Set in a world derived from Egyptian antecedents, much is made in the blurbs of the relationship between Ehiru (a holy assassin and priest) and Sunandi (a lady ambassador) who find themselves forced to depend on each other to expose a conspiracy eating at Ehiru's kingdom. What really drives this book is that Ehiru discovers the cost of the magic that his society is based upon, and which gives him power and prestige. If nothing else Jemisin continues to show real flair in depicting intense conspiracy and the costs of holding absolute power.
Show lessSet in a world derived from Egyptian antecedents, much is made in the blurbs of the relationship between Ehiru (a holy assassin and priest) and Sunandi (a lady ambassador) who find themselves forced to depend on each other to expose a conspiracy eating at Ehiru's kingdom. What really drives this book is that Ehiru discovers the cost of the magic that his society is based upon, and which gives him power and prestige. If nothing else Jemisin continues to show real flair in depicting intense conspiracy and the costs of holding absolute power.
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The city-state Gujaareh worships Hananja, the goddess of dreams. Here peace reigns and brings with it prosperity. Crime is virtually unheard of, since those judged corrupt are “harvested” by the Priestess’s Gatherers – high priests who ease the corrupt, and also the terminally sick, into pleasant dreams and then harvest magic from their dying soul. The magic, or “tithe”, is then given to Sharers who use it to heal the sick. It’s a system that works well for the devout of the city; Gatherers spend many years training to attain their position, and are revered by all. At the very start of the book, we observe Ehiru, the first and greatest of the Gatherers, about his work. Ehiru is the very definition of a holy man; he believes absolutely that what he does is not only a holy offering to Hananja, but also brings peace to the souls he “gathers” and provides valuable resources to help the poor and sick. He cannot comprehend that foreigners might be horrified at what he does, and views them all as subject to Hananja’s law, whether they believe in it or not.However, after a harvesting goes wrong, Ehiru starts to doubt himself; then when he is sent to “gather” the soul of Sunandi, the Kisuati ambassador to Gujaareh, she pleads for her life, claiming that it is not her who is corrupt, but the leaders at the very heart of the city. Ehiru decides to investigate her claims – and this sets him on the trail of a complicated conspiracy which will lead him to doubt everything he holds true.This book has many strengths, the greatest of which is the tension between Ehiru (and his apprentice Nijiiri) and Sunandi – forced to work together despite their deeply held and opposing views. Both of them gradually come to accept and partially understand the other’s viewpoint.The other beautiful aspect is the touching portrayal of the love between Ehiru and Nijiiri – master and apprentice are each willing to lay down their life for the other.In summary, this is not the best YA fantasy I have read, but it is thought provoking and worth a read.
Show lessThe city-state Gujaareh worships Hananja, the goddess of dreams. Here peace reigns and brings with it prosperity. Crime is virtually unheard of, since those judged corrupt are “harvested” by the Priestess’s Gatherers – high priests who ease the corrupt, and also the terminally sick, into pleasant dreams and then harvest magic from their dying soul. The magic, or “tithe”, is then given to Sharers who use it to heal the sick. It’s a system that works well for the devout of the city; Gatherers spend many years training to attain their position, and are revered by all. At the very start of the book, we observe Ehiru, the first and greatest of the Gatherers, about his work. Ehiru is the very definition of a holy man; he believes absolutely that what he does is not only a holy offering to Hananja, but also brings peace to the souls he “gathers” and provides valuable resources to help the poor and sick. He cannot comprehend that foreigners might be horrified at what he does, and views them all as subject to Hananja’s law, whether they believe in it or not.However, after a harvesting goes wrong, Ehiru starts to doubt himself; then when he is sent to “gather” the soul of Sunandi, the Kisuati ambassador to Gujaareh, she pleads for her life, claiming that it is not her who is corrupt, but the leaders at the very heart of the city. Ehiru decides to investigate her claims – and this sets him on the trail of a complicated conspiracy which will lead him to doubt everything he holds true.This book has many strengths, the greatest of which is the tension between Ehiru (and his apprentice Nijiiri) and Sunandi – forced to work together despite their deeply held and opposing views. Both of them gradually come to accept and partially understand the other’s viewpoint.The other beautiful aspect is the touching portrayal of the love between Ehiru and Nijiiri – master and apprentice are each willing to lay down their life for the other.In summary, this is not the best YA fantasy I have read, but it is thought provoking and worth a read.
