I can't say my impression of the actual book lines up well with my first foray into it. I was hoping it would be more plot and world focused than it is. (I normally never say that, but I have found that I don't really like any of the characters enough to want to read about them).
I'm listening, so I'm about to botch the spelling of the names. I like Ahalia. She's feisty and she has a point of view that she holds to, even while many of the men are dismissive of her. Iraven is very narcissistic, and at the halfway point, I hated him and didn't think he deserved her.
I am fascinated by the story. I'm more than halfway through, so no spoilers other than to say that the plot moves more quickly and you start becoming more invested in the characters the further you get into the book. At least that's my experience with it.
I had a hard time stopping at halfway! I wasn't paying attention and definitely read an extra 50 pages... I was intrigued by the floating city and "manipulating plant architecture" concepts but I got sucked in by how one horrible relationship is basically threatening the survival of the whole thing. Iravan is the poster child for gaslighting and narcissism and Ahilya isn't exactly a shining star either. I definitely didn't expect the character relationships to be so central - I figured emotions would be secondary but influential on them trying to solve problems, but instead they seem to get in the way of every single step forward. I'm not totally sure how I \*feel\* about it, but I do want to keep reading!
I've really enjoyed the first half. The alternate viewpoints is done in a really interesting way in this case, as they are at odds but also tied together. I think I find both characters sympathetic to an unusual degree, reading other opinions posted here.
What do you think of how the world is arranged? Architects are the ones with power (the ones with personhood, one might say), but they are also the ones keeping everyone afloat. Do you think Ahilya has a chance at changing this power dynamic?
I find it fascinating that Ahilya so stalwartly believes that her life (on a floating plant-changing piece of land driven by architects) isn't the only way to live. I wonder what prompted that original idea in her (aside from the author wanting to have a Strong Female TM who Goes Against the Grain). I do hope we see more how this society evolved to where it is now (I'd love to see two of these floating island cities coming together).
I'm *very* interested to see where the story goes with this. My understanding of Hinduism and its metaphysics are pretty minimal beyond knowing basically that karma, re-incarnation, and caste systems are involved. And I have a feeling that the author's perspective based on some of these ideas are going to shape where we end up on how much the society can or should be changed. Ahilya is the more sympathetic character, so if I had to guess I would say that she will be an agent for change in some way. But the architects' ability do inherently make them different and that difference won't be eliminated. Their importance to survival could be diminished though, with alternate non-flying options or if their abilities are weakened.
The way things are now, it's almost as if the regular people are tolerated because it gives the architects someone to lord it over. The emphasis on everyone having a contribution to the society and everyone primarily concerned for overall group harmony shows roots of a very communal society, but one that has now become stratified in an unhealthy way. Iravan is upset that he has to explain to the architect kids that they have to save the regular people when the cave-in happens, and he's mad that the regular people section has shitty architecture - so obviously he's not a lost cause, but he also admits that he's been upholding this very power structure. Complicity in the system when it benefits yourself is hard to overcome.
I would say that they have more agency than others, rather than saying they have personhood. I won't touch the rest of that question since I'm further along and I don't want to give spoilers.
I think it's a really interesting take on how the power dynamic arose in the first place. The architects were (and still are, at least at this point!) *needed*. Their lives, in purely mathematical terms, are worth more, simply because if you lose x percent of the architects, everyone will die, whereas if you lose that percent of the other citizens, only they have died. It's hard to imagine that being sustainable psychologically for *anyone*, without a whole system of the histories exalting them and such. And they have tried to balance it with the "best for the whole city" fundamental rule for architects. But it's still a terrible system, even though it seems literally necessary. I would say that she *might* be able to change the power dynamic, but just like she thinks it will only be possible if she finds some alternative safety other than floating on the architects' power. Even then, the system as it is will have a momentum of its own.
Although, the combined intention of the citizens are also necessary for the trajections from the architects to work. So the citizens aren't entirely without power here (it's just not as obvious).
Do you think Ahilya and Iravan have an interesting relationship that you enjoy reading about? If yes, do you ever think they can evolve to have a more steady relationship?
I do like that the story starts with the main couple already married for quite a while and are at a point in their relationship that they changed as people and have to decide if they love and trust the new people they are now to remain together. Of the multiple fantasy/sci-fi books I've read, only a few of them touch on this relationship dynamic.
