The Raven Tower

By: Ann Leckie

Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 WORLD FANTASY AWARDGods meddle in the fates of men, men play with the fates of gods, and a pretender must be cast down from the throne in this masterful first fantasy novel from Ann Leckie, New York Times bestselling author and winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke Awards.

"Absolutely wonderful. . .utterly brilliant." -- The New York Times Book Review

For centuries, the kingdom of Iraden has been protected by the god known as the Raven.

He watches over his territory from atop a tower in the powerful port of Vastai. His will is enacted through the Raven's Lease, a human ruler chosen by the god himself. His magic is sustained by the blood sacrifice that every Lease must offer. And under the Raven's watch, the city flourishes.

But the Raven's tower holds a secret. Its foundations conceal a dark history that has been waiting to reveal itself. . .and to set in motion a chain of events that could destroy Iraden forever.
"It's a delight to read something so different, so wonderful and strange." -- Patrick RothfussFor more Ann Leckie, check out:Ancillary JusticeAncillary SwordAncillary MercyProvenance

Critic reviews

"I've been reading fantasy my whole life. After all these years, it's a delight to read something so different, so wonderful and strange."—Patrick Rothfuss

"A powerhouse epic of humans and gods at war, deeply imagined and profoundly thrilling. There are echoes of Shakespeare and Le Guin in The Raven Tower, but its strange dark brilliance could only have come from Ann Leckie."—Lev Grossman

"Leckie's tale takes on a mythic, metafictional quality...and the story's elements weave into a stunning conclusion. This impressive piece of craftsmanship cements Leckie's place as a powerful voice in both SF and fantasy."— Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Absolutely wonderful. The god's voice is mesmerizing, tender and careful....feels closer to the register of folk tale than epic, and is all the more riveting for that."—New York Times Book Review

"Leckie has an ear for language, an eye for character and a gift for creating new worlds and cultures... [her] examination of power, politics and governance is fascinating and well-conceived."—St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Sharp, many layered, and, as always for Leckie, deeply intelligent."— Kirkus (starred review)

"Leckie has a gift for using language both as worldbuilding and as plot device ... The Raven Tower spins out its mysteries before gleefully setting fire to them in the last few pages."—NPR

"Award-winner Leckie proves as adept at worldbuilding as ever-the setting and characters of The Raven Tower are as rich as any we encountered in Imperial Radch space-but it is the mode of narration that truly distinguishes her first novel-length foray into fantasy. Much like Hamlet, from which The Raven Tower draws clear inspiration, Leckie's is a story filled with complicated, very human people, as well as the forces that move around them, guiding them ever so slightly toward choices both good and bad."—B&N SciFi & Fantasy Blog

"The Raven Tower is an enormously compelling novel. It may draw inspiration from Hamlet, but...it reweaves the fabric of Shakespeare's play into cloth of a different color entirely. Leckie's worldbuilding is deep and thorough, showing us the edges of a broad, rich, complicated world, and her characters are fascinating."—Tor.com

"Leckie has created an enthralling and well-realized fantasy world, full of not only magic and gods but also characters representing a broad spectrum of gender and sexuality. Highly recommended for...anyone looking for exciting and boundary-pushing fantasy."— Booklist (starred review)

"Leckie's first foray into fantasy is every bit as exciting as her 2013 sci-fi debut, Ancillary Justice."
—Bustle

Excellent narrator and author

This narrator brings life to the story even through mundane parts. The author is top notch and I’ve enjoyed several of her works now. The combo of this author and narrator is phenomenal!

Fascinating worldbuilding, disappointing trans rep

Interesting world & lore
transgender rep disappointing, passively accepted abuse, voiced in a whiny tone

Very interesting

The style might not be for everyone, but I really enjoyed it. It is told from the perspective of an ancient god who may not be a reliable narrator at all times, but they are telling you the story to the best of their knowledge. It jumps between a couple different time periods, but it does so in a way that I never found to be confusing. Overall I thought the story was clear and engaging. I found it refreshing to have characters that are not your cookie cutter fantasy characters. I have set times that I tend to listen to audiobooks and I found myself looking for more times so that I could listen to this more quickly than I otherwise would.

Entirely original epic fantasy

This book is hand's down amazing. I've been a huge fan of Ann Leckie's work since reading the Imperial Raadch series, and couldn't wait to read her first fantasy novel. And wow, was it a good one.

Everything's in the style here. There are two main characters; the first-person narrator, who is a god, and the person the god is speaking to in 2nd person, who is a transgender man. That alone makes me jump up and down with glee--I have never seen such a wonderful portrayal of a trans character in a mainstream epic fantasy. (More like this, please!)

The story that unfolds, in both the present and flashbacks, is an inevitably converging mystery that only reveals its nature as it goes. Which was a little unsettling at first, as I tried to orient myself to the world (and especially the unique narration setup), but I was so totally along for the ride. This is one of those books where the characters are important, but the world is really the main character. The story and characters wouldn't exist without this world and all its intricacies. And that is my very favorite kind of book. The word here is so uniquely original, not even close to the tropes of a lot of epic fantasies. The possibilities, therefore, are also entirely unique. Possibly the only thing I've seen comparable is the complexity of Malazan, but this had an entirely different flavor to that series.

It's a heart-wrenching, mind-bending story. I had goosebumps at the end, up until the very last words. Nothing is as it seems.

Do yourself a favor and read this book. You will never have read anything else like it.

Good story and masterful voice acting!

i never write reviews. But the unique story as told by this narrator was such a treat.

I am a fan of Leckie. She always has smart and interesting books. But this performance from Andoh brought something here that I can't put my finger on. it made me feel like a little kid listening to my Grandmother tell a good yarn.

It's like listening to a story right from Gandolfs mouth, except it's Gandolfs mother telling it.... and she knows the whole time that this fairy tail is the oldschool kind that won't have a happy ending and is relishing in it. The mix of a good story written in 1st person by an omniscient and somewhat untrustworthy first person narrator, as performed by Andoh, just touched something that I couldn't get if I had read this book myself.