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In Gujaareh, it is the Gatherers’ job to shelter innocent civilians and lead them to a peaceful death once their time has come. Their tithes allow the city to run smoothly and peacefully, while the remains of their dreams are given to the sick who deserve healing and longer lives. Gatherer Ehiru has Gathered souls under the Dreaming Moon for most of his life when he slips and makes his first mistake. Already doubting himself, Ehiru soon finds himself in an even deeper conspiracy, as a woman he was sent to kill instead reveals damaging truths about his world. Now Ehiru must protect Sunandi in order to prevent the war which threatens all he’s spent his life working towards.N.K. Jemisin’s debut, the Inheritance Trilogy, was a fantastic set of books that explored concepts of godhood in serious depth. Once again, with The Killing Moon, Jemisin has written an engaging book that looks closely at religion, and what the differences between religions are, in a setting reminiscent of ancient Egypt. Her book is centred on two city-states, Gujaareh and Kisua. Ehiru and his apprentice Nijiri are Gatherers from Gujaareh, while Kisuan Sunandi is fundamentally opposed to them due to her inherent and insistent hatred of their religious practices, a hatred and disgust shared by her people. Yet this trio finds common ground as they try to prevent their homes from flying headlong into war.Because Jemisin always aims to do something a little bit different (she explains in an interview in the back of my edition why she eschews more typical medieval based fantasy tropes), her books come with a little bit of a learning curve. She likes to throw her readers right into her books, which means there is some learning to be done about the world and culture. Even though this is based on Egypt, it didn’t really *feel* to me like ancient Egypt. It certainly didn’t feel typical, but nothing about it was shouting “Egypt” – instead, it felt like a new fantasy world, and one which intrigued me as I settled deeper into the book.What I always like about Jemisin’s books are the relationships between characters and how well they work. All of them feel very natural; Nijiri’s love for Ehiru, for example, is something that would bother many people in our culture, as a young man in love with one who is much older, but it is something here that is viewed as completely natural. And I liked the way they both interacted with Sunandi, and she with them, as they all struggle to get over their prejudice and accept each other as human beings.Jemisin delivers another wonderful epic fantasy with The Killing Moon. I’m now looking forward to reading The Shadowed Sun and finishing this duology!
Show lessIn Gujaareh, it is the Gatherers’ job to shelter innocent civilians and lead them to a peaceful death once their time has come. Their tithes allow the city to run smoothly and peacefully, while the remains of their dreams are given to the sick who deserve healing and longer lives. Gatherer Ehiru has Gathered souls under the Dreaming Moon for most of his life when he slips and makes his first mistake. Already doubting himself, Ehiru soon finds himself in an even deeper conspiracy, as a woman he was sent to kill instead reveals damaging truths about his world. Now Ehiru must protect Sunandi in order to prevent the war which threatens all he’s spent his life working towards.N.K. Jemisin’s debut, the Inheritance Trilogy, was a fantastic set of books that explored concepts of godhood in serious depth. Once again, with The Killing Moon, Jemisin has written an engaging book that looks closely at religion, and what the differences between religions are, in a setting reminiscent of ancient Egypt. Her book is centred on two city-states, Gujaareh and Kisua. Ehiru and his apprentice Nijiri are Gatherers from Gujaareh, while Kisuan Sunandi is fundamentally opposed to them due to her inherent and insistent hatred of their religious practices, a hatred and disgust shared by her people. Yet this trio finds common ground as they try to prevent their homes from flying headlong into war.Because Jemisin always aims to do something a little bit different (she explains in an interview in the back of my edition why she eschews more typical medieval based fantasy tropes), her books come with a little bit of a learning curve. She likes to throw her readers right into her books, which means there is some learning to be done about the world and culture. Even though this is based on Egypt, it didn’t really *feel* to me like ancient Egypt. It certainly didn’t feel typical, but nothing about it was shouting “Egypt” – instead, it felt like a new fantasy world, and one which intrigued me as I settled deeper into the book.What I always like about Jemisin’s books are the relationships between characters and how well they work. All of them feel very natural; Nijiri’s love for Ehiru, for example, is something that would bother many people in our culture, as a young man in love with one who is much older, but it is something here that is viewed as completely natural. And I liked the way they both interacted with Sunandi, and she with them, as they all struggle to get over their prejudice and accept each other as human beings.Jemisin delivers another wonderful epic fantasy with The Killing Moon. I’m now looking forward to reading The Shadowed Sun and finishing this duology!
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