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Review: Rakesfall

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Title: Rakesfall 
Author: Vajra Chandrasekera 
Pages: 304 
Release: June 18, 2024 

Surreal, lyrical, beautiful, haunting – featuring a heady mélange of narrative forms and storytelling styles – Rakesfall is an evocative epic poem of a novel. 

It’s impossible to distill Vajra Chandrasekera’s sprawling opus into any short plot synopsis (so kudos to whoever wrote the publisher’s summary), but readers will need to recalibrate their expectations if they go in looking for the everlasting romance said summary implies. Rakesfall defies any easy genre categorization. It’s closer to New Weird or “slipstream” than anything else. Oftentimes difficult to parse, but very hard to put down. The emphasis on atmosphere (read: “vibes”) over plot was a refreshing change of pace over most mainstream genre fare, as well.

This will surely be polarizing among readers as nothing is spoonfed and it challenges you at every turn. But with two incredible books (see The Saint of Bright Doors) releasing within the last year, Chandrasekera has cemented himself as a must-read author and a bold new voice in speculative fiction.

★★★★½

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Lost Ark Dreaming

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Title: Lost Ark Dreaming
Author: Suyi Davies Okungbowa
Pages: 192
Release: May 21, 2024

Within the confines of its short page count, Suyi Davies Okunbowa deploys truly impressive economical worldbuilding to situate us right into this literal fish(creature)-out-of-water tale.

The narrative unfolds within a massive skyscraper that towers above the flooded African coast, where societal classes are physically stratified – akin to turning the train from Snowpiercer vertically – the higher class residing above and the lower class below the ever-rising sea level, a literal manifestation of social hierarchy.

What sets this novella apart are the deeply felt interludes scattered throughout. These reflections delve into the complexities of humanity, trauma, displacement, class, intergenerational oral tradition, immigration, and more. It’s a tapestry of themes carefully woven throughout the narrative.

Lost Ark Dreaming is not only profound, but also approachable and exciting. It left me wanting more, and I look forward to seeing whatever Okungbowa writes next.

★★★★

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Untethered Sky

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Title: Untethered Sky (April 11, 2023)
Author: Fonda Lee
Pages: 160

I’m a sucker for books about birds – so when a favorite author of mine pens a novella about giant hunting birds – I jump on board. In Untethered Sky, Fonda Lee’s words bring life to the majesty and power of the rocs, legendary birds of prey who keep the countryside clear of the monstrous manticores. 

Because of its short length, the story doesn’t have room to be overly complex, but Lee has managed to make a simple story poignant and affecting. She made me care deeply for these beautiful winged beasts and the bond they share with their keepers. I’d absolutely sign up for more stories set in this world.

★★★★

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.