The Raven Tower

The narrator was so good that she transformed a good but not great story into something unforgettable. One of the best narrators that I’ve heard.

When a god speaks, what they say must be true, or their power is expended to make it true. Therefore people will bring them offerings, to expand the gods’ power and ask for favors. But the gods must be careful to not say something that they don’t have to power to make true, or they will die. I love books that have clear rules for their magic, and consider the effect that magic has on their world. How people will use it and how society would be different. This story is told in two parts. One of Eolo trying to solve a mystery of the ruler’s disappearance. One of a god, and their experiences over the course of their whole life. It’s very interesting to have the history of the world told from the perspective of someone who existed before people did. This god is also narrating the story of Eolo. Because the god cannot read Eolo’s mind, we only learn about him by his actions and don’t always know what he thinks.

The story is told in second person and it took me a while to get use to it. The narrator, however, is an interesting choice. Unfortunately, the story did not hold my attention and was boring. I tried but didn’t like any of the characters.