#raksuran notes

[alilmuseramblings]

Fell!muse Raksura Notes

Brief background story summary:

The result of a prominent Fell flight completely overrunning a Raksuran court in an attempt to create a 'new breed' of Fell- stronger, faster, capable of Arbora mentor abilities- that mimics the distant Forerunner race both Raksuran Aeriet and Fell share. Most, if not all Raksura in this court are part Fell to various different degrees.

COURT NAME:

Moutain-thorn Haven

Tree descrip.:

Old abandoned mountain-thorn after fell activity increased, or was raided by them(?) Renamed Haven as a symbol of the part-fells hope for stability and peace.

Warm toned wood, darker bark on tree trunk that forms many 'thorns'; inside court layout tiered in a sloping spiral. One large entrance connects to a landing platform- a large branch on livable section of tree- made to also function as a courtyard where they do trade with groundlings, Kek, and other courts trade caravans.

Main access well offshoots from largest entrance courtyard, is several tiers tall. Diff arbora artisans have halls that branch from it.

Queens level is highest level, then consorts; both have private lounging platforms, with the queens having multiple entrances for directly greeting foreign queens in a meeting hall depending on the level of formality: normal queens hall (which doubles as place queens have meetings with head arboras) or a more private one off the side of queens hall.

Warriors bower is deeper inside trunk and is connected to training/sparing room that opens to large outside platform big enough for kethel-sized warriors; is below Consorts level. Arbora and co-living areas for those who want it are parallel with the mentor/teacher common rooms. Nurseries are below teacher common rooms.

Main characters:

Eventual Reigning Queen(s):

Bane - Queen / Ruler -ruby red scales with ivory webbing; shorter than average -spines are short, but densely clustered on back of head; mostly covered by frills -has progenitor bone-crest and heavy brow; broke crest -only surviving clutchmate Aleister -red eyes

Aleister - Queen / Progenitor -ivory scales with blood red webbing; got all the tall juice -spines are short & not very dense w/few frills -has ruler bone-crest on head & sharper features -only surviving clutchmate Bane -red eyes

Eventual first Consort(s):

Nerida - Consort -no surviving clutchmates -raksuran shift: black scales with blue undertone, long spines and frills (messy); red eyes -groundling shift: bronze skin, bright red hair that is long and often messy; red eyes -less fell blood than the rest, makes up for it by being FERAL -raised/cared for by bloodline consort before ultimately mercy killing him

Salem - Consort / Kethel -clutchmates: Cal, Agni, Brigid -racksuran shift: black with red undertone scales, the size of a kethel but less bulky, more sleek, and lacks the arching horns -groundling shift: black hair, pale skin, deep red eyes; right eye is a lazy eye -pretends to be more brainwashed/hypnotized than he actually is -only 'friend' in Minerva, clings to her after loss of clutchmates

Head Arbora Mentor:

Angel - Arbora Mentor / Drakti -raksuran shift: dark magenta scales, short messy spines -groundling shift: pale complection, dark brown & messy hair -red-brown eyes, one of which is blind/heavily scarred -arbora parent was direct descendant of an Arbora Forerunner who was the overrun courts head mentor -no surviving clutchmates -very small due to mixed drakti blood -best at dispelling Fell influence from the mind

Important side characters:

Minerva - Arbora Mentor / Drakti -already being 'hollowed out' by The Mother -taught by Carrion in the art of mentor powers -befriended Salem, emotionally manipulates him -eventually killed by the main four

Gerson - Arbora Mentor -oldest living arbora mentor in the overrun court -trained Pyre & Angel in mentor ways -fiercely protective of the fledglings; de-facto head of the nurseries -seen as the leader of the captured/stolen arbora after the head mentors mental breakdown and subsequent death -to tenacious to be killed off for his age

Pyre (Grilby) - Arbora Mentor -pure raksuran arbora, one of the last born in the overrun court -very good at auguring; strong enough to conjure fire -warrior clutchmates and arbora parents end up meals to the drakti

Mitzy / Madame Octa (Muffet) - Consort -pure raksuran consort, one of the last born in the overrun court -no surviving clutchmates (they were all warriors, deemed useless, and culled) -becomes Bane's second consort

