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Sisters of the Raven #1
Sisters of the Raven
The Yellow City is in crisis. Men have always possessed the magic that sustains civilization, from healing the sick to calling the rains to keeping the mice from the granaries. Now the rains are weeks late, the wells are drying up, and the Sun Mages cannot summon the powers that the empire needs to survive. When magic appears-inexplicably-in the hands of a few women, the men react swiftly and furiously. Raeshaldis, the only girl ever accepted to the College of the Sun Mages, finds the mages won't teach her the spells. Corn-Tassle Woman's budding powers can't protect her from an abusive husband. And the Summer Concubine must play the dutiful consort even as danger looms for her Raven sisters. For while famine threatens and fanatics riot, someone is killing the most gifted female magic-workers...
512 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
44 people are currently reading
776 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Hambly
200 books1,563 followersaka Barbara Hamilton
Ranging from fantasy to historical fiction, Barbara Hambly has a masterful way of spinning a story. Her twisty plots involve memorable characters, lavish descriptions, scads of novel words, and interesting devices. Her work spans the Star Wars universe, antebellum New Orleans, and various fantasy worlds, sometimes linked with our own.
"I always wanted to be a writer but everyone kept telling me it was impossible to break into the field or make money. I've proven them wrong on both counts."
-Barbara Hambly
Ranging from fantasy to historical fiction, Barbara Hambly has a masterful way of spinning a story. Her twisty plots involve memorable characters, lavish descriptions, scads of novel words, and interesting devices. Her work spans the Star Wars universe, antebellum New Orleans, and various fantasy worlds, sometimes linked with our own.
"I always wanted to be a writer but everyone kept telling me it was impossible to break into the field or make money. I've proven them wrong on both counts."
-Barbara Hambly
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
April 23, 2024
I’ve enjoyed Hambly’s fantasy work in the past, most notably Dragonsbane and The Ladies of Mandrigyn, so picked this up despite knowing it’s generally considered a lesser work and has mixed reviews. And while it was entertaining and in some ways refreshing, I too was somewhat disappointed and would not recommend it as anyone’s first Hambly.
Sisters of the Raven features a patriarchal desert society faced with radical change: the rains aren’t coming, and magic, previously the exclusive province of men, is now failing them and beginning to appear in women. The book follows a mystery involving someone brutally murdering female mages, alongside the larger political maneuvering, through the eyes of a bunch of characters: the primary protagonists being Raeshaldis, a teenager who is the first and only woman accepted to the mage college; Oryn, the luxury-loving but well-intentioned king; and his longtime lover, the Summer Concubine, who has also manifested magic and is trying to protect the other women who have it.
On the one hand, it’s an engaging story with a sense of real and immediate threat to the protagonists and their world. I enjoyed reading it and guessing along the way, found it to flow smoothly and sympathized with the protagonists. On the other hand, it’s much more plot-driven than my typical reading, although sometimes a bit slow, and the leads, while likeable, felt a bit generic. It also sets up far more interesting problems than it resolves: at the beginning I assumed this was epic fantasy, given the magnitude of troubles this realm faces, but it ultimately turns out to be a mystery, mostly focused on our leads running around seeking clues and handling immediate problems, all over the course of about a week. I’d have been more interested in following the characters’ personal challenges, the societal changes, or tackling their big supernatural problems, instead of centering the story around stopping this one killer. (I also don’t love stories founded on brutality toward bit-part women and question how feminist this is, but that’s a different discussion.) Sadly, from the reviews it looks like the second book is also a one-off mystery/adventure, and the series evidently got cancelled after that.
Meanwhile, while our heroines are perfectly fine if you just want sympathetic characters to root for, I found them less interesting than some of the other female mages, who play smaller roles. Two others get point-of-view sections in the first chapter, and seemed way more interesting than Raeshaldis: Corn-Tassel Woman, a hearty, kindly glassblower’s wife who wants to help her neighbors with magic but doesn’t always think it all the way through; and Pomegranate Woman, an elderly beggar woman with an imaginary(?) pig. I was also entertained by Foxfire Girl, who is just so aggressively 14 (and the author so clearly aware of her blind spots) that her self-centeredness and lack of perspective were weirdly endearing. These minor characters have far more personality, warts and all, than the leads.
