Untethered Sky

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zahra was not yet in my life, but she would be. she answered the question in my soul and made me worthwhile. and you were not yet in my life either, but then you came into it. you’re part of the answer and even without your roc, you’re worth more to me than you could ever know. ” I loved Untethered Sky. As I said, I do wish the novella was longer, but that’s only because I can’t get enough of Lee’s writing and storytelling quality. Fonda Lee hasn’t let me down yet with her books. And I believe this trend will only ceaselessly continue, especially with Jade Shards upcoming publication later this year and more. When you love a person, you are expected to give them their freedom, but when you love a monster, you keep it caged.”

beautifully immersive writing and natural worldbuilding - fonda lee proved she's just as good at writing traditional adventure fantasy as she is at gritty urban fantasy. While I've described this to some friends as adult Pokemon, that's more facetious than truthful. Indeed, Lee soars into the world of Roc training that was reminiscent of H is for Hawk's more harrowing passages of loss and hawking. These aren't mythical birds that speak or communicate in the typical sense; indeed, a mix of discipline and knowledge lead the trainers to failure or success against the beasts they hunt. Full points for world building!

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Our main character is Ester, whose family was devastated by a manticore when she was very young. She grew up wanting to hunt monsters, and this led her to want to become a ruhker, the people who train and fly rocs (very large birds of prey, though not as large as most myths would have them) which are the only known predator that can kill a manticore. We follow as Ester trains, and is finally given a roc, a juvenile female named Zahra. Lee’s Green Bone Saga is The Godfather with an Asian cast, Game of Thrones in a suit, tie and sunglasses. It has all the earmarks of a modern, international gangster epic juiced with boardroom intrigue, economic theory and swordfights.”—NPR on Jade Legacy When I was thirteen years old, I learned that when disaster arrives, it does so without omen or portent. The truly terrible moments strike us the way a roc strikes its prey— without warning, out of the clear blue sky.” I’m astonished at how Fonda Lee managed to evoke specific, piercing emotions in me in such a short book. The ending left me in tears. This is a story I’ve been waiting for: spare, gracefully told, filled with feelings of overwhelming awe and quiet aching. It feels like a folktale, complete with the incoming dread of a fable, yet balanced with the same comfort and warmth. I will treasure Untethered Sky for years to come.

The story has a powerful ending with substantial growth for each of the major characters. Anyone who has ‘owned’ a pet can draw some parallels from this story. Untethered Sky is a rich and rewarding journey that soars. Out of every five apprentice ruhkers, two will be killed or crippled, two will leave or be sent away, and only one will ever fly a roc. And the dangers do not diminish after that. Babak had seen apprentices come and go. He would place no odds on my success, yet his equanimity was an odd comfort, because I shared his blunt assessment: Either I would become a ruhker, or I would die trying. I would train and care for Zahra, yet she could never belong to me. In name, she belonged to Antrius the Bold and the Kingdom of Dartha, but even that was not true. A roc is always a wild thing, always God’s monster alone.

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For such a small book, this covers a pretty long period of time, taking us all the way through until Ester is an adult and full ruhker, when she and all the other ruhkers are involved in a nationwide effort to kill as many manticores as possible. We’re thrilled to share an excerpt from Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee, an epic fantasy fable about the pursuit of obsession at all costs—available April 11 from Tordotcom Publishing. Lest you get the wrong idea though, this is far from your cutesy How to Train Your Dragon type story with a heartwarming ending where everyone gets to go home happy. Ester is ever aware that the love she has for Zahra can never be returned, for no matter how well they are trained, rocs are nature’s creatures bound by instinct. And yet, I found this situation bittersweet and touching in its own way, watching the protagonist give her whole heart to Zahra even knowing full well the roc may break it one day. Thank you Tor Publishing Group and Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.