The Spear Cuts Through Water: A Novel

Truly the best book I've ever read. Experiencing this novel is probably the closest I've ever come to understanding a religious experience. I read well over 100 books every year, and I have ever since I can remember. I'm kind of a book snob and it's rare when I give 5 stars. This book deserves more. It is criminal it was passed up by all the awards. Go on YouTube, Insta, TikTok, and all you'll see are book reviewers at a loss for words for the masterpiece that is this novel. I picked it up after coming across a thread on the fantasy subreddit on Reddit. It was unanimous that this book was not only the best read of 2023, but one of the best of the millennium. After waiting 18 weeks on hold at the library, I ended up buying a copy for myself. This is the most imaginative, unique, transcendent novel I've ever experienced. The prose left me breathless. I'd re-read pages at a time and think "How the heck did someone come up with this? How does someone write like this? Literally, how??" My ebook kindle copy is ridiculous, because I have probably something highlighted on every page. I'd read a line and think "I need to remember this one, too!" It was getting out of control, but I couldn't stop. This book had me in an emotional upheaval so great that I was left feeling like a husk of a person every time I read. I could only handle 10-20 a day because my heart was both bursting at the seams with joy and with gut-wrenching pain. Some scenes were so moving and powerful that I'd lie in bed, stunned, for who knew how long. The book followed me around at work the next day like a weight in my stomach, distracting me, exciting me, and pulling me back. I'd cancel plans to sit and enjoy my 10-20 pages a night. Jun Ossa is probably my favorite character ever written, because somehow, with minimal spoken lines, the emotional layers and depth to him was staggering. There were so many small, subtle things that were ingeniously added that left me shaking my head in disbelief that the author was pulling it off. I just think it's criminal this hasn't gotten the attention it deserves yet. There is this gem of a novel out here, quite possibly the best book ever written, that people are just sleeping on. We didn't deserve this book. No one deserves this book. Please, for the love that all that is good, read this book. I just... wow...

That was a slog. A beautifully written, thoughtful, well developed world of a slog– but a slog nonetheless. I did not know what I was getting myself into here when I picked it up. Its an alternate world fantasy with a lush world, dying gods, a lot of cruelty, a little bit of love, and very visceral descriptions. But it took me a long time to get into it, and then when I put it down, I would have a hard time getting back into it. Partly because of the very, very lush descriptive language which at times was too lush for me. But mostly because of the dream-like approach to structure. We have a framing convention that starts the book with a “you go into a hidden theater” and somehow in that theater they are acting out the long ago story of the death of an Emperor and his three terrors of sons, and the travels of two warriors with a dying god in third person. And there’s also a thing where the author will briefly mention something like “the warrior walked by the cowering villagers” and we’ll get the italicized thoughts of the villagers in the next line. This was cool for a short while after I finally figured out what that was. Having inner thoughts of minor characters does serve to flesh out the world, and there’s a wonderful consequence of having these thoughts later in the story for the two traveling warriors and their relationship, but I think it became cognitively wearisome for me at times when I was in “reading for plot” (this is a long book) mode and I had to kind of pull back to identify whose thoughts they were and then piece together how that fit into the current scene, etc. So this is lovely, but for me, long and a bit wearisome at times. I applaud the creativity here while privately thinking to myself “maybe not the author for me.”

By far, spear cuts through water is the most beautiful book I’ve read this year, this decade. I know it might be a slog, cut with poetry, tangled with tragedy, and woven with unfamiliar myth but what a five day journey it was. I am so glad to have read it, tears will linger at the corner of my eye at the faintest whiff the Inverted Theater’s play. What a joy.

If someone described this book and plot to me I’d say this would be right up my alley. But like some pieces of artwork in a museum, this book falls into the “wow it’s amazing someone created this but it’s not for me” category. The story was interesting and spoke a lot to deeper emotions but I just didn’t connect to any characters. I didn’t find any of them likable. I empathized a lot with almost all of them but I just didn’t like them. And so i was reading a good story that just didn’t connect with what I felt like it should be connecting with and that resulted in having to force my way through unfortunately. I can appreciate the art that this is without saying I loved it or felt moved by it. I would be willing to read more from the author to see if I connect with any other stories or characters.

One of my favorite fantasy novels in the last decade. Lyrical and poetic throughout, very dreamy style of storytelling. Must read stand alone novel for any fan of fantasy IMO.

4.5/5 stars This book felt like I was on an insane acid trip but I loved it absolutely when it all came together. There were moments when I was confused and borderline bored, but, despite that, I don’t regret reading any part of this book for one second. The payoff at the end when all the pieces fell into place was otherworldly and I felt like I transcended time and space.

“The Spear Cuts Through Water” demands patience. It starts slow and unfolds through multiple layers and timelines, which won’t work for every reader. But if you stay with it, the payoff is worth it. The narrative is precise and immersive, and the world feels tangible in a way that avoids idealization; the divine ages, power is flawed, and characters are not redeemed by a single act. There’s a quiet realism within the myth that gives the story real weight. It’s not for everyone, but it knows exactly what it’s doing.

I'm having a hard time describing this incredibly layered, ambitious, and unconventional book. It is familiar in its epic fantasy/folk tale story beats, but it's told in such a unique, experimental, metaphysical style. It's woven deeply into the novel and doesn't feel like a gimmick. A little preview: there's the story of the reader, who is then invited to a play in the spirit realm, and that stage play is the main heart of the book. The author adds little asides told directly to the reader as if the characters are there watching with you, their commentary adding spice and giving a sense of the wide scope of a fully lived-in world. And still, the writing feels intimate, giving voice to side characters that could have been so easily discarded. Reading this book feels like you're really in the audience of a theater with actors breaking the 4th wall (and maybe the person next to you keeps adding little quips since it's actually based on their life...) The audiobook really highlights this quality, and the narrator does a fantastic job changing voices. Add to that a magical tale of gods and monsters, interesting characters (repping LGBT, people with disabilities, and vaguely Asian-ish?), and themes of redemption, legacy, parenthood, and selfish and selfless acts of love... it's a mind-boggling 5/5 for me.

Me encantó de principio a fin. Novela atípica de fantasía que mezcla narración en primera persona, segunda y tercera en función del pasaje que se relata y del punto de vista desde el que se exponen los sucesos. Los protagonistas son carismáticos y la relación que se desarrolla entre ellos es una de las más bonitas que he leído en fantasía.

Beautiful, poetic, mythical, unique. An absolute masterpiece.

This book is pure art. It was hard to understand the style for the first few pages, but I wasn't bored for a second, and at no point could I have predicted what was going to happen next.

The story of the book is not what I am talking about. It is the book itself. Very poor quality cover and even worse page quality. I've seen better quality newspapers. Yes, it is a paperback but the cover is so thin, it was barely ok when it came to me but it was drowning from the warmth of my hands while reading. Now the cover is bending all the other ways but flat. It has a really good cover art too. Sorry for the Author and the cover artist, they deserved better.

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