As for the feminism, in many ways I found it refreshing to read a feminist fantasy novel from before social media. You can see it in the mature approach to gender dynamics: while there are lousy men here, they’re each believable and aren’t generalized into Twitter-bait zingers. The book accepts that male mages losing their identities and livelihoods are experiencing real pain (some handling it better than others) without feeling the need to irritably remind us of their privilege. Likewise, the women are not perfect: when a handful of them unexpectedly acquire magic, their exclusion from structures and institutions around it means they lack not only education, but also a code of ethics. And so we see the results of people having great power without ethics having crossed most of their minds: everyone uses her own judgment, and not all of them have good judgment or think things through. Hardly any fantasy tackles this.
The book also portrays a range of women of different ages and social classes without demonizing any of them; friendships are present, though not especially deep or complex (it’s not that kind of book), and the lack of romance outside of the pre-established relationship is nice. It’s not the sort of intersectional feminism you see published in the 2020s, though I appreciated the class diversity and the lack of box-checking. The racial politics do feel a little dated: this world is clearly Arab-inspired, including sheikhs and djinni, but the leads are all blonde and blue-eyed; darker-skinned people exist in the vicinity but none play any significant role.
Meanwhile, I appreciate the pre-social-media-age assumption that we all know slavery (in this case, of a hominid species) is wrong without needing the author’s reassurance, but then the book never goes anywhere with that thread. More setup for a longer series than came to fruition, I suppose. And the portrayal of a gender-segregated society is inconsistent at times: educating aristocratic girls alongside future courtesans sounds like no society I know of (purity culture generally draws sharp divides between classes of women as well as between women and men), especially when they then come into contact with unrelated men. I finished the book curious about Hambly’s influences, whether these seeming inconsistencies were laziness or based on something real.
Finally, there’s the worldbuilding. In many ways, it’s surprisingly well-informed and thought-through for a fantasy novel. The politics hold up well: the jostling for power is realistic, and features actual economic, environmental, religious and social issues affecting this society. The social roles of magic and mages, who handle everything from healing to keeping out mosquitoes, also make sense. On the other hand, some details threw me out: at one point Raeshaldis visits a mage who has lost his power and comes away scoffing at his “fake lair,” featuring moving objects powered by steam. This is the only indication that this society has harnessed steam! If they have (and Raeshaldis so readily identifying it implies yes) then why don’t they use it for literally anything? If they haven’t (as indicated by the lack of any such use) then this guy’s inventing it all on his own to substitute for magic actually seems way more impressive than having magic.
In the end, an interesting read that runs a bit long and is hard to recommend, though I do recommend some of Hambly’s other work. I probably won’t read the sequel.
Sisters of the Raven features a patriarchal desert society faced with radical change: the rains aren’t coming, and magic, previously the exclusive province of men, is now failing them and beginning to appear in women. The book follows a mystery involving someone brutally murdering female mages, alongside the larger political maneuvering, through the eyes of a bunch of characters: the primary protagonists being Raeshaldis, a teenager who is the first and only woman accepted to the mage college; Oryn, the luxury-loving but well-intentioned king; and his longtime lover, the Summer Concubine, who has also manifested magic and is trying to protect the other women who have it.
On the one hand, it’s an engaging story with a sense of real and immediate threat to the protagonists and their world. I enjoyed reading it and guessing along the way, found it to flow smoothly and sympathized with the protagonists. On the other hand, it’s much more plot-driven than my typical reading, although sometimes a bit slow, and the leads, while likeable, felt a bit generic. It also sets up far more interesting problems than it resolves: at the beginning I assumed this was epic fantasy, given the magnitude of troubles this realm faces, but it ultimately turns out to be a mystery, mostly focused on our leads running around seeking clues and handling immediate problems, all over the course of about a week. I’d have been more interested in following the characters’ personal challenges, the societal changes, or tackling their big supernatural problems, instead of centering the story around stopping this one killer. (I also don’t love stories founded on brutality toward bit-part women and question how feminist this is, but that’s a different discussion.) Sadly, from the reviews it looks like the second book is also a one-off mystery/adventure, and the series evidently got cancelled after that.
Meanwhile, while our heroines are perfectly fine if you just want sympathetic characters to root for, I found them less interesting than some of the other female mages, who play smaller roles. Two others get point-of-view sections in the first chapter, and seemed way more interesting than Raeshaldis: Corn-Tassel Woman, a hearty, kindly glassblower’s wife who wants to help her neighbors with magic but doesn’t always think it all the way through; and Pomegranate Woman, an elderly beggar woman with an imaginary(?) pig. I was also entertained by Foxfire Girl, who is just so aggressively 14 (and the author so clearly aware of her blind spots) that her self-centeredness and lack of perspective were weirdly endearing. These minor characters have far more personality, warts and all, than the leads.
