From one of fantasy’s most exciting new voices, Eliza Chan, comes a modern, myth-inflected story of revolution and magic set against the glittering, semi-submerged city of Tiankawi, perfect for fans of Jade City and The Bone Shard Daughter. Welcome to Tiankawi – shining pearl of human civilization and a safe haven for those fleeing civil unrest. Or at least, that’s how it first appears. -From Orbit Publishing
I hadn’t expanded much into different perspectives, specifically South-Asian or Asian mythology-based fiction. At least not until I received an Early Finished Copy from Orbit in the mail. Before this, it had been only a few Asian mythology-based fantasies from the YA section that really didn’t interest me.
Oh boy, how wrong I was. I am so thankful that I had the chance to read this book early and, in fact, devoured it within days. Fathomfolk was a unique twist of a story I had not seen before. Tiankawi is an entire city partially submerged in the ocean and slowly sinks further each year. In the underwater section, you have many different races of creatures and beings that hail from many different cultures.
The story follows two characters, Mira and Nami, who end up shoved together, their stories unraveling in ways that couldn’t be expected. It’s very clear to the reader that things are not quite what they seem, but we get to experience the shocks and the betrayal on many different fronts. One of the things that really got to me was that these perspectives of Mira and Nami, who are from two very different socio-economic classes, end up in the reverse positions of those classes.
Fathomfolk is not a romance, though it has a small subplot that is a nod to it. It is ultimately focused on character growth. There’s a lot happening behind the scenes that leaves you wondering what exactly is happening as things are revealed. One of these is that this book tackles the pushback of oppression and racism between the Fathomfolk and humans. I think it was handled beautifully and with a lot of care.
Nami is unknown in the beginning, but her story unravels as the daughter of the Fathomfolk ruler, a Dragon. She has lived within the Fathomfolk’s high society and is banished to Tiankawi for a heinous crime. She is shoved from the high society down to the lowest slums of the sunken city, where unrest is beginning to make waves.
Mira is a high-profile Guard who fought her way to the top, being half Fathomfolk. She is in a relationship with Nami’s brother, who is the Ambassador of the Fathomfolk, trying to make change for his people. Mira has to deal with the constant reality of being an outcast from her people for being “in” with Humans, but the Humans hate her for her half-Fathomfolk heritage. She’s from the lowest parts of the city and rose into high society, struggling to balance between the two.
This book was such an up-and-down, exhilarating ride of seeing behind the facade of Tiankawi. I highly recommend picking this book up if you are unfamiliar with South-Asian or Asian Mythology, as it is easy to follow and allows you to dip your toes into a beautiful, rich culture. The racism and politics can be heavy at times, but it gives it that much more reality of the situation happening in Tiankawi. You’ll be riveted and won’t be able to put the book down!
5 of 5 stars!
This book is at the top of my Best Reads of 2024 and a part of the Dragons Galore Fantasy Masterlist.