The Spear Cuts Through Water: A Novel

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A rich and sophisticated voice emerging to transform the genre . . . Jimenez has herewith delivered something utterly individual. . . . A wild chase and odyssey (compressed into five days) which you must read to believe.” — Locus The plot was intricately woven and complex. I was honestly convinced the author’s brain was from another dimension entirely. Here rise the themes of power: what happens when it’s given to the wrong hands, and allowed to be used, allowed to prosper and endure in these wrong hands. I won’t deny that there isn’t a level of insanity here. If you’ve read The Vanished Birds, you’d be familiar with how insane things can get. Here it was relentless. But despite everything, I think the author “knots the threads” well. Through the unnamed narrator we witness the main storyline, about two warriors Jun, the grandson of the emperor and Keema, the disabled guard, who are roped into a quest to rescue a god from The Moon Throne, the tyrannical rulers of their land. With folklore woven effortlessly into the magic, action and setting of the story, The Spear Cuts Through Water has all elements of a fantasy world but the kind that’s surreal and unhinged in all those aspects. And a violent kind too, as the book definitely has gory themes but they perfectly fit into the characterization and world of the novel.

WINNER OF THE IAFA CRAWFORD AWARD • WINNER OF THE BRITISH FANTASY AWARD • SHORTLISTED FOR THE URSULA K. LE GUIN AWARD • SHORTLISTED FOR THE IGNYTE AWARD The Spear Cuts Through Water balances 2.1 storylines. The first storyline is directed as a fictitious unnamed reader, an attendance of the Inverted Theater where the main storyline is told. We don’t learn much about this reader, the world they live in has a war, they have many brothers and a deadbeat father, and their lola, their grandmother, would tell them stories about the Old World, including the one being told today. The second storyline is more the main story, where two companions Jun and Keema meet by chance to escort a god across the lands to take down the tyrannical Moon Throne. The 0.1 comes from the short little interjections from the supporting cast, giving the reader an outside perspective on events as they happen in the second storyline.

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According to Jake Casella Brookins of the Chicago Review of Books, a major theme of the novel is storytelling. The novel itself is a story about storytelling. Many of the characters, including Keema and Jun, are "attempting to revise, obscure, or restart their own stories, to figure out how to make sense of—and peace with—how their lives compare to the stories they thought they knew." Brookins also writes that the novel explores the themes of violence and trauma in a way that is different from many fantasy novels, which often gloss over the deaths of "faceless" minor characters. By "head-hopping" between characters, Jiminez "refuses to dismiss the cost of violence." [1] Style edit In a fantasy, so often the focus is the hero's journey - their growth and feelings. Most everyone else in the fantasy world is fodder - bit players, wallflowers, NPCs. Commonfolk. This extraordinary science fiction epic, which delves deep into the perils of failing to learn from one’s mistakes, is perfect for fans of big ideas and intimate reflections.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) there's a level of unhinged insanity here that i've missed reading in epic fantasy - the climax is heart-poundingly wild and the ending is so satisfying and emotional and beautiful, i could barely contain my feelings when i finished. That is the most tormented man that I have ever known. I'm in love with this man. But he doesn't know that. I never told him, because he can never love anybody since he lost his hand and his girl."

The story is fascinating in its brutality and depiction of suffering. There are scenes that will appear in my nightmares and moments that made my heart ache. But at its core, The Spear Cuts Through Water is a love story. It is not a neat love story and it is not always a happy love story but… This book is told in a very strange way, with alternating omniscient second person and omniscient third person narration constantly interrupted by first person interjections from just about every side character that the principal players encounter, including some very obscure ones like the thoughts of the models from when a painting that the main characters are viewing. There's an in-story reason for this, and it's an interesting concept, but it didn't work for me at all. this is extraordinary storytelling that breaks expectations and conventions to deliver us a fantasy story like it's rarely been told before. the spear cuts through water feels like a love letter to oral storytelling traditions passed down through generations. the narrative is like a performance in every sense - alongside the fact that the story is acted out as a play in a magical theatre, the writing style is raw, atmospheric, visceral, rhythmic. it absorbs you so easily into the magic and horror of this world that i feel like i've lived a lifetime with these characters in the old country. I say the main narrative, our throne toppling narrative, has a epic-fantasy-esque vibe to it, yet this is one of the rare occasions in epic fantasy that I’d say the plot plays second fiddle to the characters themselves. As one of the characters says in the story, ‘this is a love story’. Every event that occurs, every big reveal, all fuels the absolutely incredible character work Jimenez puts into this story. Really, this is a story about the connections that Jun and Keema make together, from strangers to a partnership that transcends simple romance.

