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The Unbalancing
R. B. Lemberg
[STARRED REVIEW] “Lovingly crafted with a deep and rewarding world full of complex characters who are often LGBTQIA+ and/or neurodiverse, this is an outstanding novel from a rising star in fantasy fiction.”
—Booklist
In this first full-length novel from the acclaimed Birdverse, new love blossoms between an impatient starkeeper and a reclusive poet as they try together to save their island home. The Unbalancing is a gorgeous tale of the inevitable transformations of communities and their worlds rooted in the mystical cosmology, neurodiversity, and queerness that infuses Lemberg’s lyrical prose, which has invited glowing comparisons to N. K. Jemisin, Patricia A. McKillip, and Ursula K. Le Guin.
ISBN: Trade paperback 978-1-61696-380-4; Digital 978-1-61696-381-1
Published: September 20th, 2022
Available Format(s): trade paperback and digital
Washington Post 9 Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels of 2022 Lit Hub 8 Great SF & Fantasy Books for September Autostraddle Queer and Feminist Books Coming Your Way in Fall 2022 Book Riot Notable Nonbinary Books You Should Check Out Washington Post Nine Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels of 2022 BookBub Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels of Fall 2022
2022 Locus Recommended Reading List
Subjective Chaos Kind of Awards nominee, Best Fantasy Novel
In this first full-length novel from the acclaimed Birdverse, new love blossoms between an impatient starkeeper and a reclusive poet as they try together to save their island home. Nebula, Locus, and Ignyte finalist R. B. Lemberg (The Four Profound Weaves) has crafted a gorgeous tale of the inevitable transformations of communities and their worlds. The Unbalancing is rooted in the mystical cosmology, neurodiversity, and queerness that infuses Lemberg’s lyrical prose, which has invited glowing comparisons to N. K. Jemisin, Patricia A. McKillip, and Ursula K. Le Guin.
“It’s an enchanting world of star lore, magic and gender identity with a roster of heartfelt characters told with such rich prose.” —Tlotlo Tsamaase, The Silence of the Wilting Skin
[STARRED REVIEW] “Lovingly crafted with a deep and rewarding world full of complex characters who are often LGBTQIA+ and/or neurodiverse, this is an outstanding novel from a rising star in fantasy fiction.” —Booklist
Beneath the waters by the islands of Gelle-Geu, a star sleeps restlessly. The celebrated new starkeeper Ranra Kekeri, who is preoccupied by the increasing tremors, confronts the problems left behind by her predecessor.
Meanwhile, the poet Erígra Lilún, who merely wants to be left alone, is repeatedly asked by their ancestor Semberí to take over the starkeeping helm. Semberí insists upon telling Lilún mysterious tales of the deliverance of the stars by the goddess Bird.
When Ranra and Lilún meet, sparks begin to fly. An unforeseen configuration of their magical deepnames illuminates the trouble under the tides. For Ranra and Lilún, their story is just beginning; for the people of Gelle-Geu, it may well be too late to save their home.
About the Birdverse: The Birdverse is the creation of fantasy author R. B. Lemberg. It is a complex, culturally diverse world, with a range of LGBTQIA characters and different family configurations. Named after its deity, Bird, Birdverse shorter works have been nominated for the Nebula, Hugo, Tiptree award, and Rhysling awards. The Unbalancing is the first novel set in the Birdverse.
[STARRED REVIEW] “This first full-length novel in Lemberg’s acclaimed Birdverse (The Four Profound Weaves, 2020) shines with the author’s signature lush, dreamlike prose and nuanced explorations of trans and queer identity. The islands of Gelle-Geu are disturbed by a star that sleeps fitfully beneath the waves, its nightmares rocking the land with earthquakes increasing in frequency and severity. New starkeeper Ranra is determined to do whatever it takes to learn what is wrong and fix it to save her home from destruction. Poet and gardener Erígra Lilún is descended from the first starkeeper, Semberí. Semberí insists that Erígra is the only one who can wake the star and end its devastating nightmares, but Erígra has no interest in being starkeeper. Ranra and Erígra are instantly drawn to one another and fall into a romantic relationship even as the danger to Gelle-Geu increases. Both Ranra and Erígra have challenging and gratifying personal growth arcs, approached with the same thoughtfulness and determination the characters bring to bear on the threat facing their community. Lovingly crafted with a deep and rewarding world full of complex characters who are often LGBTQIA+ and/or neurodiverse, this is an outstanding novel from a rising star in fantasy fiction.”
—Booklist
“In all their fiction from the fascinating Birdverse world, Lemberg centers marginalized identities: queer, trans, neurodiverse, elderly, and more. The Unbalancing is Lemberg’s first novel-length book to take place in the Birdverse. It’s a poetic and magical Atlantis-esque novel and a perfect introduction to the Birdverse.”
—Buzzfeed
“In a narrative by turns gentle and implacable, Lemberg writes movingly and magnificently about disaster, survival, and hope.”
—Kate Elliott, author of the Crown of Stars series
“Set in Lemberg’s Birdverse, this lyrical fantasy novel is a queer, nonbinary Atlantis retelling about a starkeeper and a poet who fall in love while working together to save the island they live on. There is found family, ghosts, neurodivergence, a unique magic system, and a wonderful balance of thoughtful world-building with intense character work.”
—Autostraddle
“The lush lyricism of the mythology, culture and history in The Unbalancing is illustrious and transportive. It’s an enchanting world of star lore, magic and gender identity with a roster of heartfelt characters told with such rich prose that kept me rooting for Ranra.”
—Tlotlo Tsamaase, The Silence of the Wilting Skin
“The finely wrought first full-length outing into Lemberg’s inclusive and lushly folkloric Birdverse universe (after the novella The Four Profound Weaves) begins centuries after the goddess Bird carried 12 stars into the world….. Brisk action balances the meditations on gender and glimpses of the complex magic system as this unpredictable tale wends to an intense and deeply moving climax. It’s bittersweet and lovely.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Lemberg’s stories embrace truths that we are afraid to confront: that sometimes failure is inevitable, but that hopeful futures can still be found amid the destruction. Despair, love, survival, death, identity, and community are intimately intertwined in the Birdverse. This is one of the most beautiful and important books I’ve read this year.”
—Nibedita Sen, Hugo, Nebula, and Ignyte Award-nominated author
“[The Unbalancing] impacted me greatly, yes, you should read this book. [It] is a respite and a consolation. It made me cry, and gave me strength.” —Trans Narrative
“There’s so much to cherish in The Unbalancing, a stand-alone novel in Lemberg’s Birdverse series. The relationship between Lilún and Ranra beautifully captures the spikiness and tenderness of a new connection that could turn into something beautiful. The world-building is full of deep lore and casual queerness, and Lemberg’s magic system is appropriately wild and poetic.”
—Washington Post
“The first full-length novel in the expansive Birdverse series, The Unbalancing is an LGBTQ+ fantasy overflowing with heart….No prior knowledge of the Birdverse is necessary to appreciate the worldbuilding of this novel.”
—Foreword
“What could have been a clear-cut apocalyptic thrill ride becomes something much more thoughtful in the hands of Lemberg, who weaves together a gentle romance and an examination of what holds people together. Lemberg’s characters — an unlikely couple facing the death of their city — wield both social and magical power, and the difference between the two adds spice to a beautiful story about saving what you can.”
—Charlie Jane Anders, author of Victories Greater Than Death
“Lemberg’s prose is soaked in magic, magic that’s full of space and light and sound. The Unbalancing manages to be both ethereal and earthy.”
—Craig Laurance Gidney, author of A Spectral Hue
“R.B. Lemberg’s The Unbalancing unfolds under the weight of impending disaster, the characters and plot caught in the gravity of a grief and pain that’s existed for a thousand years. Next to that, the hopes and passions of a relative few might seem insignificant, but Lemberg rejects apathy in the face of inevitability. Instead, they craft a story around the importance of identity and consent, of action and compassion in the face of historical complicity. The result is a novel at times raging, at times romantic, but through everything beautiful and powerfully human. A magnificent read!”
—Charles Payseur, author of The Burning Day
“Beautiful and queer and challenging and tender. And it’s a story that could not have been told without Erígra’s autistic point of view, without a deep respect for needs like Erígra’s, which comes from lived, thoughtful experience. I love all of R. B. Lemberg’s work, but I might love this book most out of any of them.”
—Autistic Book Party
“The Unbalancing is a heartrending book about power and responsibility; the courage to act and the wisdom to think before acting; about relationships and collaborations that cross differences; about traumas and attempted healings, large and small; about what we can do and what we can save when it’s too late to avert the worst. It’s beautiful and queer and challenging and tender…. I love all of R. B. Lemberg’s work, but I might love this book most out of any of them.”
—Ada Hoffmann, Philip K. Dick Award finalist and author of The Outside
“R. B Lemberg’s Birdverse is one of my favorite places to visit, full of queer possibilities and deep emotional and philosophical musings. In The Unbalancing they give us wonder, devastation, resilience, and love. Lemberg’s poetic voice makes even the harshest explorations of loss beautiful, and manages to balance grief and horror with hope and joy.”
