R. B. Lemberg’s debut book THE FOUR PROFOUND WEAVES continues to enthrall readers.

For WE ARE BOOKISH, Kelly Gallucci includes Lemberg’s novella among 2020 and 2021 Books by Trans and Nonbinary Authors for Your TBR.

R.B. Lemberg’s debut is on shelves now, and perfect for those looking to escape into a fantasy world. Weaver Uiziya is awaiting the arrival of her exiled aunt to learn the art of the Four Profound Weaves, which would allow her to create carpets of wind, sand, song, and bones. She discovers that she isn’t the only one waiting for Benesret. A trans man from a different land has arrived in their desert town to ask Benesret for a new name. The two decide to team up to find Benesret and along the way discover far more about each other and themselves.

Artur Nowrot at WYSZNUPANE feels much the same.

There is a structure that lends itself well to fantasy or a certain strain of it: a great evil descends and destroys the sheltered home of a young protagonist, sending them out into the world, on a journey where they will come into their own and defeat the evil. If you look hard enough, you can see the bones of that plot in R.B. Lemberg’s The Four Profound Weaves, but they twist that plot skillfully, introducing elements that change the story and make it very different from your typical Campbell-flavoured fantasy.

[…]

If there is anything that can topple dictators, it’s helping those who were hurt by them and a collective struggle. There will be bodies, dead or wounded, but eventually they will reach such numbers that their weight will crush the oppressors – as long as we, the living, keep remembering, and giving them voice, and pushing onward.

It is a grim note of hope – with an awareness of the terrible cost of fighting for justice – but it’s hope nonetheless.

GARIKI6’S SCIFI/FANTASY REVIEWS AND OTHER THOUGHTS praises the work.

This setup creates a story about hope and life (although the story instead refers to these concepts as hope and death), and about making one’s own destiny that is truly wonderful and must be read to be experienced. I’m sure someone can go deep into how this story takes the queer experience and makes it into a powerful tale of self-understanding and recognition, and it absolutely is, but well this is so short I don’t want to go too in deep. Read this, it’s great.

In The /r/Fantasy Monthly Book Discussion Thread, REDDIT continues its fascination with THE FOUR PROFOUND WEAVES.

I really loved the way the story developed from a search for personal meaning to a larger story of understanding and healing and bravery in the face of more powerful forces. The way emotions were central, not only in the storytelling but in the magic of the world itself, was also very powerful. […] And then the conclusion hit all the right notes for me, wrapping up the loose ends without feeling too perfect. Overall a beautiful book, and hopeful about a future of continued resistance to oppressive power structures, which is just what I needed at the moment.

TinyFlyingLion