The Spear Cuts Through Water: A Novel
Two warriors shepherd an ancient god across a broken land to end the tyrannical reign of a royal family in this epic fantasy from the author of The Vanished Birds.
“A beguiling fantasy not to be missed.”—Evelyn Skye, New York Times bestselling author of The Crown’s Game
WINNER OF THE IAFA CRAWFORD AWARD • WINNER OF THE BRITISH FANTASY AWARD • SHORTLISTED FOR THE URSULA K. LE GUIN AWARD • SHORTLISTED FOR THE IGNYTE AWARD
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Oprah Daily, Vulture, Polygon, She Reads, Gizmodo, Kirkus Reviews, The Quill to Live
The people suffer under the centuries-long rule of the Moon Throne. The royal family—the despotic emperor and his monstrous sons, the Three Terrors—hold the countryside in their choking grip. They bleed the land and oppress the citizens with the frightful powers they inherited from the god locked under their palace.
But that god cannot be contained forever.
With the aid of Jun, a guard broken by his guilt-stricken past, and Keema, an outcast fighting for his future, the god escapes from her royal captivity and flees from her own children, the triplet Terrors who would drag her back to her unholy prison. And so it is that she embarks with her young companions on a five-day pilgrimage in search of freedom—and a way to end the Moon Throne forever. The journey ahead will be more dangerous than any of them could have imagined.
Both a sweeping adventure story and an intimate exploration of identity, legacy, and belonging, The Spear Cuts Through Water is an ambitious and profound saga that will transport and transform you—and is like nothing you’ve ever read before.
“A beguiling fantasy not to be missed.”—Evelyn Skye, New York Times bestselling author of The Crown’s Game
WINNER OF THE IAFA CRAWFORD AWARD • WINNER OF THE BRITISH FANTASY AWARD • SHORTLISTED FOR THE URSULA K. LE GUIN AWARD • SHORTLISTED FOR THE IGNYTE AWARD
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Oprah Daily, Vulture, Polygon, She Reads, Gizmodo, Kirkus Reviews, The Quill to Live
The people suffer under the centuries-long rule of the Moon Throne. The royal family—the despotic emperor and his monstrous sons, the Three Terrors—hold the countryside in their choking grip. They bleed the land and oppress the citizens with the frightful powers they inherited from the god locked under their palace.
But that god cannot be contained forever.
With the aid of Jun, a guard broken by his guilt-stricken past, and Keema, an outcast fighting for his future, the god escapes from her royal captivity and flees from her own children, the triplet Terrors who would drag her back to her unholy prison. And so it is that she embarks with her young companions on a five-day pilgrimage in search of freedom—and a way to end the Moon Throne forever. The journey ahead will be more dangerous than any of them could have imagined.
Both a sweeping adventure story and an intimate exploration of identity, legacy, and belonging, The Spear Cuts Through Water is an ambitious and profound saga that will transport and transform you—and is like nothing you’ve ever read before.
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Community Reviews
This one is going to be hard for me to talk about, because if I use the kind of language I WANT to use for it, I would risk sounding like some sort of hype-machine loony.
Every once in a while you connect with something on a level that feels so personal, so intimate, that it's as if the creator could see into your mind and made something just for you. That is how I felt when I finished this book.
To me, it is a masterpiece: I understand if it is not that for you.
This is a dreamlike, borderline fairytale work about empire, and struggle, and history, and divinity, and yet it is also a surprisingly intimate story about love, and loss, and the weight and repercussions of one's choices and actions, and it is also a somewhat classically structured fantasy tale about a quest. The ways in which all of these intertwine on the page is handled so deftly that I was left in something like awe by the end of it.
At a purely technical level, Jimenez has crafted something extraordinary here, I think. The narrative shifts between first, second, and third-person perspectives (sometimes all in a single paragraph!) and yet he manages to make it work - even to sing. There will be some uncertainty and confusion in the first few pages, but trust in the author and let it wrap itself around you, and it will become clear what is happening.
What a treasure, as a reader, to experience something that isn't merely good, isn't just great, but leaves you speechless. The Spear Cuts Through Water was that kind of experience, for me. Truly a masterpiece.
Wow this was really unique! The middle felt really long, but i otherwise really enjoy this (love) story.
And i cried at a few different scenes at the end :')
And i cried at a few different scenes at the end :')
this is masterful fucking storytelling. it was creative and compelling. this was so beautifully written that it brought me to hysterical tears in the end. every character and creature was well rounded and interesting, some creatures were so unique and described so vividly. the story is like none other i’ve read before. do yourself a favor and read this book (or the audiobook, it was fire)! i was impressed, excited, more so than some other 5 star reads ive had this year.
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