J.Y. Yang
Tor.com
September 26th, 2017
Mokoya and Akeha are the twin children of the Protector. While Mokoya was born with a prophetic ability that has doomed her to a life controlled by her autocratic mother, Akeha chooses to join the rebellious Machinists–engineers that believe non-magical technology should serve side by side with magic to benefit both the lower class non-magical and the higher class Tensorate mages. While magic is mostly for those who can wield it, technology is for everyone.
The Black Tides of Heaven and The Red Threads of Fortune weave us a delightful tapestry of world building where Yang shows us a richly developed society of myth and magic where gender can be chosen, fates can be shaped, and love holds the universe together. My only complaint with the novellas is that they were both far too short. It’s an interesting world with really great characters. Hopefully we’ll see more of it soon.
JL Jamieson is a strange book nerd who writes technical documents by day, and book news, reviews, and other assorted opinions for you by night. She is working on her own fiction, and spends time making jewelry to sell at local conventions, as well as stalking the social media accounts of all your favorite writers.