—Julia Rios, Hugo Award-winning editor of Uncanny Magazine
“R. B. Lemberg returned us to their evocative, lyrical Birdverse with its first full-length novel, The Unbalancing, featuring a decidedly complex, conflicted, and neuroatypical central character with a truly distinctive and poetic narrative voice.”
—Locus
“Readers of Lemberg’s poetry and fiction will delight in The Unbalancing, which expands the geography of the Birdverse beyond the city of Iyar and the Great Burri Desert, the backdrops for events in Lemberg’s Nebula-award finalist, The Four Profound Weaves (2020).”
—FEMSPEC
“In R. B. Lemberg’s Birdverse world of meticulous social structures that feel celebrating the countless variations in which real people exist, a poet and a leader, each profound, compassionate, and terrified, delicately navigate their new relationship, their connections with others both like them and different, and their immersions in the world around them as an ecological disaster threatens their homeland.”
—Scott H. Andrews, World Fantasy Award-winning Editor/Publisher of Beneath Ceaseless Skies Magazine
“The Unbalancing is the latest glimpse into the great tapestry of Birdverse, and it’s inspiring and contemplative and hot and tense. It finds a group of queer nerds thrust into a place of power, tasked with the impossible, and faced with the legacy of loss, despair, and inaction. Through that, though, they find strength in each other to act, and to reach for an outcome that might not be victory, but which isn’t entirely defeat. It’s a beautiful and nuanced work about love, power, and magic.”
—Quick Sip Reviews
“Intimacy and magic collide to move the story along, both interpersonally and externally. It’s sexy and unexpectedly intense, with a deep focus on consent and mutual respect.”
—Jo Writes Fantasy
5/5 stars. “This novel is rich, with many layers that you can just sink your teeth into. I love this diverse world with queer characters and all kinds of families.”
—Cloud Reads Books
“Reading this book is like diving into the most beautiful language exploring various aspects of human possibility. Everything in this book is so fluid from the words, the setting itself, but also the characters—the way they think, the way they feel, and the way they present.”
—Infinite Text
“This is a story about a magical star with dark origins, a beautiful archipelago, a wise and appealing culture whose people are free in their lives and loves, some of the best nonbinary rep I’ve seen in SFF fiction, and two people who find deep connection when they least expect it. . . . a beautiful novel, and a welcome ramping-up of Lemberg’s Birdverse.”
—M. Crane Hana, author of Moro’s Price
“That is why we write fantasy, and it is why we read it: to imagine different worlds than ours, and examine the way forward. In that, Lemberg has crafted a much-needed novel for the inhabitants of a tired world.”
—The Fantasy Review
5/5 stars “I enjoyed my introduction to the Birdverse in The Four Profound Weaves and The Unbalancing was even better.”
—Reading Reality
“Lemberg has written a wonderfully compelling book about real people with LGBTQIA+ representation, disability and neurodivergent representation. This is my first introduction to Lemberg’s Birdverse and I look forward to spending more time in the gorgeous world they have created.”
—Just Geeking By
“Full of love, and connection, and hope; and a sense that destruction is worth struggling against even when the odds are overwhelming.”
—Nerds of a Feather
“In The Unbalancing, one protagonist begins at the center of her society’s power structure, but her desire for the novel’s other lead opens her up to understanding a positive self-abnegation in relationships—even at the cost of her home . . . a character at the center of her society’s hierarchy finding a new sensitivity and humility.”
—Strange Horizons
“The Four Profound Weaves by R.B. Lemberg was one of my favorite reads in the first half of the year, and now The Unbalancing has taken up its space beside it for this half of the year.”
—Wayseeker’s Books
5/5 stars. “Overall, The Unbalancing is a beautiful read, and its ending is as beautiful as it is tragic. This novel is rich, with many layers that you can just sink your teeth into. I love this diverse world with queer characters and all kinds of families.”
—Book Blogging
“The Unbalancing is amazing. R.B. Lemberg is a skilled worldbuilder, and the Birdverse is a perfect and rich example of what speculative fiction is meant to do. The world they’ve created is one in which ‘they’ is a given: there’s room for all kinds of fluidity, neurodivergence, sexual preference (or not) and gender expression. Chances are that if any of these things are especially important in your life, you’ll feel seen here in a way that is joyous, powerful and necessary.”
—Dori Mondon
“Nebula, Locus, and Ignyte finalist R. B. Lemberg delivers a beautiful tale about a world where 12 stars slumber throughout the world.”
—BookBub
“The Unbalancing is a powerful and poetic read. Lemberg’s use of language and storytelling is a delight to savour and combined with the themes and overall approach make this twenty-first century fantasy that should stand attention. It is brilliant and a tale many readers will never forget. Strongly recommended!”
—Run Along the Shelves
R. B. Lemberg is a queer, bigender immigrant from Eastern Europe and Israel. Their stories and poems have appeared in Lightspeed Magazine’s Queers Destroy Science Fiction!, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Uncanny Magazine, Sisters of the Revolution: A Feminist Speculative Fiction Anthology, and many other venues. R.B.’s work has been a finalist for the Nebula, Crawford, and other awards. Their debut Birdverse novella, The Four Profound Weaves, came out from Tachyon in 2020; the novella was nominated for the World Fantasy, Locus, Nebula, and Ignyte awards, and it was selected for the Otherwise Award Honor List. You can find more of their work on their Patreon (patreon.com/rblemberg) and a full bio at rblemberg.net.
Photo by Bogi Takács
Praise for R. B. Lemberg and the Birdverse
“I am staggered by the richness and intricacy of R. B. Lemberg’s imagination.”
—Kate Elliott, author of the Court of Fives trilogy
“R.B. Lemberg writes with a luminous pen, spraying light all around their words and ideas.”
—Jewelle Gomez, author, The Gilda Stories
[STARRED REVIEW] Lemberg writes deeply considered, evocative portraits of their characters, handling sexuality and gender especially well.”
—Publishers Weekly
“It’s a wonder of identity, evolution and bravery in a time when we need it most.”
—Ms. Magazine
“Beautiful poetry full of word-magic.”
—Such Wanderings
“Damn I want more stories now. Or perhaps I just need to go back and reread the ones already out, armed with this new bit of awesome. This setting continues to be a rich source of great stories, and now great poems as well. Indeed!”
—Quick Sip Reviews
“To see a book of R. B.’s own work come out is really exciting to me. I see it as a personal expression of the public work they have been doing, in searching for the right words, in centering marginalized identities, in creating community.”
—Sofia Samatar, author of A Stranger in Olondria and Tender
“I wish I’d read this 20 years ago. I needed this story when I was first coming into my transness and trying to imagine my own future and what it could be.”
—Corey’s Book Corner
“The characters inquisit their own genders and their culture’s gender roles relentlessly throughout. This questioning and growth isn’t confined to the young characters either, which is doubly refreshing.”
—Strangely Charmless
“Soaked in sensory detail, transporting the reader to the world of the tale.”
—A.C. Wise, author of Lambda finalist The Kissing Booth Girl and Other Stories
“The prose is blunt and powerful, the narrative compelling, and the worldbuilding both deep and lightly-sketched, lending an impression of a full world while only touching on what is immediately important.”
—Tor.com
“Every story holds a deep and painful honesty about the harm we cause each other through fear, the ‘vessels of brokenness’ we become under our own actions and the actions of others, and the warmth and wholeness that can be found through acceptance of one another.”
—Bookslut
Praise for The Four Profound Weaves
World Fantasy Award Finalist
Nebula Award Finalist
Ignyte Award Finalist Locus Award Finalist
Otherwise Award Honor List
Buzzfeed Best Book Releases of the Week Publishers Weekly 2020 Top-10 Fall SF, Fantasy, and Horror Book Riot 10 Great Adult LBGTQ+ Fantasy Books of 2020 Foreword Book of the Day Autostraddle Queer and Feminist Books Coming Your Way in 2020 Ms. Magazine Reads for the Rest of Us Lambda Literary Most Anticipated LGBTQ Books 2020 Washington Post Gift Guide 2020 UK Independent Gift Guide Locus Recommended Reading List 2020 New York Public Library Favorite Trans, Nonbinary, and Gender Non-conforming Titles
“The Four Profound Weaves contains imagery that glows on the page.”
