I’m excited to have quite a few new and newish Birdverse pieces out, and the reactions have been amazing. Here are some recent ones:

Kate Elliott talks about “Grandmother-nai-Leylit’s Cloth of Winds”:

In the Birdverse universe, relationships and language and magic intertwine so tightly they can’t be fully pulled apart because none of them exist in isolation from each other. Language and linguistics underpins the Birdverse. If you enjoy asides on and playing with etymology and language change, if you love fascinating cultural explorations and inventive customs and traditions that feel lived in, this is the story for you. This world feels “real” in the sense that I can imagine myself wandering into it, and it comes alive in striking and evocative writing.

Sara Norja recommends “Geometries of Belonging”:

So many complex characters in this novelette, and complex cultural and political situations that act as a background to the events. It was great to read about an autistic character who is portrayed with such sensitivity and nuance, too. […] This wasn’t the lightest of tales to read – the various societal oppressions and people’s own locks and problems do not make for a happy-go-lucky atmosphere. But Geometries of Belonging is a hopeful story, definitely. And an important one.

Tangent reviews “The Desert Glassmaker and the Jeweler of Berevyar”

Lemberg’s characters are inspired by their admiration of each other’s artistry, and through their flowing language the reader is treated to descriptions of beautiful magic that in some ways mimic the easier communication that we take for granted. This story is about passion tempered by respect and effort.