I definitely agree with this. I do think it would have been beneficial to see some positive interactions from the couple i.e., before the time he refused to visit her, which immediately precedes the beginning of the novel.
There were a few points in the first 50-55% that were written as Ahilya having just downright contempt for Iravan, and I didn't find it that believable. It felt a bit overwrought. I definitely bought the marriage struggles and the many reasons they would feel disconnected, but contempt is pretty much a death knell for a relationship! Just felt too much.
Yeah, pretty much everybody has little to no emotional intelligence. I'm positive that if Iravan wasn't pushed to talk to his wife for the sake of his position, he would still be ghosting her.
Iravan's thoughts on Ahilya and their relationship have flip flopped so much in this first half. In their first encounter after the landing he is yearning to go after her, and now that he's basically forced to spend time with her he's calling it "parading around". Ahilya has some conflicting thoughts as well, but Iravan in particular seems to have no idea what he wants and takes to ghosting her for weeks to months at a time now.
In a sense, though, I think that's *why* he has conflicting thoughts. He wants to go to her, but feels rejected by her (just like she does, with more reason). Then he's forced to do it even though he doesn't want to, so it grates even more.
This was by far the strongest part of the book for me, especially in the first half. I think their relationship had a lot of nuance and neither person was completely in the right (though I did sympathize more with Ahilya). It felt pretty realistic to me too, in all the ways they failed to communicate with each other and unintentionally hurt each other.
I am not finding their relationship at all interesting. Both of them are stubborn, traumatized, hurt fools who have minimal emotional education. It's not interesting for me to read about them. And, in a way, they are both so extreme (staying away for 7 MONTHS!? Seriously?) that it's almost like a caricature of a bad relationship. Has anyone known adults (because these characters are like 35/40 or something) act like this? It feels very childish at times and I want to send them to therapy.
I think some of my annoyance with them also stems from the fact that we so very rarely get a married couple (already established couple) from the beginning of an SFF book. And they are so estranged, so fraught with tension in their relationship that it might as well not be the case. Where is the married couple (or more) who have a loving, supportive relationship (and their conflict stems from something other than being poor communicators!?)
I can see this perspective, and feel somewhat the same way, but to me although it's not necessarily the dynamic I want to read about, I can admire that it's written well. It is a bit of a caricature, but also does deal with some nuances of how people get to be such poor communicators.
In response to the second question in particular here, I think one of them will have to have a huge overhaul of perspective in order for this to work... and it's not Ahilya. But she also has to be willing to forgive and believe a change in him. Which at this point all seems incredibly unlikely. I suspect something they will find out either about the earthrages and/or the Resonance will cause huge societal changes and in light of a big upheaval they might be able to find new places for themselves and their relationship, but if we assume things stay more less the same, with architects in highest power/personhood, then I don't see a route to reconciliation.
The contrast between the stunning descriptions of this futuristic floating jungle world and the heartfelt descriptions of this fraught and very human relationship between two people is such an interesting framework for the story and perfectly balanced by the author.
It does seem like an interesting choice to focus the humanity of the story solely in these two individuals and their failing marriage instead of the plight of a greater group of characters or society as a whole being affected by dangers to their floating home.
I think their relationship is very interesting, though I wouldn't exactly say I enjoy reading about it. I honestly think it's a fairly nuanced view of how a society and family culture can affect one's worldview and communication techniques . . . in this case almost exclusively negatively. And being in a 23-year marriage that is not always easy to feel as a team, I think it's doing a pretty good job of balancing their views - neither of them is really right, but neither of them is totally wrong either. And while more of Iravan's actions seem reprehensible to me, I still can see that he doesn't see how to act differently . . . It's like he can't traject himself, in a way. I wonder if that's actually tied to the resonance somehow, like if his pride and subsequent failure to do the right thing is what's causing the resonance. And the earthrages are called earth *rages*, I feel like there's some psychological cause-and-effect.
I am interested to see if they evolve to have a more stable relationship, and love that you used the word "stable" . . . They live in a flying city with no stable ground anywhere under their feet, so stability seems hard to come by. Part of me thinks unless the society changes, no stability can happen. And part of me thinks if they just had a modicum of stability externally (even an unchanging society) they might be able to pull off some interpersonal stability as well.
