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The Spear Cuts Through Water

A Novel

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About this listen

 Two warriors shepherd an ancient god across a broken land to end the tyrannical reign of a royal family in this epic fantasy from the author of The Vanished Birds.

“A beguiling fantasy not to be missed.”—Evelyn Skye, New York Times bestselling author of The Crown’s Game

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, She Reads, Gizmodo, Kirkus Reviews, The Quill to Live

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. The journey ahead will be more dangerous than any of them could have imagined.

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—and is like nothing you’ve ever read before. Action & Adventure Epic Fantasy Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Royalty
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There are only a few audiobook performances that I feel improve on the written story and this is one of them. Magical, from start to finish. Performed passionately and without skipping a beat in all the mad changes of perspective and choral interjections. This is a book that was meant to be performed and I don't think there could be a better voice for it.

I loved the story. Bold, full of love and folklore and the things that live in our dreams. A fantasy woven into the fabric of our time. Spend a credit and listen as you fall asleep each night.

Breathtaking writing and performance

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I cannot even begin to put into words the depth of how phenomenal this story is. I’ve never read/heard anything like it in my life. The story telling, world building and character arcs are all seamless and masterfully woven from start to finish. There are so many moving pieces all working in unison, yet also independently, but never does it feel too complicated or difficult to follow. A brilliant and timeless work of art that the world doesn’t deserve.

Note: The narration by Joel De La Fuente deserves just as high recognition and praise. Their attention to detail in breathing each character and world event to life blew me away. As someone who is not a traditional “reader” and relies on Audio-books (ADHD), I was actually left feeling sad for people who will read this book themselves, as opposed to listening to Joel’s narration, as I for one would not be able to read this story in the way Joel tells it. A brilliant pairing of Author & Narrator.

11/10

We are not worthy.

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.