So this was certainly a one-of-a-kind read for me, but I'm not too sure that's really a good thing. I spent a good third of the book just immensely confused, and it wasn't really until the last 25% that I started to truly understand where things were going and why, but it was a real slog for me to get even that far.

The Raven Tower is a very sort of... existential read, told in second-person narrative by The Strength and Patience of the Hill (...a rock), who spends a lot of time contemplating existence, humanity, gods and mortality, and time itself, and looking inwards to understand the outside world. Strength and Patience tells endless "stories I have heard" to explain what is happening in the presence, and what has happened to lead to that point.

Now the overall plot of this was fantastic, and it was an ingenious way to retell Hamlet, but the actual telling of the story to me felt rather lacking. The narrative moved at a snail's pace and the number of "stories I have heard" and background to Strength and Patience themself just felt like unnecessary padding to make up for a lack of action in (what I assume to be) the main plot-line. There's just so much "telling" rather than "showing" to this story, and so little focus on the characters themselves and their motivation.

The second-person narration I also found brought so much separation between the characters and the reader that it was incredibly difficult to relate to them and truly immerse yourself in the story being told. There was objectively a lot of emotional things happening to these stories, starting with Mawat's uncle usurping the throne following The Raven's Lease's death/desertion, and it doesn't really get much better from there. But in terms of connecting to these characters and their struggles, the second-person narration (from a non-human narrator) just didn't work.

Overall, this was not my kind of book. The narrative of the story was very confusing and indirect, and I wasn't a fan of being so separated from the characters of whose story I am being told. The conclusion to the book I found also seemed a bit rushed, and didn't really give all that much in terms of reasoning behind what was happening, and what had happened up until that point. It was a truly fascinating concept, but it just didn't do it for me.

The Raven Tower is an intelligent, well-written book but not one I actually enjoyed. While its ideas are interesting, its characters failed to engage me.

The story alternates between two threads. One is told in first person by a god who has taken the form of a rock. The story starts in the distant past and narrates the god’s journey to the present, telling of how it came to awareness, its growing connection with humans and its role in the war between the gods. The second story is set in the present and tells the story of Eolo, a warrior of Iraden. It is told in second person as the god narrates Eolo’s story back to him.

One of the things I enjoyed most about the book was the gods. It takes a bunch of old elements–such as the gods being active in the world, the idea of big and small gods, and the way they are sustained by the prayers and petitions of worshippers–and pieces them together in a way that feels fresh. The interaction between the gods serves to humanise them in some respects: they have their own petty squabbles but also friendships. They will hang out and discuss philosophy.

A key theme of the story is power and the power of words in particular. The gods’ powers are very much tied to words–what they speak must become truth if it is not already so. That manifestation relies on the god’s power, so they must only speak what they have the power to manifest or else run the risk of wiping themselves out. It’s a clever way of limiting the power of the gods and also leads to the very unique voice of the story. The narrator may not be able to lie, but they can hedge the truth and are quite transparent about doing so at times.

Unfortunately, this also lead to my key issue with the book. Because the god is narrating Eolo’s story, that part of the tale lacks interiority. The god cannot tell us what Eolo is thinking or feeling, else its power will be steadily drained away as the tale goes on. It does occasionally speculate what might have been the case, but elsewise the reader must read between the lines. This isn’t onerous, but it also isn’t satisfying. I found it created a distance that I could never quite bridge, making the experience an intellectual one. The lack of a strong emotional element left me unable to connect with the characters in any meaningful way.

One thing I was pleased to see was the way Leckie continued her tradition of including diverse characters. Most notably, Eolo is a transgender man, but in the background very little of the cast is white. Nor is this lampshaded or made a big deal of in a way that effectively shows this is (or should be) a normal thing.

All in all, while The Raven Tower is a clever tale, it is just not the book for me.

I love Ann Leckie's writing, so you better believe I was going to get my hands on this one as soon as I could! This is Leckie's first foray into fantasy (scifi is the usual go to), and I was a little anxious but incredibly intrigued as to how she would handle it.

And handle it, she did. With her own style, of course. Told mostly via a second person POV - not something you see very often - and the second person is a god, so they can pretty much see everything, and often talk about their own experiences of coming into existence and such, making this an incredibly unique and intriguing book. The character that the god is talking to, Eolo, is also hinted to be possibly transgender, and I love how Leckie plays with reader's expectations of gender in all of her books - it makes me feel so happy to read. I can't quite describe how it makes me feel specifically, because it's a little complex, but just know that the general feeling is 'happy'.