As for the feminism, in many ways I found it refreshing to read a feminist fantasy novel from before social media. You can see it in the mature approach to gender dynamics: while there are lousy men here, they’re each believable and aren’t generalized into Twitter-bait zingers. The book accepts that male mages losing their identities and livelihoods are experiencing real pain (some handling it better than others) without feeling the need to irritably remind us of their privilege. Likewise, the women are not perfect: when a handful of them unexpectedly acquire magic, their exclusion from structures and institutions around it means they lack not only education, but also a code of ethics. And so we see the results of people having great power without ethics having crossed most of their minds: everyone uses her own judgment, and not all of them have good judgment or think things through. Hardly any fantasy tackles this.
The book also portrays a range of women of different ages and social classes without demonizing any of them; friendships are present, though not especially deep or complex (it’s not that kind of book), and the lack of romance outside of the pre-established relationship is nice. It’s not the sort of intersectional feminism you see published in the 2020s, though I appreciated the class diversity and the lack of box-checking. The racial politics do feel a little dated: this world is clearly Arab-inspired, including sheikhs and djinni, but the leads are all blonde and blue-eyed; darker-skinned people exist in the vicinity but none play any significant role.
Meanwhile, I appreciate the pre-social-media-age assumption that we all know slavery (in this case, of a hominid species) is wrong without needing the author’s reassurance, but then the book never goes anywhere with that thread. More setup for a longer series than came to fruition, I suppose. And the portrayal of a gender-segregated society is inconsistent at times: educating aristocratic girls alongside future courtesans sounds like no society I know of (purity culture generally draws sharp divides between classes of women as well as between women and men), especially when they then come into contact with unrelated men. I finished the book curious about Hambly’s influences, whether these seeming inconsistencies were laziness or based on something real.
Finally, there’s the worldbuilding. In many ways, it’s surprisingly well-informed and thought-through for a fantasy novel. The politics hold up well: the jostling for power is realistic, and features actual economic, environmental, religious and social issues affecting this society. The social roles of magic and mages, who handle everything from healing to keeping out mosquitoes, also make sense. On the other hand, some details threw me out: at one point Raeshaldis visits a mage who has lost his power and comes away scoffing at his “fake lair,” featuring moving objects powered by steam. This is the only indication that this society has harnessed steam! If they have (and Raeshaldis so readily identifying it implies yes) then why don’t they use it for literally anything? If they haven’t (as indicated by the lack of any such use) then this guy’s inventing it all on his own to substitute for magic actually seems way more impressive than having magic.
In the end, an interesting read that runs a bit long and is hard to recommend, though I do recommend some of Hambly’s other work. I probably won’t read the sequel.
May 27, 2013
Barbara Hambly creates interesting worlds and ideas. In this book she has a society where magic has always existed--but only men have the power.
Now, she presents a tale of what effect it would have on any society when such a basic, familiar ability---magic--suddenly changes. As men lose magical power, women===a few women---are starting to show a somewhat different type of magic.
The conflicts in the story are well done. The rage of the men in losing their powers; the uncertainty of the women; the panic of the ordinary citizen---as drought gets worse and worse for the wizards can no long summon the rains.....
The novel is character driven---not a lot of battles or huge action scenes. But the interplay between characters made it an enjoyable read. The three main characters are Raeshaldis, the only female mage student; the king, Oryn and his lover, the Summer Concubine. I especially liked Oryn.
This is the first book of a series (so far only two) but the story stands alone. A well written fantasy which Barbara Hambly's good characterization and world-building.
Now, she presents a tale of what effect it would have on any society when such a basic, familiar ability---magic--suddenly changes. As men lose magical power, women===a few women---are starting to show a somewhat different type of magic.
The conflicts in the story are well done. The rage of the men in losing their powers; the uncertainty of the women; the panic of the ordinary citizen---as drought gets worse and worse for the wizards can no long summon the rains.....
The novel is character driven---not a lot of battles or huge action scenes. But the interplay between characters made it an enjoyable read. The three main characters are Raeshaldis, the only female mage student; the king, Oryn and his lover, the Summer Concubine. I especially liked Oryn.
This is the first book of a series (so far only two) but the story stands alone. A well written fantasy which Barbara Hambly's good characterization and world-building.
