Imagine a story in which the Tolkien fantasy races climb aboard steampunk spaceships and fly through inter-dimensional world gates to track down legendary treasure—Indiana Jones style. Now mix in a healthy dose of snarky banter and F/F romance, and you’re starting to get the idea of what awaits you in The Unspoken Name.
It’s worth noting that while the “Tolkien” races of orcs, elves, etc. seem to be present in this book, Larkwood is careful to never call any of them by their expected names. Our only indication that the main character, Csorwe, probably looks like an orc is that she’s mentioned in passing to have gray skin and tusks. In fact, for a story that contains many different worlds full of unique peoples, cultural differences always take precedence over race.
We first meet Csorwe as a young acolyte in the House of Silence as she’s destined to be the sacrificial Chosen Bride to the Unspoken One, the menacingly creepy god her temple worships. Luckily, the mage Belthandros Sethennai has greater plans for her. He raises her to be his thief, spy, and assassin, completely loyal to him in his quest to reclaim his throne and find the Reliquary of Pentravesse.
I’ll admit, I thought I knew where this story was going. But about a quarter of the way in, it took a left turn that left me eager to know what would happen next.
The Unspoken Name is an interesting mix of adventurous space opera, reckless treasure hunts, and perilous dungeons. With its somewhat irreverent voice that reminded me of Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth, this combination lead to a rollicking fun ride.
But the story doesn’t shy away from exploring heavier themes, either. Pretty much every authority figure manipulates and takes advantage of their mentees’ devotion, parents abuse their children, and life is often callously sacrificed in the pursuit of greed.
Larkwood has crafted a world that’s just plain cool. Giant, man-eating snakes who study philosophy and write songs; gods that are creepy eldritch horrors that mages can tap into like magical batteries; and inter-dimensional airship fueling stations that would feel at home in a Star Wars movie. And with homophobia and racism being apparent non-issues in this universe, The Unspoken Name combines so much of what I love in classic SFF adventures with the progressive inclusiveness of more modern works.
I am nowhere near a fast reader, and I blew through this story in a few sittings. The Unspoken Name is a delightful read that pays homage to its literary predecessors while offering its unique and relentlessly fun take on epic fantasy.
A.K. Larkwood is an author to keep an eye on, and I have no doubt her debut novel will make waves when it releases in February 2020.
I received an ARC of this book from Tor Books in exchange for a fair and honest review. The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood releases February 11, 2020.
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