The story is told in kind of a meandering way at times. The reader is sometimes taken from what I guess you would call the 'true' storyline - that is, what is happening with Eolo and the small blurb above (which, whilst small, is still incredibly revealing - I preferred going in a little blind) - to a tale of the god's life, interactions they have had with humans and other gods and godlike beings, and then sometimes it will meander into what the god thinks about the world, and what it thinks about thinking... and then we will head back to Eolo. This might sound a little strange and frustrating, because I'm not describing it terribly well, but I honestly found myself really enjoying all the tangents and thoughtful monologues from the narrator, and we always headed back to the 'true' storyline before things because to obscure.

While I know this is a standalone, and I think it works that way, I do find myself wanting more from this book - perhaps more explorations of the character Myriad, or following Eolo after-the-fact. I think that just shows how much I enjoyed being inside this world and inside the head of a god - Leckie's writing continues to blow me away with its quiet considerations and gentle suggestions. I am definitely a fan.

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.



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

First off I have to say that I wanted to love this. When reading previous works of Leckie's I was enthralled and amazed at the sheer brilliance of her storytelling. Alas The Raven Tower did not hit the mark for me.

It's the tale of a God who inhabits a rock on a hillside. He does all the usual things, taking offerings from his acolytes and giving them sage advice in return. The premise is one which really had me interested but alas after the first 100 or so pages, I was feeling let down.

The story is told in both first and second person, centred around the God inhabiting the rock and his experiences over time. He tells the tale of his falling to Earth, of his worshippers and their faith. The Myriad inserts herself at various times throughout the storyline and attempts to give him guidance.

When discussing his later occurrences, it is obvious that his strength is waning. The people no longer have as great a faith and the seat of his greatest acolyte, the Raven's Lease, has been usurped by an imposter. Had he still had his great strength, he would have been able to stop it occurring.

I found the jumping backwards and forwards through time to be a little grating. As there are no chapters, simply a continuously flowing narrative it becomes difficult to ascertain what time period our god of the stone is telling of. As there are no time related markers, the reader is not to know how long between instances has occurred (being a fan of a good action filled and punchy fantasy, this was where it really let me down). And it is a slow burn. Like a super slow burn. I can envisage my octogenarian grandmother getting to the point faster than this book did.

When it came to character development (other than our eternal rock), I did not particularly enjoy the majority of them. Mawat, the heir to the seat of Raven's Lease, has no real substance, instead being a sulky excuse for a man who spends the majority of his time locked away or whining about the fact he can't take his rightful place. Eolo, Mawat's butler of sorts, could have been great however the fact he simply ran around obeying his bratty masters orders and never complaining made me angry. The usurper Hibal had promise but due to his lack of page space, I was disappointed to not really know much about him.

There is however one character I did love - The Myriad. She was strong and endearing, guiding our stony god and gently shaping him to be all he could be. The way in which she has been written gave me sense of her caring disposition while also reinforcing her strength and eternal presence.

Basically, as I said previously, I wanted to love this novel but just couldn't and that upsets me deeply as I have the greatest love for Leckie's other works.

Another fascinating and immersive tale from Ann Leckie. The story was enthralling, the characters interesting, and the style utterly absorbing. I can't wait to read more.

Leckie, has delivered a Fantastical Novel, constructing a narriative world in which "I", "You" and "Them" are all succinctly interwoven in a way that triapses all expectations of confusion. 

In building the characters, Leckie flawlessly protrays the epitome of intrugue and wonder. Specifically, we see this in the portrayal of the Gods, where they're constructed to be trustworthy, yet this is sometime that (for some) could not be further from the turth, creating a dangerous line which people must triapse in their dealings with the Gods - in fear of being wronged. 

While the novel is a slow start, it quickly builds its pace and the readers desire to continue through the carefully delicatley, and delibertley constructed plot-line. It's only down-fall was (to me) the lack-luster ending. Where the plot built for a spectactular finale, it seems to dissapoint. I eagerly hope (and await) a sequel, to wrap up the features of an otherwise astounding piece of work.