—Patricia A. McKillip, author of The Forgotten Beasts of Eld
[STARRED REVIEW] “DEBUT. Uiziya e Lali has waited 40 years for her aunt to teach her the last of the Four Profound Weaves: of wind, sand, song, and bone. But her aunt, Benesret, is a master weaver to assassins, and Surun’ weavers have exiled her. In the city of Iyar, the Khana women are traders, traveling in caravans; the Khana men are scholars, living much of their lives cloistered. A nameless man arrives, trying to find his place in a body that finally fits him after decades living as woman, wife, and mother, looking for Benesret to firm up his place in the world. As he and Uiziya search for Benesret, looking for answers to their individual questions, they must come together to deal with the Collector, the evil Iyar ruler who hoards power and death. VERDICT Nebula-nominated Lemberg’s first novella, set in their deeply queer “Birdverse” universe, presents a beautiful, heartfelt story of change, family, identity, and courage. Centering two older transgender protagonists in the midst of emotional and physical journeys highlights the deep, meaningful prose that Lemberg always brings to their stories.”
—Library Journal
“The Four Profound Weaves is a balm and a call to arms. R. B. Lemberg reassures us that there’s still time to find yourself, no matter how old you are; and they stir our revolutionary urges to defeat murderous dictators. But this novella is also a finely-drawn, realistic character study of people who love their communities but never quite feel at home in them. And the magical system is a sheer delight. Thoughtful and deeply moving, The Four Profound Weaves is the anti-authoritarian, queer-mystical fairy tale we need right now.”
—Annalee Newitz, author of Autonomous and The Future of Another Timeline
[STARRED REVIEW] “Lemberg’s outstanding debut novel expands on the short stories of the Birdverse that they have been publishing for about a decade . . . Lemberg writes deeply considered, evocative portraits of their characters, handling sexuality and gender especially well. This diverse, folkloric fantasy world is a delight to visit. (Sept.) —Publishers Weekly
“R.B. Lemberg writes with a luminous pen, spraying light all around their words and ideas. They create a universe where carpets and cloaks bear history and the future. A perilous chase, with assassins and gods in pursuit, reveals the fluidity of life by following the threads—both bright and dark—that weave together to create a complex and mystical journey toward friendship, family, and love.”
—Jewelle Gomez, author, The Gilda Stories
[STARRED REVIEW] “R. B. Lemberg spins a world of singing gods, desert nomads, and magic humming in the wind in The Four Profound Weaves . . . Impressive world building renders the shifting hues of the desert sands and the cold stone of The Collector’s palace in tight prose. Social structures and customs are relayed with the same deft hand; the free, accepting atmosphere of the desert and its people ends at Iyar’s stifling walls.”
—Foreword
“Go read this story, tell it to your friends, and help us get to that future that we so desperately need.”
—Trans Narrative
“What a treat: the full-length debut set in R.B. Lemberg’s super-queer Birdverse universe! It’s a wonder of identity, evolution and bravery in a time when we need it most.”
—Ms. Magazine
“R. B. Lemberg’s The Four Profound Weaves tells the journey of a pair of aged and appealing wanderers searching for magic, art, identity, and peace. Thought-challenging points-of-view weave together stark violence, intricate powers, and the musings of long and complicated lives. The Four Profound Weaves contains imagery that glows on the page.”
—Patricia McKillip, author of the Riddle-Master Trilogy and The Forgotten Beasts of Eld
“I am staggered by the richness and intricacy of R. B. Lemberg’s imagination. The Four Profound Weaves is an intense and emotional story of a journey of change, growth, and courage.”
—Kate Elliott, author of the Court of Fives trilogy
“The Four Profound Weaves by R.B. Lemberg [is] a haunting literary fantasy about the fluidity of gender.”
—Washington Post
“R. B. Lemberg’s The Four Profound Weaves takes the reader on a deeply resonant journey of transformation and strength. Lemberg’s lyrical skill, combined with unforgettable characters and the magic of the Birdverse makes a stunning fabric over which this story plays beautifully.”
—Fran Wilde, author of The Bone Universe and The Gemworld series
“A beautiful debut masterpiece of inclusivity and diversity . . . The Four Profound Weaves already has established itself as a queer must-read.”
—RevUU Magazine
“R.B. Lemberg’s debut is on shelves now, and perfect for those looking to escape into a fantasy world.”
—We Are Bookish
“This story, very poetically, holds a mirror to society. It discusses the nuances of the trans experience and made me assess things I hadn’t previously known or understood. It has had a profound impact on me. . . . The fifth profound weave is the way Lemberg takes feelings about gender, love and family, aging, and death and weaves them together into this captivating story.”
—A Bookish Reader
“The Four Profound Weaves is a very emotional and beautiful tale. The plot though imaginative and well executed was very much secondary to some very sensitive and poignant character development . . . The world of the Birdverse is intricate and spellbinding, the descriptions dazzle and the setting sings.”
—Bookends & Bagends
“The Four Profound Weaves: A Bird Verse Book is a tragically beautiful and melancholic tale about a nameless man who struggles to become himself after many years of living as a woman . . . It’s a truly unique story with powerful characters and a writing style that’s whimsically dark and fairytale-like.”
—Asiana Circus
“Just go read anything you can find by R. B. Lemberg. It will be worth the quest. The sheer beauty and power of their writing shows equally well in their prose and poetry . . . [The Four Profound Weaves is] both sweet and fierce, devastating and gentle in its truths.
—M. Crane Hana, author of The Purist
“Nobody in fantasy is doing what R. B. Lemberg is doing. Their work is generous, insightful, and focused on people—older, damaged, queer—whose stories most writers would keep in the background. This is a book about people walking into traps to find themselves, about fumbling out of stagnation and into adventure. Let this be your introduction to R. B.’s world of song carpets, deepnames, and deserts full of roving lovers.”
—Isaac R. Fellman, author of The Breath of the Sun
“Lemberg weaves a gripping tale of community, identity, betrayal, and hope. From the sweeping expanse of the desert to the confined splendor of a sinister palace, every page contains wonder. I flew through the story, breathless, needing to see what would come next, and I was rewarded with every twist in the narrative. The Birdverse is lush and gorgeous, even when painful, and The Four Profound Weaves takes the reader on a wild ride through some of the deepest and richest pockets of it.”
—Julia Rios, Hugo Award-winning editor
“Over the years, R. B. Lemberg, in their prose and poetry alike, has built a world of serpents, deserts, stars, and bones, where transformation is omnipresent and restlessness rewarded. The Four Profound Weaves is a jewel-bright tile in their ongoing mosaic.”
—C. S. E. Cooney, World Fantasy Award-winning author of Bone Swans, Stories
“Reading the first pages of The Four Profound Weaves feels like being invited into the home of a beautiful stranger . . . This was a story I didn’t know I desperately needed.”
—Nino Cipri, author of Dzanc Prize-winning Homesick
“Lemberg’s gorgeous prose sets The Four Profound Weaves apart as one of the most beautifully written fantasies of the year.”
—Locus
“When I finished this novella I cried because it was so joyful and beautiful and moving that for the first time in a long while I caught a glimpse of the path forward.”
—Jason Sanford, author of Sublimation Angels
“Both ethereal and ephemeral: graceful, delicately wrought, and fleeting.”
—SYFY Wire
“A brilliantly profound and poignant quest, through haunting desert and intricate city and terrifying dungeon, that’s truly about people and change.”
—Scott H. Andrews, seven-time World Fantasy Award Finalist editor of Beneath Ceaseless Skies magazine
“Lyrical and unflinching.”
—Rivers Solomon, PEN America
“If the plot is the warp of a story, then the weft of this novella is Lemberg’s exquisitely crafted, luminescent prose. I delight in reading Lemberg’s work just for the sheer beauty of the words and the gorgeous melody of the prose, and The Four Profound Weaves showcases their mastery in every paragraph.”
—Maria Haskins, author of Odin’s Eye
“Lusciously detailed world-building and gorgeous language shine in this short novel from Lemberg’s ‘Birdverse.’”
—Deborah J. Ross, author of Collaborators
“For me, the greatest fantasies—the works that I want to reread again and again—both provide a window onto ourselves and our own world and also transcend what we think we know and understand. The works I reread, and want to share, provide moments that open my chest to existence. The Four Profound Weaves does this often.”
—Strange Horizons
“Remarkable in its truths about the changing nature of life, poetic in its prose, and profound in its understanding of humanity.”
—SFRA Review
“5/5 stars. R. B. Lemberg’s first foray into long-form fiction has left me breathless. The Four Profound Weaves is a love ballad sung straight into the hearts of those who most need to hear it.”
—Black Forest Basilisks
“5/5 stars. The prose is absolutely exquisite . . . It’s probably safe to say this will be one of the highlights of 2020 for me and I most highly recommend it.”
—To Other Worlds
“Theirs is a story of survival and triumph, of redemption and transition, and Lemberg delivers it in a deeply woven, and obviously personal, narrative.”
—The Novel Approach
“A delightful world, nuanced representation of trans characters and a gorgeous story.” —Chain Interaction
“5/5 stars. This will certainly be touted as a queer nonbinary transformational story (and it is that), but it’s so much more. The author writes eloquently for all of us who are outsiders, who don’t fit easily into the molds imposed by society culture and our own expectations.”
