The Raven Tower

by Ann Leckie

[pamela]

I desperately want to rate The Raven Tower higher than I am, but despite it being beautifully written and conceptually wonderful, it just didn't quite grab me as much as I wanted it to.

Where The Raven Tower shines is in it's first-class concept. I loved reading about the gods, and seeing in narrative form how pantheons rose and fell, and religions sprang up around them. The narrator was a wonderful character with such a unique voice and outlook. The stories about the people of the present, on the other hand, didn't grab me quite as much. They seemed incidental to a much more interesting story.

One of The Raven Tower's main failings, I think, is that there was no real development between characters, nor exploration of their relationships. Because there's so much time covered in the narration, and the narrator, while technically omniscient by virtue of godhood, is not a mind reader, a lot of the character information and backstory was simply info-dumped with no real narrative flow. It meant that a lot of the plot felt disjointed, and character motivations seemed underdeveloped. There was also a romance subplot that seemed tacked on and unnecessary. It meant nothing to the plot and didn't really lead anywhere, so again, I felt nothing for the characters. It also meant that the ending felt incredibly lacklustre - I simply didn't feel enough for the characters for it to be impactful.

That said, Ann Leckie's writing is beautiful. I loved that she played with form and used a completely unique narrator's voice. From an academic standpoint, I simply can't fault The Raven Tower - but it just wasn't always interesting to read. When I was engrossed I couldn't put it down, but when it dragged I struggled to pick it up again. It ebbed and flowed, which definitely speaks to an issue of pacing.

The Raven Tower spans genres. It would be equally at home in a sci-fi, fantasy, or literary fiction collection. It's definitely a book worth reading, even if only for academic interest. It's definitely well-written and has some beautifully conceived ideas. But it's not one for anyone looking for a quick fantasy read.