Happy book birthday to R. B. Lemberg’s remarkable THE FOUR PROFOUND WEAVES
Today, September 1, Tachyon welcomes their new child, R. B. Lemberg’s acclaimed debut THE FOUR PROFOUND WEAVES, now available from all finer booksellers.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY includes the birthday book among their Books of the Week, August 31, 2020.
Lemberg’s outstanding debut novel expands on the short stories of the Birdverse that they have been publishing for about a decade, most frequently in the lit mag Beneath Ceaseless Skies, drawing readers into a lush desert world and the two elders from different cultures navigating its wilds.
TRAVELING IN BOOKS concurs.
THE FOUR PROFOUND WEAVES is a remarkable story, and not simply for the heartbreaking and beautiful ways in which it deals with gender norms, cultural expectactions, family, and friendship. In just 192 pages, Lemberg weaves a multi-facted story in which two aging characters still have a lot to learn about themselves, their strengths, and their flaws. Although, while the prose is elegant and lyrical, its beauty can sometimes obfuscate the meaning. But this is a minor issue overall, as it detracts very little from the story. With elegant prose and an understanding of human nature in all its genders, Lemberg weaves a golden tale of human longing, friendship, and hope.
Then they double down with another mention in Sunday Sum-Up: August 23, 2020.
THE FOUR PROFOUND WEAVES is a beautifully written novella about a world where, in certain cultures, the ability of people to change gender is assumed and the transformation is a celebrated part of life, if one so chooses. But there are cultures that do not accept these changes, which makes life difficult– if not impossible– for those who wish to change. It’s also a story about love and family, and the sacrifices we must make in order to make the world a better place.
THE FOUR PROFOUND BOOK WEAVES book trailer premiered on the Tachyon Publications YouTube Channel. After you finish with the trailer, be sure to check out the other Tachyon goodies on the channel.
Amy Mitchell for THE /TEMZ/ REVIEW continues the love.
THE FOUR PROFOUND WEAVES packs an enormous aesthetic and emotional punch, especially considering how short it is. No details are wasted, and everything knits together in complicated, compassionate and dreamlike ways. It’s a mature look at how life can always still be celebrated, despite the pain and wasted time that people can increasingly feel weighing on them as their lives progress. It’s also a profoundly moving and intimate look at the harms that are specifically caused by transphobia, homophobia and gender-based violence. I highly recommend it for all readers, even if fantasy is not normally a genre you frequent.
THE NOVEL APPROACH REVIEWS joins the celebration.
THE FOUR PROFOUND WEAVES is an emotional story, at times intense and brutal in its telling, but nothing less than sincere. Its beauty is in its weaving of words into a fantasy steeped in its characters’ truths and desires.
MAIJA READS adds ther thoughts about the beautifully written novella.