The Serpent Sea (Books of the Raksura) [Tapa blanda]

I enjoyed THE CLOUD ROADS without being convinced that I wanted to continue with the series. I jumped on the chance to do an advance review of THE SERPENT SEA because I wanted to find out if Martha Wells could make a fan of me. The answer? Yup. She can, and did. I loved THE SERPENT SEA.

One reviewer described the plot of THE CLOUD ROADS as Moon discovering that he's been "Cursed by Awesome," and, at the time, I agreed. Poor baby discovers he's been born into a high caste, what's to complain about, right? But in THE SERPENT SEA I began to see what a perfect choice Moon's position as a consort really is.

Raksura consorts are basically trophy wives. As a consort, Moon has status but no real power. But Moon isn't content to be pampered and impotent, which means he's not content to fill the traditional role of consort. He likes to keep busy and he's a natural authority figure. So, yes, he's got enough rank to rub elbows with the movers and shakers but he has to earn every bit of authority that comes his way and constantly defend his choice to step outside of his allotted role.

The plot has the Indigo Cloud court on a mission to recover the stolen seed of their mountain-tree. They encounter obstacles on the way to completing their quest, as on the way Moon finds himself trying to play the part of a perfect consort at a foreign court, dealing with a solitary Raksura that reminds him all too much of himself, and battling a power-hungry magician.

As in THE CLOUD ROADS, Wells' descriptions of the Three Realms' landscapes kept me enthralled. It's just such a pleasure to imagine all the little details, from the mountain-tree where the Indigo Cloud court hopes to settle, with its glowing shells and fantastical carvings, to the floating city where most of the novel takes place.

I read THE SERPENT SEA in one sitting, and loved every page. It's more relaxing than heart-pounding, but I found that I relished every minute I spent with in Wells' marvelous landscapes among the Raksura. Four very enthusiastic stars.

I devoured the Cloud Roads, and purchased the Serpent Sea as soon as it was available. The novel continues the journey of Moon and the Indigo Cloud Raksura. It's basically a standard "search for the magical object that will fix everything" type story. However, the book is very well executed.

I also really liked that this book explored a lot more of Raksura culture, and the chance to look at another Raksura court. The idea of Moon as an outsider comes more strongly into play in this novel than the first novel, and I really enjoyed reading about how he struggled to come to terms with his status.

Otherwise, I did not like this novel as much as the first. I still stayed up all night reading it, but I didn't feel like all the story strings were as neatly woven and snipped off as in the first novel. Honestly, I finished it feeling only partially fulfilled, because (while we do get resolution as to the major plot points) I don't feel like I got resolution as to the characters and their development/interactions. Without giving too much away, I felt like the characters were on the verge of discovering things about themselves and never quite crossed that point. They seemed to sort of back off from embracing the dramatic emotional/character changes that an epic journey would have made, and almost reverting back to their pre-Serpent Sea selves.

It made we wonder if, perhaps, a third novel is in the works?

Well, despite that, I definitely would not hesitate to buy another Raksura novel, and highly recommend this one.

UPDATE: Rumor has it there IS in fact a book 3, but it has not been purchased by a publisher yet. So, please purchase a copy of the Serpent Sea. I'd really like to see a book 3 :)

UPDATE 2: Thank you fellow purchasers, we're getting a book 3 (and thank you Anthrophile for letting me know)!!!!!!!!!!!! According to Anthrophile, the book will be called The Siren Depths and will hopefully still be out in January or February of 2013. If you liked this book, look forward to it!

I freaking LOVE these books. The first book caught me by surprise, but I loved it so much jumped on the second like a starving fledgling on a grasseater.

Because the Books of the Raksura contain some of the most original, exotic, and beautiful fantasy worldbuilding I've ever seen. Those of you who complain that there's nothing new in fantasy, read these. Here is plausible ecology and biology mingled with magic in a way that feels almost science fictional. Here are created, magical races drawn with believable complexity -- none of that essentialist "always chaotic evil" crap we're so used to seeing in fantasy, and plenty of diversity and history and mystery. That the Raksura resemble shapeshifting dragons is irrelevant; they're people, human without being human, and Wells does a marvelous job of treating these people as well-rounded and flawed characters whose struggles you can't help but care about.

In this outing, Moon -- recently and uneasily accepted into the Indigo Cloud court -- travels with the group to their ancestral home, where they mean to make a new start after nearly being destroyed by the Fell in the last book. They find a paradise of giant mountain-trees and forests that stretch for miles, waterfalls and plentiful game, and unearthly beauty. However, the seed which keeps their mountain-tree alive has been stolen, and Moon -- as the member of the group with the most experience at dealing with other races -- must help his new tribe track it down before the tree dies.

If there's any critique I have for these books, it's that the characters are sometimes sketched a little thinly -- but given how much time and attention has been given to the setting, I'm not sure that's really a flaw. My sense is that some of the thinness I feel is actually Wells trying to convey that the characters really aren't human. For example, Pearl's behavior frequently makes no sense (the other characters comment on it) until you realize that this is how queens are supposed to act; it's one of the ways they maintain dominance over others. The only reason we don't understand it is because Moon, a stranger to his own people, doesn't understand it. As he gains understanding, it all fits together.

Spoiler: I especially liked those chapters wherein Moon and Jade visit the Emerald Twilight court, and Moon must find a way to master consort etiquette -- when a just few months before he didn't even know the name of his own species. I also loved that we get to know more about characters who intrigued me in the first book: Flower the acerbic and grandmotherly mentor, Stone -- snarkier than ever in this outing -- and Moon himself. I love that we get to see a "real" solitary, and gain more understanding of why the Raksura are so suspicious of them. And holy crap, Jade. I love watching her play diplomat and maneuver her way through various politically-delicate scenarios, but there's a chapter near the end of the book in which she basically cries havoc and lets slip the claws of war, and it's beautifully bloody. I've always loved the treatment of gender in this series: women who are stronger than men and the men who love them for it; gender roles that are neither stereotypical nor simple reversals. All Raksura are formidable, but it's made very clear in this book that the role of a queen is to be the baddest mf on the planet. I see now why Moon loves her.

So read this book. And go tell your friends to read it, because I want it to sell well so we can get a third visit to the Three Realms.