—Nonstop Reader
“Weaving magic, queer characters, and a story about belonging, The Four [Profound] Weaves is a fabulous novella. It’s a story about searching for a feeling of belonging, realizing that perhaps we also need to find it within ourselves. A radical act of self-acceptance.”
—Utopia State of Mind
“The Four Profound Weaves is modern speculative fiction at its best, exploring important issues through compelling characters, fantastic settings, and exciting stories.”
—The Fantasy Hive
“With elegant prose and an understanding of human nature in all its genders, Lemberg weaves a golden tale of human longing, friendship, and hope.”
—Traveling in Books
“Emotional depth and richness permeate The Four Profound Weaves, which takes an unflinching look at the ways in which we hurt and limit ourselves and others, and at the lasting consequences of these hurts. At the same time, it is a work that promotes hope and healing, and it is one of those rare books that can be accurately termed deeply wise.”
—The Temz Review
“It amazes me how the author takes the reader on a roller coaster ride of the emotional, physical and intellectual journey of the two protagonists. The magic, spells, musings, dark powers and magical carpets . . . everything felt so real and authentic. A must read.”
—The Clipped Nightingale
“Lemberg bends their mind (and heart too, one senses) into that gap between and emerges with the wings of the redwing hawk. This tale seems to have been torn from their soul. The Four Profound Weaves is an unexpected gift.”
—Dante’s Wardrobe
“The framing Lemberg establishes throughout infuses the book with brilliant, resistant hope.”
—Jo Writes Fantasy
“It’s a gorgeously written exploration of identity with a heady dose of magic to go with it. I am keen to read more stories set in the Birdverse and other stories by Lemberg as well.”
—Tsana’s Reads and Reviews
“Powerful, magical, lyrical, and beautifully original, The Four Profound Weaves is one of those books where you linger over each paragraph, admiring the flow of words almost as much as the flow of ideas.”
—Beauty in Ruins
“The Four Profound Weaves is beautiful and profound.”
—It’s a Jumble
“Refreshing at a time when my heart needed to be refreshed. Highly recommended.”
—Novel Gazing Redux
“5/5 stars. Lemberg’s prose is gorgeous and lush. I found myself devouring it whole . . . This is a book I did not know I needed.”
—Book Blogging with a Purpose
“Birdverse is beautifully rendered fantasy full of magic and adventure, but also achingly real in its depictions of intolerance, corruption, kindness, and family . . . A phenomenal read!”
—Quick Sip Reviews
“[The Four Profound Weaves] was very emotionally intense and was just so stunningly beautiful. I recommend this to everyone.”
—Witchy Book Dragon
“It was just a beautiful novella that I hope everyone picks up.”
—The Storygraph
“I can wholeheartedly recommend this novella and this series as one that’s well worth spending time in, packing fascinating, complex worldbuilding and a thoughtful engagement with queer identities”
—Nerds of a Feather
“5/5 stars. The ending and the themes throughout the book are pretty perfect.”
—MI Book Reviews
“I highly recommend this inventive, queer Middle-Eastern fairytale that offers a unique take on magic and has an excellent world-building.”
—The Artsy Reader
“This was definitely something I needed right now. I love Lemberg’s writing, I love Birdverse, and with everything going on, this was the perfect piece to come back to.” —The Book Deviant
“This book is one of a kind. The writing is fascinating, atmospheric, drenched in culture and personality. It feels completely immersive.”
—Lost In A Good Book
“Lemberg has told with subtlety a delicate tale of hope, change and resistance. It is, without a doubt, one of the finest stories published in 2020.”
—Middle Shelf
I expected Keeper’s House to be guarded against uninvited visitors. Once the large, squat-looking, gray marble building was in my sight, I began rehearsing what I would say to try to gain my admittance. I stopped just shy of the ornate iron gates of the outer garden. The air was perfumed with lilac, out of season but blooming exuberantly. This was supported, I saw, by the subtle but incessant flow of tiny deepnames draped in garlands around the wrought iron fencing.
I leaned closer, as if to look; but I closed my eyes and tried to gather my thoughts. It was hard through the strong scent of lilac, and the afterimages of tiny deepname lights. I thought I would see if I could be admitted. No. Would it be possible for me to—No. I should have rehearsed this earlier. I shouldn’t have come here.
Words kept piling in my mind. A friend suggested—Was Semberí a friend? A relative suggested—
Someone tapped me on the shoulder, and I startled. One of the gate guards. They smiled. “Were you going to come in?”
“I, um, do not have an invitation.” This wasn’t at all what I had planned to say.
The guard took me gently under the arm and led me to the gate, where they let me go. “No invitation is needed for you.”
“Not for beautiful people, let alone beautiful people of considerable deepname power,” said a different guard. They waved me through, and both smiled in unison. I felt uneasy, as if I’d tricked them somehow. Erígra Lilún was nobody’s beautiful person, let alone of considerable deepname power. Would they admit me if I had not bleached and braided my hair? I didn’t mean to trick anyone, and it wasn’t like I would show up to Keeper’s House in my earth-tending garments, or worse, pajamas . . .
Still, I didn’t want to linger at the gate, so I made my way into the large inner courtyard, and joined the revelers within. With my magical senses—shaken, but if anything, more attuned than before—I felt a veritable vibration of power arising from the crowd. Many people with three-deepname and two-deepname configurations—the strongest of the named strong—mingled here, wine glasses in their hands. I saw people as young as their early twenties and as old as their eighties, and all were good-looking—proud of bearing, bright of eye, and splendidly dressed. There were no children here.
My stomach knotted. Any time now, somebody would want to talk to me. This was a mistake. I should get out of here. Semberí wanted me to take a look at the new starkeeper, ostensibly to make me feel bad that it wasn’t me, but oh Bird, how could Semberí think I could rule anything? At thirty-five, I was perfectly content with a life of a recluse whose only social outings were poetry readings. At those, I just had to climb on some dais or a chair and read, then try to slip away before anybody could express their opinions to me directly. I couldn’t imagine throwing even a much smaller party, let alone the rest of the people-wrangling that being a starkeeper would require. This had been enough of a look.
I had been about to turn back toward the gate when I spotted a group of ichidar by a small fountain. They all had their hair done five ways, and the oldest, a large and proud person in their sixties, had brass tokens strung into their five long, thin gray braids. This person’s face was round and pleasant, their olive islander skin tanned with weather and wind. They waved at me, and then, unexpectedly, yelled my name. “Erígra Lilún!”
I startled, but surprisingly not bolted. This person exuded a kind of gravity, a warm centeredness—and without much thought I came closer. One of the younger ichidar thrust a glass goblet into my hands, and many people welcomed me at once.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“Don’t be sorry,” said the person with the brass tokens. “I’m an admirer of your poetry—I’m Dorod Laagar, shipwright—and this is my crew . . .” As Dorod introduced their fellows, I became again distracted by the tokens in Dorod’s braids. The tokens told a story of their life and their journeys through at least three different ichidi variations. First was the deer for ichar—I leap sideways—to signal that one was neither a man or a woman, but traveling sideways on one’s own path. It was the first ichidi variation, one many ichidar chose for themselves. But it wasn’t Dorod’s current variation. The deer token they wore was small, followed by a fish for arír, and finally, prominently displayed, a bear for rugár. Animal tokens were out of fashion at the moment, I was given to understand, but I loved looking at these.
“You can have one of mine, if you’d like,” Dorod said, amused.
I shook my head. “I don’t know my ichidi variation. Sometimes I think I am ichar, but I am never sure. And anyway, I should be going. No offense meant—I wanted to see the new Keeper, but I have no idea how to find them.” I cursed my bluntness. “I’m sorry. I’m not used to being in the crowds.” I put the goblet down on the striated stone rim of the fountain. I had not drunk anything, but the colors of the courtyard were blending in my eyes.
Dorod nodded sagely, and soon I found myself being escorted somewhere by one of their fellows whose name I entirely missed. We left the courtyard and entered one of the outer rooms of Keeper’s House, a dim and spacious chamber with floors of white and black marble and pillars of malachite chiseled to resemble trees. Here was a heavy table strewn with charts, and around it a small gathering of people in animated conversation. I had no time to take it all in, to process, no time to feel anything except for some dark wave, a longing, apprehension, as if I was dreaming about the star, but I was awake. There was a person in her thirties—I knew her to be a woman by her single braid in the custom of those who were not ichidar. She wasn’t overly tall, but sturdily built. She was, I suddenly thought, the center of all this—the room, and the conversations.
“Starkeeper.” My guide spoke up, next to me, and I felt that movement as air rearranging itself around us. Every tiny sensation was either sharp, or blurred into nothingness. “I bring a guest.”
The commanding woman whirled around to face me. Her face went through a series of expressions—a startled joy, disappointment, surprise. Finally, her face smoothed out. She couldn’t be called pretty, but she had a striking, commanding presence, and a kind of roar filled my mind. She walked over toward us.