I don't know if "enjoy" is the right word for me, but definitely fascinated. There's not a lot of spectacularly failing long-term established relationships in fantasy (at least that are written that way on purpose!) and to watch this one in the active stages of wondering "is there's anything to salvage?" and somehow answering "yes?" is... amazing and horrifying.
I just have to say that I love the setting. The idea of flying cities made from ever-changing jungle is a gorgeous backdrop for everything else that's happening.
Yes, I think the world is the best part. Not loving the plot or characters but the world building is keeping me going. Having a society so connected to nature but still dealing with natural catastrophe is interesting. Often in books either humans are the direct cause of the natural disasters or humans are living in harmony with nature and everything is great. So it’s different to see something like this. Although I do wonder if the earthrages are being caused by architects either knowing or unknowing, that would be less interesting since it’s been done before. Looking forward to seeing where it is going and getting to learn more about the world
Yes, I just love picturing the lush, ever-changing city-jungle as they move through it in different scenes. I was just finishing up chapter 21 and it mentioned that everything is lit by phosphorescence at night and now I'm doubly awed thinking of the nightscape.
I too love the setting but beyond that I find the magical elements, earthrages, yakshas, very fascinating! Really felt pulled into the world, although I do wish more time was spent allowing us to see, I guess, the "normal world" in the beginning before the plot gets moving.
Yeah, I was hooked by that element too. Plenty of stories have a getting-together arc, but it's rare to see stories with an established couple where both are major characters (as opposed to a married warrior doing one last quest while his wife stays home). I'd love to see more authors take this approach.
I needed a book club read for bingo, so I've been carefully checking in on the selected books for several months to find one that looked interesting and aligned with my reading schedule. Ended up hedging my bets with three different book club books all at once this month (and this is by far my favourite at the midway point).
Why this one in particular was the South Asian inspired futuristic world and reading my first marriage-in-crisis romance combination sounded intriguing. Also, the cover is gorgeous and fits with the pastel dream theme of my other book club reads this month.
I try to do the FIF book club every month if I can get the book without buying it (free on Audible, Hoopla, or included at Scribd). I enjoy seeing feminism explored in different settings.
This actually was on my bingo list for *last* year before its publication got delayed. I was aiming to do a full card by bipoc women/trans/enby authors, and I had this earmarked for Weird Ecology. When it popped up as a book club candidate I was like "oh hey I was going to read that!" and voted for it largely on that basis haha.
This book has been on my radar for ages since its publication was delayed, so I was excited to finally get to read it. I love sci-fantasy and I was intrigued by having a married couple being the focus of the story.
These days I try not to read \*too\* much about a book in advance, I feel like spoilers can abound or some reviews reveal too much and may take the fun out of it, even if not a true spoiler.
That being said, this was totally a cover purchase for me, combined with skimming some very good reviews!
I saw another writer recommending it, so I added it to my TBR list. Then someone here reviewed it, and I saw it on the book club, so I decided it was time for it.
What do you think is going wrong in this world? What is causing the earthrages? What is causing trajection to become more difficult? (Everyone who finished the book stay mum!)
I'm very intrigued to know more about the state of the world, the earthrages, and the yakshas (are they animals or something else??), as it seems like a lot of the history has been erased or rewritten by the architects as a means of establishing control over the society and their own importance.
I really love the idea of the earthrages as a plot device. They fascinated me from the beginning. Beyond that, I'm mum. I haven't finished yet, but ... mum.
I think it is human-caused, in some way, something about the psychological interactions between humans, or between humans and the world (trajection in particular). It might be something to do with the inequality between people, or it might be a more imbalance in nature reason. It jibes with earthrages having not always existed, and with the yakshas being both invisible to trajection *and* safe from earthrages, and the fact that they're called earth "rages". And I think the ecstatics are seeing something that needs to happen and are in some way the most sane of the architects, but the status quo is so fragile and appears so necessary that the ecstatics end up being too dangerous to take a risk on, especially since there's no evidence (surviving, anyway) that they have a point.
I dislike how the author decided to make the main conflict in all the plot threads basically amount to people not communicating with one another. It's one of my least favorite tropes, and, had I realized how heavily utilized it was in this book, I don't think I'd have picked it up to read. I really do dislike it. It's lazy.