Holly (hand-monster) - Arbora, eventually head Teacher -clutchmates: Ilex (warrior), Gallberry (arbora), Ever (warrior), Tannin (warrior)

Trixie (catty) - Female Warrior, speaks for Bane -clutchmates: Evie (Warrior), Farah (Arbora), Bliss (Warrior), Abbie (Arbora)

Rafi (bratty) - Female Warrior, speaks for Aliester -clutchmates: Raise (Arbora), Athan (Arbora), Morning (Arbora), Earli (Arbora)

Lupine (NB) - Arbora, eventually head Soldier

Tessa (Shopkeep B) - Arbora, eventually head hallkeeper

Stone (BP) - Arbora, eventually head jeweler

---

When Bane and Aleister kill the Rulers, it triggers a massive uprising in the captured Raksura, led by Nerida. A small subsection of them (the younger Aeriet that are most likely to wing away to safety and whoever they can carry; older arbora that fight stay behind to protect the rest) escape the hive together before the flight can regroup. (The rest are only saved when Aleister is taken back to the hive by Minerva and Salem and plan Behead the Mother occurs.)

---

Important/named Fell: (All killed overtime)

The Mother, Lillith - Progenitor -simpleminded focus on making/having children & making them 'one with the flight' -caring&gentle to fledglings, calous and cruel the minute they're old enough to fend for themselves/provide for the flight -incapable of understanding her subjects are capable of free will -has Raksuran queen blood in her

Lucif / His Maleficence - Ruler -Lillith's most devoted ruler -has Raksuran queen blood in him, making him larger than normal -rapes both Aleister and Bane; sire of Aleister's first clutch

Carrion (Gaster) - Arbora Mentor / Drakti -allowed free will to the extent that he can still access his mentor abilities -makes simples (magical science potions) that are used on Raksura (experiments)

---

The Prominent Dead:

Strife, of the court of Aster - birthqueen of Aleister and Bane -a victim born of the fell flights first conquest -raised by The Mother and saved from her influence by the arbora Gerson -named herself -half fell, half raksuran queen

Calcifer/Cal - Warrior / Kethel -clutchmates to Salem, Ash, Brigid -kethel size/strength deemed useful enough to waste resources on raising -killed trying to bring food back for his family

Ash - Warrior / drakti -clutchmates to Salem, Calcifer, Brigid -died from illness when quite young

Brigid - Warrior / drakti -clutchmates to Salem, Calcifer, Ash -became sick, was culled to not waste resources on infertile warrior

---

CLUTCHES OVER TIME: (in order of age)

Aleister's First Clutch: (the amalgamates) -Salem more or less adopts them as his own.

Memoria (memoryhead) - Warrior -raksura shift: silver green scales, mane of spines a thorny mass all down spine to tip of tail, no frills; oversized teeth -groundling shift: no hair (would be black), pale complexion, inked designs on skin -pale golden eyes -she/her

Charon (endogeny) - Warrior Kethel -Raksura shift: dark matte red raksura feather-like scales are larger and more segmented like fell armor; mane of spines a thorny mass all down spine to tip of tail, no frills -groundling shift: tall and skinny, wavy dark red/black hair that reaches shoulders, usually half pulled up to keep out of eyes -BIG in both shifts -dark brown eyes -they/them

Obitus (reaper bird) - Queen -bluish purple scales with wavy orange webbing, small horn-like fell crests -angular facial features & fell forehead crest -dark blue eyes -he/him

Ankou (lemon bread) - Warrior -raksura shift: pale yellow scales, short tail, malformed wings -groundling shift: long brown, wavy hair; teeth to big for her mouth=underbite; short, but still built aeriat lean -golden eyes -shortest of the clutch -she/her

Nex/Nexus (snowdrakes mother) - Queen -white/silver scales like birthqueen, multiple fell crests present on winged form instead of spines that are shorter in arbora form; long frills -purple webbing slowly turning black w/age -green eyes -she/her

Bane & Nerida's clutch:

Riley - Queen -pale blue scales, cream webbing that spikes around body, red eyes, short frills & spines like birthqueen -soft spoken boy, he/him -lean build