June 29, 2009
I've only previously read one series by Hambly, which I liked moderately well. I picked this one up because I recognized the name and pickings are slim in my library.
Sisters of the Raven is quite good. The events unfold in a world where men have always wielded exclusive control of society and of magic. Now, inexplicably, magic is deserting men and a new magic has sprung up in women. The concept is so unheard of that they aren't even sure what to call these women-with-magic. Men - especially wizards - are furious, frightened, and grief-stricken. Complicating matters is a drought, caused at least partially by the inability of male wizards to call the rains, as they have done for many years in the increasingly arid land. Social unrest, missing women, a fanatic cult, and a mysterious source of strange magic combine to make a compelling and enjoyable read. Upon finishing, my first thought was: Is there a sequel? (Happily, there is.)
Sisters of the Raven is quite good. The events unfold in a world where men have always wielded exclusive control of society and of magic. Now, inexplicably, magic is deserting men and a new magic has sprung up in women. The concept is so unheard of that they aren't even sure what to call these women-with-magic. Men - especially wizards - are furious, frightened, and grief-stricken. Complicating matters is a drought, caused at least partially by the inability of male wizards to call the rains, as they have done for many years in the increasingly arid land. Social unrest, missing women, a fanatic cult, and a mysterious source of strange magic combine to make a compelling and enjoyable read. Upon finishing, my first thought was: Is there a sequel? (Happily, there is.)
May 6, 2023
In a fantastical kingdom in the desert, wizards (who have always been male) are losing their magic—and women are gaining it. Before, women having power was so unthinkable that there wasn’t even a word for women who can do magic. Now they can, and many are being brutally murdered. The king’s concubine and the one woman accepted into the Sun Mage academy join forces to stop the murders. All this set against a tale of religions, classes, and personalities struggling for control as society itself changes. Julian and I like King Oryn and Summerchild the best, and in fact, we wish the novel could have focused on them instead of dividing itself into so many disparate characters. There were just too many plot points and characters, and it slowed down the mystery.
July 31, 2009
I enjoyed this book and admire the effort taking to realize a complete milieu, I had a hard time caring for its characters until the last 100 pages. This is why it took me so long to finish the book. The two female leads: Raeshaldis and Summer Concubine, seemed to warm very slowly. As a fantasy "mystery" I understand that there is a lot that must be force fed the reader so as to make the crime and its method sympathetic. This may have been why the 'warming' of the characters took so long; the front loading took precedence.
Another thought is that because the society depicted is male-dominated, the female characters are very limited in what they can 'do'. Much to the character development therefore has to happen mentally through thought and dialogue. Toward the end of the novel when they finally began to act against the society's cultural taboos in pursuit of the answers to their concerns that I became concerned for them and began to enjoy the read much more.
Having established the characters, I would read the sequel and probably enjoy it much more than this the first book. On Barbara's website there is a hint there could be more to come after the second, which with me and my rule of only reading a series for which all the parts are presently available this could be problematic. She did end Sisters in circumstances that could be left as is. I hope the second novel, when I find it, is set up the same way.
The lead male, King Oryn, was entertaining if somewhat stereotypical in his anti-establishment stance. I have to admit there were times I wanted him to throw off his sensitive guise and gush testosterone, but the fact that he didn't but remained steadfast, loyal and intelligent kept my liking for him constant. He was a very real character.
I also enjoyed the theme of a society that is completely dependant on magic suddenly losing access to it. I think BH handles the question of what would happen quite, if not completely, well. I am drawn to this concept as it is one of the themes I like to write about too.
All in all I liked it and didn't feel I'd wasted my time reading it.
Another thought is that because the society depicted is male-dominated, the female characters are very limited in what they can 'do'. Much to the character development therefore has to happen mentally through thought and dialogue. Toward the end of the novel when they finally began to act against the society's cultural taboos in pursuit of the answers to their concerns that I became concerned for them and began to enjoy the read much more.
Having established the characters, I would read the sequel and probably enjoy it much more than this the first book. On Barbara's website there is a hint there could be more to come after the second, which with me and my rule of only reading a series for which all the parts are presently available this could be problematic. She did end Sisters in circumstances that could be left as is. I hope the second novel, when I find it, is set up the same way.
The lead male, King Oryn, was entertaining if somewhat stereotypical in his anti-establishment stance. I have to admit there were times I wanted him to throw off his sensitive guise and gush testosterone, but the fact that he didn't but remained steadfast, loyal and intelligent kept my liking for him constant. He was a very real character.
