Starred review from March 5, 2012
Jemisin’s gripping series launch immerses readers in an unfamiliar but enthralling world as well as a rousing political and supernatural adventure. In Gujaareh, a city-state reminiscent of ancient Egypt (though the differences far outnumber the similarities), dreams are the source of magic, and it is Gatherer Ehiru’s job to collect the mystical life-giving dreamblood from the dying—and those deemed too “corrupt” to live. Devout and loyal, Ehiru is slow to accept that heretical evil lurks behind Gujaareh’s unblemished facade; only after encountering Sunandi, a foreign spy who is far less naïve about Gujaareh’s “mad bitch” goddess and her unscrupulous worshippers, does Ehiru begin to glimpse the rot that extends up to the pinnacle of Gujaareh’s social pyramid. As a hideous monster preys on the innocent, Ehiru’s faith is tested in a crisis of world-shaking proportions. Rather than merely appropriating various details from Earth’s past and present, Jemisin (the Inheritance Trilogy) has created a fully developed secondary world that is an organic whole. Agent: Lucienne Diver, the Knight Agency.
March 1, 2012
New ancient Egypt-flavored fantasy from the New York resident author of The Broken Kingdoms (2010, etc.). In the city and state of Gujaareh, the Hetawa temple is dedicated to Hananja, goddess of dreams, and its priests harvest the people's dreams to create dream-magic to heal wounds and cure ailments. The Hetawa's elite Gatherers also ease the passage of the dying--and kill those judged corrupt. When Gatherer Ehiru is ordered to kill Charleron, a corrupt outlander, somehow his flawless technique goes awry; Charleron dies in agony, but not before hinting that something is gravely amiss in the Hetawa. Shaken, Ehiru finds he can no longer function as a Gatherer and goes into seclusion, watched over by his young apprentice, Nijiri--until Ehiru receives orders to kill Sunandi Jeh Kalawe, the "corrupt" ambassador from neighboring Kisua. Sunandi bravely defends herself and reveals that her predecessor and adoptive father passed to her a dreadful secret involving war, murder and, perhaps, Eninket, Prince of the Sunset Throne--who happens to be Ehiru's brother. Though all the signs point towards the Hetawa--innocent dreamers are being murdered by an insensate, renegade Reaper--Ehiru cannot believe that the priesthood itself is corrupt. Nevertheless he agrees to help Sunandi unravel the conspiracy. Though a little too heavily dependent on the intricate details of Gujaareh's religion, Jemisin's patient world-building and extraordinary attention to detail help frame and propel the complex plot, and she weaves subtle, emotionally complex relationships between the main characters. The text includes a useful glossary but, alas, no maps. Tends toward the claustrophobic at times, but superior and fulfilling.
COPYRIGHT(2012) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Starred review from March 15, 2012
The desert city of Gujaareh is known as a peaceful society, free of violence and crime. To maintain the peace, Gatherers--priests of the goddess Hananja--police the city, siphoning the dreams of its residents and using them to heal, bring solace to the dying, and deliver death to the corrupt. When the city's most famous Gatherer, Ehiru, receives a commission to collect the dreams of a diplomat from a neighboring land, he and his apprentice Nijiri stumble into a web of political intrigue that could destroy their city and undermine its holy purpose. The author of the award-winning "Inheritance Trilogy" (The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms; The Broken Kingdoms; The Kingdom of Gods) launches a new series that explores the meaning of religion and the nature of faith. VERDICT This story, set in a world inspired by Africa and the Middle East, shines for its remarkable characters and graceful prose. Jemisin's fans and readers who enjoy China Mieville, Daniel Abraham, and Mike Resnick will embrace her attention to detail and the love of storytelling that infuses this novel.
Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.