R. B. Lemberg’s first Birdverse novel THE UNBALANCING is amazing
Though not coming out until September, people can’t stop talking about R. B. Lemberg’s THE UNBALANCING. Dori Mondon in their article “What is visionary fiction?” lavishes praise upon Lemberg. Meanwhile, ReadBecca (starting around 5:34) anoints THE UNBALANCING as a most anticipated release for the second half of the year. Not to be left out, their Birdverse novella THE FOUR PROFOUND WEAVES receives a glowing review from Lyri Ahnam in Eternal Haunted Summer (Summer Solstice 2022). And finally, The Fantasy Hive interview Lemberg about the forthcoming novel.
*SIGNED* copies of THE UNBALANCING are available for preorder from the the fine folks at Raven Book Store.
One of my absolute favorites right now is author R.B. Lemberg, discovered at random when I signed up to read a galley of their first novel, THE FOUR PROFOUND WEAVES. Jaw. drop. I was so excited when their publisher, Tachyon Publications (check out their entire catalog), reached out this past March and asked if I’d read the next one. WOULD I??!?!?!? The next one, THE UNBALANCING, is amazing.
What is visionary fiction?
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.
A remarkable addition to pagan-inspired fantasy novellas, The Four Profound Weaves, is a wonderful parable exploring transgender experience, the cyclical nature empires, and the power of faith and courage.
Eternal Haunted Summer
Welcome to the Hive, RB. This September you’ll be taking readers back to the Birdverse in your first full-length novel in the series, The Unbalancing. What can readers expect?
The Fantasy Hive
The Unbalancing is a lyrical mix of queer romance, nonbinary-centric worldbuilding, a disaster story, and explorations of magic, queer community, friendships, loss, and hope. Readers should also expect a grumpy ancestral ghost and a very determined ginger cat.
More books need cat in them we feel.
Tell us more about starkeeper Ranra and poet Erígra!
The two alternating narrators of The Unbalancing couldn’t be more different – Erígra Lilún is a dreamy poet who loves to spend their days in solitude pruning trees in the ancient quince grove and scribbling in their notebook. Ranra cannot stand still, and in fact, can often be spotted running around and making things happen extremely fast. The two are brought together, perhaps, by their mutual fascination with the Star of the Tides, an unruly mass of magic asleep in the sea, whose restless tossing and turning is about to become more desperate. But I think, in the end of the day, Ranra and Lilún are brought together by a kind of irresistible mix of mutual fascination and bewilderment that could keep them circling each other for a long time if things weren’t exploding. Things are exploding.
