Warning: Mild spoilers ahead.
Author Ann Leckie may not be the first to explore the consequences of ruling sentient beings and dueling AIs within a book, though her award-winning sci-fi novel Ancillary Justice and its sequels suggested there were still new storytelling ideas in the conceit. For instance, what if that dystopian-future lens was applied to the fantasy genre?
The answer comes in Leckie’s newest book, The Raven Tower, and it’s the first in a fantasy series that focuses on mysterious gods and the kingdoms they watch over. It’s a challenging first installment that will capture the interest of fantasy nerds if they can grasp all of this world’s moving parts—including some that the gods themselves don’t fully understand.