Born and raised on Taranoke, Baru Cormorant lived her life with her mother and two fathers and the freedom of true choices. Traders from the Masquerade, a nation of modesty and hygiene, come and slowly build roots. Things begin to change on Taranoke. Families are taken apart under the guise of social cleansing. Modesty and education are enforced. Baru knows that if she is to rescue her home, she must take down the Masquerade from the inside. She takes her lead from the original trader and becomes an excellent student and useful tool of the Masquerade. When she is sent to Aurdwynn to become Imperial Accountant, she is told that even here unrest is the norm. Baru becomes the arm of revolution in order to make good her dream of rescuing Taranoke, forcing her to make harder decisions than ever she has had to before. With two nations in the balance, can Baru Cormorant become what is Necessary?

THE TRAITOR BARU CORMORANT is a game-changer. I have never found a fantasy novel written so well with such deep lore and LGBTQ+ representation. It is one of the best books I've read this year. This has earned a permanent place on my mind and in my heart. It's a truly excellent work of fiction. The language, first and foremost, is beautiful. The point of view follows Baru so closely. The reader can really feel what Baru feels through the poetry of her words. Every paragraph hosts a sentence that is mind-blowing. Even the highly creative names blend perfectly in with the wondrous setting, which seems straight out of Tolkien.

The story is just as convoluted as you could ever desire it to be. The people of the Masquerade lead by a gentle pressure rather than all-out force, which makes them even more terrifying as Overarching Villains. The whole village of Taranoke slowly succumbs to the pressures of the Masquerade. It's an excellent parallel to real-life colonizing efforts, and that's scary in all the best ways. The story grows and builds to revolution, in a natural way. It's such a fantastic read, so smooth you don't even notice how deep you are into it until the action is already happening. Usually, when there's a large number of multifaceted characters they can get jumbled into a faceless mass which acts on the plot. Not so in this case; I truly knew who was speaking at what time and what they meant to the story. Baru herself is such a magnificent heroine, bold and full of inner turmoil which makes her actions stand out among the legion of fantasy heroines in the world.

There is a point at which the convoluted plot becomes too much. The total immersion in the story can make it hard to tell when Baru's loyalties and ideas shift. It might be a problem for some readers who like a simpler execution. Otherwise the novel's positive qualities far outweigh any negatives that can be found.

THE TRAITOR BARU CORMORANT is one of the best novels I've had the privilege to read in a long time. It is a most excellent fantasy novel, on par with Anne McCaffrey or J.R.R. Tolkien. I would love to see more from this author, and I would especially love to see more of Baru Cormorant herself. I look forward to the author's next effort, and I strongly recommend this to everyone who can get hold of a copy. Check out THE TRAITOR BARU CORMORANT for yourself. There is an adventure to be had, and you cannot miss it.

Book Summary

In Seth Dickinson's highly-anticipated debut The Traitor Baru Cormorant, a young woman from a conquered people tries to transform an empire in this richly imagined geopolitical fantasy.

Baru Cormorant believes any price is worth paying to liberate her people-even her soul.

When the Empire of Masks conquers her island home, overwrites her culture, criminalizes her customs, and murders one of her fathers, Baru vows to swallow her hate, join the Empire's civil service, and claw her way high enough to set her people free.

Sent as an Imperial agent to distant Aurdwynn, another conquered country, Baru discovers it's on the brink of rebellion. Drawn by the intriguing duchess Tain Hu into a circle of seditious dukes, Baru may be able to use her position to help. As she pursues a precarious balance between the rebels and a shadowy cabal within the Empire, she orchestrates a do-or-die gambit with freedom as the prize.

But the cost of winning the long game of saving her people may be far greater than Baru imagines.