Book Review: The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating: 2 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Orbit (February 26, 2019)
Length: 432 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
I am but a simple reader, with simple tastes. I can appreciate when an author tries different things, or when a novel tries to break out of its genre and stylistic norms. But at the end of the day, all I want to do is read a good story I can relate to and, above all else, enjoy. Which, unfortunately, was not The Raven Tower.
Thing is, this novel does in fact contain a fascinating premise: in a prosperous kingdom named Iraden, a god called the Raven watches and protects his land and its people, staving off all threats with his magic. But this protection comes at a price—one exacted in blood. To sustain the Raven’s power, a sacrifice must be offered by the ruler of Iraden known as the Raven’s Lease, a human chosen by the god to carry out his will in the mortal realm. As long as this tradition continues, the land remains safe and thriving.
But now, the power of the Raven is waning. Another god called the Strength and Patience of the Hill narrates this tale, watching events play out in its stonebound form. Iraden’s downfall begins as Mawat, the heir to the current Lease, returns home to find his father missing and the throne usurped by his uncle. In the middle of this chaos, an unassuming aide named Eolo tries to help Mawat reclaim his birthright, unwittingly stumbling upon a grave secret beneath the foundations of the Raven’s Tower.
Now here’s the rub: told in a mix of first and second person narration, you as the reader are essentially Eolo, and the narrator is the Strength and Patience of the Hill using its all-seeing gaze to tell you all that’s happening, what you are doing and thinking, and pretty much everything else there is to know about what’s going on. Not that you, as Eolo, can really be aware all the time that the god is speaking all the time, though. Like its name implies, the Strength and Patience of the Hill has also been around for a long, long time. It has seen quite a lot of things and it also isn’t shy about waxing poetic—to itself—about its age-old history and the past.
Consequently, I think the writing style will be the biggest point of contention for readers, and the determining factor in whether you will love this novel or hate it. Personally, I have a somewhat thorny relationship with the second-person narrative mode, though I concede that if used sparingly, or in specific situations that call for it, it can be very effective. Regrettably though, the way it was done here grated on my nerves like nails raked across a chalkboard. I’m not saying the idea wasn’t clever or that Leckie’s technique in employing it wasn’t skillful, but the constant distraction of it was mentally exhausting and frankly not very pleasant at all.
Which is why, as much as I wanted to like this novel, I struggled to connect with nearly every aspect of it. In particular, the characters were a bust. While you are supposed to be Eolo, use of the second person device immediately distances you from everything you do and everything you are supposed to be. From there, everything else failed to spark my interest, which is a shame because in theory, the inspiration behind the story and its lore is actually quite imaginative and compelling. Thematically, it reminded me a little of Joanne Harris’ The Gospel of Loki in that the narrative almost takes on a mythical quality, using the god-and-mortal relationship to explore concepts like power, knowledge and ideology through a philosophical lens. It’s just unfortunate that Leckie’s execution and interpretation did not work for me at all.
Bottom line? If a unique and an entirely different kind of fantasy is what you’re looking for, The Raven Tower is a book you might want to consider, but I also recommend reading samples or plenty of reviews to determine if the style is to your taste. Who knows, this could very well end up being your favorite book of the year. But if what you find strikes you as ludicrously complicated or irritating and awkward to the extreme, then it’s probably safe to say this novel is not for you. I have great admiration for Ann Leckie and think she’s a talented writer. I reasonably enjoyed reading her Imperial Radch trilogy and Provenance, though neither really blew me away, so it was initially my hope that her first foray into epic fantasy would be more my speed. But well, c’est la vie, as they say.
The BiblioSanctum 
Second person narrative is getting more air time these days – its not easy to pull off, when a lot of us are already not keen 😕
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It really is! Funny how that is, because second person narrative is definitely not something I would peg to catch on, lol.
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Just reading your review with the POV and I am already lost Mogsy! I think I am not yet ready for this.
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To be honest, I was super confused too while reading. It was hard to get into.
