was more character driven that I expected. There isn't a ~main conflict~ per say, but the story takes an intimate look at Ester's relationship with Zahra. Since this was a novella, I don't want to say too much and let y'all read and find out for yourselves. It's a much different take on animal companion trope we all know and love in fantasy. I highly recommend and I think y'all are gonna like this one when it comes out in April! I do wish we spent a little more time focused on the relationship between Ester and her roc as I feel that would have allowed me to get more emotionally invested in their storyline than I did, but I still liked Ester as a character throughout the entire novella. The hunt scenes are breathtaking. Using a combination of chariots, horses, and lures, Lee writes beautiful and lifelike scenes of launching rocs above the spacious grasslands around the kingdom. It’s easy to become attached to the majestic Zahra, Ester’s roc. And when Ester begins a bond with a fellow ruhker named Darius, the shared love of their chosen paths is endearing.

This isn't a story about literal transformation, though, only the metaphorical transformation that occurs when the central dream of your life is won - and then something goes wrong. Beautifully told by Fonda Lee (my brain keeps trying to correct her name to Jane Fonda, aging is a curse), Untethered Sky tells the story of a rukher on a mission and the roc that brings all her closest-held dreams into being. Sacrifices also had to be made to world-building, often leaving it up to readers to infer certain details about the wider world rather than spelling it all out, but here is where a narrower scope is advantageous to the story. The author can spend more time developing the culture and customs of rukhers when they’re socializing in the Royal Mews or when they’re on the hunt, going into fascinating detail into everything from training methods to the proper care of rocs. Her newest book is a very, very different story, not only in format— Untethered Sky, which hit shelves on April 18, is a novella—but in setting. Where the Green Bone Saga had room to stretch, Untethered Sky is tightly bound to its narrator, Ester, and her relationship with the roc she trains.The book also gives manticores their due as well. For all propaganda claiming they’re devil-spawn, we get the idea beneath it all they’re also just animals. While chillingly intelligent, they still often behave like terrifying wild animals rather than some far-flung fantasy creature, which is impressive when you consider that they have the face of an ape, a leonine body encased in quills, and a scorpion-like tail. this was a lil novella i read right after coming out of a mini reading slump and it definitely delivered what i expected, but this could have easily been a 4 stars if it was a full length book. fonda lee we were robbed 😤

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