I also enjoyed the theme of a society that is completely dependant on magic suddenly losing access to it. I think BH handles the question of what would happen quite, if not completely, well. I am drawn to this concept as it is one of the themes I like to write about too.
All in all I liked it and didn't feel I'd wasted my time reading it.
August 1, 2011
Great writing style and a fascinating plot, although I got a little lost in the middle and the ending falls a bit flat. Loved the strong women in their oppressive society and the fallout of women becoming mages.
xx-dnf-skim-reference
December 10, 2020Omg no. So much SV and other bullying, graphically depicted, in the first dozen pages I almost gagged. No good men? And besides, a tall fair woman comforts a smaller brown-skinned desert woman with a hug & and an address of "doll baby." Just no.
December 13, 2012
It's been a while since my last re-read of this duology and I've changed a lot (and gotten older) in the intervening years.
Of the good: the story still pulls me in as deeply and intensely as ever, even knowing where it's all going. I love the characters and their relationships. Of their own accord and that women and female relationships are front and center. Though it obviously) never escaped me that the focus of the story is on women, I felt it on this reread in a way I never had before, in particular because I do have so many more wonderful, rewarding relationships with women and a better, deeper (though far from complete) understanding of feminism than I ever have. So the parallels to feminism and women's lib are clearer to me than any of the previous times I've read them, if cast in magical terms. But it's literally about women coming into their power and the negative outfall of men thinking that it's being stolen from them. You don't have to swing wide to hit the point on that, however entertainingly clothed.
Of the less good: while I'm inordinately pleased to see a world/society that is not a medieval Europe analog, I couldn't help but being conscious this time around that it's a vague amalgam of Asian-ness and Asian-like geography and cultural traits and that, even so, Hambly managed to populate the main roles of the story with characters who still read as Caucasian (largely blonde, blue eyed and pale skinned) and of a higher class than any corresponding brown skinned character. That's obviously disappointing and even more so because Hambly has done (imo) such a wonderful job with her Benjamin January series.
All that being said, rereading this has reminded me of the specific pleasure of rereading; visiting the familiar while, at the same time, gaining new insights, finding empathy with different characters than before, new & different experiences from my own life now resonating with the book in a way they didn't before, because I hadn't HAD those experiences the last time I read the book.
Bottom line, as much as the questionable racial and cultural politics make me uncomfortable, I still think Hambly puts together a hell of a story and the intermeshing of the social politics with the central mystery (mysteries?) of the plot makes for a still-exciting story that had no problem in seducing me away from the new, previously unread book I started at the same time.
Of the good: the story still pulls me in as deeply and intensely as ever, even knowing where it's all going. I love the characters and their relationships. Of their own accord and that women and female relationships are front and center. Though it obviously) never escaped me that the focus of the story is on women, I felt it on this reread in a way I never had before, in particular because I do have so many more wonderful, rewarding relationships with women and a better, deeper (though far from complete) understanding of feminism than I ever have. So the parallels to feminism and women's lib are clearer to me than any of the previous times I've read them, if cast in magical terms. But it's literally about women coming into their power and the negative outfall of men thinking that it's being stolen from them. You don't have to swing wide to hit the point on that, however entertainingly clothed.
Of the less good: while I'm inordinately pleased to see a world/society that is not a medieval Europe analog, I couldn't help but being conscious this time around that it's a vague amalgam of Asian-ness and Asian-like geography and cultural traits and that, even so, Hambly managed to populate the main roles of the story with characters who still read as Caucasian (largely blonde, blue eyed and pale skinned) and of a higher class than any corresponding brown skinned character. That's obviously disappointing and even more so because Hambly has done (imo) such a wonderful job with her Benjamin January series.
All that being said, rereading this has reminded me of the specific pleasure of rereading; visiting the familiar while, at the same time, gaining new insights, finding empathy with different characters than before, new & different experiences from my own life now resonating with the book in a way they didn't before, because I hadn't HAD those experiences the last time I read the book.
Bottom line, as much as the questionable racial and cultural politics make me uncomfortable, I still think Hambly puts together a hell of a story and the intermeshing of the social politics with the central mystery (mysteries?) of the plot makes for a still-exciting story that had no problem in seducing me away from the new, previously unread book I started at the same time.
August 6, 2009
I loved Barbara Hambly's vampire books -- they remain possibly the best I've read -- so I picked this up at the used bookstore because the premise sounded interesting: Middle-Easternish society that doesn't think much of women, in which male-controlled magic is dying out while magical powers appear among the women.