The Unbalancing
R. B. Lemberg
[STARRED REVIEW] “Lovingly crafted with a deep and rewarding world full of complex characters who are often LGBTQIA+ and/or neurodiverse, this is an outstanding novel from a rising star in fantasy fiction.”
—Booklist
In this first full-length novel from the acclaimed Birdverse, new love blossoms between an impatient starkeeper and a reclusive poet as they try together to save their island home. The Unbalancing is a gorgeous tale of the inevitable transformations of communities and their worlds rooted in the mystical cosmology, neurodiversity, and queerness that infuses Lemberg’s lyrical prose, which has invited glowing comparisons to N. K. Jemisin, Patricia A. McKillip, and Ursula K. Le Guin.
The Unbalancing
by R. B. Lemberg
ISBN: Trade paperback 978-1-61696-380-4; Digital 978-1-61696-381-1
Published: September 20th, 2022
Available Format(s): trade paperback and digital
Washington Post 9 Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels of 2022
Lit Hub 8 Great SF & Fantasy Books for September
Autostraddle Queer and Feminist Books Coming Your Way in Fall 2022
Book Riot Notable Nonbinary Books You Should Check Out
Washington Post Nine Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels of 2022
BookBub Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels of Fall 2022
2022 Locus Recommended Reading List
Subjective Chaos Kind of Awards nominee, Best Fantasy Novel
In this first full-length novel from the acclaimed Birdverse, new love blossoms between an impatient starkeeper and a reclusive poet as they try together to save their island home. Nebula, Locus, and Ignyte finalist R. B. Lemberg (The Four Profound Weaves) has crafted a gorgeous tale of the inevitable transformations of communities and their worlds. The Unbalancing is rooted in the mystical cosmology, neurodiversity, and queerness that infuses Lemberg’s lyrical prose, which has invited glowing comparisons to N. K. Jemisin, Patricia A. McKillip, and Ursula K. Le Guin.
“It’s an enchanting world of star lore, magic and gender identity with a roster of heartfelt characters told with such rich prose.”
—Tlotlo Tsamaase, The Silence of the Wilting Skin
[STARRED REVIEW] “Lovingly crafted with a deep and rewarding world full of complex characters who are often LGBTQIA+ and/or neurodiverse, this is an outstanding novel from a rising star in fantasy fiction.”
—Booklist
Beneath the waters by the islands of Gelle-Geu, a star sleeps restlessly. The celebrated new starkeeper Ranra Kekeri, who is preoccupied by the increasing tremors, confronts the problems left behind by her predecessor.
Meanwhile, the poet Erígra Lilún, who merely wants to be left alone, is repeatedly asked by their ancestor Semberí to take over the starkeeping helm. Semberí insists upon telling Lilún mysterious tales of the deliverance of the stars by the goddess Bird.
When Ranra and Lilún meet, sparks begin to fly. An unforeseen configuration of their magical deepnames illuminates the trouble under the tides. For Ranra and Lilún, their story is just beginning; for the people of Gelle-Geu, it may well be too late to save their home.
About the Birdverse: The Birdverse is the creation of fantasy author R. B. Lemberg. It is a complex, culturally diverse world, with a range of LGBTQIA characters and different family configurations. Named after its deity, Bird, Birdverse shorter works have been nominated for the Nebula, Hugo, Tiptree award, and Rhysling awards. The Unbalancing is the first novel set in the Birdverse.
[STARRED REVIEW] “This first full-length novel in Lemberg’s acclaimed Birdverse (The Four Profound Weaves, 2020) shines with the author’s signature lush, dreamlike prose and nuanced explorations of trans and queer identity. The islands of Gelle-Geu are disturbed by a star that sleeps fitfully beneath the waves, its nightmares rocking the land with earthquakes increasing in frequency and severity. New starkeeper Ranra is determined to do whatever it takes to learn what is wrong and fix it to save her home from destruction. Poet and gardener Erígra Lilún is descended from the first starkeeper, Semberí. Semberí insists that Erígra is the only one who can wake the star and end its devastating nightmares, but Erígra has no interest in being starkeeper. Ranra and Erígra are instantly drawn to one another and fall into a romantic relationship even as the danger to Gelle-Geu increases. Both Ranra and Erígra have challenging and gratifying personal growth arcs, approached with the same thoughtfulness and determination the characters bring to bear on the threat facing their community. Lovingly crafted with a deep and rewarding world full of complex characters who are often LGBTQIA+ and/or neurodiverse, this is an outstanding novel from a rising star in fantasy fiction.”
—Booklist
“In all their fiction from the fascinating Birdverse world, Lemberg centers marginalized identities: queer, trans, neurodiverse, elderly, and more. The Unbalancing is Lemberg’s first novel-length book to take place in the Birdverse. It’s a poetic and magical Atlantis-esque novel and a perfect introduction to the Birdverse.”
—Buzzfeed
“In a narrative by turns gentle and implacable, Lemberg writes movingly and magnificently about disaster, survival, and hope.”
—Kate Elliott, author of the Crown of Stars series
“Set in Lemberg’s Birdverse, this lyrical fantasy novel is a queer, nonbinary Atlantis retelling about a starkeeper and a poet who fall in love while working together to save the island they live on. There is found family, ghosts, neurodivergence, a unique magic system, and a wonderful balance of thoughtful world-building with intense character work.”
—Autostraddle
“The lush lyricism of the mythology, culture and history in The Unbalancing is illustrious and transportive. It’s an enchanting world of star lore, magic and gender identity with a roster of heartfelt characters told with such rich prose that kept me rooting for Ranra.”
—Tlotlo Tsamaase, The Silence of the Wilting Skin
“The finely wrought first full-length outing into Lemberg’s inclusive and lushly folkloric Birdverse universe (after the novella The Four Profound Weaves) begins centuries after the goddess Bird carried 12 stars into the world….. Brisk action balances the meditations on gender and glimpses of the complex magic system as this unpredictable tale wends to an intense and deeply moving climax. It’s bittersweet and lovely.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Lemberg’s stories embrace truths that we are afraid to confront: that sometimes failure is inevitable, but that hopeful futures can still be found amid the destruction. Despair, love, survival, death, identity, and community are intimately intertwined in the Birdverse. This is one of the most beautiful and important books I’ve read this year.”
—Nibedita Sen, Hugo, Nebula, and Ignyte Award-nominated author
“[The Unbalancing] impacted me greatly, yes, you should read this book. [It] is a respite and a consolation. It made me cry, and gave me strength.”
—Trans Narrative
“There’s so much to cherish in The Unbalancing, a stand-alone novel in Lemberg’s Birdverse series. The relationship between Lilún and Ranra beautifully captures the spikiness and tenderness of a new connection that could turn into something beautiful. The world-building is full of deep lore and casual queerness, and Lemberg’s magic system is appropriately wild and poetic.”
—Washington Post
“The first full-length novel in the expansive Birdverse series, The Unbalancing is an LGBTQ+ fantasy overflowing with heart….No prior knowledge of the Birdverse is necessary to appreciate the worldbuilding of this novel.”
—Foreword
“What could have been a clear-cut apocalyptic thrill ride becomes something much more thoughtful in the hands of Lemberg, who weaves together a gentle romance and an examination of what holds people together. Lemberg’s characters — an unlikely couple facing the death of their city — wield both social and magical power, and the difference between the two adds spice to a beautiful story about saving what you can.”
—Charlie Jane Anders, author of Victories Greater Than Death
“Lemberg’s prose is soaked in magic, magic that’s full of space and light and sound. The Unbalancing manages to be both ethereal and earthy.”
—Craig Laurance Gidney, author of A Spectral Hue
“R.B. Lemberg’s The Unbalancing unfolds under the weight of impending disaster, the characters and plot caught in the gravity of a grief and pain that’s existed for a thousand years. Next to that, the hopes and passions of a relative few might seem insignificant, but Lemberg rejects apathy in the face of inevitability. Instead, they craft a story around the importance of identity and consent, of action and compassion in the face of historical complicity. The result is a novel at times raging, at times romantic, but through everything beautiful and powerfully human. A magnificent read!”
—Charles Payseur, author of The Burning Day
“Beautiful and queer and challenging and tender. And it’s a story that could not have been told without Erígra’s autistic point of view, without a deep respect for needs like Erígra’s, which comes from lived, thoughtful experience. I love all of R. B. Lemberg’s work, but I might love this book most out of any of them.”
—Autistic Book Party
“The Unbalancing is a heartrending book about power and responsibility; the courage to act and the wisdom to think before acting; about relationships and collaborations that cross differences; about traumas and attempted healings, large and small; about what we can do and what we can save when it’s too late to avert the worst. It’s beautiful and queer and challenging and tender…. I love all of R. B. Lemberg’s work, but I might love this book most out of any of them.”
—Ada Hoffmann, Philip K. Dick Award finalist and author of The Outside
“R. B Lemberg’s Birdverse is one of my favorite places to visit, full of queer possibilities and deep emotional and philosophical musings. In The Unbalancing they give us wonder, devastation, resilience, and love. Lemberg’s poetic voice makes even the harshest explorations of loss beautiful, and manages to balance grief and horror with hope and joy.”
