If you like dark fantasy with lots of magic, make sure you read , by N. K. Jemisin, which is the best fantasy book I’ve read in a long long time.
I learned about Jemisin last year as part of Erin M. Hartshorn’s excellent introduction to women in SF and Fantasy. Erin pointed me to Jemisin’s wonderful story, “On the Banks of the River Lex,” which appeared in Clarkesworld‘s November 2010 issue. I enjoyed that so much that when I saw a promo for The Killing Moon, I went to Amazon and downloaded it right away.
And stayed up half the night last night reading it, which is a mistake at my age. I’m paying the price today. But it was worth it. Tremendous story, with a plot that rises out of the needs, desires, and beliefs of the characters. Interesting, deeply rounded, believable characters who are utterly alien and yet completely human. Detailed and complex world, wonderfully executed. Magic that is both internally consistent and wildly unpredictable. A believable ending that satisfies emotionally. And on top of all that, it’s beautifully written.
It is dark, bordering on psychological horror, butit’s not blood and guts. I suspect that parts of it might be heavy going for someone not used to orienting themselves in a fantasy world — in a couple of places, such as the beginning of Chapter 4, where Jemisin introduces the fourth character and setting in four chapters, even I had a bit of trouble with all the names and concepts and things I’d never heard of before. But that’s only a minor flaw in an otherwise excellent book.
