The Spear Cuts Through Water

A Novel

By: Simon Jimenez

Narrated by: Joel de la Fuente

Length: 17 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Two warriors shepherd an ancient god across a broken land to end the tyrannical reign of a royal family in this epic fantasy from the author of The Vanished Birds.

“A beguiling fantasy not to be missed.”—Evelyn Skye, New York Times bestselling author of The Crown’s Game

WINNER OF THE IAFA CRAWFORD AWARD • WINNER OF THE BRITISH FANTASY AWARD • SHORTLISTED FOR THE URSULA K. LE GUIN AWARD • SHORTLISTED FOR THE IGNYTE AWARD

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Oprah Daily, Vulture, Polygon, She Reads, Gizmodo, Kirkus Reviews, The Quill to Live

The people suffer under the centuries-long rule of the Moon Throne. The royal family—the despotic emperor and his monstrous sons, the Three Terrors—hold the countryside in their choking grip. They bleed the land and oppress the citizens with the frightful powers they inherited from the god locked under their palace.

But that god cannot be contained forever.

With the aid of Jun, a guard broken by his guilt-stricken past, and Keema, an outcast fighting for his future, the god escapes from her royal captivity and flees from her own children, the triplet Terrors who would drag her back to her unholy prison. And so it is that she embarks with her young companions on a five-day pilgrimage in search of freedom—and a way to end the Moon Throne forever. The journey ahead will be more dangerous than any of them could have imagined.

Both a sweeping adventure story and an intimate exploration of identity, legacy, and belonging, The Spear Cuts Through Water is an ambitious and profound saga that will transport and transform you—and is like nothing you’ve ever read before.

©2021 Simon Jimenez (P)2021 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“The Spear Cuts Through Water is many, many things. It’s a spellbinding tribute to oral storytelling and folklore. It’s a thoughtful exploration of identity and family. But more than anything, The Spear Cuts Through Water is a love story, and one unlike anything you’ve read before.”—Polygon “Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Books of 2022”

“[The Spear Cuts Through Water] is a marvel. Jimenez’s command of prose and playfulness of thought is used to incredible effect to show how oral traditions can transform a tale. This book must be read to be believed.”—Vulture

“The Spear Cuts Through Water is remarkably rich. . . . This novel is an astonishing feat, one that lovers of sophisticated story won’t want to miss.”—Chicago Review of Books

Wonderful and Beautiful and Different

This book was a bit of an odd listen, but probably the most beautiful story I've experienced this year. In some ways, it's a typical fantasy story - a boy goes on a magical quest and faces trials. However, the perspective shifting, nested storytelling, and other narrative choices (all of which are very well done) make the story feel entirely new and exciting. The writing style is beautiful and yet it somehow still captures the... earthiness of humans. The ending felt right, and I'm thrilled that it's a standalone and not a 6 book series.

Beyond the story itself, the audio format really helps to differentiate the characters. I found the perspective shifting more difficult to follow in print.

This book is beautiful beyond words

I teared up on more than one occasion. The prose was beautiful, the narrator was stunning…I’m left speechless.

Incredible!

This was such a beautiful story and the narrator did an excellent job of bringing it to life!

An excellent if irregular telling.

I really enjoyed this story and found myself invested through the end. It is an original use of second and omniscient POVs. Good work all around.

Imaginative story, well written

Confusing 1st hour, then I was hooked. Beware of some grizzly gruesome details though. I couldn't stop listening. The narrator was excellent.

Incredibly Unique

I have read a lot of fantasy, and this truly stands out among it all, for so so many reasons.

Spectacular

I loved everything about this. Simon Jimenez is an artist and this book his masterpiece.

Hard to follow

The story is written in a way that is overly elegant and hard to follow. The writing style seemed very similar to Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. Lost interest after listening for an hour.

A uniquely romantic bloodfest

The author uses multiple framing devices to burnish his choice of POVs, and wow is it engrossing. The prose is closer to poetry, characters for the most part are neither good nor evil, and there are a couple of marvelous set pieces. With all of the beautiful trappings, it is still worth noting that this is a bloody and at times, tragic book. There are a couple of scenes where the level of brutality is hard to stomach. The climax is visceral, powerful and slightly disgusting. I loved this book 8.5/10

this book was transcendental

amazing book. breath of fresh air. lots of big ideas executed creatively and very well done