Untethered Sky

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Untethered Sky was more character driven that I expected. There isn't a ~main conflict~ per say, but the story takes an intimate look at Ester's relationship with Zahra. Since this was a novella, I don't want to say too much and let y'all read and find out for yourselves. It's a much different take on animal companion trope we all know and love in fantasy. I highly recommend and I think y'all are gonna like this one when it comes out in April! 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

Book Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Fiction, High Fantasy, Novella, Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy A fully grown female roc stands a head taller than most men. Fully spread, her wings reach as wide as three people lined up fingertip-to-fingertip with arms outstretched. Rocs aren’t the impossible size that storytellers and artists would have you believe, but nevertheless Zahra loomed over me. She made the falcon I’d flown as a girl seem like a toy. Then, a miracle: My mother became pregnant. My parents were afraid to be too hopeful; after all, my mother had lost babies in their fifth month. So they prayed earnestly but quietly and tiptoed on cosmic eggshells, trying to pad our lives with good deeds in the hopes that this time their efforts would be noticed and rewarded. My father held a summer feast for three hundred people and gave our servants time off to visit their relatives. My mother did healthful breathing exercises and drank special soups and admonished me if I ever so much as muttered an unkind word about anything. Since last year,” I said. And then because the young man seemed friendly, and knew something about falcons, I asked, “Are you a falconer too?”

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While I've described this to some friends as adult Pokemon, that's more facetious than truthful. Indeed, Lee soars into the world of Roc training that was reminiscent of H is for Hawk's more harrowing passages of loss and hawking. These aren't mythical birds that speak or communicate in the typical sense; indeed, a mix of discipline and knowledge lead the trainers to failure or success against the beasts they hunt. Full points for world building! I absolutely loved Untethered Sky. Despite going in with high expectations from having read some of Fonda Lee’s previous work, I was still blown away; I was so engrossed that I read it in a single sitting. And with its shorter length, that’s a perfectly reasonable way to consume this story. But while Lee spends time on Ester’s personal tragedy, and her masterful foreshadowing in Ester’s voice bridges each section, tying the past to the future on vibrating threads, much of the book glows with joy. Lee’s description of the rocs and their relationships with their trainers is full of awe and wonder. The irritation many ruhkers feel about the nobility they must occasionally entertain feels reminiscent of the residents of any tourist town, irked when strangers wander into their territory to prevent them from doing their work. But the court of Dartha also has its wonders, and the temple to the Almighty Fire Bringer, Dartha’s god, makes an impression with its beauty and sense of sacredness, despite its short appearance. When you love a person, you are expected to give them their freedom, but when you love a monster, you keep it caged.” Fonda Lee is an author I hold in exceptionally high esteem. Her Green Bone Saga was nothing less than transformational in my understanding of modern fantasy. That trilogy didn't simply push the boundaries of what is expected of fantasy, it does a pirouette over the fence into uncharted territory. When I wrapped up Jade Legacy, the final book in the trilogy, I knew that Lee had scored me as a lifelong reader.

While I liked Untethered Sky (can Fonda Lee even write anything bad?), I felt it could be so much more. Certainly, if you were expecting something along the lines of The Green Bone saga, you will be somewhat disappointed.Lee] juggles the personal and the epic with deft, admirable skill, weaving a story that is equally sweeping and intimate."—NPR on Jade War The characters are written superbly. Even though the writing was understated, I could tell exactly what kind of people (or rocs) they were from the brief time I was with them. Every part of the book was crafted with this same care. I love stories like this: Untethered Sky doesn’t stay longer than it needs to, but it left an indelible impression on my heart nevertheless.

Middle-eastern based fantasy world (Persian mostly I think, with -polis named city) with extreme power falconry: big rocs are trained to hunt big animals particularly vicious human eating manticores by dedicated trainers. And this is about our fmc (I think she is female, she is so bland I hardly remember and I only read it last night) training her roc, them hunting and more stuff having to do with rocs and our trainer and her roc. The End. The first part of Untethered Sky focuses on Ester’s apprenticeship. The most important aspect of her training is to build a trusting relationship with her adolescent roc, Zahra. I was especially touched by the respect and thoughtful care exhibited by Ester in all her interactions with Zahra. Out of every five apprentice ruhkers, two will be killed or maimed, two will leave or be sent away, and only one will ever fly a roc. And the dangers do not diminish after that. Babak had seen apprentices come and go. He would place no odds on my success, yet his equanimity was an odd comfort, because I shared his blunt assessment: Either I would become a ruhker, or I would die trying. I would train and care for Zahra, yet she could never belong to me. In name, she belonged to Antrius the Bold and the Kingdom of Dartha, but even that was not true. A roc is always a wild thing, always God’s monster alone. I nodded in wordless thanks, relaxing a little into her optimism. Most ruhkers paid little attention to the apprentices, but Nasmin was one of the younger women in the mews and one of the few who’d been kind to me when I’d arrived a year ago. The simple knowledge that I had a friend who’d gone through what I was facing and was confident in my survival made it much easier to not think about the alternative.The length of this novella was also just right, which is not something I get to say often. But just as Lee knew to keep the story simple, she also knew exactly how to pace it and when to end it. The plot flowed smoothly, moving naturally from scenes of thrilling action and adventure to softer, more sorrowful moments without feeling rushed or experiencing any lulls. Perhaps the only exception to this was the ending, but I can’t decide if it was actually too abrupt or if I’m just letting my emotions get the better of me! Admittedly, it wasn’t the most satisfying conclusion, but I can also accept that it was appropriate given the overall themes and tone of the book. This isn't a story about literal transformation, though, only the metaphorical transformation that occurs when the central dream of your life is won - and then something goes wrong. Beautifully told by Fonda Lee (my brain keeps trying to correct her name to Jane Fonda, aging is a curse), Untethered Sky tells the story of a rukher on a mission and the roc that brings all her closest-held dreams into being.

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 Arnan’s voice didn’t seem to be receding at all even though I was walking away as fast as I could. Finally, his screams cut out, presumably because he’d run inside to complain about me, and I closed my eyes at the bliss. The bees droned again. The birds chirped once more. Zahra was her name. When the crate opened, all I saw at first were her eyes, the largest of any living creature, enormous golden orbs fixing me with a raptor’s murderous glare. She was a year-old fledgling taken from the nest, already lethal and immense. I was a woman of eighteen, small, wounded, over-anxious. Sweat coated my hands and lathered my body beneath heavy leather work gloves and a tarnished scale vest. Ruhkers have been killed on the first day. If it happened to me, another apprentice would take my place.Gazsi looked down at me, his nostrils flaring. His expression suggested he didn’t think I was worthy of the roc he’d risked his life to bring to the mews. Perhaps he held that opinion of every new ruhker. “Camel meat is her favorite. Liver especially.” He jingled his bag of money and strode away.