I'm not sure why it was so boring, but I found myself unable to care about any of the characters except Oryn, the king. Sad commentary for a book that's supposed to be all about the women. I couldn't even summon up outrage for the way this desert society treated its women. In contrast to Those Who Hunt The Night, my previous Hambly experience, this novel was unable to evoke a sense of place or atmosphere.
It's hard to point at what was wrong with it, which makes me feel somewhat incompetent -- I'm an editor -- but the whole thing was just profoundly lackluster.
I'm not sure why it was so boring, but I found myself unable to care about any of the characters except Oryn, the king. Sad commentary for a book that's supposed to be all about the women. I couldn't even summon up outrage for the way this desert society treated its women. In contrast to Those Who Hunt The Night, my previous Hambly experience, this novel was unable to evoke a sense of place or atmosphere.
It's hard to point at what was wrong with it, which makes me feel somewhat incompetent -- I'm an editor -- but the whole thing was just profoundly lackluster.
July 28, 2019
While the story wasn't terrible, it just never caught my interest. DNF at 21%
September 20, 2021
I read Hambly's first Benjamin January mystery novel, 'A Free Man of Color', some years ago and really enjoyed it, but was surprised to see this offering--a pure fantasy--and honestly wondered if she could pull it off.
Turns out, Hambly most definitely can. The entirely-invented world of the Yellow City and its environs are every bit as detailed and richly described as her painstaking recreation of the cultural and political intricacies of early 19th-century New Orleans.
Her plots are likewise intricate, with just enough clues left for the reader that the revelation of the antagonist (the who, why and how) was that most satisfying combination of surprising and completely understandable.
I'm so glad I bought this book, because I will *definitely* be reading it again.
Turns out, Hambly most definitely can. The entirely-invented world of the Yellow City and its environs are every bit as detailed and richly described as her painstaking recreation of the cultural and political intricacies of early 19th-century New Orleans.
Her plots are likewise intricate, with just enough clues left for the reader that the revelation of the antagonist (the who, why and how) was that most satisfying combination of surprising and completely understandable.
I'm so glad I bought this book, because I will *definitely* be reading it again.
March 27, 2022
I've found it really difficult to review this book. I had so many mixed emotions reading it.
I hate the stupid patriarchal backwards world that continues to bury it's head in the sand even with ample evidence in front of their face that women now have power, and the men better adapt. I hated how religion played such a huge part in that abuse of power, how it was perverted to harm thousands of animals in the name of sacrifice, how it was perverted by those in power to continue to keep down the slave class (some non-human humanoid creature), to keep down women, to keep down anyone who wasn't a rich man. I hated how domestic abuse and violence against children is just accepted in this society. How most women don't even have names. How squabbling over resources is more important than securing your future. How everyone is so short sighted.
And I think I hated it the most because it so adroitly reflected out own world and that's always hard to see.
At the same time I loved this book. I loved how so many women were given voices, even if they had no names. Their stories could still be told. They found power where they could, even if it was only for a short time. In a way I have to compare this to those anti-patriarchy YA books that are so popular lately (like The Midnight Bargain or Iron Widow), and they don't even come close to this masterpiece that Barbara Hambly has written.
She's cleverly interwoven so many threads, from building an aqueduct across a desert, to magic disappearing, to magic being seen in women, to a new bloodthirsty religion arising, to petty squabbles between young girls, that you get the feeling of really living in this desert with these people. It's fantastic writing, and it's realistic to lived experiences humans have every day in our world, something those YA books rarely grasp. On the other hand, the Sisters are likely to continue struggling, seeing their numbers dwindle as they're killed, kidnapped, or punished somehow for wielding magic, whereas a book like Iron Widow does promise a triumph at the end. There is not promise like that in this duo of books. But there are many other things to cherish instead. I hope I'll remember to read the sequel, though I do need some time after that ending!
I hate the stupid patriarchal backwards world that continues to bury it's head in the sand even with ample evidence in front of their face that women now have power, and the men better adapt. I hated how religion played such a huge part in that abuse of power, how it was perverted to harm thousands of animals in the name of sacrifice, how it was perverted by those in power to continue to keep down the slave class (some non-human humanoid creature), to keep down women, to keep down anyone who wasn't a rich man. I hated how domestic abuse and violence against children is just accepted in this society. How most women don't even have names. How squabbling over resources is more important than securing your future. How everyone is so short sighted.