—Julia Rios, Hugo Award-winning editor of Uncanny Magazine
“R. B. Lemberg returned us to their evocative, lyrical Birdverse with its first full-length novel, The Unbalancing, featuring a decidedly complex, conflicted, and neuroatypical central character with a truly distinctive and poetic narrative voice.”
—Locus
“Readers of Lemberg’s poetry and fiction will delight in The Unbalancing, which expands the geography of the Birdverse beyond the city of Iyar and the Great Burri Desert, the backdrops for events in Lemberg’s Nebula-award finalist, The Four Profound Weaves (2020).”
—FEMSPEC
“In R. B. Lemberg’s Birdverse world of meticulous social structures that feel celebrating the countless variations in which real people exist, a poet and a leader, each profound, compassionate, and terrified, delicately navigate their new relationship, their connections with others both like them and different, and their immersions in the world around them as an ecological disaster threatens their homeland.”
—Scott H. Andrews, World Fantasy Award-winning Editor/Publisher of Beneath Ceaseless Skies Magazine
“The Unbalancing is the latest glimpse into the great tapestry of Birdverse, and it’s inspiring and contemplative and hot and tense. It finds a group of queer nerds thrust into a place of power, tasked with the impossible, and faced with the legacy of loss, despair, and inaction. Through that, though, they find strength in each other to act, and to reach for an outcome that might not be victory, but which isn’t entirely defeat. It’s a beautiful and nuanced work about love, power, and magic.”
—Quick Sip Reviews
“Intimacy and magic collide to move the story along, both interpersonally and externally. It’s sexy and unexpectedly intense, with a deep focus on consent and mutual respect.”
—Jo Writes Fantasy
5/5 stars. “This novel is rich, with many layers that you can just sink your teeth into. I love this diverse world with queer characters and all kinds of families.”
—Cloud Reads Books
“Reading this book is like diving into the most beautiful language exploring various aspects of human possibility. Everything in this book is so fluid from the words, the setting itself, but also the characters—the way they think, the way they feel, and the way they present.”
—Infinite Text
“This is a story about a magical star with dark origins, a beautiful archipelago, a wise and appealing culture whose people are free in their lives and loves, some of the best nonbinary rep I’ve seen in SFF fiction, and two people who find deep connection when they least expect it. . . . a beautiful novel, and a welcome ramping-up of Lemberg’s Birdverse.”
—M. Crane Hana, author of Moro’s Price
“That is why we write fantasy, and it is why we read it: to imagine different worlds than ours, and examine the way forward. In that, Lemberg has crafted a much-needed novel for the inhabitants of a tired world.”
—The Fantasy Review
5/5 stars “I enjoyed my introduction to the Birdverse in The Four Profound Weaves and The Unbalancing was even better.”
—Reading Reality
“Lemberg has written a wonderfully compelling book about real people with LGBTQIA+ representation, disability and neurodivergent representation. This is my first introduction to Lemberg’s Birdverse and I look forward to spending more time in the gorgeous world they have created.”
—Just Geeking By
“Queer and, well, wholly wonderful.”
—Llama Reads Books
“Full of love, and connection, and hope; and a sense that destruction is worth struggling against even when the odds are overwhelming.”
—Nerds of a Feather
“In The Unbalancing, one protagonist begins at the center of her society’s power structure, but her desire for the novel’s other lead opens her up to understanding a positive self-abnegation in relationships—even at the cost of her home . . . a character at the center of her society’s hierarchy finding a new sensitivity and humility.”
—Strange Horizons
“The Four Profound Weaves by R.B. Lemberg was one of my favorite reads in the first half of the year, and now The Unbalancing has taken up its space beside it for this half of the year.”
—Wayseeker’s Books
5/5 stars. “Overall, The Unbalancing is a beautiful read, and its ending is as beautiful as it is tragic. This novel is rich, with many layers that you can just sink your teeth into. I love this diverse world with queer characters and all kinds of families.”
—Book Blogging
“The Unbalancing is amazing. R.B. Lemberg is a skilled worldbuilder, and the Birdverse is a perfect and rich example of what speculative fiction is meant to do. The world they’ve created is one in which ‘they’ is a given: there’s room for all kinds of fluidity, neurodivergence, sexual preference (or not) and gender expression. Chances are that if any of these things are especially important in your life, you’ll feel seen here in a way that is joyous, powerful and necessary.”
—Dori Mondon
“Nebula, Locus, and Ignyte finalist R. B. Lemberg delivers a beautiful tale about a world where 12 stars slumber throughout the world.”
—BookBub
“The Unbalancing is a powerful and poetic read. Lemberg’s use of language and storytelling is a delight to savour and combined with the themes and overall approach make this twenty-first century fantasy that should stand attention. It is brilliant and a tale many readers will never forget. Strongly recommended!”
—Run Along the Shelves
R. B. Lemberg is a queer, bigender immigrant from Eastern Europe and Israel. Their stories and poems have appeared in Lightspeed Magazine’s Queers Destroy Science Fiction!, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Uncanny Magazine, Sisters of the Revolution: A Feminist Speculative Fiction Anthology, and many other venues. R.B.’s work has been a finalist for the Nebula, Crawford, and other awards. Their debut Birdverse novella, The Four Profound Weaves, came out from Tachyon in 2020; the novella was nominated for the World Fantasy, Locus, Nebula, and Ignyte awards, and it was selected for the Otherwise Award Honor List. You can find more of their work on their Patreon (patreon.com/rblemberg) and a full bio at rblemberg.net.
Photo by Bogi Takács
Praise for R. B. Lemberg and the Birdverse
“I am staggered by the richness and intricacy of R. B. Lemberg’s imagination.”
—Kate Elliott, author of the Court of Fives trilogy
“R.B. Lemberg writes with a luminous pen, spraying light all around their words and ideas.”
—Jewelle Gomez, author, The Gilda Stories
[STARRED REVIEW] Lemberg writes deeply considered, evocative portraits of their characters, handling sexuality and gender especially well.”
—Publishers Weekly
“It’s a wonder of identity, evolution and bravery in a time when we need it most.”
—Ms. Magazine
“Beautiful poetry full of word-magic.”
—Such Wanderings
“Damn I want more stories now. Or perhaps I just need to go back and reread the ones already out, armed with this new bit of awesome. This setting continues to be a rich source of great stories, and now great poems as well. Indeed!”
—Quick Sip Reviews
“To see a book of R. B.’s own work come out is really exciting to me. I see it as a personal expression of the public work they have been doing, in searching for the right words, in centering marginalized identities, in creating community.”
—Sofia Samatar, author of A Stranger in Olondria and Tender
“I wish I’d read this 20 years ago. I needed this story when I was first coming into my transness and trying to imagine my own future and what it could be.”
—Corey’s Book Corner
“The characters inquisit their own genders and their culture’s gender roles relentlessly throughout. This questioning and growth isn’t confined to the young characters either, which is doubly refreshing.”
—Strangely Charmless
“Soaked in sensory detail, transporting the reader to the world of the tale.”
—A.C. Wise, author of Lambda finalist The Kissing Booth Girl and Other Stories
“The prose is blunt and powerful, the narrative compelling, and the worldbuilding both deep and lightly-sketched, lending an impression of a full world while only touching on what is immediately important.”
—Tor.com
“Every story holds a deep and painful honesty about the harm we cause each other through fear, the ‘vessels of brokenness’ we become under our own actions and the actions of others, and the warmth and wholeness that can be found through acceptance of one another.”
—Bookslut
Praise for The Four Profound Weaves
World Fantasy Award Finalist
Nebula Award Finalist
Ignyte Award Finalist
Locus Award Finalist
Otherwise Award Honor List
Buzzfeed Best Book Releases of the Week
Publishers Weekly 2020 Top-10 Fall SF, Fantasy, and Horror
Book Riot 10 Great Adult LBGTQ+ Fantasy Books of 2020
Foreword Book of the Day
Autostraddle Queer and Feminist Books Coming Your Way in 2020
Ms. Magazine Reads for the Rest of Us
Lambda Literary Most Anticipated LGBTQ Books
2020 Washington Post Gift Guide
2020 UK Independent Gift Guide
Locus Recommended Reading List
2020 New York Public Library Favorite Trans, Nonbinary, and Gender Non-conforming Titles
“The Four Profound Weaves contains imagery that glows on the page.”
