This was a wonderfully realized story in a lush fantasy setting inspired by a melange of Greek and Arab myth with a beautifully sketched protagonist.

I think it’s safe to assume that we all know Fonda Lee from her Green Bone Saga but she has something just as epic for us but in a much smaller package and that is Untethered Sky which releases in April 2023. This cover was released over the summer and I immediately recognized the artist as it’s Jamie Jones who also did the murderbot covers. This is a standalone novella under 200 pages which kinda saddened me upon finishing because I do love my big fantasy books and I like to experience the world for longer periods of time but it’s Fonda Lee and I’ll take anything I can get. I can confirm this short burst of a story left a huge impact.

This follows a young woman who forms a wild bond with a gigantic and deadly bird of prey called Rocs where are legendary birds very popular in the mythology of the Middle East. Well in this book they are flown by these elite trainers/warriors to hunt many different predators like wolves, jackals but most importantly Maticores, and our main character is one of those trainers. She had a tragic childhood as her family was slaughtered by said manticore so maybe ya know some revenge motivations here but she’s paired with a bird who doesn’t have any emotional connection with her and they are tasked to kill a very dangerous manticore. Listen I am an easy mark when it comes to this stuff. I’m such a sucker, I hear giant birds you can ride on, animal companions, I absolutely love books that explore the relationship between humans and animals so this one really spoke to me. A brand new favorite no doubt.

I was skeptical about how a fantasy book with this description could be contained within such a short Novella but the story flows well and ends in a satisfying way, leaving me wanting more from this world but happy with the endings for the characters we met. Fonda Lee's writing is, as always, amazingly detailed and beautiful even in the most gory moments. This book is not only a great albeit quick read but it also has an underlying message about nature, hunting monsters and being the monster that hunts other monsters. It gives the reader a lot to think about in just a few pages and is just as impactful as a book three, four, even five times its size.

Untethered Sky is a stand-alone fantasy novella about ambition and falconry. And massive eagles (rocs). While never losing sight of the human story to be told, this is nevertheless a novella that packs more of a punch than its slim length might suggest. I very much enjoyed this.

Ester is a great protagonist. We meet her very young, and witness a tragedy that tears her family apart. It is an event that also sets her on a path to become a master rukher (roc handler). We witness her journey, through training, bonding, and also deployment during a campaign to rid the land of manticores. Meanwhile, Ester is also figuring out who she is, and what she wants from life — not an easy thing to do when paired with a bird of prey that could… well, eat her.

I very enjoyed the pacing of the story, which never felt rushed, nor did it ever get bogged down in world-building or extraneous details. That being said, the world feels fully realized, and the author does a fantastic job of situating the reader in the world and events. There’s a good balance between action and quiet, quotidian moments. The times when Ester is out with her roc are especially good, and readers will get a clear sense of the protagonist’s elation and exhilaration from working with the birds. The action is intense and not over-done, and the stakes always felt earned.

If you’re a fan of Lee’s work, the chances are very high that you’ve already pre-ordered this book. If you have yet to try the author’s books, then this could be a great place to start — it has all the hallmarks of what makes Lee’s work so compelling and popular: great characters, excellent writing, and a story that will grab your attention and hold you from start to finish.

Definitely recommended.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars--

The Green Bone Saga made Fonda Lee one of my absolute favorite contemporary fantasy writers, so I was beyond excited to read this new fantasy novella from her. Not to mention that the cover is absolutely gorgeous. Even though I had enormously high expectations for this book, I was not at all disappointed. Lee's Green Bone Saga takes place in an East Asian-inspired setting, while in Untethered Sky, Lee borrows Middle Eastern (Persian, Arab) folklore and mythology to mesmerizing and entertaining effect.

One of my favorite things about Lee's writing is the strength of her character development. Even in such a short book, Lee brings her protagonist to life. Confronted with her parents' indifference to her once they are able to have a son, Ester spends much of her time roaming the countryside near her small village and teaching herself falconry. When a man-eating manticore brings tragedy to her family, Ester sets her sights on becoming one of the king's royal rukhers--a group of brave, elite animal trainers/hunters/warriors that train large, mythological birds of prey to hunt down predators that terrorize the common people--jackals, wolves, and most importantly--manticores.

The story explores interesting questions about the relationship between human and animal companions--can wild animals every truly be tamed? Is it justifiable to train and domesticate a wild animal? Can love exist in conditions of captivity?

There is also a sweet slow-burn love story between two rukhers who bond over their shared sense of purpose and love of their roks above all else. My only pet peeve was that there was some really clumsy foreshadowing peppered in throughout the book, presumably because the novella format leaves less room for subtlety.

Many thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tordotcom, for allowing me to read Untethered Sky early!

Fonda Lee has such an imaginative mind. Her previous works were excellent and this one as well is wonderful. I was captivated from beginning to end.

Don't read this novella's description and make the mistake of writing this off as 'just another monster-hunter story', because it really isn't. I nearly did, and that would have been a shame.

This is an amazingly rich and complex story about the amazing, exhilarating, yet disturbing beauty of savage nature. It's about needing and loving something powerful and wild, desperately; but recognizing that to tame it is to dim its flame. It's about dedicating yourself to an all-consuming calling, and the sacrifices you make to do so. And it's about healing from trauma and loss with the power of your own resilience, the loyalty of your friends, and all the little lessons you learn from the animals you let into your life. How any story can pack all of these themes into a scant 160 pages I do not know, but Untethered Sky did it and it did it well.

The hunt/action scenes are amazingly written and absolutely gorgeous, with excellently descriptive depictions of natural landscape and the movements of both hunters and the hunted. The world-building is vivid and fresh, though it does depend on the reader having/acquiring what is in some cases quite niche background knowledge to get the full picture. (For example, to realize what is being implied culturally by referring to five daily prayers, or knowing what a satrapy is.) In general, the writing is really very good, with several stylistic choices that normally don't work for me (like first person narrative) being a breeze to read and very impactful.

Finally, I'll note that Untethered Sky is untethered by tropes*, and in fact makes a point of this by setting up trope-y situations before defying the reader's fears and expectations. (So please don't hurl the book away at the first trope-y indication!) All of the major characters have satisfying and meaningful story arcs and axes of growth, including the ones who at first seem to have no particular need to grow.

Overall this was an excellent read, beautifully written, and packed with surprisingly nuanced themes. You might need a dictionary and a bit of patience, but it really pays off. I received this book as an e-arc from Netgalley, and oh dear am I tempted to buy the hardcover when it comes out...

*Sorry. The pun was right there! I had to!

Absolutely loved this novella. Such an interesting concept and satisfied my love for birds of prey. The only problem this book had is that it left me wanting more! Fonda Lee created a rich and colorful world and I wanted to learn more about the characters and their journeys.

the way fonda managed to get me immersed in the story in less than 200 pages, that’s just the power she holds 💅🏼
i really i love fonda’s writing style, she is such a great world builder that makes you feel like you’re there. while i did enjoy the story, i do wish it was longer and had more chance to build a connection with the main characters
thank you netgalley for this arc