Book Review: The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie

I've read several of Ann Leckie's science fiction books, like Ancillary Justice and Provenance. The Raven Tower is her newest fantasy novel and I decided to give it a try. Here is the Goodreads blurb:

For centuries, the kingdom of Iraden has been protected by the god known as the Raven. He watches over his territory from atop a tower in the powerful port of Vastai. His will is enacted through the Raven's Lease, a human ruler chosen by the god himself. His magic is sustained via the blood sacrifice that every Lease must offer. And under the Raven's watch, the city flourishes.

But the power of the Raven is weakening. A usurper has claimed the throne. The kingdom borders are tested by invaders who long for the prosperity that Vastai boasts. And they have made their own alliances with other gods.

It is into this unrest that the warrior Eolo--aide to Mawat, the true Lease--arrives. And in seeking to help Mawat reclaim his city, Eolo discovers that the Raven's Tower holds a secret. Its foundations conceal a dark history that has been waiting to reveal itself...and to set in motion a chain of events that could destroy Iraden forever.

Read on for my spoiler-free review.

Overall Impression

This was a bit of an odd book. It starts off a bit slow, but steadily builds up speed. There is a bit of a jarring sense of perspective as the story alternates between first and second-person narration, instead of the more common third-person. Despite all this, it ends up pulling off an interesting story and introducing a clever world.

Plot

The plot starts of somewhat slow, alternating between a god when narrating in the first-person and a young aide when in the second-person. We don't get the full story off the bat and it takes a while for us to understand who is the "I" that is narrating and how it got to where it is. By the end, though, the story really picks up and all the pieces fit together beautifully.

At it's core, its a story combining two aspects- a succession crisis as the lord Mawat's place was supplanted by his uncle Hibal; and somewhat of a more personal narrative as a god tells us about all that has happened to them in the past 10,000 years. Both stories are intertwined, but told through the aide to lord Mawat, Eolo, or through the perspective of the god.

Characters

While there are plenty of characters, both human and god, there are two chief ones throughout the story. The aide Eolo is travelling with Mawat to assist him in the town of Vastai. As usual with Leckie's stories, there is some gender twist with her characters- Eolo was not born a man. 

The other main character is the Strength and Patience of the Hill, which from the name you may be able to guess that it is a god. They narrate the story and go way back to the beginning of the world and their interactions with other gods, such as the Myriad and the Raven. I really enjoyed the interactions between the slow and steady Strength and Patience of the Hill and the more active Myriad. The whole idea of how the gods operate in this world is clever and fun.

Setting / World Building

This is a fantasy setting revolving around a pair of cities in Iraden, Vastai and Ard Vusktia. They are controlled by Vastia and together they control passage through a narrow straight, bringing commerce and wealth to the lands. The fantasy part comes in the form of gods of the land. There are many of them, most small that only grant minor favors. However, the lands of Iraden have the powerful Raven as well as the Silent Forest to protect them. The cost of that protection is dear- the life of the Lease, the ruler in Vastai, but the story revolves around this aspect.

While we don't see straight up magic, we do see the gods speak. And when they do, what they say becomes reality. If another god where to speak something contrary, they would be in opposition and their powers would be tested. This is how the gods fight and their battles can devastate the lands. It makes them powerful but also very vulnerable, which is an interesting balance here.

Final Thoughts

I thought this book was pretty good, though it has a bit of a rough start. Once you get past the initial part and get used to the first/second person narrative it becomes much better. It's also not a particular long story, but the characters, especially The Strength and Patience of the Hill are cool. 

I can recommend this as a quick jump into Ann Leckie's works, particularly if you are more interested in fantasy than her usual science fiction.