—Patricia A. McKillip, author of The Forgotten Beasts of Eld
[STARRED REVIEW] “DEBUT. Uiziya e Lali has waited 40 years for her aunt to teach her the last of the Four Profound Weaves: of wind, sand, song, and bone. But her aunt, Benesret, is a master weaver to assassins, and Surun’ weavers have exiled her. In the city of Iyar, the Khana women are traders, traveling in caravans; the Khana men are scholars, living much of their lives cloistered. A nameless man arrives, trying to find his place in a body that finally fits him after decades living as woman, wife, and mother, looking for Benesret to firm up his place in the world. As he and Uiziya search for Benesret, looking for answers to their individual questions, they must come together to deal with the Collector, the evil Iyar ruler who hoards power and death. VERDICT Nebula-nominated Lemberg’s first novella, set in their deeply queer “Birdverse” universe, presents a beautiful, heartfelt story of change, family, identity, and courage. Centering two older transgender protagonists in the midst of emotional and physical journeys highlights the deep, meaningful prose that Lemberg always brings to their stories.”
—Library Journal
“The Four Profound Weaves is a balm and a call to arms. R. B. Lemberg reassures us that there’s still time to find yourself, no matter how old you are; and they stir our revolutionary urges to defeat murderous dictators. But this novella is also a finely-drawn, realistic character study of people who love their communities but never quite feel at home in them. And the magical system is a sheer delight. Thoughtful and deeply moving, The Four Profound Weaves is the anti-authoritarian, queer-mystical fairy tale we need right now.”
—Annalee Newitz, author of Autonomous and The Future of Another Timeline
[STARRED REVIEW] “Lemberg’s outstanding debut novel expands on the short stories of the Birdverse that they have been publishing for about a decade . . . Lemberg writes deeply considered, evocative portraits of their characters, handling sexuality and gender especially well. This diverse, folkloric fantasy world is a delight to visit. (Sept.)
—Publishers Weekly
“R.B. Lemberg writes with a luminous pen, spraying light all around their words and ideas. They create a universe where carpets and cloaks bear history and the future. A perilous chase, with assassins and gods in pursuit, reveals the fluidity of life by following the threads—both bright and dark—that weave together to create a complex and mystical journey toward friendship, family, and love.”
—Jewelle Gomez, author, The Gilda Stories
[STARRED REVIEW] “R. B. Lemberg spins a world of singing gods, desert nomads, and magic humming in the wind in The Four Profound Weaves . . . Impressive world building renders the shifting hues of the desert sands and the cold stone of The Collector’s palace in tight prose. Social structures and customs are relayed with the same deft hand; the free, accepting atmosphere of the desert and its people ends at Iyar’s stifling walls.”
—Foreword
“Go read this story, tell it to your friends, and help us get to that future that we so desperately need.”
—Trans Narrative
“What a treat: the full-length debut set in R.B. Lemberg’s super-queer Birdverse universe! It’s a wonder of identity, evolution and bravery in a time when we need it most.”
—Ms. Magazine
“R. B. Lemberg’s The Four Profound Weaves tells the journey of a pair of aged and appealing wanderers searching for magic, art, identity, and peace. Thought-challenging points-of-view weave together stark violence, intricate powers, and the musings of long and complicated lives. The Four Profound Weaves contains imagery that glows on the page.”
—Patricia McKillip, author of the Riddle-Master Trilogy and The Forgotten Beasts of Eld
“I am staggered by the richness and intricacy of R. B. Lemberg’s imagination. The Four Profound Weaves is an intense and emotional story of a journey of change, growth, and courage.”
—Kate Elliott, author of the Court of Fives trilogy
“The Four Profound Weaves by R.B. Lemberg [is] a haunting literary fantasy about the fluidity of gender.”
—Washington Post
“R. B. Lemberg’s The Four Profound Weaves takes the reader on a deeply resonant journey of transformation and strength. Lemberg’s lyrical skill, combined with unforgettable characters and the magic of the Birdverse makes a stunning fabric over which this story plays beautifully.”
—Fran Wilde, author of The Bone Universe and The Gemworld series
“A beautiful debut masterpiece of inclusivity and diversity . . . The Four Profound Weaves already has established itself as a queer must-read.”
—RevUU Magazine
“R.B. Lemberg’s debut is on shelves now, and perfect for those looking to escape into a fantasy world.”
—We Are Bookish
“This story, very poetically, holds a mirror to society. It discusses the nuances of the trans experience and made me assess things I hadn’t previously known or understood. It has had a profound impact on me. . . . The fifth profound weave is the way Lemberg takes feelings about gender, love and family, aging, and death and weaves them together into this captivating story.”
—A Bookish Reader
“The Four Profound Weaves is a very emotional and beautiful tale. The plot though imaginative and well executed was very much secondary to some very sensitive and poignant character development . . . The world of the Birdverse is intricate and spellbinding, the descriptions dazzle and the setting sings.”
—Bookends & Bagends
“The Four Profound Weaves: A Bird Verse Book is a tragically beautiful and melancholic tale about a nameless man who struggles to become himself after many years of living as a woman . . . It’s a truly unique story with powerful characters and a writing style that’s whimsically dark and fairytale-like.”
—Asiana Circus
“Just go read anything you can find by R. B. Lemberg. It will be worth the quest. The sheer beauty and power of their writing shows equally well in their prose and poetry . . . [The Four Profound Weaves is] both sweet and fierce, devastating and gentle in its truths.
—M. Crane Hana, author of The Purist
“Nobody in fantasy is doing what R. B. Lemberg is doing. Their work is generous, insightful, and focused on people—older, damaged, queer—whose stories most writers would keep in the background. This is a book about people walking into traps to find themselves, about fumbling out of stagnation and into adventure. Let this be your introduction to R. B.’s world of song carpets, deepnames, and deserts full of roving lovers.”
—Isaac R. Fellman, author of The Breath of the Sun
“Lemberg weaves a gripping tale of community, identity, betrayal, and hope. From the sweeping expanse of the desert to the confined splendor of a sinister palace, every page contains wonder. I flew through the story, breathless, needing to see what would come next, and I was rewarded with every twist in the narrative. The Birdverse is lush and gorgeous, even when painful, and The Four Profound Weaves takes the reader on a wild ride through some of the deepest and richest pockets of it.”
—Julia Rios, Hugo Award-winning editor
“Over the years, R. B. Lemberg, in their prose and poetry alike, has built a world of serpents, deserts, stars, and bones, where transformation is omnipresent and restlessness rewarded. The Four Profound Weaves is a jewel-bright tile in their ongoing mosaic.”
—C. S. E. Cooney, World Fantasy Award-winning author of Bone Swans, Stories
“Reading the first pages of The Four Profound Weaves feels like being invited into the home of a beautiful stranger . . . This was a story I didn’t know I desperately needed.”
—Nino Cipri, author of Dzanc Prize-winning Homesick
“Lemberg’s gorgeous prose sets The Four Profound Weaves apart as one of the most beautifully written fantasies of the year.”
—Locus
“When I finished this novella I cried because it was so joyful and beautiful and moving that for the first time in a long while I caught a glimpse of the path forward.”
—Jason Sanford, author of Sublimation Angels
“Both ethereal and ephemeral: graceful, delicately wrought, and fleeting.”
—SYFY Wire
“A brilliantly profound and poignant quest, through haunting desert and intricate city and terrifying dungeon, that’s truly about people and change.”
—Scott H. Andrews, seven-time World Fantasy Award Finalist editor of Beneath Ceaseless Skies magazine
“Lyrical and unflinching.”
—Rivers Solomon, PEN America
“If the plot is the warp of a story, then the weft of this novella is Lemberg’s exquisitely crafted, luminescent prose. I delight in reading Lemberg’s work just for the sheer beauty of the words and the gorgeous melody of the prose, and The Four Profound Weaves showcases their mastery in every paragraph.”
—Maria Haskins, author of Odin’s Eye
“Lusciously detailed world-building and gorgeous language shine in this short novel from Lemberg’s ‘Birdverse.’”
—Deborah J. Ross, author of Collaborators
“For me, the greatest fantasies—the works that I want to reread again and again—both provide a window onto ourselves and our own world and also transcend what we think we know and understand. The works I reread, and want to share, provide moments that open my chest to existence. The Four Profound Weaves does this often.”
—Strange Horizons
“Remarkable in its truths about the changing nature of life, poetic in its prose, and profound in its understanding of humanity.”
—SFRA Review
“5/5 stars. R. B. Lemberg’s first foray into long-form fiction has left me breathless. The Four Profound Weaves is a love ballad sung straight into the hearts of those who most need to hear it.”
—Black Forest Basilisks
“5/5 stars. The prose is absolutely exquisite . . . It’s probably safe to say this will be one of the highlights of 2020 for me and I most highly recommend it.”
—To Other Worlds
“Theirs is a story of survival and triumph, of redemption and transition, and Lemberg delivers it in a deeply woven, and obviously personal, narrative.”
—The Novel Approach
“A delightful world, nuanced representation of trans characters and a gorgeous story.”
—Chain Interaction
“5/5 stars. This will certainly be touted as a queer nonbinary transformational story (and it is that), but it’s so much more. The author writes eloquently for all of us who are outsiders, who don’t fit easily into the molds imposed by society culture and our own expectations.”