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Grates on me when books have a good premise but not executed well. A shame…
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Yes, always a bummer when a great idea is ruined because I can’t get along with the style. But oh well!
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This does sound like a confusing writing style. Glad I’ve not been anxious to pick this one up.
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Yeah, I can’t really recommend it.
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It definitely sounds like she wanted to try something new with this novel, for the sake of trying something new. Second person is such a trend right now and I don’t understand why. No one seems to like it!
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Yeah, sometimes the drive to be “artsy” can do more harm than good, sadly!
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Ugh, I did not like The gospel!
And I am so sad, I had hope this would be cool
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This probably won’t be for you then, and the writing style is so hard on the eyes!
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I didn’t know about this one but I’m sorry that it wasn’t more
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Yeah, I wish it had been better too
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Yikes, this is the second blog I respect that hasn’t had much love for this novel. I haven’t had a chance to read for myself yet, but I’m thinking I may bump it down the queue a bit….
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It is definitely the style, and the fact that second person narrative is really just not my cup of tea
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Yeah I gotta say this one is getting really mixed reviews, think it may remain on my maybe list. Thanks for your thoughts on it!
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Definitely a book you want to sample before taking the leap. You can tell within the first few pages whether it’s for you or not 🙂
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Good to know!
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“The constant distraction of it was mentally exhausting and frankly not very pleasant at all.” That, right there, sums up my problem with the book. I admired what she set out to do, I just didn’t enjoy how she did it.
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God yes, it was frustrating to the extreme.
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Ann Leckie is indeed a daring writer who likes to experiment with themes and language, but – as you said so well – what we book lovers ultimately want is a *story* (and possibly a good one) and my previous experiences with Leckie’s works (the unfinished Ancillary Justice and the disappointing Provenance) proved to me that while her premises are always intriguing, the story leaves something to be desired…
I don’t think I will try to see if the third time proves to be the charm. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
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Yep, I’m a reader for the enjoyment. Above all, I just want to have a good time, not be saddled with headaches trying to get used to the writing style. 🙂
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I didn’t have a good experience with this author’s first series – and, whilst I realise I was probably in the minority with that it has made me more cautious about her other books. I did look at this and then decided to stick to my original thoughts. It probably just wouldn’t work for me although I did like Gospel of Loki 😀
Lynn
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You know, I didn’t love her sci-fi trilogy either (but I did like it better than this). Maybe I should just accept Leckie’s not the author for me either.
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the one Leckie I was able to finish I didn’t care for at all. Cheers to people who like her stuff, but she’s just not the author for me.
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Yeah, I should probably just resign myself to the fact her style is not for me either!
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Oh man. It’s the second negative review I’ve seen that takes issue with the use of the second-person narrator. I’m a bit ambivalent about it because of that but am still interested in giving it a go. It does sound like something I might like.
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Unless I’m reading a choose your own adventure book or RPG campaign the second person narrative gets on my nerves, but in small doses I can take it. This book was just too much though.
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I really don’t like second person narration. Thankfully I’ve only come across it once or twice!
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I have been coming across it more and more and it’s very frustrating 😦
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I might be the only one but I love reading from second-person so your review made me want to read the book even more haha, I’m weird I know but I’m now more intrigued than ever! :’D
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Haha, then you will love this one. The whole thing is pretty much told in a mixture of first and second person.
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Hmm. I’ve requested it from the library – I’m curious, but also not a fan of second person narratives so…!
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Borrowing from the library was probably a good choice then! It’s one of those books people either love or hate, I think 😀
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Wow!! One to strike off my list. I enjoyed the Ancillary books a lot, and I have Provenance still to read, but this sounds like something I’m not going to have the Strength and Patience of the Hill for (I made a funny – arf arf arf). 😀
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If you enjoyed her other books, it might still be worth giving this a shot. Just keep in mind the unconventional narrative style 🙂
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I think I’m going to struggle with that. And there are so many more appealing books out there! 😀
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