And I think I hated it the most because it so adroitly reflected out own world and that's always hard to see.
At the same time I loved this book. I loved how so many women were given voices, even if they had no names. Their stories could still be told. They found power where they could, even if it was only for a short time. In a way I have to compare this to those anti-patriarchy YA books that are so popular lately (like The Midnight Bargain or Iron Widow), and they don't even come close to this masterpiece that Barbara Hambly has written.
She's cleverly interwoven so many threads, from building an aqueduct across a desert, to magic disappearing, to magic being seen in women, to a new bloodthirsty religion arising, to petty squabbles between young girls, that you get the feeling of really living in this desert with these people. It's fantastic writing, and it's realistic to lived experiences humans have every day in our world, something those YA books rarely grasp. On the other hand, the Sisters are likely to continue struggling, seeing their numbers dwindle as they're killed, kidnapped, or punished somehow for wielding magic, whereas a book like Iron Widow does promise a triumph at the end. There is not promise like that in this duo of books. But there are many other things to cherish instead. I hope I'll remember to read the sequel, though I do need some time after that ending!
October 3, 2024
In addition to a devastating drought, the Yellow City must deal with women beginning to possess magic while in the past this was only an occurrence with men.
Barbara Hambly writes excellent books! I like that I need to read every line and can't skim my way through her stories. My favorite character was the Summer Concubine who has been trained as a Pearl Woman (it brings to mind a geisha) and has a wonderful mate in Oryn, the king. While Oryn is open-minded enough to value women's input, most of the men are not. Raeshaldis, the first female mage, is treated poorly at the mage institute but gradually becomes very important to the survival of the city. I loved Pontifer, the possibly imaginary white pig that keeps Pomegranate Woman company.
I reread this after many years so that I could continue on with the sequel.
Barbara Hambly writes excellent books! I like that I need to read every line and can't skim my way through her stories. My favorite character was the Summer Concubine who has been trained as a Pearl Woman (it brings to mind a geisha) and has a wonderful mate in Oryn, the king. While Oryn is open-minded enough to value women's input, most of the men are not. Raeshaldis, the first female mage, is treated poorly at the mage institute but gradually becomes very important to the survival of the city. I loved Pontifer, the possibly imaginary white pig that keeps Pomegranate Woman company.
I reread this after many years so that I could continue on with the sequel.
March 13, 2023
Updated to 4 stars on second reading, reducing the confusion of characters with a greater appreciation of the world building and magic system.
Hard for me to get through to the end, because it was both slow-paced and predictable, where I could always tell where and how the story would progress. The character development was very sketchy, particularly of the women characters, with a disappointing ending. Nonetheless, overall a solid story with enough questions left over for a sequel.
Hard for me to get through to the end, because it was both slow-paced and predictable, where I could always tell where and how the story would progress. The character development was very sketchy, particularly of the women characters, with a disappointing ending. Nonetheless, overall a solid story with enough questions left over for a sequel.
September 1, 2008
So far I'm enjoying this story in a world where men have always had the magic and women are all second class citizens and property. Suddenly men are loosing it and women are using it. Good to find strong female characters that aren't played off some macho swordsman.
Not the best but not bad. Better than TV
Not the best but not bad. Better than TV
July 16, 2022
Certainly not Hambly's best work, the ideas are interesting (men losing magic and women gaining it and the societal changes that come with an alteration in the balance of power) but the execution is confused and could have been a lot better handled.
February 5, 2010
This is a good one, you get a story that discusses the women's revolution in a settng with magic and wizards. How much better can it get :)
September 20, 2010
I liked this better than I thought I would, which has happened to me before with this author. Nice twist that men had the gift of magic.
February 3, 2018
When I was a young teen, I enjoyed some of Ms. Hambly's well-known fantasy and sci-fi works, including her Sun Wolf and Starhawk series, "Children of the Jedi" and one of my guilty pleasures, Dragonsbane. I usually enjoy losing myself in the details she sprinkles throughout her novels; however, in Sisters of the Raven I began to skim that text to try to follow the dialogue and action. Description bogged down any forward momentum and stifled my interest in the characters as surely as the drought affected this desert kingdom.
The theme of failing magic and desperate times was interesting enough for me to complete the book, but the finale was not satisfying enough for me to look for more of this series. I think I'll re-read some of her earlier work to reassess whether her writing is actually to my liking or was only something I enjoyed when I was younger and less experienced as a reader. While I might recommend the above mentioned other novels of hers, I'm unlikely to mention Sisters of the Raven to fantasy readers looking for a new series.