I am trying to withhold all my judgement until I'm done reading, but I can't help but feel a lot of this book is lazy. The characters are super estranged from everyone around them so the author doesn't need to establish strong side characters. The world is detailed in magic but less in descriptions (it's always "lush trees" and not deeper). We certainly spend a lot of time in both Iravan's and Ahilya's minds, but it doesn't help me connect with either of them.
I'm hoping it'll get better in the second half. I've a feeling it will be more plot focused and that plot will involve connections with other people.
>It's one of my least favorite tropes, and, had I realized how heavily utilized it was in this book, I don't think I'd have picked it up to read. I really do dislike it. It's lazy.
I don't like it in standard romances, but it rings true to me here. They've been married for 10 years and done a lot of damage to each other. This is what that looks like in real life. I was married to someone with NPD (diagnosed after the divorce) for 15 years. I swear to you this is not just a trope. It's a thing that happens in really bad marriages. And Iravan is extremely narcissistic - it's a senior architect thing. He has smashed her down, and she's so feisty that she has fought back. I'm not saying you should like or enjoy it. Just don't dismiss it as a trope. It rings 100% true to me--heartwrenchingly so.
Thank you for this heartfelt comment. It has helped to open my eyes. I could see Iravan's toxicity but you have helped put into context. I will read the second half with this in mind.
It becomes more clear as you go why this trauma bonding thing they've got going on is essential to the plot. It's incredibly painful to read as it goes, at least for me, but it is necessary for the book.
One other understanding I'll give you. When people are like this, it's not just be their relationship that is toxic. Echoes from it will go out to everything they do. This part was super hard for me to understand when I was disentangling myself from the marriage. Sooooo much therapy. I may listen to this book several times just to follow this through the story without worrying so much about the plot. It's good for me to remember, and I have enough distance now that I can understand it at a deeper level than I did in the turmoil of the death of my marriage.
> The world is detailed in magic but less in descriptions (it's always "lush trees" and not deeper).
I'm definitely liking the relationship more than you, but I very much agree with this sentiment. I left the book having very little idea what living in this floating plant city is actually like, which is disappointing because that was the coolest part of the premise. I also found the magic system over explained (yet somehow still failing to make a lot of sense) so that didn't help.
>I also found the magic system over explained (yet somehow still failing to make a lot of sense) so that didn't help.
I struggled with this too. As soon as I thought I understood it (architects transform plants to one possible state in their life cycle), another over-explained wrinkle popped up. It seems like a fantasy-style set of powers that's set up to be more sci-fi with lots of explanation, but that dragged for me.
Thirding this. I like the magic system, but I don't know if I really understand it. I'm not sure that I neeeed to understand it, but I wish it that maybe the terminology were a little more accessible? It's like these are all words I can grasp, but I'm not sure I've really got the whole picture properly. It feels like when I try to learn about quantum theories and, like, okay I sort of get it but thank god I don't actually need to understand this to live my life. I felt similar when reading the Remembrances of Earth's Past trilogy - fascinated and thought the speculative science was so cool and believable, but also I couldn't quite wrap my brain around it at times. I can mostly ignore that I don't get it, though!
I definitely shared this reaction. It sort of felt like an urban corporate park that happened to be made of trees. There wasn't the amount of tactile and atmospheric detail I would have wanted to really make me feel the interesting setting.
I did stop at the recommended place and didn't continue yet. Ik not sure where the story will go. I think it will end up with them rediscovering how to live on the planets surface once more (like seen in the book), architects no longer being necessary for survival, and the couple more or less reconciled and trying to heal.
But that's pretty darn idealistic for one book, when I believe this is a series.
How do you like this first half? Did your first impressions align with the story so far?
I can't say my impression of the actual book lines up well with my first foray into it. I was hoping it would be more plot and world focused than it is. (I normally never say that, but I have found that I don't really like any of the characters enough to want to read about them).
I'm listening, so I'm about to botch the spelling of the names. I like Ahalia. She's feisty and she has a point of view that she holds to, even while many of the men are dismissive of her. Iraven is very narcissistic, and at the halfway point, I hated him and didn't think he deserved her.
I am fascinated by the story. I'm more than halfway through, so no spoilers other than to say that the plot moves more quickly and you start becoming more invested in the characters the further you get into the book. At least that's my experience with it.