Asher - Warrior -raksuran shift: dark blue -groundling shift: -warrior male -often with Riley -

Brooke - Warrior -raksuran shift: dark red scales -groundling shift: -warrior female -will grow up to speak for Riley -

Blake - Consort -raksuran shift: -groundling shift: -

Miah - Warrior -raksuran shift: -groundling shift: -will grow up to

Aleister & Salem's clutch:

Amara - Queen, she/her -Raksuran shift: red/pink scales, thin/jagged white web w/white&red spines down back to tail tip; red eyes -often bugging her older half-siblings (dragging Zahara along)

Zahara - Warrior, she/her -raksuran shift: ivory like her birthqueen, yellow undertone -groundling shift: pale complexion like Salem w/freckles and strawberry blonde hair; pale red eyes -often with Amara

Meera - Warrior-Kethel, she/her -raksuran shift: deep blue scales, horn-crest, spines on head and tail-tip only -groundling shift: black, spiky hair, stout; red eyes -often with Khari

Khari - Consort, she/her -raksuran shift: consort black w/green undertone -groundling shift: black, long hair, lean build; pale red eyes

Sakura - Warrior, she/her -raksuran shift: pale pink scales, stout build -groundling shift: tall, pale complexion w/freckles & red hair, grey eyes -often with Khari

Addicus ( Annoying/Angry Dog ) -sentient quadruped treeling that was banished from his pack for being born 'cursed' -is albino, long-furred, and about 200-some pounds of pure muscle -incapable of speaking other languages, mouth/throat isn't built for it -species is naturally telepathic, mainly communicating via impressing their emotions and intent on each other, growls/snarls/howls/body movements are secondary

[captainsupernoodle]

Interesting to me how we get introduced to Rorra and her communication scent that ppl have to filter out in book 4 and then book 5 has repeated mentions about Consolation's flight having the "Fell stench" (side note - the way that's how it's always described makes me think there's a specific raksuran word for it that's being translated). I thought that was indicated to be a result of living conditions in other books, but they've been eating animals and living in better conditions for? At least a few months at the absolute minimum, more likely years, so that's not the case here.

Complete speculation time: the situation around the Fell feels more like they were artificially created rather than being a natural split from the Raksura/forerunners, and engineering their scent to be unsettling to Raksura would be a another roadblock isolating them from each other.

Edit: I was wrong about this instance! They were talking about the invading fell flight, not Consolation's - altho I have a vague memory of the kethel following Moon and Stone having a distinct scent. I need to double-check that.

[plotweasels]

This Crossover...Doesn't Even Work

However, I am struck by the idea of a Crossover between Books of the Raksura and MDZS. First, a fusion (the kind of crossover I write the most frequently) would be just about impossible. While I can easily see Yu Ziyuan as a Raksuran queen, I do not actually like her that much. (And her classism would not actually fit the queen mindset.) Also, while Jiang Fengmian does fit into the personality more or less of a First Consort, the xianxia Fantasy Ancient China power dynamics would not combine well with that of a Raksura colony. (Also there's the naming conventions.)

On the other hand, if the Jiangs were a Raksura colony, I would want to make Wei Wuxian an Arbora Mentor who ended up becoming a warrior. (Though that wouldn't really fit the necromancy.) So if I did a fusion, the Jiangs would have to be some variety of groundling or possibly waterling/groundling related to waterling. (Note: not humans. There are no humans in the Books of the Raksura setting, just various species of groundling, skyling, waterling and so on.)

So lets say that the sects in the Cultivation World are all related species of groundling. And these species are related to the forerunners. Let's also say that Cangse Sanren is either a) an orphaned raksura queen b) an equally orphaned raksura/fell hybrid or c) an orphaned fell raised by a mysterious Raksura Queen who lost her Colony. (The cultivators do not know that Baoshan Sanren is a Raksura. If they see her, she's always in Arbora form. They just think of her as a powerful immortal.) Cangse Sanren marries Wei Changze and they have Wei Ying, who has an interesting mix of abilities.

This would probably be more or less a "Wei Ying is not raised by the Jiangs" AU where Wei Ying is more or less self taught, and has a "secret weapon" in the form of a really big scary winged form. Combining the cultivation system with the Books of the Raksura magic system would be a challenge, as would trying to tack on the Sunshot Campaign, and the geography of the Three Worlds. (Floating Islands, man. Floating. Islands.)

