The Spear Cuts Through Water

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, Kirkus Reviews, and more.

"A beguiling fantasy not to be missed." — Evelyn Skye, New York Times bestselling author

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.

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.

📖 Paperback | 544 pages