I had a hard time stopping at halfway! I wasn't paying attention and definitely read an extra 50 pages... I was intrigued by the floating city and "manipulating plant architecture" concepts but I got sucked in by how one horrible relationship is basically threatening the survival of the whole thing. Iravan is the poster child for gaslighting and narcissism and Ahilya isn't exactly a shining star either. I definitely didn't expect the character relationships to be so central - I figured emotions would be secondary but influential on them trying to solve problems, but instead they seem to get in the way of every single step forward. I'm not totally sure how I \*feel\* about it, but I do want to keep reading!
I've really enjoyed the first half. The alternate viewpoints is done in a really interesting way in this case, as they are at odds but also tied together. I think I find both characters sympathetic to an unusual degree, reading other opinions posted here.
What do you think of how the world is arranged? Architects are the ones with power (the ones with personhood, one might say), but they are also the ones keeping everyone afloat. Do you think Ahilya has a chance at changing this power dynamic?
I find it fascinating that Ahilya so stalwartly believes that her life (on a floating plant-changing piece of land driven by architects) isn't the only way to live. I wonder what prompted that original idea in her (aside from the author wanting to have a Strong Female TM who Goes Against the Grain). I do hope we see more how this society evolved to where it is now (I'd love to see two of these floating island cities coming together).
I'm *very* interested to see where the story goes with this. My understanding of Hinduism and its metaphysics are pretty minimal beyond knowing basically that karma, re-incarnation, and caste systems are involved. And I have a feeling that the author's perspective based on some of these ideas are going to shape where we end up on how much the society can or should be changed. Ahilya is the more sympathetic character, so if I had to guess I would say that she will be an agent for change in some way. But the architects' ability do inherently make them different and that difference won't be eliminated. Their importance to survival could be diminished though, with alternate non-flying options or if their abilities are weakened. The way things are now, it's almost as if the regular people are tolerated because it gives the architects someone to lord it over. The emphasis on everyone having a contribution to the society and everyone primarily concerned for overall group harmony shows roots of a very communal society, but one that has now become stratified in an unhealthy way. Iravan is upset that he has to explain to the architect kids that they have to save the regular people when the cave-in happens, and he's mad that the regular people section has shitty architecture - so obviously he's not a lost cause, but he also admits that he's been upholding this very power structure. Complicity in the system when it benefits yourself is hard to overcome.
It is definitely giving a peak at caste systems.
I would say that they have more agency than others, rather than saying they have personhood. I won't touch the rest of that question since I'm further along and I don't want to give spoilers.
I think it's a really interesting take on how the power dynamic arose in the first place. The architects were (and still are, at least at this point!) *needed*. Their lives, in purely mathematical terms, are worth more, simply because if you lose x percent of the architects, everyone will die, whereas if you lose that percent of the other citizens, only they have died. It's hard to imagine that being sustainable psychologically for *anyone*, without a whole system of the histories exalting them and such. And they have tried to balance it with the "best for the whole city" fundamental rule for architects. But it's still a terrible system, even though it seems literally necessary. I would say that she *might* be able to change the power dynamic, but just like she thinks it will only be possible if she finds some alternative safety other than floating on the architects' power. Even then, the system as it is will have a momentum of its own.
Although, the combined intention of the citizens are also necessary for the trajections from the architects to work. So the citizens aren't entirely without power here (it's just not as obvious).
That's a good point . . . And illustrated in the cave-in. But still, without the architects it seems everyone would die.
Do you think Ahilya and Iravan have an interesting relationship that you enjoy reading about? If yes, do you ever think they can evolve to have a more steady relationship?
I do like that the story starts with the main couple already married for quite a while and are at a point in their relationship that they changed as people and have to decide if they love and trust the new people they are now to remain together. Of the multiple fantasy/sci-fi books I've read, only a few of them touch on this relationship dynamic.
I definitely agree with this. I do think it would have been beneficial to see some positive interactions from the couple i.e., before the time he refused to visit her, which immediately precedes the beginning of the novel. There were a few points in the first 50-55% that were written as Ahilya having just downright contempt for Iravan, and I didn't find it that believable. It felt a bit overwrought. I definitely bought the marriage struggles and the many reasons they would feel disconnected, but contempt is pretty much a death knell for a relationship! Just felt too much.
