‘You have arrived on earth
where your relatives, your kin, suffer hardships, endure affliction,
where it is hot, it is cold, it is windy.
It is a place of thirst, it is a place of hunger,
a place without pleasure, a place without joy,
a place of suffering, a place of fatigue, a place of torment.
O my little one, perhaps, for a brief time, you shall shine as the sun!
—The Florentine Codex, Book VI, 128V–151R’
After reading Black Sun last year, I had been eagerly anticipating reading the sequel (and finally got a chance to read it not too long after it released). Fevered Star is a refreshing jaunt back into the world of the Meridian. Like many ‘second of a trilogy’ novels, this one is not quite perfect, but it still provides an exciting sense of immersion into a complex world and characters I have grown to love. As in the previous novel, the narrative focuses on the exploits of Serapio, the Crow God Reborn; Naranpa, the now former Sun Priest; Xiala, a Teek; and Balam, a merchant lord. As before, some were interesting and others seemed shortsighted. The plot unfurls at perhaps a frustrating pace, as it takes a backseat to some of the finer details of plotting and worldbuilding that need to happen in the second volume to set it up for the third. And as before, the worldbuilding is well-written and engrossing. Finally, a special kudos to John Picacio for absolutely killing it on these book covers.Previously, Xiala and Okoa were some of my favorite characters (besides Serapio), but in the second volume I felt that they were underused. Xiala, in particular, seems rather directionless and even more clueless than before. Some of her chapters are instances where Roanhorse decides to infodump some of the worldbuilding—and in order to do that, Xiala plays the role of an empty vessel who lacks information and needs to be filled in. I understand that there is a tricky balance of managing the world and finer plot details, but I often found myself wondering how Xiala got to be in a certain position in the storyline, or what her purpose in the narrative was. Such instances were rather dull, no matter how interesting the infodump was. Okoa similarly played a smaller role than before, and though he still has a few highlighted moments, he felt quite irrelevant to the major plot. Sure, he had the potential to be important, but he just wasn’t. It was rather disappointing. Other characters, minor in the first book, finally get fleshed out in time to shine—and here, I found the character list at the beginning of the novel very useful. We see a few returning faces, but plenty of new ones, as well. The narrative focuses on Naranpa and Serapio in particular, and we fortunately get to see a lot of great development in their storylines.I will give the plot a bit of a pass since this is the second in a series. Much of it revolves around the various factions and groups getting together towards a certain goal and a certain place; now that the climax of the first volume has landed, it is time for its consequences to be felt. However, since not much was actually happening, the pace went a bit slowly and meandered at times; occasionally I felt a bit lost as to what was going on. Nevertheless, it was still enjoyable reading about the various exploits of our characters, mundane or serious, and there are definitely several serious, character-defining moments in the book. I’d say the strengths of the second volume lie in its character development rather than plot development, as here, we truly get a deeper look at some of the main players, their motivations, and particularly their struggles. All in all, it is a solid setup for the final volume, but on its own, the ending was slightly anticlimactic. (Perhaps in a clever way, I will admit.)The book also deals with some heavy themes and character considerations, such as: what does it mean to lack purpose, especially when your purpose has been all that defines you? What makes a place a ‘home’, and a relation ‘family’? What is the right price to pay for knowledge? Do the ends truly justify the means? How much of a sacrifice do we owe the gods—and indeed, do we owe the gods anything? Where does one’s humanity begin, or one’s divinity for that matter—or do they run together? One of my favorite aspects of this series is that each character is quite morally grey, neither fully benevolent nor malevolent, but each striving to obtain their own ends in their own ways. At times, these ways may clash, but perhaps they need not. The worldbuilding with respect to the gods and the magic system also gets a few hints of backstory and potential for development here, but much is still shrouded in mystery. I love that Roanhorse takes care to imply specific, minor details—such as the fact that the Tovan spoken by different clans has slightly different lilts and phonology, and that a non-native speaker might need time to acclimate. It adds immensely to the sense of a ‘lived in’ world.Despite the few misgivings I have, it was an exhilarating experience being back in the Meridian, and though slow-going at times, I was glad to see the plot progress and to uncover more about our characters. Serapio is still in sore need of some tenderness and kindness, and I can only hope that he receives it in the next volume. I am also curious to see how the various machinations established in this volume will play out—I am not entirely confident I understand everyone’s intended outcomes, but I know it is going to be a complicated mess regardless. I am right in line for the next volume in the series to see what happens next—and likely to have some of my questions answered, but to come up with just as many more. I have a lot of complicated thoughts when it comes to this book, but perhaps it is only because it is so endearing to me that I can be as critical as I am—I would certainly recommend this series to any fantasy fan, and if you’ve read the first book, then what are you waiting for?Favorite quotes:※ ‘Some have called me a fool for seeking to master the wild magics. But they have called me a fool only once, and the plaints of the dead matter not. —From The Manual of the Dreamwalkers, by Seuq, a spearmaiden’※ ‘Duty is a fine thing for those whose shoulders are stooped to the yoke, but it smothers those born to the wing.—Exhortations for a Happy Life’※ ‘“We are but fevered stars,” he intoned, like an orator on a stage. “Here a little while, bright with promise, before we burn away.”’※ ‘He had only wanted to be seen for a moment. Recognized as a man, not a god.’