The theme of failing magic and desperate times was interesting enough for me to complete the book, but the finale was not satisfying enough for me to look for more of this series. I think I'll re-read some of her earlier work to reassess whether her writing is actually to my liking or was only something I enjoyed when I was younger and less experienced as a reader. While I might recommend the above mentioned other novels of hers, I'm unlikely to mention Sisters of the Raven to fantasy readers looking for a new series.
December 1, 2019
Wow--this really was an extraordinary book...I only wish that I could have appreciated it as much as it deserved. This complex, multi-layered extravaganza of a novel was beautifully written. There were so many just simply added touches that just brought the imagery right into my mind's eye and I loved that. My problem is that I have a difficult time adapting to an entirely new "world" with so many different names and traditions and races and beliefs and keeping them all straight. I got the gist of the novel which is basically men who have always had the power of magic are losing their powers. Women are beginning to acquire those powers and the men are not very happy about it. The fall out from that is exactly what you would expect.
August 31, 2018
In a desert kingdom, only men ever manifest magical power; women just don't do magic. Except now women are showing power, while male power is fading away — and men have trouble accepting this. One of them's so upset, he's ready to kill ...
This works much better for me than Alderman's The Power in showing men resisting the new way of things, or apprentice mage Shaldis' struggling with harassment at the mages' academy ("Every boy heard me scream ... and none came."). However the book is just stuffed with too many plots, schemes and complications to the point it loses some of the emotional punch it should have. And the final chapter wraps up everything too fast. Overall, though, very good.
This works much better for me than Alderman's The Power in showing men resisting the new way of things, or apprentice mage Shaldis' struggling with harassment at the mages' academy ("Every boy heard me scream ... and none came."). However the book is just stuffed with too many plots, schemes and complications to the point it loses some of the emotional punch it should have. And the final chapter wraps up everything too fast. Overall, though, very good.
December 8, 2017
The book has an interesting setup. Male mages are losing their magic while women, for the first time, are showing signs of having powers. At the same time there is a drought and the wizards have no power to make it rain. The Summer Concubine is trying to gather up her fellow female magic users with the help of Raeshaldis, the only female to be allowed to study with the Sun Mages. But someone (or something) is killing off these Sisters of the Raven as fast as they can find them. The book is fairly slow at first but speeds up once this situation is established.
December 7, 2022
Older title that’s been on my shelves for a bit that I finally got around to. This is an interesting fantasy and I liked things about it - it didn’t measure up to my favorite novels by this author, but mileage could easily vary. She’s one of a generation of very good writers in the field, most of them women, who never really got their due. The feminism in this one is of its time, but the book deserves credit for how it tackles the question of what happens when magical ability changes by gender in a deeply patriarchal society. And Hambly is an excellent writer. 3.5 from me on this one.
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August 1, 2021This book held my attention but felt overstuffed with conflicts and viewpoint characters, like the beginning of an epic fantasy series. I’m not surprised that reviews of the sequel say it isn’t a satisfying conclusion. I’ll be on the lookout for a stand-alone Barbara Hambly book but probably won’t try another series since it seems like it would have to be a very long series in order to end nicely.
May 11, 2017
Male magicians are losing their magic and some females are showing signs of being able to do magic when no females were previously able to. The lakes are going dry and the cities are threatened. A decent plot, good characters and a fairly good pace to the story. I would have liked to have an explanation as to why the magic lest the men and the females became able to do it.
October 9, 2017
Loved the writing. Hambly is a great writer. I just found it difficult to get into all the characters and the slow pace of the book. My guess is that the sequel will be much better now that all the characters have been introduced and the conditions of the world established.
May 30, 2025
A fast paced thriller
I always expect a great story from Barbara Hambly, and Sisters of the Raven is perfect in that regard.
What wasn't so perfect were the typos that popped up so often, especially those that substituted a very different word from what should have been written.
I always expect a great story from Barbara Hambly, and Sisters of the Raven is perfect in that regard.
What wasn't so perfect were the typos that popped up so often, especially those that substituted a very different word from what should have been written.
August 30, 2025
Slow moving plot. Felt like I read a lot of words yet learned very little about most of the characters. The end felt almost anti-climactic. Great premise and author rep created high expectations that were not met.
March 17, 2018
I just loved this book. I loved the characters, the world building, the writing, just everything about it!
July 8, 2020
read this years ago. not as good as I remember.
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