The steerswoman. - Wyrms.de

ju reviewed The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein

A quite brilliant introduction to something very very original

4 stars

So, take a few fantasy tropes (wizards, dragons, barbarians...), twist them a bit (two smart women travelling together, one of them a barbarian), add an interesting take on magic and knowledge and who has it and shares it -- or not, and you would have already a pretty interesting novel. But the author adds a deeper layer with hints and unsettling details, and a few more obvious clues near the end, and suddenly you're not entirely sure what story you've been reading. I think I'll get on the three following books, because I've grown very curious about how it will all be explained. So no, there won't be a lot of answers at the end of this one, which is frustrating. But it's a quite brilliant introduction to something very very original.

Robert Fromont reviewed The steerswoman. by Rosemary Kirstein

A seemingly classic quest across a land of wizards and dragons might not be what it first seems

4 stars

These days my threshold for seriousness in fantasy fiction is dialled to 'Terry Pratchett', so I was a little dubious about picking up a wizardy quest book with no jokes. I gave it a shot only because of its impeccable lineage of recommendations - Cory Doctorow (@pluralistic@mamot.fr), Randall Munroe, and Gretchen McCulloch (@gretchenmcc@xoxo.zone) - and now I'm hooked on this surprisingly satisfying series.

Steerswomen are a guild of learned travelers, cartographers, gatherers and disseminators of knowledge. Ask a question, and a Steerswoman will always answer, and will never lie. But if she questions you, you in turn must always answer, and never lie. Or suffer the Steerwomen's Ban, which no one wants. Everyone shows them deference and respect. Except the wizards who disdain their knowledge and jealously guard their own secrets.

Rowan is a Steerswoman on a quest to understand the mysterious blue jewels that have …

These days my threshold for seriousness in fantasy fiction is dialled to 'Terry Pratchett', so I was a little dubious about picking up a wizardy quest book with no jokes. I gave it a shot only because of its impeccable lineage of recommendations - Cory Doctorow (@pluralistic@mamot.fr), Randall Munroe, and Gretchen McCulloch (@gretchenmcc@xoxo.zone) - and now I'm hooked on this surprisingly satisfying series.

Steerswomen are a guild of learned travelers, cartographers, gatherers and disseminators of knowledge. Ask a question, and a Steerswoman will always answer, and will never lie. But if she questions you, you in turn must always answer, and never lie. Or suffer the Steerwomen's Ban, which no one wants. Everyone shows them deference and respect. Except the wizards who disdain their knowledge and jealously guard their own secrets.

Rowan is a Steerswoman on a quest to understand the mysterious blue jewels that have been scattered across the known world. As she travels, gathering clues and companions - a barbarian amazon and a blacksmith's son with an unusual talent - she begins to realise that she is being hunted. Why is there a price on her head? How can she protect herself and her fellow Steerswomen? Are the very principles they live by in peril?

Rosemary Kirstein unveils her fantasy realm unhurriedly, scattering isolated clues, like strangely familiar puzzle pieces, throughout the story. Clues for Rowan, and different clues for the reader, who is allowed the exquisite satisfaction of shadowy suspicions being gradually rounded out, without ever becoming expository.

loppear reviewed The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein

promising start and pace

4 stars

Content warning for some reason the slow steady conceptual reveal here wants to be hidden, but no plot spoilers

What a curious and lovely blend of stock fantasy and overturned expectations - a trudging journey of mysterious import through rival wizards realms, a steady unwrapping of a tension in the world between academic pursuit and dispersal of knowledge versus technological hoarding of power and secrets.

Chungledown Bim reviewed The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein

Not bad! 3.5

3 stars

Well-written if a little flat at times. If I'd discovered this series in the 90s I'd have been all about it, (TWO female leads!) but it just doesn't seem to have the social pith I'm after these days. Still, Bel is rad as hell, might give the next book a go one day.

cblgh@bookwyrm.social

rated it

Feb 7