However, I can also see an "insert characters from fandom a into fandom b" type of crossover. This can happen by way of my favorite plot weasel of "Wei Wuxian attempts to create some kind of transportation talisman to escape with the Wen Remnants But Something goes Very Wrong," and everyone ends up in a distant part of the Three Worlds. Or near enough the Reaches that Raksura investigate. By preference I'd drop them in the middle of a ruined city, where they can run into all kinds of weird shit, in addition to suddenly having wingy people show up. (I originally thought Raksura, but maybe members of Consolation's Flight? And then Raksura?) I think I would spend a great deal of time worrying about the Instant Genetic Bottleneck however, so maybe not that? (Or have Wei Wuxian accidentally bring most of Yiling with him, as well as any Wen who were still in hiding, and any number of cultivators who were in the town trying to find WWX.)

This would be fun as cultivation is so much different than the kind of magic system(s) that are present in the Raksura setting. Another problem: we don't really have a clear idea of fauna, as the Raksura tend not to have names for various animal species, instead dividing them up by what they eat. It will be interesting to see how Wei Wuxian and friends end up dealing with various other sentients, and how they react to these weird groundlings that just turned up...

[terramythos]

TerraMythos 2021 Reading Challenge - Book 22 of 26

Title: Stories of the Raksura, Volume One (2014)

Author: Martha Wells

Genre/Tags: Fantasy, Adventure, Short Story Collection, Third-Person, LGBT Protagonist, Female Protagonist

Rating: 7/10 (note: this is an average)

Date Began: 8/23/2021

Date Finished: 8/28/2021

Stories of the Raksura, Volume One is the first of two anthologies that take place in Martha Wells’ Books of the Raksura universe. I recommend reading the original trilogy (starting with The Cloud Roads) before these, as the stories are pretty confusing otherwise. If “fantasy adventure starring shapeshifting, winged humanoids” sounds like an entertaining premise to you, you’re in luck! To those interested, I reviewed the main series last year— here’s a link to the first book.

Of the two novellas and two short stories in this volume, my favorites were “The Falling World” and “Adaptation”, both 8/10s.

Individual ratings, content warnings, and minor series spoilers below the cut. 

Content warnings for the book: non-graphic sexual content, violence, brief mention of r*pe, brief mention of suicide, references to domestic abuse, traumatic injury, bullying, mild body horror.

#1 - The Falling World (8/10)

While on a routine diplomatic mission to a nearby court, Jade, Chime, and a contingent of warriors disappear under mysterious circumstances. Left in a precarious position in the Reach, Moon leads a search party for the missing group. The trail leads to a mysterious, ancient ruin hidden in the depths of a mountain thorn… but bizarre dangers lurk within. Finding the missing Raksura will be easier said than done.

Moon paced absently around while the others explored or drank from the pond. They were here, he thought, days ago. Just days. But standing here had the same feeling he got in ancient groundling ruins: that an unbridgeable gulf of time separated him from the people who were once here.

“The Falling World” is a typical Raksura story which takes place between the third and fourth books. If you read the original trilogy and liked it, you’ll like this one. It’s got all the pieces you’ve come to expect: creepy sorta-haunted ancient ruins, vaguely eldritch monster things, fantasy adventure, and Moon being a snarky angst machine. I wouldn’t call this novella required reading. Beyond a mention in book four, the introduction of Ocean Winter (who I don’t really remember), and a tiny bit of lore re: Chime’s weird powers, there’s nothing new here. It’s the kind of thing you read if you liked the novels and want more adventures— and that’s fine.

#2 - The Tale of Indigo and Cloud (6/10)

Umber Shadow is a minor court in the Reaches, but things are about to change. Its sister queen Indigo just “stole” Cloud, a consort from Emerald Twilight. Such behavior is one of the most taboo acts in Raksuran culture. Now Cerise, the leader of Umber Shadow, has to navigate the dire socio-political consequences of Indigo’s actions, and hopefully prevent an all-out war.