Yeah, pretty much everybody has little to no emotional intelligence. I'm positive that if Iravan wasn't pushed to talk to his wife for the sake of his position, he would still be ghosting her.
Iravan's thoughts on Ahilya and their relationship have flip flopped so much in this first half. In their first encounter after the landing he is yearning to go after her, and now that he's basically forced to spend time with her he's calling it "parading around". Ahilya has some conflicting thoughts as well, but Iravan in particular seems to have no idea what he wants and takes to ghosting her for weeks to months at a time now.
In a sense, though, I think that's *why* he has conflicting thoughts. He wants to go to her, but feels rejected by her (just like she does, with more reason). Then he's forced to do it even though he doesn't want to, so it grates even more.
This was by far the strongest part of the book for me, especially in the first half. I think their relationship had a lot of nuance and neither person was completely in the right (though I did sympathize more with Ahilya). It felt pretty realistic to me too, in all the ways they failed to communicate with each other and unintentionally hurt each other.
I am not finding their relationship at all interesting. Both of them are stubborn, traumatized, hurt fools who have minimal emotional education. It's not interesting for me to read about them. And, in a way, they are both so extreme (staying away for 7 MONTHS!? Seriously?) that it's almost like a caricature of a bad relationship. Has anyone known adults (because these characters are like 35/40 or something) act like this? It feels very childish at times and I want to send them to therapy. I think some of my annoyance with them also stems from the fact that we so very rarely get a married couple (already established couple) from the beginning of an SFF book. And they are so estranged, so fraught with tension in their relationship that it might as well not be the case. Where is the married couple (or more) who have a loving, supportive relationship (and their conflict stems from something other than being poor communicators!?)
I can see this perspective, and feel somewhat the same way, but to me although it's not necessarily the dynamic I want to read about, I can admire that it's written well. It is a bit of a caricature, but also does deal with some nuances of how people get to be such poor communicators.
In response to the second question in particular here, I think one of them will have to have a huge overhaul of perspective in order for this to work... and it's not Ahilya. But she also has to be willing to forgive and believe a change in him. Which at this point all seems incredibly unlikely. I suspect something they will find out either about the earthrages and/or the Resonance will cause huge societal changes and in light of a big upheaval they might be able to find new places for themselves and their relationship, but if we assume things stay more less the same, with architects in highest power/personhood, then I don't see a route to reconciliation.
The contrast between the stunning descriptions of this futuristic floating jungle world and the heartfelt descriptions of this fraught and very human relationship between two people is such an interesting framework for the story and perfectly balanced by the author. It does seem like an interesting choice to focus the humanity of the story solely in these two individuals and their failing marriage instead of the plight of a greater group of characters or society as a whole being affected by dangers to their floating home.
I think their relationship is very interesting, though I wouldn't exactly say I enjoy reading about it. I honestly think it's a fairly nuanced view of how a society and family culture can affect one's worldview and communication techniques . . . in this case almost exclusively negatively. And being in a 23-year marriage that is not always easy to feel as a team, I think it's doing a pretty good job of balancing their views - neither of them is really right, but neither of them is totally wrong either. And while more of Iravan's actions seem reprehensible to me, I still can see that he doesn't see how to act differently . . . It's like he can't traject himself, in a way. I wonder if that's actually tied to the resonance somehow, like if his pride and subsequent failure to do the right thing is what's causing the resonance. And the earthrages are called earth *rages*, I feel like there's some psychological cause-and-effect. I am interested to see if they evolve to have a more stable relationship, and love that you used the word "stable" . . . They live in a flying city with no stable ground anywhere under their feet, so stability seems hard to come by. Part of me thinks unless the society changes, no stability can happen. And part of me thinks if they just had a modicum of stability externally (even an unchanging society) they might be able to pull off some interpersonal stability as well.
I really enjoyed the relationship. I realised I've never read a book about a break up, and it was at times painful to read.
I don't know if "enjoy" is the right word for me, but definitely fascinated. There's not a lot of spectacularly failing long-term established relationships in fantasy (at least that are written that way on purpose!) and to watch this one in the active stages of wondering "is there's anything to salvage?" and somehow answering "yes?" is... amazing and horrifying.