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My Review: How do you read your books? Tree book, ebook, ear reading? Where are you when you experience the stories you consume...bed, chair, front seat of the car, public transportation? All of these factors will come into play while experiencing this read. How this book managed to slip under everyone’s radar despite being the best fantasy of the year is a mystery to me. Lyrical, evocative, part poem, part prose—not to be missed by anyone, especially fans of historical fantasy and folktale. In a frame story, a grandmother (“lola”) tells stories of the Old Country to her grandchild. She tells a story about how the Moon and the Water were in love, and together they created the Inverted Theater. The grandchild visits the Inverted Theater in a dream. They are carrying a spear which is their family heirloom. The moonlit body, a child of the Water and the Moon, performs the following story for the grandchild and other visitors to the Theater. What I didn’t much appreciate about this were the long chapters, as mentioned. And the violence, I’m still thinking if they were all necessary but hmm maybe that opinion would vary with each reader.

Finally, finally, after nearly two weeks of struggling, I am done with this book. I don’t think I’ve ever had such complicated feelings before, or struggled as much with a book I couldn’t help but see as excellent in many ways. I wonder if perhaps I might have loved it in another mood and another time, if it’s me or the book, but in the end, it’s no use. Gorgeously written, The Spear Cuts Through Water is unlike anything I’ve ever read before. It is a fable, a dream world, a love story, and a meditation on the nature of humanity all wrapped into one. Simon Jimenez has written the rare kind of book that changes the way you see the world, that makes you pause and appreciate the beauty in every small moment of life and, even, death.” —Evelyn Skye, New York Times bestselling author of The Crown’s GameA beguiling fantasy not to be missed.”—Evelyn Skye, New York Times bestselling author of The Crown’s Game Not recommended to: those who hate omniscient narrative style or get easily confused, anyone sensitive to violence and torture

And that is the ultimate truth of the spear, the artifact and symbol of the disempowered, the metaphor for power as it is transfered in the world of rank and division. It is, in its very nature, a symbol of what enables leaders to become dictators. It is supremely easy to pass the spear on through family lines. It is always the case that the spear is turned against its user. Engrossing worldbuilding, appealing characters, and a sense of humor make this a winning entry in the Sanderson canon. The Spear Cuts Through Water is remarkably rich. . . . This novel is an astonishing feat, one that lovers of sophisticated story won’t want to miss.” —Chicago Review of Books According to Chicago Review of Books, there are three layers to the story. The story of Keema and Jun serves as the novel's core and is a fantasy adventure. This story is explicitly told to "you", observing the story in the Inverted Theater. In the Inverted Theater, the story is told through dance, and parts are heard from ghosts or spirits. Interjections feel like "stage directions, or exclamations, or internal monologue." Additionally, the narrative often expands from the primary narrator of each section to allow other characters to speak directly, much like a Greek chorus. [1] Reception editWhat’s so creative about this story is how it’s told. I’ve never seen a book so seamlessly blend 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person narration and use those stylistic choices to elevate the way the story of conveyed. The unnamed reader’s tale is told in 2nd person, with lines like ‘you remember your lola saying…’ or ‘you sit at the theater…’. 3rd person is the main narrative, with an epic fantasy-level storyline. The fun part is the 1st person, which are the little interjections throughout the 3rd person sections, marked in the paragraph in italics. It certainly took a while to get used to, but I think it’s such an incredibly cool feature. As the main story is told, we hear single from minor characters with minor roles, a cook, a guard, a dying soldier, about the current events. On paper, this really shouldn’t work but for some reason, it does.