Ruby didn’t look happy, but she didn’t argue either. “All right. Just be careful. Don’t let this little idiot trap you into fighting.” “Which little idiot?” Cerise asked, in exasperation. “There are so many of them!”

I have mixed feelings on “The Tale of Indigo and Cloud”. It’s an obvious choice for a novella, as the main books reference this story. Clearly, the titular characters are the namesakes for Indigo Cloud, the court in the main series. The plot is less action-adventure and more political intrigue— which is fine, and a welcome change of pace. 

My main issue is perspective; rather than Indigo or Cloud (or both), the story instead follows Cerise, leader of Umber Shadow (Indigo Cloud’s predecessor). Cerise is well-written enough, and it’s interesting to get a reigning queen’s POV. But this choice creates a layer of disconnect from the emotional tension of the story—Indigo and Cloud’s rocky relationship. The novella comes off as a chronicle of events rather than an involved story. Personally I’d find the tale more interesting if it started with Indigo and Cloud’s meeting and took their POVs. Clearly Cloud was unhappy in his old life and convinced Indigo to help him; that’s an interesting hook that I wish we saw firsthand. That aside, I appreciated baby!Stone’s cameo and the melancholy epilogue related to that.

#3 - The Forest Boy (7/10)

Tren is an orphan living in a small Mirani village nestled along a trade route. While digging through a local junk heap, he and his friend Lua discover Moon, an injured boy caught in an animal trap. Tren’s adoptive parents nurse the strange child back to health. Moon and Lua become close friends, and Tren grows to resent the newcomer. But when a creature from the forest attacks the three children, Tren learns that Moon’s hiding a deadly secret.

He wasn’t a fool; he knew it was jealousy, like the jealous herder in one of Ari’s stories who lost his herd by trying to make it bigger than those his neighbors owned… Moon was big, strong, helpful, good to everyone, and everyone in the house liked him. He also had the added mystery of being a wild boy from the Long Road, without any of the dirty or violent habits a real wild boy might have.

But knowing it was jealousy didn’t seem to help Tren make it go away. It just made it worse, since now he could feel guilty about being jealous.

I liked this one! “The Forest Boy” introduces some early characterization for Moon; in particular, it adds context to Moon’s natural suspicion of others. Poor boy just wants a family— but he’ll always be at a remove from others since he has to hide his identity. No wonder he constantly doubts his place among the Raksura once he finally meets them. Here he finds a potential place to belong, but it comes crashing down just for being himself. It’s especially yikes knowing that this keeps happening well into adulthood. I felt kind of meh about Tren as a character, but hey, it’s a short story.

#4 - Adaptation (8/10)

Chime has been an Arbora for his entire life; the wingless caste of Raksura who keep the court running. But one day, when shapeshifting into his Arbora form, Chime blacks out. When he awakens, he finds his body has transformed into a winged Aeriat. Now with his entire identity called into question, Chime becomes an outsider among both Raksuran castes. But perhaps more troubling is what this shift means for the future of Indigo Cloud.

Someone must have carried him out of the central well; they were in one of the smaller side rooms, the one with a fountain pool fed by a channel in the wall. Chime stumbled to the pool and almost swayed over backwards. Catching himself on the rim, he stared down at his reflection.

He was looking at a Raksuran warrior, tall, lean, with blue scales. Horrified and fascinated, he raised his spines to see if they were longer, and something else extended out behind him. It took him a moment to realize he was looking at the edges of his wings as they unfolded from his back.

We love Chime in this household, so I’m happy to see a short story from his POV. Like “The Tale of Indigo and Cloud”, this was an obvious choice to write, since there’s a lot of discussion in the main books about it. Chime’s horror upon waking in a strange new body, the resulting social isolation, and his first steps toward accepting his situation, are all very compelling subjects. It’s no wonder the poor guy latched onto Moon right away. I think “Adaptation” is too short for its heavy and complex subject matter. Something like this could easily be a novella. But I did like it for what it is. 

Closing Thoughts

This anthology was fine! I basically wanted a little more Raksura content, and this certainly delivered. Short story/novella collections are always going to be hit or miss with me, so I consider 7/10 a pretty good average score. As I mentioned above, only read this if you’ve read the main series, or you’ll be lost.

