Publishers Weekly
02/13/2023
In this uneven standalone novella, World Fantasy Award winner Lee (the Green Bone Saga series) conjures a world where giant birds of prey—rocs—are trained by handlers called ruhkers to hunt manticores. After 18-year-old Ester’s mother and brother are killed by manticores, Ester determines to join the ranks of the ruhkers and rid the world of the beasts that destroyed her family. Much of the story consists of her learning to work as a team with her fledgling roc, Zahra, under the guidance of seasoned ruhker Darius and his roc, Minu. Together, Ester and Darius face tragedy and losses that test their strength and perseverance as ruhkers. Unfortunately, the human characters feel disappointingly flat in comparison to the fantastical beasts around them and Ester’s matter-of-fact narration dulls the sense of adventure. Excessive foreshadowing, meanwhile, undermines the suspense. It’s disappointing, because the premise is strong, offering a fresh take on dragon-rider fantasies of yore. Readers who come for the legendary beasts won’t be disappointed, but anyone hoping for more substance can take a pass. (Mar.)
From the Publisher
Praise for Untethered Sky
"Gripping action set in vast spaces writ as clean and spare as a dry bone . . . the result is tremendous."—The New York Times
"A perfect afternoon escape under desert skies with legendary beasts."—The Wall Street Journal
"Exciting, bloody, and sneakily profound."—Slate
"A setting so rich, with a narrator so engaging, in fact, that readers will hope Lee returns to it in future works—perhaps always keeping the narrative as tightly bound to the novella format as a rukher is bound to her roc."—Paste
"A beautiful, fierce, bittersweet flight."—Tor.com
"Fonda Lee wonderfully and brutally reimagines the mythic monster hunter with one of the most iconic and compelling literary duos I've ever read." - Matt Wallace, Hugo Award winner and author of the Savage Rebellion Trilogy
"A delicious morsel of heart’s flesh, its story as wild and yet poised in its craft as a stooping hawk. Fonda Lee’s characters are so real, broken and raw that they need no crowns, no wars, no prophesies to enlarge them. They simply, believably are, and in so being, they sweep us into a story as magical and wondrous as it is deft. One of the best fantasy novellas I’ve had the pleasure to read."—Christopher Buehlman
"A beautifully told story of a young woman, her magnificent, monstrous raptor, and her journey through grief, obsession, courage, and love."—Kate Elliott
"Fonda Lee weaves an enchanted world of giant majestic birds, those who would bond with them, and the terrifying monsters they must pursue. In this beautifully spun tale, a woman driven by loss and the pursuit of justice will be tested by the limits of her endurance, and how much she is willing to sacrifice."—P. Djèlí Clark
"Lee follows up her phenomenal Green Bone Saga trilogy with this fantastic stand-alone epic fantasy novella that feels like a classic folktale....Untethered Sky is an evocative, emotional novella you’ll want to finish in a single sitting because it’s just that good"—BuzzFeed
"Fonda Lee explores a new world via a standalone fantasy novella with a focus as razor-sharp as the talons of its deadly rocs."—Literary Hub
"[A] powerful story of emotional freedom and learning to love without regret."—Library Journal
"Disarmingly lovely."—Locus
Praise for The Green Bone Saga
"The Green Bone Saga is the best fantasy series I've read this decade."—S.A. Chakraborty
“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
“Lee’s series will stand as a pillar of epic fantasy and family drama.”—Library Journal, starred review, on Jade Legacy
"[Lee] juggles the personal and the epic with deft, admirable skill, weaving a story that is equally sweeping and intimate."—NPR on Jade War
"Sweeping, leisurely, and epic, and combines political intrigue with sharply choreographed action scenes, but it's a character-driven family drama at its heart."—Publishers Weekly, starred review, on Jade War
"If you like extremely tense political maneuvering and intrigue, you will love Jade City. Fonda Lee is the new Mario Puzo; Jade City has officially dethroned The Godfather."—Sarah Gailey
"Stylish and action-packed, full of ambitious families and guilt-ridden loves, Jade City is an epic drama reminiscent of the best classic Hong Kong gangster films but set in a fantasy metropolis so gritty and well-imagined that you'll forget you're reading a book."—Ken Liu
"Jade City has it all: a beautifully realized setting, a great cast of characters, and dramatic action scenes. What a fun, gripping read!"—Ann Leckie
Library Journal
11/01/2022
Ester is a ruhker apprentice: one who will devote themselves to the raising and training of roc fledglings, which will grow into gigantic, deadly birds of prey. While only one in five ever survive to fly a roc, Ester has the drive to attempt to make a wild creature named Zahra a hunter for the Kingdom of Dartha. As she cares for Zahra, her devotion to her cause grows. Rocs are the only ones who can face off against the deadly manticores that ravage the countryside, and it was a manticore that killed Ester's mother and brother. Yet now, Ester has gained a new family with the other ruhkers and the wild creature she can never hope to tame. Flashbacks of her life create the foundation for a powerful story of emotional freedom and learning to love without regret. Lee (Jade Legacy) creates a balance of action and emotional conflict with her strong prose and characters. VERDICT This slim novella packs a punch as it explores the emotional journey of one woman's feelings of vengeance and devotion, as wild as the creatures that she must face.—Kristi Chadwick
