The Spear Cuts Through Water: A Novel

“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.

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.”

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...

Actual rating 3.5 stars This is a very difficult book for me to rate. It was masterfully written, complex, and unlike anything else I've read. The narrative structure was quite unique and really makes this story standout from other fantasy novels. I enjoyed the story and reading experience. The plot was engaging and I liked the characters well enough. I also thought the book had some meaningful thematic content. Sadly, I can't say that I was invested in the story on an emotional level. I really wanted to be, but it just never happened. Overall, I was very impressed with the author's mastery of prose and skillful storytelling. I will say this book will not be for everyone. I think if you are an adventurous fantasy reader looking for something different, this book is worth picking up.

This is the kind of story that should be required reading! If you want to be a writer? Read this? I don’t care if you want to write fantasy, sci-fi, romance, biographies, or a textbook, this book will help you and is a great read too!

It's an interesting story, and it's well told. I might say it has a classic style, but I have trouble finding proper description for this book. I can say that I like it, and I will be rereading it - soon probably.

This book still haunts me in the best way possible. Easily one of my favorite fantasy books I've ever read.

I have never cried after finishing a book before. Cried throughout the book, yes. Cried during the ending, yes. But felt my soul soar through to the very last word and the tears well up because I'm well and truly finished? Never. It's an odd book. Hard to follow and understand at first, like a dream you were suddenly dropped into. But once you find the rhythm, once you understand the multitude of perspectives that you experience reading the book, it flays you open and crawls deep inside. It's beautiful ethereal poetry. I read then reread portions of the book because to read the words through once wasn't enough. I saved the ending for a perfect moment so I could savor it with the attention and gratitude it deserved. I don't know how the author wrote two disparately profound and relatable worlds but I look forward to whatever he's able to create next.

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.

One of the most beautiful book I owned. It was on my TBR for so long that my father gifted me this one. But I should have waited for the sale :(