[alilmuseramblings]

Raksura info/notes

Raksura are shapeshifters who have two forms: groundling, which is a humanoid form and the one they’re often in, and Raksura, which is a winged or wingless reptilian-lion gargoyle-like form and the one they take when they fight or hunt. The raksuran form can come in an assortment of jewel like colors; they loose their color as they age, turning grey and white. While they are omnivorous, they require a lot of raw meat in their diet to stay healthy.

Raksura are polyamorous and raise their young communally. They tend to be named after nouns that follow a theme within lines of descent, (but for the sake of my sanity that will not always be the case). There are normally 5 babies/fledglings in a single clutch. It is common to choose a conception partner for non-romantic reasons, such as to produce young of a specific caste (like arbora mentors), or simply because bloodlines are free to mingle.

Winged Raksura, called Aeriats, are divided into three castes: queen, consort, and warrior.

Wingless Raksura, called Arbora, are divided into many different castes that all work together to make the court function (acting much like the worker ants/bees of the species): mentor, teacher/scholar, hunter, agrarian, artisan, and soldier.

Only female Arbora can feed raksuran babies for the first week or so until they switch to meat broth. All raksuran young are born soft scaled and bronze colored, with a full set of teeth and soft baby claws. They are unable to shift into another form until later in life.

Arbora as a species evolved to be naturally more in tune with the creative side of their brain than the aeriats. The aeriats were, long ago, a separate species that merged with the arbora forerunners, and are therefore less creatively minded.

Forerunners are what we're going to call the ancestors of the Arbora and Aeriet/Fell that merged together to form the Raksuran race. Because of the merger, Raksuran Queens evolved to have a shift between Arbora and Aeriat only.

The castes within the Aeriat:

Queens: the winged aeriat that can give birth to more winged aeriat- 'daughter' queens, consorts, and warriors; can only shift between aeriat form and arbora form.

Queens can suppress their fertility at will.

Queens are, physically, the strongest of the Aeriat

Queens have a strong protective/aggression instinct

Queens are the only raksura that have a secondary color over top their scales, referred to as a 'web'.

There are three different levels of power a queen can have in a court:

Reigning queen: the term for a queen that oversees the entire court; forms an innate mental/emotional link to the rest of the court Sister queen: the term for a queen that helps the reigning queen govern the court. Normally (cultural norm) can only become a sister after they have gained a consort. Daughter queens: the term for a young queen that is not actively helping to rule a court. commonly do not have a consort.

Consort: the winged aeriat that help sire more raksura.

Can only shift between Raksura and groundling form; can mate with an arbora to produce more arbora (in the hopes of that arbora having mentor abilities) or warriors, and with a queen to produce more royal warriors, consorts, and queens.

Physically, they are always black-scaled, with the occasional accent color along the underside of their scales.

Culturally, consorts are expected to not do things such as hunt or fight, and are expected to be refined, shy, and delicate.

While they start out weaker, the older they get the bigger- and stronger- they become, basically growing into their power with age

this power is similar to a queens presence- their ability to exert their will with their voice, whither that is to force a shift or to calm a raging queen

All consorts are expected to visit and help run the nurseries.

Within a court, a consort can have a few different specialty titles:

First Consort: the title for the reigning queens first consort. Oversees the younger consorts learning/growth, and eventual leaving to join another court. Keeps track of the bloodlines within their court. Is often a physical representation of the alliance between courts. Second Consort: the title for a reigning queens second consort. Similar responsibilities to the First, and acts as a support for the first, like a sister queen to the reigning queen. Not every court will have a first and second consort. Line Grandfather: an incredibly old, non-active consort that is (in older courts) commonly the first of their bloodline, if not certainly the eldest living one. Sometimes acts as a teacher of young consorts and keeps track of all the bloodlines within their court. Line-grandfathers are largely exempt from Raksuran etiquette. Not every court has a line grandfather.

Warriors: the winged aeriat that serve as the courts protection from predators, enemy courts, hostile groundlings, and Fell flights.

Commonly smaller than queens and consorts, and physically weaker/slower.

Infertile.

