The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie

Title:  The Raven Tower

Author: Ann Leckie

Publisher: 26th February 2019 by Hachette Australia/Orbit

Pages: 432 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: science fiction, fantasy

My Rating: 2.5 crowns

Synopsis:

Listen. A god is speaking.

My voice echoes through the stone of your master's castle. The castle where he finds his uncle on his father's throne. You want to help him. You cannot.

You are the only one who can hear me.

You will change the world.

A triumph of the imagination, The Raven Tower is the first fantasy novel by Ann Leckie, New York Times bestselling author and winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke Awards. Gods meddle in the fates of men, men play with the fates of gods and a pretender must be cast down from the throne in this breathtaking fantasy masterpiece.

My Thoughts

I was initially drawn to this tale by firstly, the opportunity to read an Ann Leckie book and the premise - it’s fascinating - a kingdom watched over and protected by a God who fends off threats but which of course, comes at a price. Now whilst I have complete admiration for Ann, who is an amazing writer, ultimately, it was in fact the writing style of this genre that proved the most contentious. As much as I wanted to love this novel, I really struggled with it. That said, there are indeed many who loved it and a little prior investigation would be highly recommended to see which side of the fence you will fall.

This is multi layered story that is testament to Ann’s amazing writing technique. The storytelling is highly complex and expressed through a very original POV. I appreciate this unique style and what I believe Ann was trying to achieve, however, it just did not work for me. Sadly I was often confused (especially by alternate narrators), there were some interesting characters but many a time it was very slow going.

That being said, do not be deterred if an entirely different approach to fantasy writing is what you are after. I only recommend that you do some research on reviews or maybe read an excerpt to determine if this book would be a good fit for you. If this genre is to your liking, then most certainly dip your toes in, you will certainly discover a fascinating approach to fantasy writing.

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This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release