“Haunting, nuanced, and hopeful, Yoke of Stars is essential reading. Lemberg refuses to look away from the hurt we can do to one another, while reminding us that through listening, labor, and mutual support, we can reject patterns of harm and cultivate something better. In these hard times, Yoke of Stars feels as necessary as air, as water, as kindness.”
—Izzy Wasserstein, author of These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart

“Lemberg’s storytelling is beautiful and unique and a great read for fantasy fans who cannot find themselves in the mainstream books of the genre.”
—Manhattan Book Review

“Welcome back to Birdverse. At the School of Assassins, Stone Orphan sits alone in a room, waiting to learn about the job that will let her graduate. When prospective client Ulín arrives, Stone Orphan is intrigued by her language more than her case. For Ulín has three people who have wronged her, but she is not sure whom she wants to die. Curious about Ulín’s path to their door, Stone Orphan asks to trade stories, to help her decide which of three men should die. As each narrates their journey to this moment, both learn about language, love, loss, and the decisions they have made.  VERDICT Lemberg once again after (Geometries of Belonging) draws readers into their storyverse, playing with names, identities, and language itself. Alternating points of view show how separate paths can come together in more ways than one, highlighting the deeper connection of people, no matter their background.”
—Library Journal

“This is a story about trauma and strife and magic, of stars that hold and bind and devour, and maybe, just maybe, it’s about the possibility of something else beyond the hurt and pain. The way the stories in the book touch and interweave, the way the characters in them tug and pull at each other, is beautifully done—and I love how deftly Lemberg pulls all the threads together into a complex, striking weave.”
—Maria Haskins, author of Wolves and Girls

“For fellow word-nerds, Lemberg’s linguistic explorations are a thought-provoking journey into how language influences all of us. Lemberg’s command of language and narrative nuance makes this a haunting, beautiful read.”
—Marian Crane, author of the Lonhra Sequence

“This is a beautiful novella written for those who crave thought-provoking fantasy stories that stray from stereotypes and reflect the issues of our own world back to us with wisdom and patience.”
—The Fantasy Hive

“R. B. Lemberg’s Birdverse is one of fantasy’s most immersive, lyrical and mind-expanding universes, to which this dream of a novella adds dazzling new depths. Yoke of Stars is a beautiful tale about the stories we all live within, about the languages and connections that bind us to each other and trap us within the same. I loved Yoke of Stars and am certain this is a story I’ll return to over and over in the years to come.”
—Jason Sanford, author of Plague Birds, finalist for the Nebula and Philip K. Dick Awards

“When I tell you that this book essentially altered my neural pathways, I mean that in so many good ways. Everything about this book from the writing, the imagery, the character development, the world building, is just luminous. A gorgeous, lush, super queer fantasy.”
—Wulfe Wulfemeyer, The Raven Book Store

“An unforgettable queer fantasy novel about the power—good and bad—that our words hold.”
—Foreword

“I devoured it in a couple of days because I didn’t want to stop reading. The book is beautifully written and lyrical.”
—The Booklover’s Boudoir

“I can’t really praise this novella enough.”
—Captain’s Quarters

Praise for R. B. Lemberg’s Birdverse

“Lush lyricism of the mythology, culture and history . . . an enchanting world of star lore, magic and gender identity.”
—Tlotlo Tsamaase, The Silence of the Wilting Skin

“In all their fiction from the fascinating Birdverse world, Lemberg centers marginalized identities: queer, trans, neurodiverse, elderly, and more.
—Buzzfeed

[STARRED REVIEW] “Lush, dreamlike prose and nuanced explorations of trans and queer identity.”
—Booklist

“The world-building is full of deep lore and casual queerness, and Lemberg’s magic system is appropriately wild and poetic.”
—Washington Post

“Lemberg writes movingly and magnificently about disaster, survival, and hope.”
—Kate Elliott, author of the Crown of Stars series

“Beautiful and queer and challenging and tender.”
—Autistic Book Party

“It made me cry, and gave me strength.”
—Trans Narrative

“Imagery that glows on the page.”
—Patricia A. McKillip, author of The Forgotten Beasts of Eld

[STARRED REVIEW] “A beautiful, heartfelt story of change, family, identity, and courage.”
—Library Journal

“The anti-authoritarian, queer-mystical fairy tale we need right now.”
—Annalee Newitz, author of Autonomous and The Future of Another Timeline

[STARRED REVIEW] “This diverse, folkloric fantasy world is a delight to visit.”
—Publishers Weekly

“R.B. Lemberg writes with a luminous pen, spraying light all around their words and ideas.”
—Jewelle Gomez, author of The Gilda Stories