The Drowning Eyes

November 30, 2015
Foster’s tantalizing debut novella provides intriguing glimpses of a well-constructed world, but a trite conclusion undermines the rest of the story’s potential. In a coastal fantasy land where trade winds are essential, the Windspeakers who control the weather have been attacked by the raiding Dragon Ships, and the icon that is the source of their power has been stolen. Only one survivor remains from a raid on the school: Shina, an untrained Windspeaker, who takes passage on the first northbound ship she can find. The gruff captain and her small crew were simply looking for a paying passenger, but soon they find themselves at the tip of a literal and metaphorical storm, as Shina drives them forward to recover the stolen icon and bring the wind power back to her cutthroat society. The matriarchal society is the basis for a unique take on a piratical world, leaving the reader wanting more adventure when the abrupt ending fails to satisfy.

January 1, 2016

Tazir, captain of the Giggling Goat, needs a paying passenger if she and her crew are going to be able to afford to lay in supplies. While potential travelers who turn up in shady dockside bars usually have secrets, Tazir can tell Shina has more than most. Still, money is money. It is only when Shina's nightmares kick in and she shows signs of being able to control the weather that Tazir and the crew realize this girl is more trouble than they expected. A Windspeaker running loose outside of a temple is a danger to everyone around her, but if Shina can save their ship from the raiding Dragon Ships, it will be worth keeping her aboard. VERDICT This slim novella by the coauthor of the "Servants of Fate" series packs a lot of story in its pages. Tazir joins the swelling ranks of piratical seagoing women in recent fantasy (see Lila from V.E. Schwab's A Gathering of Shadows and Ross from Jacey Bedford's Winterwood, both reviewed in this column). Tor.com adds yet another appealing novella to its lineup, which continues to show the great potential for shorter works of sf/fantasy.--MM

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