—Nonstop Reader
“Weaving magic, queer characters, and a story about belonging, The Four [Profound] Weaves is a fabulous novella. It’s a story about searching for a feeling of belonging, realizing that perhaps we also need to find it within ourselves. A radical act of self-acceptance.”
—Utopia State of Mind
“The Four Profound Weaves is modern speculative fiction at its best, exploring important issues through compelling characters, fantastic settings, and exciting stories.”
—The Fantasy Hive
“With elegant prose and an understanding of human nature in all its genders, Lemberg weaves a golden tale of human longing, friendship, and hope.”
—Traveling in Books
“Emotional depth and richness permeate The Four Profound Weaves, which takes an unflinching look at the ways in which we hurt and limit ourselves and others, and at the lasting consequences of these hurts. At the same time, it is a work that promotes hope and healing, and it is one of those rare books that can be accurately termed deeply wise.”
—The Temz Review
“It amazes me how the author takes the reader on a roller coaster ride of the emotional, physical and intellectual journey of the two protagonists. The magic, spells, musings, dark powers and magical carpets . . . everything felt so real and authentic. A must read.”
—The Clipped Nightingale
“Lemberg bends their mind (and heart too, one senses) into that gap between and emerges with the wings of the redwing hawk. This tale seems to have been torn from their soul. The Four Profound Weaves is an unexpected gift.”
—Dante’s Wardrobe
“The framing Lemberg establishes throughout infuses the book with brilliant, resistant hope.”
—Jo Writes Fantasy
“It’s a gorgeously written exploration of identity with a heady dose of magic to go with it. I am keen to read more stories set in the Birdverse and other stories by Lemberg as well.”
—Tsana’s Reads and Reviews
“Powerful, magical, lyrical, and beautifully original, The Four Profound Weaves is one of those books where you linger over each paragraph, admiring the flow of words almost as much as the flow of ideas.”
—Beauty in Ruins
“The Four Profound Weaves is beautiful and profound.”
—It’s a Jumble
“Refreshing at a time when my heart needed to be refreshed. Highly recommended.”
—Novel Gazing Redux
“5/5 stars. Lemberg’s prose is gorgeous and lush. I found myself devouring it whole . . . This is a book I did not know I needed.”
—Book Blogging with a Purpose
“Birdverse is beautifully rendered fantasy full of magic and adventure, but also achingly real in its depictions of intolerance, corruption, kindness, and family . . . A phenomenal read!”
—Quick Sip Reviews
“[The Four Profound Weaves] was very emotionally intense and was just so stunningly beautiful. I recommend this to everyone.”
—Witchy Book Dragon
“It was just a beautiful novella that I hope everyone picks up.”
—The Storygraph
“I can wholeheartedly recommend this novella and this series as one that’s well worth spending time in, packing fascinating, complex worldbuilding and a thoughtful engagement with queer identities”
—Nerds of a Feather
“5/5 stars. The ending and the themes throughout the book are pretty perfect.”
—MI Book Reviews
“I highly recommend this inventive, queer Middle-Eastern fairytale that offers a unique take on magic and has an excellent world-building.”
—The Artsy Reader
“This was definitely something I needed right now. I love Lemberg’s writing, I love Birdverse, and with everything going on, this was the perfect piece to come back to.”
—The Book Deviant
“This book is one of a kind. The writing is fascinating, atmospheric, drenched in culture and personality. It feels completely immersive.”
—Lost In A Good Book
“Lemberg has told with subtlety a delicate tale of hope, change and resistance. It is, without a doubt, one of the finest stories published in 2020.”
—Middle Shelf
Visit R.B. Lemberg’s website or follow them on Twitter
I expected Keeper’s House to be guarded against uninvited visitors. Once the large, squat-looking, gray marble building was in my sight, I began rehearsing what I would say to try to gain my admittance. I stopped just shy of the ornate iron gates of the outer garden. The air was perfumed with lilac, out of season but blooming exuberantly. This was supported, I saw, by the subtle but incessant flow of tiny deepnames draped in garlands around the wrought iron fencing.
I leaned closer, as if to look; but I closed my eyes and tried to gather my thoughts. It was hard through the strong scent of lilac, and the afterimages of tiny deepname lights. I thought I would see if I could be admitted. No. Would it be possible for me to—No. I should have rehearsed this earlier. I shouldn’t have come here.
Words kept piling in my mind. A friend suggested—Was Semberí a friend? A relative suggested—
Someone tapped me on the shoulder, and I startled. One of the gate guards. They smiled. “Were you going to come in?”
“I, um, do not have an invitation.” This wasn’t at all what I had planned to say.
The guard took me gently under the arm and led me to the gate, where they let me go. “No invitation is needed for you.”
“Not for beautiful people, let alone beautiful people of considerable deepname power,” said a different guard. They waved me through, and both smiled in unison. I felt uneasy, as if I’d tricked them somehow. Erígra Lilún was nobody’s beautiful person, let alone of considerable deepname power. Would they admit me if I had not bleached and braided my hair? I didn’t mean to trick anyone, and it wasn’t like I would show up to Keeper’s House in my earth-tending garments, or worse, pajamas . . .
Still, I didn’t want to linger at the gate, so I made my way into the large inner courtyard, and joined the revelers within. With my magical senses—shaken, but if anything, more attuned than before—I felt a veritable vibration of power arising from the crowd. Many people with three-deepname and two-deepname configurations—the strongest of the named strong—mingled here, wine glasses in their hands. I saw people as young as their early twenties and as old as their eighties, and all were good-looking—proud of bearing, bright of eye, and splendidly dressed. There were no children here.
My stomach knotted. Any time now, somebody would want to talk to me. This was a mistake. I should get out of here. Semberí wanted me to take a look at the new starkeeper, ostensibly to make me feel bad that it wasn’t me, but oh Bird, how could Semberí think I could rule anything? At thirty-five, I was perfectly content with a life of a recluse whose only social outings were poetry readings. At those, I just had to climb on some dais or a chair and read, then try to slip away before anybody could express their opinions to me directly. I couldn’t imagine throwing even a much smaller party, let alone the rest of the people-wrangling that being a starkeeper would require. This had been enough of a look.
I had been about to turn back toward the gate when I spotted a group of ichidar by a small fountain. They all had their hair done five ways, and the oldest, a large and proud person in their sixties, had brass tokens strung into their five long, thin gray braids. This person’s face was round and pleasant, their olive islander skin tanned with weather and wind. They waved at me, and then, unexpectedly, yelled my name. “Erígra Lilún!”
I startled, but surprisingly not bolted. This person exuded a kind of gravity, a warm centeredness—and without much thought I came closer. One of the younger ichidar thrust a glass goblet into my hands, and many people welcomed me at once.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“Don’t be sorry,” said the person with the brass tokens. “I’m an admirer of your poetry—I’m Dorod Laagar, shipwright—and this is my crew . . .” As Dorod introduced their fellows, I became again distracted by the tokens in Dorod’s braids. The tokens told a story of their life and their journeys through at least three different ichidi variations. First was the deer for ichar—I leap sideways—to signal that one was neither a man or a woman, but traveling sideways on one’s own path. It was the first ichidi variation, one many ichidar chose for themselves. But it wasn’t Dorod’s current variation. The deer token they wore was small, followed by a fish for arír, and finally, prominently displayed, a bear for rugár. Animal tokens were out of fashion at the moment, I was given to understand, but I loved looking at these.
“You can have one of mine, if you’d like,” Dorod said, amused.
I shook my head. “I don’t know my ichidi variation. Sometimes I think I am ichar, but I am never sure. And anyway, I should be going. No offense meant—I wanted to see the new Keeper, but I have no idea how to find them.” I cursed my bluntness. “I’m sorry. I’m not used to being in the crowds.” I put the goblet down on the striated stone rim of the fountain. I had not drunk anything, but the colors of the courtyard were blending in my eyes.
Dorod nodded sagely, and soon I found myself being escorted somewhere by one of their fellows whose name I entirely missed. We left the courtyard and entered one of the outer rooms of Keeper’s House, a dim and spacious chamber with floors of white and black marble and pillars of malachite chiseled to resemble trees. Here was a heavy table strewn with charts, and around it a small gathering of people in animated conversation. I had no time to take it all in, to process, no time to feel anything except for some dark wave, a longing, apprehension, as if I was dreaming about the star, but I was awake. There was a person in her thirties—I knew her to be a woman by her single braid in the custom of those who were not ichidar. She wasn’t overly tall, but sturdily built. She was, I suddenly thought, the center of all this—the room, and the conversations.
“Starkeeper.” My guide spoke up, next to me, and I felt that movement as air rearranging itself around us. Every tiny sensation was either sharp, or blurred into nothingness. “I bring a guest.”
The commanding woman whirled around to face me. Her face went through a series of expressions—a startled joy, disappointment, surprise. Finally, her face smoothed out. She couldn’t be called pretty, but she had a striking, commanding presence, and a kind of roar filled my mind. She walked over toward us.
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