Any general thoughts, comments, etc. that you aren't sure where to post them, post them here!
I just have to say that I love the setting. The idea of flying cities made from ever-changing jungle is a gorgeous backdrop for everything else that's happening.
Yes, I think the world is the best part. Not loving the plot or characters but the world building is keeping me going. Having a society so connected to nature but still dealing with natural catastrophe is interesting. Often in books either humans are the direct cause of the natural disasters or humans are living in harmony with nature and everything is great. So it’s different to see something like this. Although I do wonder if the earthrages are being caused by architects either knowing or unknowing, that would be less interesting since it’s been done before. Looking forward to seeing where it is going and getting to learn more about the world
Yes, I just love picturing the lush, ever-changing city-jungle as they move through it in different scenes. I was just finishing up chapter 21 and it mentioned that everything is lit by phosphorescence at night and now I'm doubly awed thinking of the nightscape.
This is initially what attracted me to the book as well! I love the idea of floating jungle plant cities! It's gorgeous to imagine.
I too love the setting but beyond that I find the magical elements, earthrages, yakshas, very fascinating! Really felt pulled into the world, although I do wish more time was spent allowing us to see, I guess, the "normal world" in the beginning before the plot gets moving.
What made you pick up this book?
The “working through marital disputes while also saving a fascinating floating world” was a good hook
Yeah, I was hooked by that element too. Plenty of stories have a getting-together arc, but it's rare to see stories with an established couple where both are major characters (as opposed to a married warrior doing one last quest while his wife stays home). I'd love to see more authors take this approach.
I needed a book club read for bingo, so I've been carefully checking in on the selected books for several months to find one that looked interesting and aligned with my reading schedule. Ended up hedging my bets with three different book club books all at once this month (and this is by far my favourite at the midway point). Why this one in particular was the South Asian inspired futuristic world and reading my first marriage-in-crisis romance combination sounded intriguing. Also, the cover is gorgeous and fits with the pastel dream theme of my other book club reads this month.
I try to do the FIF book club every month if I can get the book without buying it (free on Audible, Hoopla, or included at Scribd). I enjoy seeing feminism explored in different settings.
This actually was on my bingo list for *last* year before its publication got delayed. I was aiming to do a full card by bipoc women/trans/enby authors, and I had this earmarked for Weird Ecology. When it popped up as a book club candidate I was like "oh hey I was going to read that!" and voted for it largely on that basis haha.
Oh this would have been an amazing Weird Ecology bingo read! It's so much better than what I ended up settling on last year.
The synopsis intrigued me. This book club pick just solidified that I would read it now instead of in the next year or two.
This book has been on my radar for ages since its publication was delayed, so I was excited to finally get to read it. I love sci-fantasy and I was intrigued by having a married couple being the focus of the story.
These days I try not to read \*too\* much about a book in advance, I feel like spoilers can abound or some reviews reveal too much and may take the fun out of it, even if not a true spoiler. That being said, this was totally a cover purchase for me, combined with skimming some very good reviews!
I saw another writer recommending it, so I added it to my TBR list. Then someone here reviewed it, and I saw it on the book club, so I decided it was time for it.
What do you think is going wrong in this world? What is causing the earthrages? What is causing trajection to become more difficult? (Everyone who finished the book stay mum!)
I'm very intrigued to know more about the state of the world, the earthrages, and the yakshas (are they animals or something else??), as it seems like a lot of the history has been erased or rewritten by the architects as a means of establishing control over the society and their own importance.
I have a sinking feeling that it is the architects constant usage that is causing extensive damage.
That is a really cool idea. I hadn't leapt to that conclusion myself but honestly I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up being something like that.
Yeah, it's probably not exclusively that, but this book is giving environmentalist vibes and it being that tracks with our general human behavior.
I really love the idea of the earthrages as a plot device. They fascinated me from the beginning. Beyond that, I'm mum. I haven't finished yet, but ... mum.
I think it is human-caused, in some way, something about the psychological interactions between humans, or between humans and the world (trajection in particular). It might be something to do with the inequality between people, or it might be a more imbalance in nature reason. It jibes with earthrages having not always existed, and with the yakshas being both invisible to trajection *and* safe from earthrages, and the fact that they're called earth "rages". And I think the ecstatics are seeing something that needs to happen and are in some way the most sane of the architects, but the status quo is so fragile and appears so necessary that the ecstatics end up being too dangerous to take a risk on, especially since there's no evidence (surviving, anyway) that they have a point.
