You’ve never read a book like this before
You don’t read many stories told in the second-person, do you? No, I didn’t think so. Most writers prefer either the first- or third-person perspective, and you probably think there’s something a little bit annoying or pretentious about a story that acknowledges the reader in such a direct way.
You might even think that the biggest issue with second-person stories is that it draws too much attention to the storyteller. After all, someone is speaking directly to you! Who are they, and why are they addressing you like this? Many second-person stories don’t provide solid answers on this front, which leaves you disappointed.
The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie is different, though. When you flip through your gifted copy for the first time, your eyes narrow when you notice the second-person perspective it’s written in. Oh, well. There’s nothing you can do about it, and you’ve heard that Leckie is a great science fiction writer, and even though this is a fantasy novel, you’re eager to give it a shot.
Something Rotten in the State of Vastai
Told from the perspective of a god older than history, The Raven Tower centres on Mawat, heir to the ruler of Vastai, and his faithful retainer, Eolo. Returning to Vastai after time spent away protecting the border, Mawat is horrified to find that his uncle has usurped the throne following his father’s disappearance. What follows is a story of political intrigue that draws much from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, but with a twist…
It's that twist that intrigues you. Sure, The Raven Tower is told from the second-person, but that’s only because there’s a tangible, in-story narrator! This narrator—a god—speaks unlike anything you’ve ever read in fantasy before, and directly addresses Eolo throughout the story. Not only that, the god spends much of the novel expanding on its own background—a narrative thread that feels totally distinct from what’s happening Vastai until the two link up beautifully.
This flitting back and forth between narrative strands offers a significant amount of depth and originality to the story, morphing The Raven Tower into something far surpassing a simple retelling of Hamlet. Details about this god are initially withheld from you, creating a sense of mystery that propels you forward through the story.
A God of Infinite Jest
The mechanics of the magic in this world are wonderfully original, too. There's a mix of soft and hard magic systems. Gods are powered by prayers and offerings, and with enough power, a god can will anything to be true. One of the blurbs on the back cover of your copy likens this magic system to something Brandon Sanderson might write, but this isn’t true in the slightest.
Sure, there are some simple mechanics to be understood, but there’s more than enough left vague to effectively communicate a sense of mystery and wonder. You like this blend of magic systems. It makes you sad that this is a standalone novel—you’d like to see Leckie incorporate something like this again in a future story.
But it doesn’t matter how much you like the world-building or the prose—if The Raven Tower wasn’t backed by strong characters, you likely wouldn’t be as taken by it as you currently are. For as much as Mawat is the character that the story pivots around, it’s Eolo whom our god has taken an interest in.
I Knew Him, Eolo
Eolo is a man of mystery from the beginning. He’s presented with just enough peculiarities that the god cannot puzzle out to prompt you to engage with him. His loyalty to his master is admirable but figuring out where that loyalty comes from leads to some unusual surprises. He’s also the only one in a position to find out what really happened to Mawat’s father, and you loved to follow his investigation.
When you finished The Raven Tower, you came to the conclusion that it is an incredibly compelling standalone fantasy novel. Although you enjoyed the ‘present day’ political story, and you enjoyed the god’s backstory even more, it was the distinctive voice at the heart of this book that truly hooked you, and that’s a rare thing.
Prose isn’t usually a factor in how much you enjoy a story. After all, Brandon Sanderson is your favourite fantasy author—an incredible storyteller who prioritises easy readability over colourful sentences and imagery. But The Raven Tower was different. This novel read like no other, and now that you’re an Ann Leckie fan, you can’t wait to read more of her work.
And you'll think twice before judging a book written in the second-person again, won't you?
Thanks for reading my review of The Raven Tower. If you liked it, consider checking out my wishlist or buying me a cup of coffee at https://ko-fi.com/kieranobrien or below.
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