R. B. Lemberg continues to fascinate as evident by recent reviews of THE UNBALANCING by Trish Matson for The Skiffy and Fanty Show, THE FOUR PROFOUND WEAVES at Fill Your Bookshelf, and their poem “Dzherelo (The Source)” from The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (January/February 2023) at Rick reads some books, I dunno. And while Lemberg didn’t win the Subjective Chaos Kind of Award for Best Fantasy novel, THE UNBALANCING snagged a runner-up to winner The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez.

I found R.B. Lemberg’s THE UNBALANCING to be curiously satisfying and soothing, despite my unfamiliarity with the setting and despite the rising tensions felt by the protagonists and their people. I felt drawn to the mythology of Lemberg’s Birdverse and was intrigued by the structure of the Gelle-Geu island society, but most of all, I enjoyed the well-developed characters, their contrasts, and where their interactions led — to a relationship, to magical discoveries, and to a struggle for survival amid upheavals.

The Skiffy and Fanty Show

A pretty standard journey/quest story line made interesting by the atypical (to me) setting and characters. I loved the desert setting and nomadic cultures woven into the story.

Fill Your Bookshelf

“Dzherelo (The Source)” is a poem by R. B. Lemberg, author of THE FOUR PROFOUND WEAVES, one of my favorite books. It is fully as compelling as you would hope.

Rick reads some books, I dunno