Warriors born from a queen are referred to as a warrior from a 'royal clutch'

Warriors from a royal clutch tend to be stronger than the average warrior

Female warriors are commonly stronger and bigger than male warriors. (For the sake of my sanity, this will sometimes be ignored as well)

Culturally, a female warrior (ideally from a royal clutch) acts as a queens voice when interacting/engaging with another court. This avoids the rival queens immediately pissing each other off and starting a fight.

Traditionally, warriors that are cluchmates with a queen will form and lead a warrior faction that protects and directly serves that queen. This will also happen with warriors and consorts.

The (broad) castes within the Arbora:

Mentor: The mentor caste of the Arbora have latent Psychic Powers that include auguring the future and sensing the attention of hostile forces, the ability to create light by infusing magic into inanimate objects, like rocks, shells, even plants, and delving into the minds of other raksura to cure them of fell influence or to put them into a healing trance for treatment from injury. Not every mentor is capable of doing all those things. Most all mentor's are involved with making sure the heartseed of the mountain-thorn is healthy.

Teacher/scholar: Arbora that teach, maintain the history of the court, keep track of court bloodlines. Teachers are commonly nursery attendants that focus on raising and teaching fledgling raksura. Some teach young arbora the ways of whatever specific craft they work with.

Hunter: Arbora that regularly manage the beasts within the courts territory via hunting or husbandry. On the mountain-thorn itself, they help maintain the trees health by killing pest species that, while harmless to raksurans, would be harmful to the tree or crops growing on it.

Agrarian: The farmer arbora. Arbora that cultivate the mountain-thorn and the mountain tree's that surround it. While the simplest sounding, it is one of the most important castes, as these arbora are responsible for all of the food and plant resources that the court needs to survive and thrive, in addition to maintaining the places of leisure within the court.

Artisans: Arbora that specialize in making things for the court. This can be textiles, ceramics, painters, jewellery crafters, weavers/leather-workers for clothing, sculptors, and artisanal food (cooks) of all kinds.

Soldier: Arbora that join the warriors to patrol the courts territory. They are more than likely to stay near the mountain thorn or reside in outposts at the edge of the courts territory in order to keep it safe from possible invaders.

[terramythos]

TerraMythos' 2020 Reading Challenge - Book 33 of 26

Title: The Edge of Worlds (2016) (The Books of the Raksura #4)

Author: Martha Wells

Genre/Tags: Fantasy, Adventure, LGBT Protagonist, Third-Person

Rating: 9/10

Date Began: 11/28/2020

Date Finished: 12/09/2020

Two turns after The Siren Depths, Moon has settled into life in the Indigo Cloud colony with young children of his own. But when all the adult Raksura experience a disturbing, shared nightmare that foretells the destruction of their home at the hands of the Fell, things are about to change. Soon an expedition of strange groundlings visit The Reaches, claiming they need the Raksura to help investigate a mysterious abandoned city far to the west. Believing the two events are linked, Moon and the others embark on a journey to avert disaster. However, they soon find more than they bargained for when a Fell attack traps them in the deadly, labyrinthine city ruins.  

If eyes fall on this, and no one is here to greet you, then we have failed. Yet you exist, so our failure is not complete. 

Full review, some spoilers, and content warning(s) under the cut.

Content warnings for the book:  Graphic violence and action. Some mind control stuff (par for the course at this point). 

This is a difficult book to review because it is, for all intents and purposes, part one of a longer two-part story. While the three previous books were all self-contained, The Edge of Worlds isn't, even ending on a cliffhanger. I feel like this duology might have been written as a single book but got split for publishing reasons. As of this writing I have not read the next book, The Harbors of the Sun. So take what I say with a grain of salt, because my commentary assumes the next book will address certain things.

The Edge of Worlds’ core plot builds on threads from the previous book-- mysterious ancestors, bizarre dead cities, the Fell/Raksura crossbreeds, and so on. This book doesn't include any new details about the ancestors, which are just called "the forerunners", but I expect the next book to touch on this more, as it’s been a consistent Thing in the series. There's also another mysterious, ancient ruin critical to the plot. However, it’s pretty different than the underwater city in The Siren Depths, so doesn't seem repetitive. Oddly, it reminds me of House Of Leaves with its vast size, impenetrable darkness, and sentient (?) traps.

