The Four Profound Weaves

The Four Profound Weaves is a lovely novella about hope, resilience, and the stories we leave behind. It is lyrical and strange in a lovely way. It is also one of the only fantasy stories I know where both leads are trans, where trans identity is explored through magic, and where trans and non-binary identities are woven into the nature of the world as well.
It is a lovely, inclusive narrative. We need more fantasy like this!

I have to admit it is hard to write a synopsis of the novella The Four Profound Weaves by R.B. Lemberg (2020) without giving anything away. Lemberg continues their Birdverse world in Weaves and it is fascinating. If you are not familiar with it, you do not need to be. Lemberg explains everything in this very non-binary and yet transgender world.

The interesting choice of having two mature characters show that at any age people question choices and decisions makes this a relatable story for everyone. Lemberg also has these characters face off against the great evil in the story with nothing but their own strengths is another moral within itself.

As I was reading this work, I was thinking that this would be a great Book Club or English Literature discussion book. Each character is there for a reason. Lemberg does not waste the ink without a reason. You should not miss a word either.

I received this book for free from Tachyon Publications and give my opinion without prejudice and voluntarily.