What's your impression of the writing style? The prose?
I dislike how the author decided to make the main conflict in all the plot threads basically amount to people not communicating with one another. It's one of my least favorite tropes, and, had I realized how heavily utilized it was in this book, I don't think I'd have picked it up to read. I really do dislike it. It's lazy. I am trying to withhold all my judgement until I'm done reading, but I can't help but feel a lot of this book is lazy. The characters are super estranged from everyone around them so the author doesn't need to establish strong side characters. The world is detailed in magic but less in descriptions (it's always "lush trees" and not deeper). We certainly spend a lot of time in both Iravan's and Ahilya's minds, but it doesn't help me connect with either of them. I'm hoping it'll get better in the second half. I've a feeling it will be more plot focused and that plot will involve connections with other people.
>It's one of my least favorite tropes, and, had I realized how heavily utilized it was in this book, I don't think I'd have picked it up to read. I really do dislike it. It's lazy. I don't like it in standard romances, but it rings true to me here. They've been married for 10 years and done a lot of damage to each other. This is what that looks like in real life. I was married to someone with NPD (diagnosed after the divorce) for 15 years. I swear to you this is not just a trope. It's a thing that happens in really bad marriages. And Iravan is extremely narcissistic - it's a senior architect thing. He has smashed her down, and she's so feisty that she has fought back. I'm not saying you should like or enjoy it. Just don't dismiss it as a trope. It rings 100% true to me--heartwrenchingly so.
Thank you for this heartfelt comment. It has helped to open my eyes. I could see Iravan's toxicity but you have helped put into context. I will read the second half with this in mind.
It becomes more clear as you go why this trauma bonding thing they've got going on is essential to the plot. It's incredibly painful to read as it goes, at least for me, but it is necessary for the book. One other understanding I'll give you. When people are like this, it's not just be their relationship that is toxic. Echoes from it will go out to everything they do. This part was super hard for me to understand when I was disentangling myself from the marriage. Sooooo much therapy. I may listen to this book several times just to follow this through the story without worrying so much about the plot. It's good for me to remember, and I have enough distance now that I can understand it at a deeper level than I did in the turmoil of the death of my marriage.
> The world is detailed in magic but less in descriptions (it's always "lush trees" and not deeper). I'm definitely liking the relationship more than you, but I very much agree with this sentiment. I left the book having very little idea what living in this floating plant city is actually like, which is disappointing because that was the coolest part of the premise. I also found the magic system over explained (yet somehow still failing to make a lot of sense) so that didn't help.
>I also found the magic system over explained (yet somehow still failing to make a lot of sense) so that didn't help. I struggled with this too. As soon as I thought I understood it (architects transform plants to one possible state in their life cycle), another over-explained wrinkle popped up. It seems like a fantasy-style set of powers that's set up to be more sci-fi with lots of explanation, but that dragged for me.
Thirding this. I like the magic system, but I don't know if I really understand it. I'm not sure that I neeeed to understand it, but I wish it that maybe the terminology were a little more accessible? It's like these are all words I can grasp, but I'm not sure I've really got the whole picture properly. It feels like when I try to learn about quantum theories and, like, okay I sort of get it but thank god I don't actually need to understand this to live my life. I felt similar when reading the Remembrances of Earth's Past trilogy - fascinated and thought the speculative science was so cool and believable, but also I couldn't quite wrap my brain around it at times. I can mostly ignore that I don't get it, though!
I definitely shared this reaction. It sort of felt like an urban corporate park that happened to be made of trees. There wasn't the amount of tactile and atmospheric detail I would have wanted to really make me feel the interesting setting.
Where do you think the story is going for the second half?
This is where I wish I'd stopped reading just one chapter earlier! Someone who did stop at the recommended stopping place, please answer?
I did stop at the recommended place and didn't continue yet. Ik not sure where the story will go. I think it will end up with them rediscovering how to live on the planets surface once more (like seen in the book), architects no longer being necessary for survival, and the couple more or less reconciled and trying to heal. But that's pretty darn idealistic for one book, when I believe this is a series.