The raven tower by ann leckie is incredible and so My Brand: musings on philosophy, the beginning of earth and humanity, the limits of divinity and the transient nature of humanity. I would call it incredibly unique, as the narrator is speaking directly to one of the main characters throughout the entire novel. it is from this nameless, largely unacknowledged god that we discover the going ons of iraden, politics, betrayals alongside small anecdotes and stories. It’s intricate and fascinated and I loved it thoroughly by the end.

one of the main characters is eolo, aide to lord mawat, the heir of the raven’s lease. he’s been called back to iraden after his father, the raven’s lease, has gone missing. the raven’s lease is a sacrifice offered to the raven, the god and protector of iraden. when the raven’s instrument, the manifestation of the raven in a bird form dies, then so does the raven’s lease. this sacrifice protects iraden and its denizens and also keeps out invaders from the borders. mawat is convinced his father has been killed, not gone missing or run away. his father’s brother has always coveted power, and the raven’s lease is the highest position of power one can attain.

are you getting hamlet vibes yet? good, because it is partly based on hamlet! eolo is horatio, mawat is hamlet, hibal is claudius. i would warn you though, not all of it follows the same trajectory; I would like it to a funhouse version of hamlet. a twisted reflection, but enough things are familiar so as to be unsettling. it ends, if this is spoiler enough, just as well as hamlet too. murder all round, blood, gruesomeness. many dastardly plots are carried out and the intrigue is so think I could choke on it!!!

there are two stories of sorts running through the novel: one is mawat’s and eolo’s (the present), the other is our narrator’s (the past). how did they come to be what they are today? each little anecdote gives us a lesson or a tidbit of knowledge that enhances and contributes to our understanding of the present events. and when the two narratives intersect, the results are explosive. the revelation hits like a slap to the face with gut wrenching awe and horror. gods are not so benevolent, is what the narrative warns us. it advises that what we hear from one source can appear to be the truth, but there are important facts omitted. one man’s monster is another man’s saviour.

‘Only a story, though if you have been listening to me, and have understood me so far, you know that it is a story built around a particular selection of facts, twisted to particular ends.’

eolo is more fully formed as a character than some of the others, as the narrator focuses on him instead of the supposed main character of the play, mawat. eolo is a country boy with a country accent, yet intelligent and intuitive. alongside eolo, the reader navigates the familiar and the unfamiliar, gaining a sense for the landscape of iraden and the various power players that dwell within. the other characters such as hibal and our polonious substitute, aren’t as well rounded or fully fleshed out as eolo. they exist to set the scene, to drive the narrative forward. and also!! eolo is trans!!!! it’s not made a big deal in the narrative but it’s definitely a part of eolo and he’s especially sensitive to people misgendering him. he’s got where he is today, aide to lord mawat, because of sheer grit and ambition.

other characters pop up once in a while but aren’t very fully formed as eolo, which is one criticism. another is that the pace is slow, though it does build momentum like a stone rolling downhill (hah! see what I did there?) there’s also a lot of focus on the male characters and very little named female characters. I guess an ambassador or two from xulahn could have been female? perhaps a translator even. I may need to go for a re-read, but it seems like female soldiers weren’t welcomed either. eolo, as a trans man, was nearly thrown out of the army before mawat intervened.

what I loved was the musings on the power of the spoken word and perceptions- different stories, where did gods come from, how had the world began? who were the ancient gods that existed before the gods of the present? i was reminded a lot of brandon sanderson’s incredible warbreaker and also, oddly enough, noragami. gods exist and are sustained, the narrator supposits, because there are worshippers and offerings. the more, the better; are gods truly gods if there is no one to worship them? or are they just a lone voice on a hill, watching humanity pass it by?

‘What is it that makes language a far more powerful-and risky–tool for gods than it is for even humans? What is it that makes gods gods? What am I?’

every story has another sustaining it, the truth twisting beneath until it barely resembles itself. the true mystery that began to dawn on me, as our narrator gave us anecdotes about god alliances in the older days, was the true identity of our narrator, they are a god of iraden, but are they the god of iraden, the raven? who can say? the reveal when it does come is shocking and wholly satisfying. if you like your fantasy slow-burn with realistic politics, philosophical musings and an omniscient narrator, this is for you. the one thing I’ll warn about is: the ending does leave us sort of hanging. it’s an open ending where anything is possible.

[The review as given below will appear on my blog on the 15th of February. I have already cross-posted it to goodreads and LibraryThing]


The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie was not at all what I expected. When I first heard that there would Leckie had written a fantasy book, I was ambivalent. I like her SF, but haven’t recently felt the need for new fantasy series in my life. But then some friends with early review copies started gushing about and I figured I might as well join their ranks.

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.

There are two main storylines in this book and both are told from the point of view of a god, in a world where there are many gods of different powers. One story tells the god’s history — first awareness, how the world has changed since then, learning to communicate with humans, etc — while the other story follows a human in the “present day”. The latter story is also told by the god so it’s actually I second person as though the god is speaking to the other protagonist.