The book also explores Fell/Raksura crossbreeds in yet another way. Previous books depicted them as terrifying weapons (The Cloud Roads) or just weird looking Raksura (The Siren Depths). The Edge of Worlds splits the difference, introducing a Fell flight that seems much more sympathetic and reasonable than any encountered thus far-- led by a crossbreed queen. My criticism of the Fell way back in The Cloud Roads is they're basically an Always Chaotic Evil horde of predators, but this new idea adds a lot of nuance. Though I am assuming the next book goes into this more, as they’re just introduced here. It's important to remember the Fell and Raksura are descended from the same ancestor, and even though Raksura are the heroes of the story, there are a lot of similarities between the two species. Overall this is one of the most intriguing threads in the series, and I'm glad we keep coming back to it in new ways.

Another thing this book does differently is perspective. Moon is the POV character in the other main entries. While that's still true, there are several interludes from the perspectives of others. For practical purposes this is to show what's going on outside of the main party, particularly so Malachite showing up at the end doesn't feel like an asspull. Also, certain events really do need to be explained when Moon isn't present. I can respect that.

From a reading standpoint I really like these alternate points of view. They're all minor characters-- Lithe, Ember, Merit, River, and Niran-- which is an interesting choice. Ember's interlude is actually my favorite part of the book. It's fun to see a more "traditional" consort approach an awkward situation, and I like his initial struggle to accept and treat Shade (one of the crossbreeds and a personal fave of mine from the last book) as a regular consort. Ember comes off as very submissive in the rest of the series so it's fun to see him take charge. Also this part features a scene in which two intimidating Raksuran queens, Pearl and Malachite, have the most tense tea service of all time. It's just hilarious. 

This book actually has a trans analogue with the Janderan, the primary groundling species, who apparently choose their gender when they reach adulthood. Specifically there’s a focus on a young man named Kalam, who just took that step. This doesn't feel like the standard fantasy/scifi copout because humans literally do not exist in the series. Wells handles trans/nonbinary/agender characters (human and otherwise) extremely well in The Murderbot Diaries so I feel it’s in good faith. LGBT rep in the Raksura series has been great so far, honestly. Moon/Jade/Chime is like... canon, man.

Another general observation I haven't previously noted... I love how many interesting and varied flying ships there are in this world. They're all boat-like (nothing like airplanes) but there has been a different kind in each book. Considering that most of the main cast can fly it's interesting that flying ships are consistently integral to the plot. It would be so easy to cop out and design one ship that every society uses, but Wells really makes them all unique despite serving similar functions to the story. The ship in this one is organic, powered by living, cultivated moss. I dunno! I just think it’s neat. 

I do have one criticism for The Edge of Worlds, keeping in mind it's part one of a longer story. The pacing. This book is pretty slow; it takes a while to get going and then there are lots of lengthy travel sequences. As long as there’s interesting flavor to it, I generally don't mind this approach. It allows for breathing room and character interaction. But even I started feeling bored at points and had to power through. It feels like a lot of the travel could have been cut from the book without losing much. For example, the journey to the colony tree in The Serpent Sea took up maybe a few chapters. I appreciate travel in this series from a worldbuilding perspective, but in this case I think some time gaps would have been fine. The action doesn't pick up until the party arrives at the ruin, in the latter half of the book.

Also, this isn't really a criticism, but there are several references to the Raksura novellas and short stories. I haven't read them (yet) so they’re totally lost on me. I can't blame Wells for including references, both as a wink/nudge to people who have read them and because ignoring relevant ideas makes no sense. But as someone lacking context it comes off as awkward to have a character think “WOW, this is just like that one time Jade had to do this one thing!” and I’m just like “...it is???” 

Despite this I like just about everything else in the story, especially the second half. It really does feel like a proper finale, bringing back notable characters from throughout the series (not anyone from The Serpent Sea yet... I do have my suspicions here, though). River seems to be getting a mini redemption? The labyrinthine, dark city is creepy, and the artifact they find inside it is super unsettling. All the climactic action is intriguing, particularly regarding the new Fell crossbreeds. The novel ends abruptly, but that’s understandable since the next book leads right off from it. I'm really excited to see how the Raksura story concludes.