This is an odd, unusual debut fantasy novel, difficult to summarize. It mostly takes place in a city in a fantasy realm; the main character is seemingly the son of a god, but has been cast off by his parents. I don't want to say a whole lot about it, because I think it's one of those books that doesn't really benefit from being summarized ahead of time, just read.
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Originally published: 2023 Acquired: June 2024 Read: July 2024 |
I will say I think it feels like three different novels—one about the cast-off son, one about the city and the titular "bright doors" (which are a fascinating fantasy device), and one about a prison camp. Did the three novels totally go together? I wasn't always sure; it sometimes felt like they were getting in each others' way. There's a lot of cool stuff here about how we define and categorize the world and other people and ourselves, the tools of oppression and comprehension we wield and the way we push against that, from epic stories to pogroms to plays to identity cards to religion to crowdfunding campaigns.
The writing is beautiful. There's a particularly evocative section about the main character in prison that I just loved. I think, more than any other book I've read recently, it would benefit from being reread. Now that I have a sense of what it's doing, would it hang together more? I admire this book a lot; I love parts of it. I am glad the Hugos gave me the opportunity to read it.
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