At first I was happy to go along with the interesting premise, before I had a clear idea of where the story was going. But then, once the threads started to come together, it became rather difficult to put the book down. Especially as it ramped up towards the end because gosh was that a dramatic ending that I’m not going to spoil (!!!).

The easiest book to compare The Raven Tower to is Terry Pratchett’s Small Gods, but only really because of the shared subject matter. The ideas of small gods are very similar, but aside from that the two books have little in common. I’m not sure I’ve read anything else similar to The Raven Tower. The intertwining of the two stories was expertly done, with many of the transitions leaving me wanting more, only to start reading the next section and be reminded that I had wanted more of that one too.

I highly recommend The Raven Tower to fantasy fans, especially those who enjoy reading about different types of gods and different systems for the existence of said gods. I also recommend it to readers who are looking for standalone fantasy books. While it's possible more stories could be written in this world in the future, I think it's unlikely and would lessen the impact of this one.

4.5 / 5 stars

First published: February 2019, Orbit
Series: Don't think so
Format read: eARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Notable for its gods doing science -- figuring out scientific principles as they exist over the ages and watch the human species crawl out of the water and make societies.

I definitely felt the gods' past-set story the most inventive part of this book. The human story that ran in tandem, present-day, seemed a bit simple for its size, so there was repetition, and more standard fare.

In all, ideas-fantasy and most welcome.

I rushed to Netgalley to get hold of an advance copy of this book based on how much I enjoyed Leckie's science fiction series. "The Raven Tower" is fantasy which I also love, but somehow this one just missed the mark for me.

Of course the writing is good and as usual for this author it is presented in an unusual way. Very unusual actually since the narrator is a rock who is also a god. This god spends a large part of the book philosophising on anything and everything as to be expected since he doesn't move around a lot. He does however tell the story of Eolo and Mawat and the book brightens up every time he gets back to what is happening to them.

I got quite excited as I approached the end visualising some wonderful exciting conclusion but there wasn't one. Some people died, some did not and events just petered out. If there were to be a follow up I would read it because I am sure there could be great futures for both the rock god and Eolo. Alternatively I would like the author to take us back into space and the Ancillary world.

I always seem to begin my reviews of Ann Leckie's books by remarking that she has the fortunate/unfortunate situation of having written a first book so amazing that all her others will be compared to it; and that so far, for me, none of her other books have quite equalled it. That's the case again with this one, her first fantasy novel. It's good - I'd even say very good - but in the shadow of her first book, not quite as outstanding.

Once again, it plays with point of view. This time, Leckie has chosen to write much of it in the difficult and much-despised second person. That can easily be a gimmick, and while reading I was never 100% convinced that it wasn't, but thinking about it, and especially reflecting on the ending, I've decided it was justified. The narrator is a god, who fills in a lot of important historical backstory in first person - backstory that isn't available to the protagonist in any way. But for most of the book, the god is largely passive, participating in events but not obviously driving them; it's the "you" character who is the protagonist, speaking to people and doing things and taking risks.

Once again, it plays with gender; the protagonist is a trans man, which is fairly incidental as far as the plot goes, but important to him.

Once again, it manages to both be personal and also have epic scope, which is a difficult balancing act. It can all too easily drop into a Great Man version of history with a full-on Chosen One whose every action is fated and bears vast significance; yet Leckie manages to hold it back from that precipice, to show us people with flaws and insecurities who are nevertheless able to participate in momentous events. In this case, the twist at the end gives rise to doubts about who was actually the protagonist after all.

On the face of it, it's a relatively simple story. The protagonist is a soldier, aide to the heir to the position of Raven's Lease, a kind of proxy of the god known as the Raven. They arrive back from the disputed southern border, whence they have been recalled because the current Raven's Lease, the heir's father, was unwell, to discover a Hamletesque coup has been enacted and the heir's uncle has taken over as Lease. For the good of everyone, he assures anyone who will listen.

The heir is petulant and brooding, the aide (Horatio, presumably) patient and effective, the Ophelia character sensible and competent - and very sane. While the Hamlet parallels are obvious (the Ophelia's counsellor father even gets stabbed, and the heir is blamed), they aren't followed slavishly; each element has a twist to it, and the ending is quite different.

Interwoven with all of this is the millenia-long backstory of the struggles and conquests of the gods, which turns out to be a lot more significant than I initially realised to what seems to be the main plot.

It's a clever, complex idea, well executed, which is to say that it's an Ann Leckie book. I dithered about whether to give it five stars, because the ending subverted my narrative expectations so thoroughly as to be a kind of disappointment, but for sheer quality I'm going to award the fifth star.

