A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham

[lightreads]

The debut (and first in a quartet) from a new voice in fantasy. . . . Which apparently I'm having trouble describing in fifty words or less, meaning it impressed me more than I quite realized. Okay, so skipping to the really interesting bit, poets are people who can express an idea so perfectly in language that they render form and volition out of unbounded power. They create minor gods, not to put too fine a point on it, who play a vital role in the economic and political security of the realm. And because this is about money and power, there are schemes.

The good things: Awesome concept, a setting that is actually vaguely Asiatic rather than yet another version of not!Italy, unobtrusively good gender politics despite background patriarchy, the way the magic is deeply psychopersonal.

The . . . could be better: that vaguely constructed feel you get in a lot of debuts where it feels like the plot is shoving everything else along, see also: love triangle.

The next two are out – I'm definitely snagging them when I can. Interesting!