I received a pre-release copy from Netgalley for review.

Ann Leckie practically redefined what space opera could be with her debut Ancillary series. And in The Raven Tower she does a similar thing for fantasy. Using a Shakespeare meets Homer scaffold she brings a new twist on the relationship between humans and divine beings.
The Raven Tower opens in second person. Writing in this way is always a bit of a high wire act. NK Jemisin used it to great effect in her Hugo winning Broken Earth trilogy. But there is method to Leckie’s madness (and great literary skill). For a start, this technique avoids gendered pronouns and, as with the Ancillary series, Leckie plays with gender and the reader’s (and characters’) understanding of it. Secondly, it gives an immediate, almost omniscient feel which is appropriate given the book is narrated by a god.
The main plot is taken straight out of Hamlet. Mawat, heir to the “throne” of Vastai (known as the Lease of the Raven) returns from the front with his aide Eolo to find his father, the former Lease, missing and his uncle in power. The Raven is one of the gods of Vastai and protects the Lease from harm on the understanding that they will sacrifice themselves at the end of their reign. Mawat’s father has failed to do that, instead mysteriously disappearing. To continue the Hamlet analogy one of the city’s key officials wants his daughter Tikaz (aka Cordelia) to marry Mawat and at one point Mawat’s uncle brings two of Mawat’s old acquaintances (aka Rosencrantz and Guildenstern) to bring him round. But the analogy is fairly loose, and none of the characters act as they do in the Shakespeare play, Tikaz is particularly kick-arse at one point.
In the background is the story of the gods and a great war that they engaged in through their human worshippers. This story is told from the point of view of an ancient stone god who also explains the complex rules that govern these beings. It becomes clear fairly quickly that it is this god who is narrating by “talking” to Eolo (although Eolo cannot here this commentary). In the relationship between gods and humans as instruments of war, The Raven Tower starts to resemble The Iliad, just a little, but again, this is really only as a reference point.
In an age where epic fantasy still seems to mainly consist of doorstops about quests and dragons and mighty houses and prophecies, The Raven Tower stands out. The characters are complex, the gender politics is subtly handled and the belief system is fascinating. The god’s narration has echoes with the real-world development of religion and both stories being told work and come together cleverly and consistently with the alternate but very familiar world that Leckie has created.
Leckie’s Ancillary trilogy built itself on a number tropes established by other great authors but used them to change the ground rules of space opera. It also gave her a platform from which she could branch out into the equally enjoyable Provenance. The Raven Tower does the same, building on some giants of literary tradition and some of the standard fantasy building blocks but re-imagining them in a way that respects the genre builds on it in a new and intriguing way.
ntriguing way.

What an odd book. The premise sounded fascinating but I personally didn't enjoy the story being told from the "god's" perspective.
The characters Eolo and Mawat are shallow and boring and I also had issues with the pacing. Nothing really happened until about a third into the book. So many people love Anne Leckie, but sadly this is not for me.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an eARC.

As a preamble I haven’t read Leckie’s ‘Imperial Radch’ series; I tried and didn’t manage to get through the first book simply because I didn’t get it though I appreciate that it exists, for sure. I simply didn’t feel smart enough to read it, like how some may struggle to read Shakespeare.

This is Leckie’s first fantasy novel – a genre I’m more comfortable in than science fiction (as much as I love it) so I thought I’d give it a go – Leckie is an amazing writer, after all. Immediately upon starting the book you see that she’s still doing clever things, writing in the usually-avoided second-person narrative, usually reserved for Choose Your Own Adventure books. It soon becomes apparent that that’s not what this is at all – this is a God, who is omnisciently witnessing everything that comes before it. By page six I was hooked.

There are two interwoven storylines, one present and one past, one where the God is talking about their very early days and the trials and tribulations that come with having anything and everything you say becoming immediately true – and one where the God is following young Eolo, who has come with his Lord Mawat (basically a Prince) who has returned home from fighting on the border to be told that his father has disappeared, and the power-hungry uncle has taken over the leadership ‘for the good of the people’. Eolo sounds like a farmer’s boy which lends people to underestimate him, giving chance for Eolo to hopefully discover what really happened to Mawat’s father.

This book is really very gripping – political intrigue aside – as it explores many different Gods and what takes up their time as hundreds and thousands of years pass by. The human characters, too, are interesting. I especially liked Tikaz who has been friends with Mawat since they were children, yet certainly is not in love with him. Daughter to one of the powerful advisors to first Mawat’s father and then his uncle, she is not without her own power which was excellent to see.

A very, very satisfying ending, too.